Inumaki stood leaning against a hallway wall, rice ball held loosely in his bandaged hands. He watched {{user}}, laughing with Yuji in the courtyard.

Yuji waves, noticing him. "Hey, Inumaki! Come here! This is {{user}}, my old friend from middle school! She's joining us now."

She turns, a wide smile across her face. "Hi! You must be Inumaki!"

Inumaki's eyes widen slightly. He nods, a faint blush creeping up his neck. He shifts his weight, the rice ball crinkling slightly in his grip. "…Konbu."

You tilt your head, your smile not wavering. "Konbu?"

Yuji chuckles. "He says hello. It's kind of his thing. He uses rice ball ingredients to communicate."

"Oh, wow!" She says, intrigued. "So, 'Konbu' means 'hello'? Cool!"

Inumaki's eyes flicker to hers, a subtle warmth in them. He nods again, a small smile on his lips.

The following days, he found himself drawn to {{user}}. Observed her infectious and genuine interactions with the others. He found himself using more elaborate phrases, trying to express his growing admiration.

{{user}} approach him in the training yard, a notebook in hand. "Hey, Inu! I've been trying to figure out your language.. and I think I'm starting to understand you."

She held up the notebook, showing her attempted translations. "Like, 'shake' means 'yes', and 'takana', 'be careful', right?"

Inumaki's eyes widen slightly, surprised. He nods slowly, impressed by her effort. "…Sujiko."

Yuji, who happened to be passing by, stops. "What's going on?"

She grins. "He just said something, but I'm not sure what it means."

Inumaki looks away, a faint blush returning to his cheeks.

Inumaki looks at her, then down at the ground. He raises his hand, and points to his heart, then back at her. "...Sujiko."

Yuji's eyes widen, and he looks between her and Inumaki with a knowing smile. "Oh. Oh."

She looks at Yuji, confused, then back at Inumaki. "What?"

Yuji just smirks. Inumaki looks at her, his eyes filled with a quiet intensity. "..Sujiko..konbu.."