As soon as she was sure her grandmother was fast asleep, Hana snuck out of her bedroom window. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the prevailing darkness, the young woman jumped down from the porch. She had no trouble landing deftly on her two legs, nor venturing blindly to the gates of the garden. For as long as she'd been using this path for her nocturnal outings, the young woman could have traversed it even with her eyes closed.

Yamada's party to which she'd been invited was only a quarter of an hour away from her home, which was very convenient for Hana. She didn't have to travel too far to get there. What's more, the nights were particularly mild for September. The temperatures still allowed her to walk around in light clothing without feeling the bite of the cold on her skin. The streets were calm, an atmosphere the young woman particularly liked.

When Hana arrived, Amano was already there. She was accompanied by two other girls and seemed to be waiting only for her arrival. However, judging by the level of the bottle of alcohol they were passing around, Hana deduced that they were already well into the festivities.

At the sight of his classmate, Amano's eyes lit up with joy. With her usual cheerful tone, the little brunette hastened to make the introductions, and even though Hana knew she wouldn't remember their names and would probably never see these girls again, she didn't make her comment aloud and greeted them.

Just before entering the mansion, the group challenged Hana to finish the bottle that would put them all in the same state. Hana didn't hesitate for a second, eager to make the most of her evening. She didn't even bother to ask them what was in there, she downed the bitter drink in a few gulps. The familiar burn of liqueur in her throat didn't even have time to fade before another glass was already between her fingers. Then another, which underwent the same fate as the first. Hana lost count. The next thing she knew, they were on the dance floor.

Alcohol was beginning to cloud Hana's mind, taking her into a world where euphoria reigned supreme. But if she came to forget the main reason for her coming to the party, Amano didn't; the moment the object of her desires appeared in their field of vision, she wasted no time in refreshing her memory.

—Shirai's here, exclaimed Amano over the distressing sound of the bass. Can we go now?

—Right now?

Despite the boredom clearly evident in Hana's voice as she finally began to enjoy herself, Amano didn't seem to care. She was already dragging her comrade in the direction of the baseball captain, sitting on the couch with his closest friends. He hadn't noticed her yet, but it was only a matter of time before he did. Kazuya was rather observant and preferred to watch people at parties rather than actively participate in the event.

Hana went along with it, knowing full well that she wouldn't escape. When Amano had something on her mind, it was hard to change anything. Besides, they had some sort of agreement she couldn't break. At least, she told herself, the sooner she made the introductions between them, the sooner she could slip away and get back to dancing. In any case, she didn't intend to be the third wheel.

With a confident stride, the young woman took over and made her own way towards Kazuya. At the same time, Kazuya noticed her, and if the surprise of seeing her here was his first emotion, it was quickly swept away by a slight smile and a wave of the hand telling her to come closer. At her side, Amano stomped impatiently, squeezing her arm vigorously.

Without breaking eye contact with Kazuya for a moment, Hana slalomed between the tipsy revelers with ease, oblivious to the other gazes that had been trained on her for some time.

Perhaps if she'd turned her head towards the veranda, she'd have seen him, who'd been watching her since her arrival in the mansion.

─── ∗∙⋅❀⋅∙∗ ───

With a cigarette in one hand and a half-empty glass in the other, Keisuke watched the scene unfolding a few steps away with a wary eye.

The moment Hana had entered, it was as if his gaze had been drawn in her direction.  And from then on, he never really lost sight of her. Then, of course, when she headed towards Shirai and his group, he hadn't missed it either. It hadn't failed to irritate him. He knew they were good friends, but his dislike for his baseball teammate hadn't waned. How could she like that guy? He was ordinary, she needed more than that. Just seeing them chat with such familiarity was enough to disgust him. So when Shirai had tenderly kissed Hana's cheek and a furtive smile crept across her lips, Keisuke decided he'd seen enough. He chose this moment to look away, but not without feeling a certain disdain.

—Oya, what's wrong?

None of Keisuke's facial expressions escaped the attention of his best friend, who, since the time they'd known each other, was able to perceive even the slightest of his mood swings. The dark-haired man's annoyance therefore did not go unnoticed by Igarashi's expert eyes who, in the just a few extra seconds, even managed to understand the source of his aversion. An amused smile played on Igarashi's lips, and he wasted no time in formulating his conclusions aloud.

—Aaaah, it's because Hoshino is with Shirai.

