"I think you look really beautiful, Ohta," Tanaka says in his usual dreary, listless tone.

Ohta reacts in a way very much similar to the time when Tanaka greeted him good morning with an unusual smile on his face. "I see," Ohta responds uncertainly, staring at the food right in front of his mouth, ready to be eaten by him. He decides that he doesn't want to eat it right now and places it back on his plate instead before sending Tanaka a worried glance and touching his forehead. "You aren't sick today, are you?"

Tanaka shakes his head before sighing heavily as if that mere gesture was able to drain so much of his energy. "I'm fine."

Ohta feels more anxious than relieved hearing this. It's currently their lunch break, and Tanaka hasn't eaten anything yet. Ohta made sure to choose which food was easiest to eat from the cafeteria, for he knew that Tanaka disliked anything that requires even the least amount of effort. Also, Tanaka visited the dentist yesterday much to his dismay, so Ohta has no idea what's stopping him from eating this time.

Besides refusing to eat, Tanaka has also been showering Ohta with conpliments that he doesn't usually say.

"Ohta," Tanaka calls.

"Yes?"

"Your hairstyle really suits you. I like it."

Ohta stares at Tanaka, examining him and trying to detect anything odd. When he discovers nothing, he frowns. "Thank you," he says in a questioning tone.

"Ohta," Tanaka calls again.

"Yes?"

"I really like you."

Ohta looks at Tanaka as if he has grown another head and stands up, stating, "Let's go. We're going to be late." They're definitely not going to be late yet, but Ohta badly wants to leave the cafeteria and their conversation. He didn't miss the fact that Tanaka just told him that he really liked him.

"Carry me, Ohta."

There's something about Tanaka's voice that makes Ohta not want to carry him. It's different from the usual tone he uses, and it puts Ohta in great discomfort though he isn't entirely sure why. Nevertheless, he puts an arm around Tanaka and carries him to their classroom as per usual.

"I want to touch your hair," Tanaka drawls, trying to reach for it.

Ohta swallows, feeling a little nervous.

Tanaka has asked Ohta to marry him a number of times already. He's even told Ohta that he was willing to give his own life to him. Ohta has always thought of those things as a joke, nothing serious about it, but what if Tanaka actually does like him? He shakes his head vigorously as if doing so will drive the idea away.

"Ohta? Are you okay?" Tanaka asks.

"Y-Yes," Ohta breathes, trying to ease his mind, and reassures himself that everything is the same as usual: he and Tanaka are best friends and Ohta doesn't feel an ounce of awkwardness between them.

When they arrive at their classroom, Ohta lays Tanaka down on his seat and lets him be. Yawning, Tanaka partially buries his head in his arms, his eyelids drooping, and finally, closes his eyes. Ohta swears he saw Tanaka smile just a little bit. He lets out a sigh and walks over to where Katou and Shimura are, thinking that he should probably ask them about Tanaka's weird actions.

"Tanaka's eyes smiled," Ohta says to the two.

Katou and Shimura's reactions are almost identical: they glance at Ohta blankly before looking at each other and shrugging. Disappointed in their response to his really serious problem, Ohta feels his shoulders drop slightly.

Katou stares at him, still with a clueless expression on his face before saying, "Sorry, Ohta, but I don't exactly get it."

"What do you mean anyway?" Shimura asks.

"I mean Tanaka smiles, but I don't think I've ever seen his eyes smile." Ohta looks at them with the most tense expression he can manage.

Unfortunately no matter how hard Ohta tries to explain everything, Katou and Shimura fail to see the severity of this problem. They turn their heads toward Tanaka who is sleeping soundly before looking back at Ohta who looks somewhat stressed.

"It's not double listlessness day?" Katou asks.

"No."

"No teeth problem?" Shimura asks.

"None."

Katou and Shimura both nod in unison, looking really certain about somehing. "It's love," they declare in chorus.

Ohta shakes his head, rejecting the notion at once because Tanaka wanting to exercise is more likely than that to happen. He places a palm on his forehead and tries to think about what's going on in Tanaka's mind. He honestly can't think of anything else, but still, the idea of Tanaka falling in love is so farfetched and surreal that Ohta doesn't even want to consider it.

"I have trouble believing that," he mutters, looking at Tanaka before shaking his head. "Tanaka thinks love is nothing but trouble."

"But still, if it isn't love, then what is it?" Shimura asks. "I can only think of it as the reason."

Katou grins and says, "That's because your head is filled with girls. Only girls."

"Well, it's something all popular guys have to deal with. You wouldn't understand," Shimura retorts. He gives Katou a patronizing look and taps his back comfortingly.

"Shut up."

"It can't be love, right?" Ohta puts in.

