"Are you sure you're all right? Because I can come running. Right this second. At the speed of sound. Light, if I have to."

Miko softly laughed. "The doctor said it wasn't too serious of a stroke, so my aunt's fine. Plus, Uncle Jiro's with her as we speak. You don't have to come over to my house to check on me."

Unsurprisingly, the messages I'd received from Miko were delayed. My phone had somehow lost signal so when I'd finally regained it, they arrived in a flurry. About how she'd received a call from her uncle before the end of the final segment, how she immediately dashed to get to the hospital, how her aunt's condition had stabilized and she was fine.

It was scary knowing that while I was absorbed in securing that win I wasn't able to be there for Miko when she needed me most. Of course, Miko never held it against me, excusing I was busy and that she wouldn't have forgiven me if I did run after her. Nonetheless, she'd always dashed to my aid without my asking. If the roles were reversed, Miko surely would've noticed my turmoil and hurried after me regardless of the consequences.

I hugged my pillow tighter to my chest, readjusting my cell on my ear. The warmth of my bed and the darkness of my bedroom did little to settle the heaviness in my chest. "I'm sorry, Miko."

"You better have not been this gloomy while celebrating with the guys today."

"We called it off."

"You did? But you all totally killed today! You deserved it!"

"Not without our shining star of the day."

Miko's sigh carried less vigour than I was accustomed to. "Norihise Yamashiro was your shining star, remember? I just so happened to find him loitering outside the building. Apparently, he'd planned to help all along but wasn't sure you needed him. He made us run to his house and back so he could grab a proper outfit. I barely did anything."

"But if you hadn't talked Nori into it, he wouldn't have helped, right?" I pointed out. "We would've got disqualified on the spot. It's all thanks to you we were able to stand a chance."

"I did what anyone would do."

"That's not—"

"It's true." The terseness in her tone stunned me for a moment. "I couldn't even join your club. But they did. They're there for you now. So, you don't have to hold me on such a high pedestal anymore."

"Miko...?"

Her response was delayed. "It's... gotten pretty late. I'll keep you updated."

The call ended at that. The diluted noise of the TV in the living room reached my ears—Mom watching one of her nightly soap operas, most definitely.

Frowning, I stared at Miko's name in my contacts.

Part of me wished I could do more for her—make it up to her for all she'd done for me. But Miko never allowed the opportunity. Whenever I tried, she'd always surprise me with something instead. Sometimes it was hard to believe we'd met only a little over a year ago.

And in that short amount of time, I'd learned that Miko's mom worked overseas so she was currently staying with her aunt and uncle. Since her aunt had frail health, she felt guilty asking them for money and therefore worked part-time to support her needs. She was a musical prodigy, a genius at schoolwork, and the most amazing friend anyone could ask for. So amazing, in fact, it sometimes felt like I didn't deserve her.

I slapped my cheeks to banish my dejected thoughts. Starting Monday, I wasn't leaving her side. I'd get a chance to do something for her, then. I'd spoil her senseless with the cash I made from my job by going out to celebrate. All of us, together.

Heart light, I collapsed onto my back, my curly hair messily tumbling after me. That's right. It wasn't like Miko was going anywhere. I had all the time in the world.

When I shut my heavy eyelids, exhaustion drenched me like a wave. But one particular thought kept me from falling asleep entirely.

Hayate.

Although he was typically quiet and in the background, something was bothering him today. Or maybe nothing was, and I was thinking too deeply into it?

I hoped it was the latter. Even if it was the former, considering how timid and soft-spoken he was, there's no way he'd outright tell me what was wrong. It made me sad thinking he'd still walk on eggshells around me when I was prepared to take a bullet for him if the situation called for it.

Just as much as I relied on him, I wanted him to return the favour; run his mouth, venting, telling me of his thoughts and emotions. Not only about our favourite manga Royal Sweets, but outside of that.

Considering he couldn't, maybe... the two of us weren't as close as I thought...

"Koto...rin...?"

"Mhm," I mumbled, nuzzling further into my pillow. "You're... giving me crepes? I'll eat. I'll swallow it whole."

"You... want crepes?"

"Yum...my." I parted my lips, wide. "Gim...me."

"A-ah!"

The squeak stirred me from my slumber. I lifted my heavy eyelids, squinting to prevent the blinding light filtering in through my blinds. White surrounded me. My arms cradled a pillow. And my mouth was incredibly warm, pressed against a scorching, albeit lush, surface.

It dawned on me almost immediately that I wasn't, in fact, embracing my pillow.

Also, that my lips were not on my blanket, but rather, skin.

Blinking consecutively to settle the blurriness of the world around me, I raised my neck. A familiar face lay underneath me. Chin high. Quivering eyelids glued shut. Cherry red complexion. Hair flayed around them.