And if there was any doubt, the dark look Keisuke gave him immediately dispelled it. Fortunately, the other guys with them were too busy with their shot contest to pay much attention to their conversation. Igarashi took advantage.

—Don't pull that face, dude, Igarashi consoled him, patting him on the shoulder.

Akaashi muttered an inaudible reply before taking another drag on his well-started cigarette. But this didn't stop Igarashi, who was determined to cheer up his best friend.

—I saw Araki earlier, Igarashi began to list off the fingers of his hand. She was with her best friend, Ikehata. You slept with both of them, didn't you? Well, it doesn't matter... ah, and I also saw Ebisawa's little sister, but maybe avoid picking her. His brother's here, and it'd be a shame if he found out today that you're fucking his sister every now and then. You know, an unfortunate bat swing during training can happen very quickly.

Keisuke arched an eyebrow, overwhelmed by the situation. He wasn't fooled. His best friend was in the process of listing all the people in the vicinity with whom he had slept with, in a vain attempt to find him a distraction to think about something else. Only, in addition to having absolutely interest for it, Igarashi was talking so much that it was impossible for him to get a word in edgewise. So, in an effort to be patient, Keisuke rolled another joint, letting the other man talk as much nonsense as he wanted.

—I hear Kuwahara and Imaeda are also coming to the party. They must already be there. Otherwise, I think Nobuo really lives not far from here. One phone call and I'm sure you could stop by her place. Oh, and did I mention that Hirokishi's Italian pen pal is here too? Anyway, there's also a couple of chicks who look pretty good at eleven o'clock who've been staring at you all night. Judging by their gestures, they're debating which one should talk to you first. You've got a hundred percent chance of getting at least one of them. So, dude, you've got plenty of options.

Igarashi fell silent just as Keisuke finished rolling his joint, much to Keisuke's delight, who had heard enough. He lit the end of his blunt and took a long drag, before finally deigning to turn his attention back to the happy fool who was his best friend.

—I don't need a consolation prize. Thank you for that.

—You say that, but you haven't been able to take your eyes off Hoshino since she came. You didn't even notice half the people I just mentioned, did you?

It wasn't untrue, but it wasn't entirely true. Since he'd met Hana, the young man had realized that a more stable relationship like theirs, with well-defined limits, brought him far fewer worries than before. What's more, by spending so much time with each other, the knowledge they had of each other's preferences made their moments much more enjoyable than before. Keisuke knew that after that, he'd never be so satisfied with a simple one-night stand. It was out of the question to waste his time when, on top of that, tonight she was just around the corner.

But for some reason, no one seemed to believe him. So Keisuke made an effort to set things straight, or at least in his own way.

—I told you, I don't fuck randoms anymore.

—And the chick from two weeks ago, during holidays? Reminded Igarashi, who was obviously holding back giggles. You don't even remember her name.

Keisuke sighed as he recalled this event, which his mind had very quickly consigned to oblivion. Apart from confirming what he had already thought - that nothing could adequately replace what he had with Hana - he had retained nothing from this little adventure. The proof was that until Igarashi reminded him, he didn't even remember the girl. The only reason he'd been tempted to look elsewhere was because he hadn't seen Hana in a while. As one thing led to another, he'd missed her and succumbed to temptation.

—It was just an exception, Keisuke retorted, brushing aside her remark with an absent wave of his hand.

The only one, in fact, since she'd come into his life. But the boy kept his remark to himself.

—And does she know about it ?

While questioning him, Igarashi jerked his head forward. The smoker instinctively followed his gaze, and his eyes fell on Hana. The young woman was still at the side of Shirai and his group of friends, but she was no longer chatting with the captain, and for good reason: the girl accompanying him had taken over the center of attention, and Shirai's in particular. The two seemed to be getting acquainted, ignoring Hana's evasive gaze, which clearly had no desire to linger with them.

For a moment, Keisuke felt the urge to let her know he was there. So that she could get away from this bad time she seemed to be having. So that she could join him, and together they could wipe away the worry that marked her face into something more pleasant. He would give her all the attention she deserved, all that her friends couldn't offer her. Everything. Absolutely everything.

But he didn't. His idea sank back into the nothingness of his mind as Igarashi's question rose to the surface of his thoughts, like a reminder of what he had done. Or rather, what he had failed to do.