Katou shrugs it off as well and replies, "I guess so."

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, we are talking about Tanaka here," Shimura chimes in waving his hand as if to say 'impossible'.

"Right. Right. It's highly unlikely. Tanaka would rather sleep than deal with such a stressful thing," Ohta says with an air of finality, his hand on his chin. He goes back to his seat, doing his best to focus instead of dwelling on Tanaka's actions. He's probably just overthinking anyway. However, when he sends Tanaka a glance and sees him staring at him in a way that Ohta finds unsettling, his thoughts are once again filled with Tanaka.

Classes have ended, and Ohta still can't figure out what's behind Tanaka's actions. He can't stop thinking about what Tanaka told him earlier: he called Ohta beautiful and told him that he liked his hair. Ohta might be stressing over such a small thing, but still, it's not like Tanaka says things like this on a regular basis. This is also not something that best friends usually say to each other. Ohta has considered the fact that it might be mere compliments, but he still feels somewhat worried that he's best friend is starting to see him in a different way.

While on their way out, Tanaka and Ohta come across Shiraishi and her friends. An idea pops in Ohta's head. He taps Tanaka's shoulder and says, "Look, Tanaka, isnt Shiraishi-san beautiful?" He does his best to sound casual and conversational.

Tanaka turns towards Shiraishi and nods in approval. "She is pretty."

"Right?" Ohta confirms, reliqef surging through his body.

"I think Ohta is more beautiful though," Tanaka remarks.

The relief leaves his body, and worry comes back to replace it. Ohta clears his throat and averts his gaze away from Tanaka. He still doesn't know how to respond to a compliment such as that, so he replies with, "Can you accompany me to Wcdonalds?"

"Sure."

As they go about the usual way to the fast-food restaurant, Ohta can't help but feel that the walk is taking way too long. It probably isn't, but due to his excitement about eating more sweets, he wants to arrive at Wcdonalds as soon as possible. When the restaurant finally comes into view, Ohta does his best to avoid running to get inside because he's sure that Tanaka won't like it.

The moment the two of them step inside the restaurant, Tanaka can already feel the energy and enthusiasm of the staff. The desire to get out and go home presents itself, but Tanaka knows that Ohta wants to be here, so instead of ruining his fun, Tanaka decides to endure it. Besides, the chairs in Wcdonalds are exceptionally comfortable.

"Tanaka, you can go sit over there. I'll be the one to order," Ohta says.

"Ohta? Master?" a high-pitched voice calls.

Ohta turns to where the voice came from and sees Echizen and Miyano. "You two are here too?"

"Are we not allowed here?" Echizen taunts, rolling her eyes before pointing at Tanaka disbelievingly. "Moreover, I can't believe this guy is here. You even hang out here, huh?"

Tanaka nods before saying, "I'm going to look for a seat now."

As he is about to walk away, Ohta grabs his arm to stop him. Tanaka gasps almost inaudibly, but Ohta still perceives it which is why he immediately drops Tanaka's arm and looks away. "M-Miyano and Echizen will go help you. I'll order everything." Ohta gulps and bites his lip, feeling the atmosphere between him and Tanaka become awkward once again.

"Is that so?" Echizen raises her eyebrows, her eyes glinting playfully. She starts pointing at almost every food she can see with a smirk on her face, expecting Ohta to get annoyed. "Then, I'd like that and that and that. Oh, and that too."

Sadly, Ohta doesn't seem the least bit perturbed about it. He simply nods and says, "Fine. What about Miyano?"

Miyano points at the strawberry smoothie and the dessert which are the two things Ohta plans to order as well. He grins proudly, pats her on the shoulder and flashes her a thumbs up. "Good choice."

"Whatever," Echizen cuts in, not looking very amused. "Come on now. I see an empty seat over there."

Once the three have seated themselves, Miyano glances at where Ohta is and beams. "Ohta is a really nice person, isn't he? Just like Ecchan!" she observes, glancing at Echizen.

Scratching her temple, Echizen nods grudgingly. "I guess he is," she mumbles.

"He's very ideal," Tanaka adds. "He's strong and tall, so he can carry me all the time."

"I wouldn't want to be carried by him though," Echizen says.

"But it would be really helpful, Ecchan! What if you're pregnant, and you feel the baby coming out? Ohta will definitely make your life easier!" Miyano exclaims, flailing her arms wildly in an attempt to show Echizen how perfect Ohta can be as a husband. "If you marry someone like master (Tanaka), you'll have to walk to the hospital yourself since he'll definitely—"

"I get it, Miyano! Seriously, you even think about these things?" Echizen covers her reddening face in shame.

