Sᴘʟᴀsʜᴇs & Sᴛʀɪᴋᴇs | Nagi Seishiro √

03: 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬' 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬.

"Thank you for hanging out today, Kai," Rea said, taking a seat beside the vending machine, drink in hand. "Kaori couldn't make it today."

"Anytime, Rea." Kai chuckled, poking her cheek gently. "Your face paint's smudged, by the way."

"Huh?" Rea was startled by his touch, glancing at him.

Rea had painted a '6' on one cheek and a '7' on the other to cheer for both Nagi and Reo. Nagi's voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her heart to skip a beat.

"Oi, hands off, caramel," Nagi's voice rang out, making Rea crane her head to see Nagi and Reo approaching them. Reo, as usual, was giving Kai a stern glare.

"I'm sorry about that, Kai," Rea sighed. "They always act like this whenever a guy comes near me."

"That's alright. I have a little sister, so I get it," Kai grinned.

"You do?" Rea's eyes widened.

"Yeah, anyway, see you later," Kai stood up, hands in his pockets. "Have a great weekend."

"You too, Kai," Rea smiled, watching him walk away before turning to the soccer duo. "What's your problem? He was just a friend. You can't act like this, every time I'm with a guy... I'll end up single forever at this rate."

Rea pretended to look dismayed, dramatically placing the back of her hand on her forehead. Reo laughed at his sister's theatrics.

"Well, you won't if the right guy comes along," Reo said. "Right, Nagi?"

"I don't know, relationships are a hassle," the white-haired boy yawned. "Can we go home?"

"Yeah, Rea, I'm staying at Nagi's place tonight since Mom and Dad are away," Reo informed, causing Rea to slump her shoulders. "Why? Are you okay?"

"I'll be alone then," Rea pouted. "You guys even scared away Kai, I could have had dinner with him tonight."

"What?" Both Nagi and Reo were taken aback by her statement.

"What?" Rea snapped.

"A date?" Reo raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'd let him take my sister when there's nobody around? No way, you're coming with us."

"What?" The younger sibling frowned. "I can't spend the night in his messy apartment."

Rea scowled at Nagi, who seemed to ignore her completely. She was well aware of the chaotic state of his apartment. Nagi didn't pay much attention to keeping his living space tidy, making her wonder how he managed to live there comfortably.

"C'mon, Rea. It'll be fun for the three of us to hang out," Reo suggested. "It's been years since we've done that. We can tidy up his apartment tomorrow."

Rea contemplated the offer. She would love to spend time with them, especially with her brother and her crush. However, with Kai around recently, she hadn't given much thought to Nagi. Perhaps because Nagi was the only guy besides her brother whom she could comfortably talk to, thanks to Reo's habit of scaring away potential suitors. She appreciated Kai's understanding, and sometimes wondered if developing feelings for Nagi would work, given his aversion to relationships.

"Alright, how about he stays over at our place tonight, and we'll clean his apartment tomorrow," Rea suggested, not keen on sleeping in an untidy place.

"That works too," Reo agreed, nudging Nagi's shoulder. "Are you in? We won't have to worry about making food either."

"Got it," Rea chimed in. "Or sleeping in a messy apartment."

"It's not that messy," Nagi retorted, glancing at Rea before turning to Reo. "I'm up for anything."

"Then it's settled."