"Yes he is," sighs Tōkan fondly.

"And I presume you want me to come?"

"I think that was the closest he could get to saying he did, yeah."

"I'm not fucking him."

"Yes, I know, you're gay and he's not interested. Even though it'd be pretty hot to watch—"

Subaru punches him. Then he hums thoughtfully. "It... He made it sound like he's okay with the idea of a vee, though."

"My worry there is that this would hurt you, I don't want you to feel like you're second place or something."

"What's even the difference between us being friends with benefits and the thing you've got going on with him?"

"...what's the difference between the way you feel about me and the way you feel about any other friend?"

"I'm not fucking my other friends."

"I am."

"Yeah but I'm still your best friend."

"I think you deserve someone who's going to make you their priority."

"You've been talking about these things a lot more openly recently, you know."

"I'm not saying anything new."

"No but you used to talk around it a lot more. Like you were trying to spare my feelings."

"I was."

"And you're not anymore?"

"No, I think it's more that... It feels like the way you relate to those feelings changed? And it doesn't hurt you as much, anymore, or maybe even at all? To talk like this."

"...hmm. I guess—"

"Hey, Kokonoe!"

Tōkan looks up blinking. He'd been walking on autopilot and was barely looking where he was going so he didn't notice Karato walking in front of him and stopping there facing him. "...hi. What's up?"

"You're dating Yamada Inori?"

"Oh, has the rumour mill made it official?" he replies lightly, but now that he's paying attention he's noticed Hōji standing nearby, her arms crossed, sporting a venomous glare. And a couple of other kids seem to be paying undue attention to this while a lot of others are standing back. Tōkan does not like where this is going at all. He stops walking.

"He fucked us up, and he's been doing that forever. He got Narishi and Takuo a while ago, too—"