Looking Back on it all, I Think I Love You... (Bikky and クローバー (Clover))

[クローバー (Clover)]

"I realized that there's too much hunger in the world, and someday, I could be afflicted by a lack of regular meals, so I should be happy with whatever I eat." Keita said. He had not-so-fond memories of Eiji having to force feed him stuff to get him to like a new food. Since their separation, Keita dedicated himself to being a better person for his friend, and giving up being a picky eater was a part of it.

"I remember how you used to chase me with new foods in hand to try to get me to stop being picky." Keita said. "Those were good times..."

[Ero Gaki]

"Yeah. I also remember." Eiji replied with his face filled with nostalgia. "You really changed a lot, Keita. Time really passed by quickly. I feel so old already." Eiji then chuckled.

 

Eiji placed his elbow onto the table and then he rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He played with the tip of his bangs until he came up with an interesting topic.

 

"While we are waiting for the order, how about you share some experiences that you had while I was away? Like school matters, embarrassing moments, exciting moments, relationships, and so on."

[クローバー (Clover)]

Keita was a little confused at the emphasis put on relationships, but continued.

"Well... I did help conduct a large-scale prank once. I helped a couple guys in my class mess up the classroom to make it look like a huge fight took place and blame it on one of the most stuck-up girls in school. I was the one who told the teachers that she did it. You should've seen how angry Riko was when someone said it was her fault in class and the teacher agreed!" Keita laughed at that memory. "I didn't really have many embarrassing moments except for the time Riko got me back by challenging me to a fight and knocking me to the ground with a psychology textbook. I just told her I wouldn't fight because it wasn't like me to do that. She never spoke to me again after that. Not that I'd care because she was kinda mean in the first place. You remember Riko, right?"

Keita had an image of Riko in his mind. She was a short girl with black hair that was always in a hime cut. She also had severe OCD, and required that things always be a certain way to the point where she wouldn't talk to people who didn't look at her directly. She was a strange girl, and Keita was happy to find out that she moved to Russia for college.

"In terms of relationships, I did reject a lot of girls in school. I also rejected a lot of guys, but not because I wasn't into them. It was... something else." Keita said, becoming a little more serious.

[Ero Gaki]

"Riko?

 

Dare?" Eiji scratched his head.

 

He doesn't remember Riko.

 

He tried to remember her for a while but it was no use.

 

He felt embarrassed since Keita was already into the topic yet he doesn't even know who Keita was referring to. It must be disappointing.

 

"Gomen, Keita. I really do not remember any Riko."

 

Eiji then sighed. I am such an idiot.

 

Eiji proceeded to the other field of the topic to move on and skip.

 

Still, I never knew that Keita can do some pranks. He was supposed to be innocent and naive.

 

"Me too. I also rejected too many girls. Every Valentine's Day, my shoe locker is flooding with love letters." Eiji then chuckled, but he wasn't really bragging about it.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"She was that stuck-up girl in elementary school who demanded that people call her Riko-sama or else she wouldn't talk to them." Keita said. "She's in Russia right now, studying nuclear physics. Anyway, do you have a girlfriend now?"

Keita couldn't help but ask that question at the mention of Eiji's popularity with girls.

[Ero Gaki]

"Ah, Sou." Eiji replied.

 

Still, he does not remember who this Riko-sama or whatsoever is. But from Keita's description, she isn't his type.

 

Girlfriend?

 

"I do not have one. But i did had a mutual understanding with a girl before."

[クローバー (Clover)]

"Mutual... understanding?" Keita looked confused. He had never heard the term before. "What's that?"

Their tea arrived first.

"Ah, the tea's here. They usually bring out the beverages first, then the food." Keita said, pouring himself and Eiji two cups of tea. He handed Eiji his cup before drinking out of the one he had in his hand.

[Ero Gaki]

He doesn't know what mutual understanding is... How cute.

 

Eiji chuckled when he saw Keita's confused look.

 

"Mutual Understanding. You know, when two people have feelings for each other, but they're still not in a relationship." Eiji explained in a short but understandable and blunt explanation.

 

When the tea arrived, Eiji sat with a composed posture so that he could drink the tea well. Keita handed him his cup then.

 

"Sankyuu." Eiji said as he smiled.

 

He tasted the tea first. "Mm. This is good." He said as he slowly took a small gulp of it.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"Ah, I see." Keita said. "I haven't had any such connection with either gender. I'm not sure why I'm asking this, but... what do you think about us? What are we in terms of relationship status and whatnot?"

Keita blushed a little asking such a personal question, but he felt that Eiji's suspicious behavior might be connected to their past.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji was dumbfounded about Keita's question.

 

He suddenly blushed when he finally knew what it meant.

 

Eiji averted his gaze from Keita, and then he scratched the side of his forehead using his finger.

 

His faced turned into flushed-red, and then he finally replied.

 

"I-I do not know. B-But I do love you. And I bet you know that already since we were young." He softly said.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Keita blushed. Eiji loved him?! And it took this long for him to realize it?! Keita felt like an idiot after that. He started to lean over the table before their food came. Even as the waiter placed their food beneath them, Keita kissed Eiji gently on the lips.

