Chapter Text
After their first meeting and the uniform incident, neither Nakamura nor Matsumura wanted to cross paths again. But because of one person who was at the center of both their thoughts, they had … no choice.
From the moment Nakamura first met Matsumura, Hirose began going home with both of them at least once a week, and if the week (for Matsumura) was lucky enough, even twice (which was a huge loss for Nakamura).
At the same time, Nakamura was glad that Matsumura couldn’t spend time with Hirose alone. He would never allow Hirose to stay with that crazy stalker, of course for Hirose’s safety.
About two months passed. It was still the same routine, the end of classes, Hirose and Nakamura walking together from the classroom to the school gates, where, as every Thursday, Matsumura was already waiting for them.
Everything should have gone as usual, according to the script. They would meet at the school gates, and the three of them would walk to the street where they parted ways, heading toward their homes while chatting about something unimportant (Hirose did most of the talking), while Nakamura watched to make sure Matsumura didn’t do anything suspicious.
But today was a little unusual, because as soon as Nakamura and Hirose met Matsumura,
Hirose said,
“I heard that a new arcade opened nearby.” He smiled. “Does anyone want to come with me? I just thought it would be more fun in a bigger grou-”
Before he could finish, two black-haired boys answered at the same time:
“YES!”
“YES!”
They immediately looked at each other with slightly irritated glances, as if telepathically arguing over who had said it faster and louder.
Matsumura would take any opportunity to spend more time with his crush, even if some mushroom-haired boy ruined the moment.
Nakamura had always wanted to spend time with Hirose after school, time that wasn’t limited to one road home. So he was absolutely thrilled at that moment, even if the presence of that tall freak slightly ruined the romantic atmosphere.
“Oh wow, I didn’t expect you both to be so excited.” Hirose chuckled. “Honestly, I thought you two weren’t the type to play games.”
“Of course I play games!” Matsumura said. “I’ve played through all those games you started recommending back in middle school.”
“Yeah, sure,” Nakamura muttered quietly, so only Matsumura could hear. He was too irritated by how proudly Matsumura spoke about it.
“Wow, really?” Hirose said with surprise. “So what’s your favorite?”
And they started talking about games, a conversation that lasted until they reached the arcade. The fact that Nakamura couldn’t join in because he had never played any of the games they were discussing, made him a little annoyed, and he silently cursed Matsumura for stealing all of Hirose’s attention.
The arcade wasn’t too big or too small, just perfect for spending the entire evening there. Since it was new, there were quite a lot of people.
The two black-haired boys were initially overwhelmed by the variety of games, so at first, they simply followed Hirose and watched him play.
After finishing one of the games, Hirose turned to them.
“Come on, Nakamura, try this one!” he said, pointing at the machine.
“Me?! O-okay, I can try… hehe…” Nakamura chuckled awkwardly as he stepped up to it.
'Come on, Nakamura! This is your chance to show off your skills in front of Hirose!'
He pressed the button to restart the game and, staring at the loading screen, thought…
'And of course, this is my chance to show this idiot who’s the best candidate for the role of Hirose’s bestie!'
He quickly glanced at Matsumura, who was watching the screen.
The game finally started, but Nakamura didn’t last long before losing. His score was much lower than Hirose’s.
'CRAP!'
He tried two more times, but his score barely improved.
“Eh, let me show you how to play this, otherwise you’re going to keep losing with a score of just 23.”
Matsumura stepped in, pushing Nakamura aside and starting the game again. With ease as if he played this every day of his life, he scored 184 points.
“Oh wow! You make this look so easy, Ko!” Hirose said cheerfully.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Matsumura replied with a smile, glancing at Nakamura. “Just showing someone how it’s done.”
'How dare you?!'
The sight of that smile made Nakamura’s blood boil. And once again, Matsumura had taken all of Hirose’s attention.
It felt like a declaration of war.
The two boys began competing in almost every game, each trying to impress Hirose and win his attention.
And, of course, Nakamura almost always lost.
They spent the entire evening at the arcade, until it started getting dark outside.
“Well, that was a fun evening with you guys. I’m glad my friends are getting closer to each other!” Hirose said.
Matsumura and Nakamura looked away, both thinking, 'Yeah, sure' , because in reality, their rivalry was only growing stronger.
“See you tomorrow, Nakamura.” Hirose smiled. “See you next week, Ko!” he added, waving as he left.
As soon as Hirose disappeared around the corner, a tense silence fell between the two boys.
They had to take the same route, so they walked side by side, trying to ignore each other, until Nakamura finally broke the silence.
“No matter how many times you beat me in games, I can still spend more time with him.” A sly grin spread across his face.
“And?” Matsumura replied. “You’re just a loser with almost no social skills. I don’t even consider you my opponent in the fight for Hirose’s heart.”
“Huh?! No social skills?!” Nakamura snapped. “And I’m hearing this from a stalker who’s a danger to society?”
Matsumura sighed and stopped, turning to face him.
“Listen, I’ll explain it in a way even someone like you can understand.” His gaze sharpened. “Someone who doesn’t even know how relationships work and has never even dated, can’t be an equal opponent to someone with experience.”
His smug expression made Nakamura’s irritation spike.
“Wow,” Nakamura said sarcastically, “I’ve already read so much romantic literature and advice online that I basically know exactly what to do.”
“You can’t learn this in theory, dumbhead. You need real situations with a real person. Only after your ‘practice’ relationship can you move on to something serious,” Matsumura said.
Nakamura frowned.
“So you just play with people’s feelings? People who might actually love you, just to gain ‘experience’?”
His expression hardened.
“No one should treat other people like lab rats.” If he had been taller or stronger, he might have punched him. Instead, he just muttered, “Freak.”
Matsumura’s gaze turned unsettling.
“I only do what will lead me to my goal.”
Then he smiled, almost teasingly.
“But I’m lucky you’re not a threat.”
“Oh, you’ll see. I can become the biggest obstacle in your way, without becoming an asshole who breaks hearts just for ‘experience’,” Nakamura shot back.
Matsumura studied him for a moment, then said,
“You need experience. I need a rival worth beating." He pauses briefly. "So I’ll train you.”
Silence fell between the two of them until Matsumura added,
“Do you want to fake date?”