"Oh, it's a seeeecret, I see."

"Maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed."

"Well, I won't pry any further, then, and just be happy you're happy."

Bwuh. This isn't going right. He wanted to ask Swan out but something in his gut is telling him that that would not be a great idea and he's not sure why. Maybe he's just getting cold feet because it's been a week since they last spoke and Yutaka's feeling intimidated by how hot Swan is. Or maybe it's just that he got his dick wet again recently enough that he's feeling the lack less severely. Or something. Bwuh.

The teacher shows up and Swan, humming to himself very softly, takes notes.

What the fuuuuuuuuuck. This is going to bug him.

Swan goes on seeming cheery and preoccupied. All day, actually.

Ah. Okay. Yutaka understands why it was feeling like he was going to be rejected.

Swan has a boyfriend.

In the span of the week since they met, he met some boy at—the hospital? Or something?? That's the only explanation.

Aw, man. That really, really bugs him. He wanted a shot!

He might ask one of Swan's friends from the translation club, honestly, see if they know. Swan is out, Yutaka might as well be out, it won't be weird for him to ask, right?

"I don't think he has a boyfriend," says one of the translation friends. "Eee, do you liiiiiike him?"

"I, I mean, we've barely met, really, we just talked a little bit, I mean..." Is this the right character to play? He thinks it might be. "Just, I mean, he hurt himself when I was thinking of asking him out but yesterday he was looking a bit..."

"Well, if I really needed to know," says Watanabe, "I'd ask his mother. She teaches at the kindergarten. And she's from Canada too."

"—I can't ask his mother! We're not even on a personal name basis yet!"

"Oh, if you want to be just start calling him Haru - he goes by that, not Masaharu. He doesn't know how to decide when to switch, he'll wait for you to do it."

"I was gonna suggest it when I asked him out!" Okay he's getting a bit too into this character, here. "If he has a boyfriend it'll be so mortifying, though..."

"I don't think he has one. I think he'd say, he wouldn't necessarily say who but I think he'd say."

"Well... okay. I mean... okay. Alright."

Smile.

Off he goes, then, leaving that character behind.

So Swan—Haru?—doesn't have a boyfriend. Hm. But something did change, Yutaka's certain of it. There's some airs, there's a vibe. Swan was just not responding, and that was annoying.

He needs a cig. And maybe a shag. He can go hang out by the shed with the sports materials, it's sufficiently out of the way that people mostly won't bother him if he lights a cigarette, so that's number one. As for number two...

yo

I'm frustrated and I want to take it out on someone

you could be someone

wow

you haven't texted me in two weeks

and this is the first thing i get?

ynm

y obviously

your place or mine?

yours

not in the mood for cleaning up

see you at 5

ciao

Yutaka shouldn't smoke too much right now, though, or people will start complaining. He puts the cig out, brushes his teeth, and goes back to the main building for his afternoon classes.

Happyyyyyy Swan!

Okay seriously wtf.

Well, Yutaka barely has time to sit before the teacher arrives, so he just says, "Swan-san, stick around a minute after class?"