"Me too, Eiji. I love you too. It was after graduating high school that I realized that I was in love with you. All those years you were out of my life, I missed you so much. All those nights I cried myself to sleep? They were because I couldn't feel your warmth with me like I could when we were young. No boy that I tried to get into a relationship with could fill the void in my heart that only you can fill." Keita smelled the air around them and looked under him. Their pho had arrived. "Oh, the food's here! Let's eat!"

Keita handed Eiji chopsticks and a spoon before retrieving similar utensils for himself.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji's eyes widened when he suddenly felt a soft peck on his lips.

 

Eiji can't believe it. He thought it was an unrequited love all along, or that maybe he was just friendzoned.

 

Eiji listened to Keita's answer carefully.

 

He can't forgive himself for making Keita suffer because of him.

 

Eiji smelled the food and Keita handed him the chopsticks.

 

There is no way in hell that I can eat peacefully after he did something like that!

 

Eiji then stood up.

 

"Excuse me. I got to go to the restroom first." He said and then he left in a hurry.

 

[クローバー (Clover)]

"Oh, okay. I'll wait for you." Keita said.

I'll give him five minutes, then I'll eat. Keita thought. Why did he rush off? Did I say anything wrong?

Keita tried to distract himself from worrying about Eiji by playing a game on his phone.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji splashed his face with water.

 

He was blushing so hard.

 

"To eat with this kind of facial expression is a very bad idea." Eiji murmured as he pulled out his handkerchief from his left jean pocket.

 

Eiji wiped his face and sighed. "Why does he have to say those kinds of cute things?"

 

Eiji then left the restroom and he went back to their table.

 

"Sorry if I took long." Eiji smiled apologetically and sat.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"It's okay." Keita said. "Now, let's eat!"

Keita began to eat his noodles. He wrap the noodles around the thin slivers of brisket and eat that off of the chopsticks, using the spoon to drink the broth of the dish. He waited for Eiji to try it.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji sniffed the aroma first.

 

It smells good.

 

"Itadakimasu." Eiji said and he clasped his hands together.

 

He then separated the chopsticks and then he started to eat the noodles.

 

Eiji's eyes sparkled and he happily said "Oishii!~"

[クローバー (Clover)]

"I'm glad you like it~" Keita said. "It's great that there's so many different choices around the university. Their food is okay, but I'd only eat it if I were starving and the rest of the city was shut down for some reason."

Keita laughed at the last part of his statement. The university's food, while ranking above average in terms of cafeteria food, was not restaurant-quality food by any stretch of the imagination. He often ate out with his upperclassman friends when given the choice on where to eat.

[Ero Gaki]

"Really? I'm the opposite. I always eat at the university while restaurants are just choices." Keita replied. "But tasting this cuisine here, I guess I am interested on eating at the other restaurants around the university."

 

Eiji ate the noodles that made him omit a little slurping sound.

 

"What was the name of this noodle again?"

[クローバー (Clover)]

"It's called pho." Keita replied and kept eating. After a while, Keita looked back up at Eiji.

"Eiji, have you really had feelings for me since elementary school? How did you know?" Keita asked, curious.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji felt dumbfounded when he heard Keita asked about his feelings again.

 

Eiji felt reluctant to reply at first, bu he gave in anyway.

 

"I guess, i did, all along. How did I know?"

 

Now that he mentioned it... How could i say that?

 

His faced flushed then when he answered that question.

 

"I was deeply sad when we parted ways, and I guess that's how.. I knew."

[クローバー (Clover)]

"I see." Keita said. "So... I guess if our feelings are mutual... I suppose that makes us boyfriends, right?"

Despite having some relationship experience, Keita still felt like he had much to learn. Maybe being in a relationship with Eiji could help him learn about himself.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji's eyes widened. He replied to Keita in a whispering way.

 

"Y-You do know, Keita, what being 'boyfriends' mean right?" Eiji replied with a bothered smile. "Are you sure you want us to be put on that way?"

 

Eiji scratched the sidr of his forehead as he blushed. He would gladly accept that, but he was concerned on the possibility that maybe Keita does not really know what it meant.

 

It was also to good to be true, so he couldn't quite grasp the current situation.

[クローバー (Clover)]

"I know what it means, Eiji. But to be honest, I'm not sure how ready I am for that..." He looked down at his food. "I mean, we've been away from each other for a long time, and I think we need to spend more time together to make sure we're actually right for each other. I'm so sorry, Eiji."

Keita looked like he was ready to cry.

[Ero Gaki]

Eiji looked down. He felt confused for Keita. Keita wants him to be boyfriends, but Keita looks like he's about to cry out of doubt.

 

Eiji decided to talk it over seriously.

 

"I'm done." He said as he pushed his plate slightly away. "I want to talk to you in private after you finish your food."

 

He should make Keita understand how Keita really feels for his own good.

[クローバー (Clover)]

Keita finished his food, and the waiter took their dishes away, leaving the bill.

"Okay..." Keita said, a little nervous. Deep down, he wanted Eiji more than anything in the world. Because they had been apart for so long, he wasn't sure of how much Eiji had really changed since they left each other. "I'll pay."

He left the proper amount of cash with the bill and gave it to the waiter once he came back. Shortly thereafter, the waiter returned with some change for Keita. Taking the change, Keita got up.

"Can we talk in our room?" Keita asked.