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Momo sat cross-legged on her bed, textbooks scattered between her and Okarun, previous test papers and worksheets mingling themselves in the mess. The hum of the desk lamp cast a soft, golden glow over them, but most of the light spilled through the curtains, the sun’s lazy warmth draping the room in a gentle haze.
Okarun’s notebook lay open, filled with scribbled formulas and diagrams, his pen gliding over the page as he explained standard deviations with the kind of care and precision he always had when he got caught up in things.
Momo tried to focus— really, she did. Statistics weren’t impossible, but every time he started talking, her mind slipped off course. It wasn’t the numbers that kept pulling her away. It was him.
His messy bangs flopped over his eyes, catching on the curve of his glasses. He gave them an absent push with his finger, unaware of how her gaze followed the movement, lingering. His lips moved— deliberate and thoughtful —his voice low and earnest as he worked through the problems. Every now and then, his brows would draw together in concentration, and Momo’s chest tightened, warmth blooming in places she couldn’t quite control.
Get it together , she scolded herself. This is just Okarun. The same Okarun who turned red when anyone called him cute, who looked away whenever their hands brushed, and who was so unreasonably kind it made her heart ache. But today, the air between them felt… different. Maybe it was the way they were sitting— close enough for her knee to bump his —or maybe it was the way the afternoon sun tangled lazily around them, coaxing secrets from shadows.
Her head rested in her hand, elbow propped lazily on her thigh. The edge of her knee grazed his leg again— this time more deliberately —and he didn’t move away. If he noticed, he gave no sign. Momo should have been following his explanation on sample sizes and probability distributions, but the more she watched him, the harder it became to concentrate.
He was chewing the corner of his pen now, a habit he had whenever deep in thought. The sight of his lips curled around the plastic made her pulse flutter wildly, and a flush crept across her cheeks—not from the heat outside, but from something far more dangerous brewing inside her.
“Miss Ayase?” His voice broke through her haze, soft and uncertain. He leaned closer, one hand braced on the mattress, the other still holding his pen loosely between his fingers. His knee brushed hers once more, and Momo blinked, realizing too late that she had been staring.
“Miss Ayase?” he repeated, head tilted, his gaze expectant but still gentle.
She could feel the heat spreading from her neck to the tips of her ears. There was no hiding it. He was watching her with that earnest, slightly awkward expression—concerned but not quite catching on to what had been running through her head. Without thinking, without planning, she leaned in. It was the simplest thing, really—just closing the small distance between them.
Her lips brushed his, soft and cautious , a fleeting touch. It was supposed to be quick— just a test —but the moment they met, a spark shot through her, electric and thrilling. His lips were softer than she expected, warm in a way that made her toes curl and her heart stutter. A second passed, and then another, and she pressed just a little closer, savoring the way he felt beneath her touch.
Time stretched thin between them, like the world had slowed to a standstill, leaving only the two of them in that tiny space where their breaths mingled. Okarun stayed perfectly still beneath her touch, as if he was too stunned to move, but Momo could feel the way his breath hitched, shaky and uneven against her mouth. She closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the moment.
He smells nice , she thought distantly, catching hints of something clean and familiar—soap and the faintest trace of mint from the gum he’d been chewing earlier. Her pulse fluttered wildly in her throat, every nerve alive with the thrill of being so close to him. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and oddly comforting all at once. She’d never been this close to anyone before, not even that shitty ex of hers— not like this —and yet, with Okarun, it felt strangely right, like this was exactly where she was meant to be.
He made a tiny, breathless sound against her lips—more of a surprised exhale than anything else—and the sound sent her heart racing even faster. A sweet kind of nervousness bubbled up inside her, the kind that made her toes curl and her hands twitch, desperate to hold onto him, to keep him close.
For a fleeting moment, Momo let herself imagine what it would be like to kiss him properly—deeper, slower, until there was no space left between them. The thought made her cheeks burn, and with that warmth spreading through her chest, she pulled back—not far, just enough to catch her breath. Her lips hovered close to his, still tingling with the memory of the kiss. Okarun’s eyes were wide, his pupils blown with shock, and his mouth hung slightly open, like he wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened. His glasses were slipping down the bridge of his nose, but he made no move to fix them.
Momo swallowed hard, her heart still thudding wildly in her chest. She could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks, hot and unstoppable, but she didn’t mind. Not really. I kissed him , she thought, dazed and a little giddy. I really kissed him.
And the best part? He didn’t pull away.
