Out of Tune (Bocchi the Rock)

Friend Crush..?

"Rowan! Rowan! Guess what?!"

I nearly choked on my omelette as he barged into the kitchen, about to announce God knows what. 

"What is it, Kaito?" I asked, sipping water to wash down the egg. 

He grinned excitedly, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "They're having a special sale at the toy store today! Can we go? Can we, please?"

The toy store?

I raised an eyebrow, not entirely thrilled about the prospect of spending my Sunday morning navigating crowded aisles filled with screaming children and overpriced merchandise.

"Really? The toy store? And what exactly do you plan on getting from there?" 

I'm already getting a headache just thinking about the bright colors and screaming offspring. 

He shrugs. "I dunno, let's just go and check it out."

"Fine, we can go," I replied, knowing that there was no use arguing once Kaito had his mind set on something. 

"But I swear, if you get something like a giant transformers like you did last time, I'm gonna fucking kill you, cause last time you did, you never touched it ever again," I warned him. 

"Got it!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was even worse than I imagined. Now with the 30% off sale, there were tons of kids just running around and screaming, the toy store was packed with frantic parents and hyperactive children, all clamoring for the latest gadgets and toys. The aisles were congested with carts and strollers, making it nearly impossible to navigate without bumping into someone or something.

Kaito, on the other hand, was in his element, darting excitedly from one aisle to another, his eyes wide with wonder at the array of toys on display. He tugged at my sleeve every few seconds, urging me to come see something he found particularly fascinating—a remote-controlled dinosaur, a set of building blocks, a superhero costume.

Ah, kids. As a former kid myself, I can confirm that Kaito is certainly in his natural habitat. Well, second, right after the living room of course. He sleeps on the couch more than he does on his bed. 

As I followed him around the aisles, his face suddenly scrunched up like he remembered something really important, then he turned to look at me. 

"Hey, Rowan," he began, his voice barely audible. "You never told me about the girls that you liked."

Shit. He actually remembered. 

I was hoping that he'd forgotten our conversation from yesterday, but guess not. I blatantly ignored him, pretending that I didn't hear him over all the racket in the store. 

I felt a tug on my sleeve. 

"Rowan, I know you're ignoring me, I can literally see you looking at me from the corner of your eye."