.:.

It bothered him.

It really bothered him.

A young man with pink hair rested his cheeks into the palms of his hands. His eyebrows were furrowed together in thought and he was staring at a certain person sitting in the front row of the classroom. For the fifth time throughout the lesson, he frowned.

Just what made him so uncool that he couldn't make it into Okumura Rin's 'Cool Dudes' ranking list?

Shima Renzou had been pondering that question for several days already. Well, rather than pondering, it was more like it would come back to plague him even after he had passed it off as something too troublesome to think about. It just didn't make sense! After all, he was the man who was known for being the epitome of cool...! How could Rin not see that?

The boy leaned back in his seat to continue observing the blue-eyed half-demon. Just what exactly was Rin's criteria for ranking anyway? And what was with that list in the first place? Surely it would be more normal to have a list of hottest girls or something like that... not a list of the coolest guys he knew...

Ugh... why am I thinking about that creepy list so much?Renzou grimaced and ran his hands through his hair in irritation.

"-san...? Shima-san?"

"Hm?" The pink-haired boy lifted his head from his hands and blinked once. Then he turned to see Konekomaru giving him a nervous and concerned look. He heard a scoff from his other good friend, Suguro Ryuuji, and caught him muttering, "Pay attention, idiot! We're in class..." under his breath.

"Haha, sorry. I got a bit lost in thought..." He sent the two boys a sheepish grin.

"Yeah... I noticed." Konekomaru laughed hesitantly and a bead of sweat ran down his clean shaven head, "You've been staring at Okumura-kun for the past fifteen minutes..."

Renzou's eyes grew round. "I have...?"

Fifteen minutes! Really...? It hadn't felt thatlong...

"Yeah... are you okay, Shima-san? Did something happen between you and Okumura-kun?"

"Nah, nothin' happened." Renzou waved off casually and chuckled, "Just thinkin' about a weird list Okumura-kun showed me a while ago." At the look he received from the shorter boy, he put on a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Koneko-san, it's really no big deal. I was just spacing out."

"If you say so..." Konekomaru sent back an uncertain smile before returning to his notebook with a pen. Renzou let out a short sigh.

Hmm... well, that list was starting to get quite annoying now, wasn't it. It was even causing him to space out in class and make others worry! At this rate, it might never leave him alone...!

His lips pressed into a firm line as he attempted to think of a solution. Well, actually... he hadcome up with a vague idea of what to do... but just thinking about carrying out his idea made his body feel sluggish and heavy.

Oh well... there's no helpin' it. I can't just ignore it and keep having it come back to bother me... Renzou smirked and directed his gaze towards the blue-eyed boy again. I'll just have to get on that list, right? Then, it'll surely stop bothering me! Piece of cake~!

First things first, he had to find a way to spend more time with the half-demon. Naturally, Rin would come to see that he was way cooler than at least Kuro and then add him to the list...! The pink-haired boy smiled smugly to himself. Right, then...

He cautiously slipped out his cellular phone and made a brief glance over the front of the room. Their young professor was currently facing the board and tapping out a few words on the blackboard with his piece of chalk. Renzou grinned. Now...!He hastily poked at the keypad with two thumbs, typing out a few short sentences:

Hey, you free after class?
Let's hang out~! (sparkle)

He scrolled down the contact list and then selected, 'Okumura Rin'.

Send!Renzou smiled with accomplishment and then looked up in the direction of the other boy. He noticed Rin's tail jump up in surprise and then saw him fumble for his pockets. After a few seconds, Rin turned to peer at him over his shoulder, a curious and wide-eyed look across his face. Renzou gave him a small wave and a large smile in return. The half-demon blinked once and then quickly turned back to hunching over his desk. Within a moment, Renzou's phone vibrated once in his hands.

Sure...The text message read.

Renzou felt like jumping up from his seat to cheer happily. Alright! The first step of the plan was now complete...! He pocketed the phone and eagerly leaned forward to pick up his pen. Well, what do you know? This was actually not as tiresome as he thought it would be. Might even be pretty fun!He chuckled to himself as he clicked open the ball-point pen to jot down notes.

