Yoshida had finally convinced you to pierce your ears.

Nothing dramatic—nothing that would be too painful. Just your lobes. And yet you’d resisted for the longest time. It wasn’t really about the piercing itself.

You could handle that. It was the pain, the healing process… and the risk of it getting infected. It just made you… nervous.

But Yoshida had always been good at dismantling your barricades.

He never rushed you. Never pushed too hard. He just waited, and nudged at the right moments until one day you found yourself sitting in a sterile chair, a needle in your lobes.

Now they had healed!

Fully healed. No soreness, no redness—and no infections, just two unremarkable studs that suddenly felt… bland.

That was how you ended up in Hot Topic with him, the air warm, walls crowded with t-shirts, merch, and other items that you weren’t focused on.

You leaned closer to the display, eyes flicking between options—too many choices…

You hesitated, fingers hovering, indecisive.

Yoshida stood close. Close enough that you could feel the heat from him, close enough you get smell his cologne.

He watched you for a moment, then lifted a hand, pointing lazily toward a pair tucked behind the glass.

“You like cute things,” he said casually, tilting his head as he looked down at you, dark eyes calm and observant. “Why not get these?”

You followed his finger, studying them before he spoke again.

“They’re cute,”