Okarun sat frozen, blinking at her like she’d just short-circuited his brain, and Momo couldn’t help but smile—small and sweet, just for him. He looked so utterly stunned, so adorably clueless, that it made her chest ache with affection.
His eyes went wide, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and wonder, as if the kiss had rewired his brain and he was still struggling to catch up. Momo could practically see the gears turning in his head, slow and stuttering. A small, unbidden smile curled at the corner of her lips, soft and a little mischievous, spreading warmth through her chest.
“Uh…” Okarun mumbled, voice barely a whisper. “What—uh—what was that?”
His words were clumsy, his tone bewildered, and Momo had to fight back a laugh. He looked so stunned, like someone who’d just been handed a gift he didn’t know how to unwrap. She tilted her head slightly, watching him fumble for meaning, her heart fluttering as if caught in a soft breeze. He was just so cute when he didn't know what to do with himself.
“That,” she said lightly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “was me kissing you.”
Okarun blinked, visibly processing the words, and then his whole face went crimson—from his ears to the very tip of his nose, like someone had flicked a switch. He swallowed hard, and the sound was embarrassingly loud in the quiet room. Momo's chest tightened, the sight of his nervous, bashful expression making her feel warm all over, like sunshine sneaking through cracked blinds.
He stammered, trying and failing to string a coherent sentence together. “So, uh… does this mean… Are we…? Is this…”
His hand twitched near her arm, hovering awkwardly, like he wanted to reach out but didn’t know if it was allowed. Momo’s smile deepened—fond and a little amused—and without thinking, she leaned in and gently pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with her finger. He always forgets about those, she thought.
“Relax, Okarun,” she murmured, her voice soft and easy, like a secret meant only for him. “It’s just a kiss.”
His blush deepened—if that was even possible—and yet, this time, there was a flicker of a shy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, small and uncertain, like he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened but didn’t want it to stop, either. It made her heart twist in the best way, knowing she was the reason for that tiny smile.
And maybe it was a little selfish, but Momo liked the way he was looking at her right now—like she was the only thing that mattered, like he was just as caught up in this strange, sweet moment as she was.
The silence stretched between them, not awkward but warm and steady, like the stillness before a summer rain. Okarun's gaze softened, his voice quieter now, like he was afraid to disturb the fragile peace between them.
“So…” He hesitated, almost holding his breath. “Does this mean… you like me? ”
Momo let out a small, breathy laugh, nudging her shoulder against his in playful reassurance. “Yeah, idiot,” she whispered, her voice laced with affection. “I like you.”
Okarun’s breath hitched again, and for a second, Momo thought he might actually pass out from the overload of emotions. But instead, he gave a nervous little laugh, scratching the back of his neck in that familiar way that always made her heart feel too big for her chest.
“ Cool ,” he whispered, the word so simple yet so full of meaning. His smile grew, shy but genuine, like he was holding something fragile and precious between them. “I, uh… I like you too.”
Then out of nowhere, like a small burst of confidence suddenly surged through him, with a sheepish grin, Okarun added, “Guess the probability of that was higher than I thought, huh?”
Momo blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before she snorted, a laugh bubbling out of her that she couldn’t suppress. “What the hell, seriously?” she giggled, swatting at his arm. “ A probability joke? ”
Okarun flushed, rubbing the back of his neck, but he was grinning too, like he couldn’t help it. “It’s, uh… relevant ,” he muttered, as if trying to defend himself, though the corners of his mouth betrayed him with a smile too wide to hide.
Momo shook her head, but the fondness in her chest swelled like a balloon, filling every corner of her heart. Her laughter softened, settling into something warmer between them, like sunlight filtering through the cracks.
He had been watching her the whole time, and that’s when she felt her heart flutter again, this time light and easy, like a weight she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying had finally slipped away. It wasn’t some grand, sweeping moment. It was quiet and small, but it was perfect—just the two of them, sitting close on her bed, tangled in a sweetness they hadn’t quite expected but didn’t want to let go of.
She shifted a little, letting her knee bump his again—this time with intent, just to feel that small connection. Okarun didn’t pull away. If anything, he leaned in slightly, as if staying close was the most natural thing in the world.
Momo glanced at the mess of papers and notes strewn between them. They weren’t going to get any more studying done today. Not a chance . But she found she didn’t mind at all.
For now, sitting beside Okarun—feeling the warmth of his presence, knowing that he liked her too—was more than enough. And maybe, just maybe, she was already thinking about the next time she’d get to kiss him.