.:.

At last, the bell was ringing...!

Renzou stretched his arms upward and sighed contently when he felt the tension in his shoulders release. Thank god, it was finally the last of today's classes.

"Whew..." He leaned back in his chair to relax his eyes. Now all he had to do was go hang out with Rin and show him how amazing and awesome he was. Of course that meant he couldn't take Bon or Konekomaru along—however much he would've liked to—because it would take Rin's attention off of him. So second step: gotta ditch the friends.

"Umm, Shima-san?"

The boy cracked one eye open. "Nn?" Konekomaru was giving him a curious look while neatly placing his books into his bag.

"Oi, you're not comin'?" Suguro Ryuuji raised an eyebrow at Renzou while shouldering his own book bag. The boy with pink hair grinned and waved a hand at them.

"Ah, yeah," His eyes darted towards the half-demon who seemed to be having a cheerful conversation with Moriyama Shiemi, "Still got some stuff I need to do. See ya guys later, yeah?"

"Sure," Ryuuji's lips pressed together to form a tight line after following his friend's gaze to the front-row pair, "Just don't get in any trouble... like for harassin' people or somethin'."

"Ahaha! Is that how you think of me, Bon?" Renzou chuckled, "Don't worry, I just wanna talk with Okumura-kun for a bit. Go on ahead of me, I'll catch ya guys later."

"Alright then..." The boy with blonde-streaked hair sent him a bewildered look before shrugging and trampling down the aisle towards the doors. Konekomaru waved to Renzou with a smile,

"Take care, Shima-san."

"Yep, you too, Koneko-san."

The boy nodded and then jogged to catch up with Ryuuji. Renzou watched the pair disappear through the doors, followed by a smiling Shiemi and a slightly frowning Izumo. Takara, the mysterious ventriloquist, had long disappeared from the room and their professor had been the first to take their leave, likely off to take care of some important exorcist business.

Alright~ Step two: success...! It was just him and Rin now.

"Uhh..." He grinned at the voice interrupting his thoughts and turned to see Rin standing in the aisle. His book bag was all packed and the boy himself was looking generally awkward and fidgety. Renzou beamed.

"Hey there, Okumura-kun! All ready to go?" He stood up and began packing his things at a leisurely pace. At his words, he noticed the half-demon immediately perk up. His tail even made a small swishing movement behind his back.

"Yeah...!" The boy heard Rin say eagerly. Renzou snickered to himself. That guy was totally looking forward to hanging out together, wasn't he? "So, uh… what are we going to do?" He heard the blue-eyed boy ask curiously as he finished packing the last of his things.

"Well, what do youwanna do?" Renzou grabbed his bag and then folded his arms behind his head casually. The two began walking towards the door as Rin scratched at his cheek.

"What do people usually do when they… 'hang out' and stuff?"

A bead of sweat ran down the pink-haired boy's head. What kind of question was that?

"I dunno… we just… do stuff together? Like go to the game center or somethin'."

He saw Rin blink in confusion. "Game center?"

Renzou nearly dropped his bag. "W-What? You don't freakin' know what a game center is…?"

The half-demon's cheeks turned light pink and he yelled indignantly, "S-Shut up! Of course I know what a game center is…! It's a place where you, uh, well… there's a lot of… games… and stuff… right?"

They slowed to a stop a few steps outside the classroom doorway and Renzou stared at Rin for a moment. Was this guy being serious? He'd never been to a game center before? The slightly round-eyed, curious look across Rin's face told him that, no, he really had never been to one before.

"Buahahah—!" He couldn't help but laugh and he laughed harder when he saw the other boy's face turn a pink that could match his own hair color.

"What the hell are you laughing for? Stop laughing, dammit!" Rin scowled and fisted his hands together. It looked as though he would throw a punch at him but he knew that it was only a motion used to conceal the boy's embarrassment. Renzou covered his mouth with one hand and attempted to stop himself from laughing too hard.