"Haya...te?" I pulled myself onto my knees, groggily rubbing my eyes. By and by, the identity of who was beneath me grew clearer and clearer. It also settled in that I wasn't, in fact, on my bed but rather, the ground. "Am I dreaming?" I mused onward. "I know I fell asleep thinking about you but this is weird. Did I subconsciously want to see you?"

Mutely, his fingers clasped the space below his ear in response—giving me the notice that my lips must've been positioned there seconds prior. When he parted his eyes, his irises were like the ocean. So full of life and clear, yet demure. I was drowning in them before I knew it.

"K-Kotorin... told me to visit early. T-to go get the manga volume together," he murmured, his blush phenomenal. "S-so I came. But you suddenly tackled me. And brought me close..."

I was zapped to my senses lightning fast. I leaped off of him, burning my shins against the carpet. "Oh my gosh! S-sorry! I'm a heavy sleeper!"

"It's... okay," he said. "I got to hear Kotorin mumble in her sleep."

Now it was my turn to blush. "D-did I say anything weird?"

"Not weird," he reassured me. "You talked about eating crepes. Then tried to eat me..."

Least to my expectations, he produced a soft chuckle. It was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.

"It was... embarrassing, but very cute."

I melted at once. So adorable! A cinnamon roll...! I had to protect him at all costs!

Now wide awake, insurmountable thoughts flooded my mind. The first, after properly rising to my feet and assessing my dishevelled pyjamas. "Did my mom let you in?"

He nodded. "She said to wake you up."

I sighed, flattening my bangs the best I could. "Only my mom would let a stranger into my room so easily..."

"Actually," Hayate mumbled, "she gave me a... bodyguard."

As the words left his mouth, my bedroom door creaked. I swivelled in time to spot my little brother poking his head inside. His cheeks were chubbier than usual, eyes narrowed in disapproval. "I saw it," he said, matter-of-factly. "I saw Koto flatten Yaya."

My jaw plummeted. "I-I didn't flatten him!"

"You did! Yaya could have died under your weight."

"Y-you! You're calling your older sister fat?"

"So?"

Peeved, I dashed to the doorway to shoo him off but he was quick. He slipped past me, darted inside, and ducked behind Hayate. His miniature stature allowed Hayate's body to fully conceal him.

I tiptoed close, my eyebrow twitching. "Hayate, let me have him."

"No!" Sota wailed, burying himself further into his back. "She's going to crush me! Don't let her, Yaya!"

"You—you brat! If you want to be crushed so badly, take this!"

"I'm so sorry you had to see that."

Once outside my apartment and walking side by side with Hayate in the direction of the bookstore, guilt drenched me from head to toe.

"It's... all right," he responded softly. "I... just wasn't expecting you to jump on top of the both of us."

"I— I wasn't thinking! It's just— Sota runs his mouth all the time. Calling me fat, or my baking worthless. Saying it in front of me is one thing but in front of you? He's terrible."

Hayate cracked a tender smile. "You say that, but... you seemed close."

"Well, he is my little brother. Sometimes he can be cute. But only sometimes. Honestly, he was probably at his cutest when my dad was still around. After he moved to Sendai, the devil in that child came out." I shifted my focus from the clear blue sky onto him. "By the way, do you have any siblings?"

He bobbed his head. "Two sisters. One older. The other is four."

"No way!" I cried. "Your sister's the same age as Sota? I bet you suffer too."

"Mai is actually very well-behaved. If anyone makes me suffer, it's Sister Rie."

"Why? Does she force you to wear her clothes or do your hair?"

I laughed as soon as I said it. Opposite to that, Hayate stiffened like a board. I came to a halt, my mouth forming in the shape of an 'o.'

"I'm sorry. I'll never complain about Sota again."

Hayate's lower lip trembled at some unwanted memory. "Sh-she's extremely terrifying."

If she was capable of putting someone as slippery as Hayate into feminine clothing, I could only imagine.

Still... why did a part of myself want to see pictures?

"Meow."

I perked instantaneously, swerving in the direction of the sound. Adjacent to my foot, lounging on the sidewalk, was a fluffy grey and black cat.

"Ah! I didn't even notice you." Beaming, I crouched. It titled its head to study me, but my heart had long melted into goo. "How cute! Where's your owner at?"

The bell of its collar clinked at that exact moment. It must've lived in the area.

"If only you could come home with me," I complained as I scratched the top of its head. It purred and closed its eyes in response. "Aww, isn't there nothing more adorable, Hayate?"

"Th-there... is." He squatted beside me. Breaking contact with the cat, I twisted to address him just in time for him to shyly say, "Kotorin."

Shock hit me like a pan to the face. I pouted, doing my all to withhold tears. "Even as a joke that's too sweet. You're gonna make me wanna protect you for the rest of my life."

"Pro...tect?" Unlike before, Hayate's reaction was delayed. He turned, fixing his gaze on the ground, then fiddled with the collar of his sweatshirt. "U-um... Kotorin?"

