Oh, I was.

Ha I guessed right.

"I don't think that's hard to guess," Haru says, switching back to talking out loud but quite softly. "I'm serious and studious now!"

"True but lots of people are serious as adults, there's a very specific vibe you have."

"A very specific vibe?"

"I don't know how else to explain it. You look like the kind of serious adult who was also a serious kid."

"I don't know what that looks like! What does that mean?"

"Like—maybe I'm making this up to try to explain it but the way in which you're serious feels like it's a way you are rather than a thing you do? It's not that you're being serious about things it's that that's how you are in general. You're—very focused? You think about things a lot?" Though he's—actually half-guessing from vibes, here. He doesn't actually know Haru that well, as a person.

Which makes the strength of his infatuation make even less sense!!!

Haru looks happy to hear it, anyway. "I try!"

Note to self: flattery works really well! Keep doing it!

"I told you this last time but not this time—whenever you smile at me like that you make me really want to kiss you."

"- I don't know how to smile in specific ways on demand!"

"I know. So it's on me to keep making you smile as much as I can."

"Only if you want to be constantly full of the desire to kiss me."

"I do. I do want that."

s i m p

Squirm.

They don't have time to go back to Yutaka's for more making out as it's getting pretty late, so he drives Haru back to his place. When they get there, he opens the door for Haru, and walks him to the door—even if it's an apartment building, he still felt like doing it.

(He never realised he had these sappy teen romance desires in him. You learn something new every day.)

"See you tomorrow?" he says, his slight anxiety turning it into more of a question than he means it.

"See you tomorrow," says Haru, and he kisses Yutaka goodnight.

Eeeeee he KISSED THE BOY and he HELD HANDS WITH THE BOY and he WENT ON A DATE WITH THE BOY he is an idiot and a simp and a dumbass and he has feelings for a boy and that has never happened before and he does not understand where they're coming from and he is too exhausted to try to figure it out and besides the last several times he tried to figure it out he failed so he is just going to go home and take a shower and then go to sleep hugging a pillow after making sure telepathically that Haru is still alive.

Alive and well!

Then good night again, Haru. Sleep well.

In the morning Haru is his usually chipper and magical self.

Good morning, Haru. Am I walking you across the ice this morning? he asks, standing on a telephone pole by the school.

He really did underestimate how cool being an anime boy would be.

If you have a good route by which to appear, why not?

Rather than look for somewhere unobserved outside he can just look for somewhere unobserved inside by the door so he can untransform and walk out. And if someone thinks it's weird, well, let them think it's weird. He does not give a fuck. He is so high on life right now he's got a CRUSH and it may be silly that his first crush happened when he was eighteen but, like, understandable given his life history, and he is going to live life to the FULLEST because he died then got a chance to do it over and he'd rather die again than squander it.

I have appeared.

I'm by Ren's parking spot!