"N-Nothing… pfft… it's just," He stifled another chuckle, "I just can't believe you've never been to a game center before. You look like the kinda guy who used to skip class a lot and would spend most of your time at a game center."

"Wha—! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nevermind, haha~" Renzou sent Rin a smile and then rushed behind him, "Let's go to the game center then! By the way, you might wanna hide your tail…" And with that, he began pushing the boy down the hallway, in the direction of the front doors.

"Eh…?"

.:.

"Woah…"

Renzou watched the other boy gape at the large two-story building littered with signs and fluorescent lights; it would've shone like a bright and glittering beam if it were night. The sign on the outside read in enormous red lettering, "SUPER STAR" and lined up beside the building were various restaurants as well as small stores selling snacks and a number of merchandise ranging from comic character figurines to traditional fans and clothes.

"What did you do after school if you've never been to a game center before…?" He wondered out loud and eyed Rin in interest. The boy pouted and refused to look at him.

"Nothing… I just… went here and there…"

Renzou raised an eyebrow. Was this something he didn't want to talk about…? The pink-haired boy shrugged. Well, he wouldn't push it if it bothered him. He smiled and slung an arm around Rin's shoulders.

"Wanna go in?"

Immediately, Rin's eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Yeah!"

Renzou had to hold back another laugh. Okumura Rin was thoroughly amusing…

The two of them made their way through the automatic front doors and a mesh of sounds greeted their ears. Rin followed the sounds of whirring and pinging noises and found himself standing in front of one of the claw crane machines, which held several tofu shaped stuffed toys inside. The blue-eyed boy pressed his hands up against the glass covering, eyes peering inside with child-like eagerness, and then he laughed in an obnoxious but nevertheless cheery manner.

"Haha! What the hell is that thing?" He seemed to be having a good time. Renzou sidled up beside him.

"Hm? You want it?"

"Sure, how do we get it?" Rin snickered, eyeing the strange stuffed toy with cute faces drawn on each cube. The eyes of the pink-haired boy lit up. Chance!This was the perfect opportunity to show off his skills and impress him…! Renzou stretched out his fingers and rolled his neck to the right.

"Just watch and learn from the master, Okumura-kun."

It was only after the twelfth failed attempt that he finally gave up. The pink-haired boy cried internally as he smacked his forehead and a fist against the machine. Why the hell was this one so hard…?

"Gyahaha! You totally suck, Shima! So lame!" He heard Rin chortle from his left. Damn it, this wasn't supposed to happen!

One of the employees waded through the machines towards them, a sympathetic look across his face. "Dear customer, I believe you've already passed the amount needed to get two so I'll open it up for you. You can choose any two that you like."

"Seriously?" Rin took a step backwards, hands raised in surprise. The employee simply smiled and pulled out a set of keys. Renzou managed his own smile, quickly recovering from his defeat.

"Oh yeah, you don't know, right?" He pointed to the other claw machines, "Each machine has a certain money limit. Once you reach it, you can just get the toy for free. Well, it's not actually free, but y'know… it's just a kinda courtesy thing. For playing so long… haha…"

"Oh…" A look of understanding fell across Rin's face. Then he blinked once before scrunching down one eye in thought, "… wait, doesn't that mean you paid for that tofu thing for me?"

Renzou scratched at his cheek, "I guess so…"

"What? That ain't right, let's get your money back!"

The employee smiled sheepishly, "I apologize but that is not possible. Please be satisfied with these toys…"

"B-But…!"

Renzou grinned and slapped a hand across Rin's back. "Don't worry about the money, Okumura-kun! Just pick one already. I want this one, it's so cuuuute~" The boy pointed to a tofu-toy that had its eyes squinted together, as though it were in the middle of a happy squeal. Rin looked torn between protesting and picking a toy. In the end, the boy resigned to taking one of the squishy white cubes with an open-mouthed smile and beady black eyes as its face.

The two boys left the machine and the bowing employee and then made their way deeper into the game center, holding onto their tofu toys. Rin stared at the stuffed cube in his hands with a frown.