"Yes, my beloved cinnamon roll?"

The nickname made him flush. "U-um," he murmured. "Y-you... never say you want to protect Aki or Yuki. The reason you tell me that... i-is it because you think I'm pathetic, too?"

My eyes bulged from their sockets. "Pathetic?"

He shrunk his body. "I-I don't belong," he excused as if floundering for an explanation. "Aki and Yuki have actual experience in baking while all I've done my whole life is eat desserts and occasionally think up designs. Th-the only thing I have is my creativity. But even that isn't enough. Wh-when you needed me most, I—I couldn't do anything for you."

Eyebrows furrowed together, I frowned. "Is that what's been bothering you?"

He shied away in response. "Y-yesterday... all I did was mess up. I said I could do it... but I was baggage. Nori even helped more than I could."

My glare must've been bone-chilling because Hayate shuddered.

"I-I knew it," he sputtered. "I knew you were angry."

"You're damn right I'm angry. I'm furious!" I slapped my palms onto both his cheeks, forcing him to stare into my eyes. "Because my dear friend called himself pathetic right to my face."

Hayate's mouth plummeted. Up close, his blue eyes shimmered against the sunlight, bugged because of how firmly I clasped his cheeks.

"What's "I don't belong"? What's "I couldn't do anything for you"? If anyone messed up yesterday—if anyone's pathetic—it's me. Ten minutes ago I literally threw myself onto my four-year-old brother for calling me fat. Me—someone thirteen whole years older—is threatened by a kindergartener's insults! I even tried to sleep-eat you because I thought you were a crepe! And yesterday I was the one who got so self-conscious I accidentally dumped a whole bottle of lemon juice into the batter!"

"K-Koto—"

"I told you from the beginning, Hayate." I didn't let him get a word in. "I didn't ask you to join because you're skilled at baking. I did it because I wanted to bake with you. I did it because I think you're amazing! Without a doubt, you're the one who's got us all beat in terms of creativity and design. You're up there alongside Koyuki with those smarts. That makes you way, way, way more talented than me, who's still doing my best to remember the names of some kitchen utensils."

Although his expression had softened, he didn't receive my compliments as wholeheartedly as I would've liked.

"I'm... scared of being judged," he confessed. "So, I run away, and hide, and never speak my mind. Because of the way I look, and my anxiety, I've only had Aki call me a friend. But, Kotorin, you call me one so easily. You talk to, and praise me—someone like me—so sincerely. I-I want to do so much for you. But, I can't. Because I'm such a coward..."

His voice hitched in his throat.

"Wh-what can I do... to have more confidence in myself? If I'm by myself, I don't have to disappoint others, and I don't have to be hurt myself. But I can't do anything for you if I stay like this. I... can't."

I hesitantly dropped my hands. A lump formed in my throat. It wasn't that Hayate didn't want to tell me this. He probably couldn't. That's why he kept silently rerunning these thoughts in his head all yesterday.

"Then," I said, sheepishly, "if at least for now, you don't have the confidence to see how irreplaceable you are to me, I'll keep reminding you. I'll be here telling you how much you've helped me, and how much you mean to me, up until the day you can finally say "Screw anxiety! I'm awesome and I know it!" straight to your reflection."

I extended my fist toward his chest, my mouth upturning higher.

"Not only me. Chiaki and Koyuki care about you too, Hayate. We're all so glad we're friends. I bet it won't be long before Nori feels the same way. So no more "I don't belong" or "someone like me" stuff. Promise?"

His reaction was the definition of purity. Unable to handle the bashfulness and awe that consumed him, he fumbled to look away. He used his arms to block all traces of his face from me. Not before long, I heard sniffles erupt from him.

"You don't have to cry," I laughed. "Just accept it with a smile. I'd prefer it, actually. Your smile is the cutest."

"I-I can't help it," he sniffled in the benign manner of his. "Y-you're always super nice, Kotorin. And you say embarrassing things so easily too."

I recoiled. "What I said was... embarrassing?"

He vigorously nodded.

I sweatdropped. Now that I think about it, I guess I was being needlessly cheesy.

Exhaling heavily, I gave the cat lazing between us one last pat and ascended to my feet.

"Oh, whatever. It's fine as long as I meant it, right?" Giddily, I swerved on the balls of my feet. "We should probably hurry to buy that newest volume. It's going to be sold out at this rate. You don't want to miss out on Jasper and Princess Hanna, do you?"

He shook his head against his sleeves.

The gentle wind blew through my bangs and the nearby trees and bushes, the scorching sun warming my skin. Hayate stood as well, incessantly wiping his tears.

I brightened like a lightbulb. "Oh my gosh! That's what we should do!"

Why didn't I think of it before? This was exactly what we all needed.

Hayate cocked his head to the side. Spotting his puzzlement, I merely giggled.

"Let's get everyone together."

***

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