Miyano nods firmly. "I think it's good to think about he future! Right, master?"

"Yes, I'm thinking about marrying Ohta in the future, so he can take care of me for the rest of my life," Tanaka answers just as Ohta arrives with a food tray. Ohta almost drops the food in blatant surprise when he hears Tanaka say that. Tanaka notices Ohta standing beside their table and turns to him, again with that strange look in his eyes, and says, "Right, Ohta?"

Ohta disregards Tanaka and sets the food down on the table, but the more he tries to put it in the back of his mind, the more it manages to consume every bit of thought he has.

The first thing Ohta does when he gets home is lie in his bed with his eyes wide open. He registers the abnormal beating of his heart and the weird somersaulting of his stomach and shuts his eyes tightly. He isn't naïve enough to not know what these feelings are all about. He presses his right hand against his chest and feels his heartbeat gradually return to its normal pace. He sighs in relief, opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling of his bedroom.

He has never anticipated that something like this would happen. He has always seen Tanaka as his best friend, nothing more, which is why he has no idea how he's supposed to face hin tomorrow. Should he act normally, or should he confront him about the situation?

Tanaka saying a bunch of strange things doesn't help Ohta's case. It only makes matters even worse. Ohta can't figure out whether his best friend is joking or not which leads to more confusion on his part. Most of the time, he takes what Tanaka says regarding this topic as a joke, but honestly, there are times when he lets these treacherous words get to his mind and heart, leading him to hope for the improbable.

He removes his hair tie and puts it on the bedside table, deciding to study instead to distract himself from his thoughts. He fishes for his notes inside his bag, but he can't seem to find it. He is about to stand up when he hears the door opening, revealing the only person capable of making a mess of him. He's even beginning to have hallucinations now.

"Ohta?" He imagines Tanaka calling him while standing in the doorway of his bedroom. This has gotten really bad, Ohta thinks because he can clearly see and hear his best friend as if he is actually there for real.

"Ohta," Tanaka calls once again.

"Wow, you look so real it's amazing," Ohta says before sitting up. "I wonder if you'll disappear if I walk through you."

Ohta stands up and makes his way towards the door. He stares at the Tanaka in his imagination for a while before trying to walk through him. "Huh?" he utters when he fails to do so. Ohta reaches for Tanaka's cheeks and slaps them. There is a resounding clap. "Wait a second."

"It hurts," Tanaka mumbles, rubbing his cheek with his free hand.

Ohta almost slaps his forehead because of his mistake. He reaches for Tanaka's cheeks and touches them gently. "I'm sorry, Tanaka."

"You left something," Tanaka says, still looking like he's in pain. The color of his cheeks has turned to a light shade of red, but it isn't because of Ohta slapping it. Tanaka hands him his notes before saying, "I'm fine, Ohta."

Ohta retracts his hand so quickly it's as if it was burned and runs his fingers through his hair. "Uh, thank you for coming all the way here. You could have just given this to me tomorrow though."

"I know, but we have a test tomorrow, and you study every single time there's an upcoming test."

Ohta feels really touched that Tanaka went through the trouble of bringing him his notes, but he's also worried that Tanaka might be too tired now to go home. "Can you still walk home?"

Tanaka doesn't answer his question, but Ohta can already guess what he is thinking. "I guess I'm carrying you home, huh?"

The walk to Tanaka's home is more quiet and comfortable than what Ohta initially thought. The silence makes him think that Tanaka might already be sleeping, so he decides to not talk as well. The silence is only disrupted when Tanaka speaks.

"Ohta, I love you," Tanaka says in his usual dreary, listless tone.

"Ohta?" he asks when Ohta suddenly freezes.

"Don't say it in such a misleading way," Ohta responds, his mind whirring and his heart beating as if it's in a race. He struggles to continue walking, for his knees are trembling quite seriously right now.

"But I did mean it in a misleading way."

Shocked, Ohta almost drops Tanaka on the hard asphalt. "Huh? Just a second." He slowly puts Tanaka down and gapes at him, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Are you tired, Ohta?"

Ohta shakes his head, still wide-eyed with surprise. "You just told me that you..." He trails off refusing to believe what he just heard.

"I love you," Tanaka repeats.

"But you—you've always said that love is a pain, that's it's a waste of time and effort," Ohta sputters.

"I did say that, but I don't know. For me, loving you is just as easy as getting tired and sleeping."

"I'm not sure about how I should interpret that."

"Can you lean down a little?" Tanaka asks. "I want to kiss you, but you're too tall."

Ohta's mouth opens slightly in disbelief before he does as he's told almost absentmindedly. Tanaka presses his lips against Ohta's right cheek and says, "Carry me home, Ohta."