"Ah, Shima, I'll pay you back—"

Renzou cut him off with a hand, "Forget it, Okumura-kun. It's totally fine. Too troublesome to keep track of somethin' like that, alright? So don't worry about it, geez."

"Let's get another toy from a machine then… Anything you want?" The blue-eyed boy glanced around at the surrounding machines with relentless determination but Renzou merely shook his head with a chuckle.

"Nahh, if you reallywanted to get me something, I'd prefer porn or… oh!"

"Huh?" Rin blinked.

A silly smile spread across Renzou's lips and he jumped towards the half-demon eagerly.

"How about a bentou?" He suggested with an index finger lifted.

Rin raised an eyebrow with skepticism. "That's all you want?"

What did he mean by, "That's all you want?"! The amount of money he had just spent wouldn't come close to being worth one of Okumura Rin's hand-made bentou boxes…!

"What're you talkin' about, Okumura-kun~? Your food is totally delicious, dude!"

"Oh…" A happy blush spread across Rin's cheeks and he rubbed a finger under his nose, grinning proudly, "Well, yeah, I amgood at cooking. So that's really all you want?"

Renzou nodded vigorously, the silly smile on his face spreading into a silly grin.

"Sure, that's easy. I'll make one for you tomorrow then."

Yes! The pink-haired boy inwardly threw his arms up in the air, cheering wildly, Okumura-kun's bentou! I'm so fuckin' lucky~

"Shima, Shima! Let's play that one next…!" Rin tugged on his sleeve, pulling him towards one of the shooting games. The grin on Renzou's face slowly subsided to one of a gentle smile. Haha, looks like it really was a good idea to bring him here. He looks so happy it's almost kinda cute.

Speaking of 'cute'… didn't someone recently say something about Okumura-kun being cute? Who was it again… hmm… The boy scratched the back of his head as Rin began sticking in several coins into the shooting game machine. Unable to recall who it was, Renzou shrugged and inserted his own coins into the machine. Oh well. He could think about it later.

.:.

The sky was just beginning to glow in pink and orange hues when the two boys made their way down a sidewalk, the shrinking sun leading them back towards the old dorms. Rin was patting his stomach contently, having just finished a bowl of noodles from a street restaurant Renzou had recommended.

"Ahh, so good, so full~" The half-demon smiled smugly, eyes squinted closed in happiness. Renzou folded his arms behind his head, silently smiling and enjoying the walk back to their rooms. But all the while, one thought continued to reverberate in his mind:

What does Okumura-kun think of me now?

They approached the fork roads where they would part ways for their respective dorm buildings and the two slowed to a stop.

This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for… The critical evaluation of the entire day! The pink-haired boy grinned as casually as possible and pointed at himself, "So…! How was it today? I was cool, wasn't I~?"

Rin blinked once and then burst out laughing, "Haha! Cool? You?"

Renzou felt his body crumble.

Damn, looks like it would still take a while for Rin to see him as a cool guy…

"Well…" He heard the half-demon begin again and Renzou stared at the other boy with a tearful but curious look. Rin was scratching at the tip of his nose and he seemed to look a bit embarrassed, unable to meet the pink-haired boy eye to eye. He continued, "I don't know about 'cool' but… it was fun… so, yeah…" Rin sent him one of the most brilliant smiles he had ever seen, adorable canine teeth showing and a light blush spreading across his cheeks. "…thanks, Shima~!"

Renzou froze.

His heart felt as though it had leapt out of his chest cavity.

H-How…?

How can this guy be so cute?

He felt the uncontrollable urge to squeeze the air out of his friend and hug him to bits and pieces. Renzou flung out his arms, eyes sparkling, and he gushed out in joy, "Okumura-kun~!"

Rin immediately shrank back at the sudden action, eyebrows raised high, "W-What…?" He stuttered, eyes wide in slight fear and apprehension.

