-"This is what we're going to do. When you see him, give him a compliment."

Fyodor's Windows restarted.

"A compliment... how?" he questioned.

Sigma sighed deeply.

"Are you serious or just pretending?" he asked. "It's impossible for you not to know how to give compliments."

"No need to be aggressive, but I really don't know what to say."

"Just compliment his hairstyle or his clothes, or whatever," Sigma turned sharply to the Russian. "Look, here he comes, don't mess it up."

"Well, thank you very much for the advice, Sigma."

Nikolai turned the corner of the hallway and came face to face with the bicolor-haired boy. Both of them blushed, just a little.

"G-Gogol!" he exclaimed, his voice an octave higher than usual. "How are you?"

"Hey, Sigma," the albino greeted. "I'm glad to see you."

Sigma bit his lip and grabbed Dostoyevsky's arm.

"Fyodor has something to tell you," he muttered through gritted teeth, holding back the anger he felt. "Isn't that right, Fyodor?"

Fyodor was a very shy and introverted person. He was constantly embarrassed to speak because he felt he would say a string of nonsense, and he wanted to avoid mockery. He was the kind of person who was super intelligent but didn't draw attention to himself. He didn't need to humiliate others with his dazzling wit.

The way Sigma looked at him only made him more nervous.

To give a compliment? What kind of compliment could he give? Nikolai was very praiseworthy. He had beautiful eyes, beautiful hair, a beautiful face, and, of course, a beautiful body (he had the opportunity to confirm that when they had a swimming class). He was also very intelligent and charismatic. He always dressed stylishly. What could he say about all that?

"Ah," he began, "... крыса..."

The other two were stunned. Gogol cleared his throat nervously.

"Ah, okay..." he muttered. "I was leaving anyway. See you."

And he fled. Sigma slapped his forehead.

"Why," he wanted to know, "out of all the things you could have said to him, did you have to call him a 'rat'?"

"What's wrong with that?" the Russian protested. "Rats are cute."

"They're horrible, and they carry diseases. You just told Nikolai he's a disease-carrying rat. Do you think that's romantic?"

"Well..."

Sigma chuckled.

"I'm pulling your leg," he said, lightly tugging on his friend's hair. "It's fixable, don't worry. Just don't call him 'rat' again, okay?"

Sighed. Truth be told, Sigma had indeed offended him by questioning his intelligence. He was brilliantly smart. His rational intelligence was impressive. Now, if we're talking about emotional intelligence, that's a different matter.

"I won't call him a rat," he conceded. "What should I do?"

"First, pay me my fifteen thousand yen," Sigma demanded. "Second, give me paper and a pen."

Fyodor did as he was asked. Sigma took the paper and wrote something on it.

"Later, you'll go and deliver this message," he said, showing what he had written. "You'll also apologize for calling him a rat."

"Why did you write it? I could have written it myself."

"No offense, but your handwriting is awful. My handwriting is nice and legible."

He grimaced.

"Ouch," he protested. "And then what?"

"Afterward, you'll pay me another fifteen thousand yen for doing this for you."

The Russian took the paper, which read, "Gogol: sorry for calling you a rat. I got my wires crossed because there's a biology exam. Do you want to grab tacos later with me? Fyodor D."

"I have two questions," he said. "Why tacos?"

"Because everyone loves tacos. Tacos are delicious."

"Alright... And do I have to deliver the message myself?"

Sigma frowned.

"Who else do you want to deliver it?"

Fyodor stared at him.

"... I want a raise."

•

[♤♡◇♧]

•

While Fyodor watched from behind a potted plant, Sigma delivered the message to Nikolai. He wished he could do it himself, but he was dying of embarrassment. He didn't want Nikolai to look at him strangely. Usually, he had no problem with people looking at him strangely; after all, he was peculiar. But he didn't want Nikolai to think he was that peculiar, he didn't want to scare him away. It was the first time he had ever felt in love, and he didn't want to ruin it with his... eccentric tastes.

Sigma spoke to Nikolai. They smiled at each other. Nikolai laughed, and Fyodor's stomach twisted. Sigma was his best friend; they had known each other since kindergarten. He was like a brother to him. But he truly felt jealous seeing him there, communicating effortlessly with his crush. He hated being so bad at expressing himself and that Sigma was so good at it.

But Sigma wouldn't try to steal Gogol away, would he?

"You know, apologize to Fyodor for earlier," he excused himself. "He was really nervous and all, so..."

"Oh, it's okay," the albino smiled. "I usually don't get called a 'rat,' so I figured it wasn't intentional."

They laughed. Nikolai had beautiful dimples when he smiled, and that made Sigma melt inside. He desperately wanted to send Fyodor to hell and keep Gogol for himself. He deserved it, right?

"Yeah, Fyodor is very shy, and he sends you this," he handed over the paper. "I hope you can forgive him."

"Of course, I don't hold grudges," the Ukrainian read what was written. "Great! I love tacos. Tell Dos-kun that he can count me in."

Sigma bit his cheek inwardly. 'Dos-kun.' Why did Fyodor have a nickname, and he didn't?

"You'd better tell him yourself," he replied. "I have things to do. See you later!"

"Goodbye!"

They waved goodbye, and Sigma returned to Dostoyevski. He thanked his lucky stars for his wonderful ability to hide his feelings behind a perfect smile. Deep down, he wanted to cry. But all was fair in friendship (and money). There were more important things than love and feelings. If Fyodor and Nikolai loved each other, well, good for them. Let them be happy. As much as it hurt Sigma, he didn't need it.

He could find happiness in other things. He didn't need love for anything.

"What did he say?" Fyodor asked.

"He'll tell you," Sigma replied sarcastically. "Listen, there's a great taco place just around the corner; Chuuya-san showed it to me. And it's not expensive at all."

"Does that mean Nikolai accepted?"

"What do you think? I'm just telling you just in case. But thanks to me, now you have a date," he winked and stood up. "I'm going with Chuuya and Dazai, okay? If you need me, don't need me. I don't want you coming to find me."

He disappeared around the hallway corner, leaving Fyodor alone and with no idea of what to do on a date.