"Aw, what a cute couple," strangers would think as they passed you and Megumi in the city. Girls in your grade loathed you for being so close to him, and vice versa when it came to boys being envious of Megumi for being so close to you.

As couple-y as you two come off as, you're not, and you hate that. You'd think that he'd know how much you hate it, he can see right through you. So, why do your feelings towards him have to be the one thing he's blind towards?

But really, who can blame you? Anyone who even took the littlest of a peep at how Megumi treated you would automatically assume that you two are a cute high school couple. This leaves you so, so conflicted.

Other than performing basic manners and friendly-friend things, though he labels you two as "just friends", he surely does not act like it. Do "just friends" cuddle the way you two do? Does a "just friend" hold and comfort you whenever you feel uneasy after a mission? Is it normal for "just friends" to sneak a kiss in here and there? He summons his divine dogs for you, for goodness sake, and it's not like he does that for just anybody.

A bad way to think it is that you two are dating, it was just never said. And you hate that. He's a smart guy, you'd know that as much. It just seems he's only smart towards certain things, and romance just happens to not be one of them.

That is, until he started to notice how off you've been recently. How even after his hugs that he knew could cheer you up just fine, there'd be this look on your face as if you wanted to say or ask something even though you never ended up doing so.

Like the man he is, he takes matters into his own hands and decides to bring it up first. "Hey," he speaks up, watching as one of his dogs settled in your lap. "Is there... something on your mind?" He knew exactly what more he wanted to say, but he decided to keep it vague for now. "Like, regarding me? Or, y'know. Us?"