"Nn? Ah!" Renzou gulped and hastily readjusted his arms so that they were back by his sides. "N-No, nothing…! Uhh, wanna hang out again tomorrow?" He spoke before he could think. At the confused look on Rin's face, the pink-haired boy let out a nervous laugh and waved his hands about wildly, "No, well, what I meant was, we can go watch a movie or somethin' after school and invite some girls to join us or somethin'. Like you can invite Moriyama-san and I'll ask Izumo-chan. It'll be fun and we'll all get to know each other better! Aha… ha ha…"

Oh god, that was totally lame just now…! He cringed. And I just basically repeated what I said last time in Kyoto! Ugh, what the hell's wrong with me?

Rin was staring back at him with a thoughtful look on his face. Then, the half-demon beamed and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Shima… that's a great idea…!"

"Ah? Ah… w-well, of course!" Renzou chuckled hesitantly, not exactly sure what had just happened, "I always have the best ideas…!"

"Yeah! So, see you tomorrow, right?" Rin grinned expectantly, looking up at the pink-haired boy. The eagerness in his eyes was almost enough to make Renzou's heart flop again a second time. "And I'll bring you a bentou for tomorrow!"

"A-Ah, yeah… thanks, Okumura-kun! See ya tomorrow~"

The two waved their goodbyes and then turned their separate ways. Somehow… everything had turned out all right in the end…? Renzou glanced over his shoulder to watch Rin's retreating figure and he noticed that the other boy was stepping lightly from foot to foot, moving with a small hop in each step. Renzou's eyes grew wide, just watching the cheery boy skip farther away down the road. Then, the pink-haired boy chuckled to himself and stuffed his hands into his pockets. A satisfied smile lifted the corners of his lips. Well now, that was definitely what he would call a day well-spent…! He pictured Rin's joyful expression and felt his smile grow wider.

Haha~ Yep! Definitely a day well-spent~ The pink-haired boy thought to himself, feeling strangely giddy. He continued on down the sidewalk, feeling the desire to jump about in the way he had seen Rin do. But then the memories of his failures throughout the day surfaced and he felt his body significantly droop. W-Well… it wasn't that bad…! Renzou attempted to comfort himself, And he still wants to hang out with you! That must mean something, right?

He just… had to be better prepared for tomorrow! Yeah. Tomorrow, for sure, he would impress Rin with his coolness…!

Renzou approached his dorm building and ascended the steps up to his room. When he entered his shared room however, he noticed with surprise that both Ryuuji and Konekomaru were sitting in their chairs, staring straight at the door with equally worried looks.

"Where the hell've you been, you idiot?" Renzou winced when his friend with blonde-streaked hair sprang up from his seat. The boy marched towards him and stared him down with blazing dark eyes. "Didn't you say you were just goin' to talk with Okumura for a bit? You've been gone for hours!"

Renzou let out a shaky laugh and held up his hands in defense, "H-Hey there, Bon… haha…"

Konekomaru rushed towards them and attempted to pull Ryuuji back.

"C-Calm down, Bon! I'm sure Shima-san has a good explanation… and besides, he returned safely so everything's fine—"

"Like hell it's fine!" Ryuuji spat out, "What were you thinkin'? Not tellin' us where you went off to? You didn't show up so we went back to look for you in the classroom. But then we find out that not only you but even Okumura's missing! Sensei told us he hadn't seen Okumura back in their room either. Where the hell did you two go off to?"

"Ahaha… uhh, well, we were just hangin' out…" Renzou gulped and pressed himself back against the door, "Like at the game center… and we ate some dinner an' such…" He attempted a reassuring smile and the anger in Ryuuji's eyes seemed to slightly dissipate.

"The game center…?"

"Ah, yeah!" Renzou smiled a little wider this time, "Funny thing, Okumura-kun's never been to one before. So I thought I'd take him out and show him what it's like. We can all go together next time…!"

Konekomaru let out a sigh of relief, lifting a hand up to his chest. "See? I told you everything was fine."

Ryuuji frowned and began returning to his desk.