Slowly, Keisuke forced himself to detach his gaze from the group and return it to that of his best friend. The latter was already watching him, waiting for him to answer the question he'd asked earlier.

—Does she know? Keisuke repeated as he brought his joint to his lips.

He took a moment to think of the most appropriate answer. His eyes left his best friend, focusing on the glowing end of the tube he held between his fingers.

—Why should she know ? The young man finally asked, spitting out a cloud of gray smoke. We're not exclusive, he added thoughtfully. I do what I want, and so does she.

—But you know she doesn't have anyone in sight but you, Igarashi replied immediately, as if he knew in advance what he wanted to say. So, are you sure this isn't more convenient for you than for her?

Touché. Keisuke couldn't think of anything to say, so he kept quiet. Whether it was true or not, whether Hana had someone other than him was none of his business. Or so he insisted. It would have been both hypocritical of him to debate her relationships, and audacious of him to dare to do so just after the scene he'd made for her on the subject.

They were sex friends and that's it.

—So you're saying you don't care what she does, eh?

Igarashi's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, which were determined to take him with them at the slightest opportunity. Keisuke realized that the drug was beginning to affect him.

—Yeah, confirmed the dark-haired man in a slightly pasty voice.

—Even assuming it's Shirai?

Ah. Decidedly. Igarashi didn't seem to want to let go of him with this story. What exactly was he trying to prove to him? Keisuke hated it when his best friend beat around the bush, analyzing his every word, just as he was doing now.

—I don't give a damn, said the smoker, without hiding the annoyance he felt at this little interrogation.

—Well, I'll try my luck then, see you.

Igarashi pretended to leave, but at the same time, Keisuke understood his undertone and stopped him.

—Sit down and stop fooling around.

Even if his best friend was joking, the dark-haired boy wasn't laughing at all. He gave him a murderous look, to which Igarashi replied with an amused laugh.

—It's all right, dude, I'm just joking. Besides, I'm not about to steal my brother's crush.

Igarashi fell silent, eyes slightly wide as he realized the meaning of the words that had just escaped his lips. His original aim had been to put his friend back in a good mood, and now he'd just ruined it in the worst possible way.  He prayed his best friend wouldn't pick up on it, but apparently the latter wasn't high enough for him to hope for such a thing. That last sentence had made him twitch slightly, almost imperceptibly, but for someone as taciturn as Keisuke, it meant a lot.

One would have to be disillusioned to believe that a girl like her wouldn't turn heads. It came as no surprise that the younger Igarashi was intrigued by her charm. Keisuke already knew this, but he had no idea that the boy's feelings went so far beyond those of simple fascination. He almost felt sorry that Hana only had eyes for him.

He who could never offer her more than a physical relationship.

—Well, I'm just saying it like that, Igarashi defended himself hastily, trying to catch up. I'm not in his head, and as I told you, he won't dare to do anything as long as there are so many guys around Hoshino. You're in no danger, don't worry.

Keisuke sighed again as he grasped the hidden meaning of his friend's words. He wasn't feeling possessive or jealous. Far from it. The news had just taken him by surprise.

—I've already told you I don't give a damn about who's into her, the smoker replied honestly, crushing his joint in the ashtray. It's always been that way with anyone, and there's no reason it should be any different now. Relax, dude.

He'd made it clear, but it didn't seem to convince his friend. The latter forgot he was trying to console him and couldn't help teasing him about it.

—I've still got a feeling you'd be really pissed not to have her around anymore.

His jibe didn't miss. Keisuke ostentatiously rolled his eyes, an annoyed pout on his face.

—I swear that if I wasn't so lazy, I'd punch you in the face to set your mind straight, declared the dark-haired man, pinching the bridge of his nose.

—Even sober, you wouldn't do it.

Keisuke didn't try to argue about it, preferring to divert this conversation that was wearing him out as quickly as possible.

—Speaking of your brother, he texted me a few days ago about a homework for his art class.

—Oh yeah, he briefly told me about that too. The teacher's always so fussy, I'm glad we don't have her anymore.

As he'd expected, Igarashi launched into an interminable monologue, making conversation for two. Keisuke soon stopped listening, his mind elsewhere, his gaze once again on the woman who was awakening questions he'd never thought to ask.

On her thumb, the silver ring she had taken from him shone brightly. Inside it was engraved "Keisuke Akaashi", like a promise that she belonged to him and him alone.