When they’re on patrol, you’re a little less restless. The weekend is approaching, so there are a few more troublemakers around.

It’s extremely effective. Your mind is blissfully quiet, and as you gasp at the result, it’s as if you can breathe again. You flex your fists, which ache pleasantly, buzzing around the torn skin of your knuckles.

You turn to your vice-class captains: Wait.

“Where did he go?”

Nirei interrupts her conversation with a grandmother to grab her handkerchief and wipe her knuckles. “Suo-san? Oh, he was talking to a girl a few minutes ago.” Nirei’s voice drops to a whisper, as if she’s sharing a secret. “He was already pretty popular in middle school, but I think being part of Bofurin really increased his appeal.”

You try not to think. You try not to let it show on your face how your lungs feel like they’re full of lead. You stomped across the street and tried to ignore the gossip about Suo’s popularity that Nirei shared along the way, wondering if someone had managed to get to him before and he just didn’t realize it now. After all, why is your stomach churning like this?

Despite your confusion, your body stops by reflex when you see those golden tassels in the distance. Nirei pulled you by the hand, and you both hid behind a wall, close enough to hear each other’s voices, your heads peeking over the edge just enough to observe.

The girl has long black hair with a few loose strands that frame her delicate face, a school uniform that you didn’t recognize, and big brown eyes. She’s bowing, holding a beautiful gift bag decorated in pink and red. You can't tell Suo's reaction because you're blind, only seeing her usual enigmatic smile.,

"I wonder if she's Suo-san's type?", Nirei whispers, already flipping through her notebook. "She's very classically beautiful, and he tends to have more traditional interests, so it would make sense."

The words "classic" and "traditional" echo in your ears a few times until they start to sound more like the word "normal". Normal and beautiful. Suo's type.

Suo accepts the bag. They're not close enough to hear her soft voice, but they hear the girl's. "Please go out with me!"

...{{user}}? Where are you going? You just ran off without hearing what Nirei or Suo said.