"You're lucky you two didn't get into any trouble… anyway, next time you should at least text us or somethin'. Don't just go off on your own like that…!"

Renzou grinned and moved towards his side of the room. "Haha, sure thing, Bon~ Thanks!" He heard the other boy mutter an irritated, "What do you mean, 'thanks'? Stupid…" and he stifled a laugh. A small smile remained settled on his face as he prepared a set of clean clothes to take to the shower rooms.

Thanks for worrying about me, guys…

He grinned and lifted two fingers up to his head in a salute to the two other boys. They waved back, one half-heartedly and the other in a gentle fashion, and then he turned towards the door, his free hand reaching for the door knob.

… but even so, I can't invite you guys to join in just yet. Not until I get Okumura-kun to acknowledge me. Forgive me…!

.:.

Renzou was abruptly woken the next morning by the irritating buzz of his phone. The boy with pink hair groaned and scratched at his messy hair with one hand while the other searched blindly for the noisy object. The vibrating stopped in a few seconds, just as he slapped a hand over the phone, and he fell back into his pillow. The boy lifted the cellular phone to his face and after managing to peel one eye open, he examined the screen.

5:00 am? Who in the seven hells would be up at this hour…? Wait! Maybe…?

He shifted his head to observe the other beds in the room. However, the two other boys were still soundly asleep and snug under their blankets. Huh… so who else could it be?

The boy, now slightly more awake, clicked open the lock screen to find a text message waiting to be opened. He raised an eyebrow at the sender.

Okumura-kun?

Renzou glanced over the message and his lips steadily curved up in a smile.

Hey, I forgot to ask yesterday. What do you like to eat?
I already prepared some side dishes for me and Yukio last night but I dunno if you like tamagoyaki or if you prefer more sausages. Or maybe more sautéed vegetables?
Anyway, tell me what you want! I still have time to make it for you.
Fried stuff is okay, too!

The pink-haired boy read the message over again and then snickered to himself. Rin was up at this hour preparing lunches…? And even custom-making it to what he liked? Wow… who knew he could be such a thoughtful housewife? Even though he looked pretty lazy in class most of the time…

Renzou let out another chuckle. Then, he began to type back languidly.

Mornin'! (music note)(sparkle)
And just put everything in~
I'm sure I'll like it all since Okumura-kun is the one making it~! (wink)

He watched the bar on the screen fill up and then grinned as the image of a letter being sent off appeared. Then, he slid his phone shut and placed it over the middle of his chest. The boy twiddled his thumbs for a bit, waiting eagerly for a new reply, but as a minute and yet another minute passed, his eyes began to grow heavy. Just as Renzou was about to doze off however, his phone jolted to life again. His eyes snapped open in surprise.

"Egh…?" He yelped quietly and fumbled with the phone, quickly getting it open to read the new message:

Fine! Just you wait, Shima!
Get ready for the most awesomest bentou you'll ever taste…! (shine)
I'll pack it up with everything I've got, heh heh.
You'll never want to eat anything else! (evil grin)

"Bufuh—!" Renzou couldn't hold back his laughter. What the heck was with this response? The pink-haired boy stifled his chuckles, but his body continued to shake violently. He attempted to calm himself but after accidentally glancing over the message again, he felt his body begin to shake uncontrollably once more. "…c-cute! Pfft…!" Renzou extended one shaky thumb to his keypad and smirked. Definitely saving this…

Now that his sudden burst of mirth had finally subsided, he sent out one last message before settling himself under his warm blankets.

Looking forward to it~

And then, with a smile, the boy with pink hair fell into a sweet and peaceful sleep.

.:.

Although I originally put this on Devianart first, I am just uploading this here as well. So that all my works are together in one place~ But if you want more in-depth comments from me and also see the cover pictures that correspond with each chapter, you should go check out my deviantart account. Also, there may be deviations because I am uploading the word document versions that I wrote. Before changing it into a pdf file for deviantart, I may have made some changes and then been too lazy to save the document again. Hopefully... the mistakes that I didn't change aren't too cringe-worthy...