I was leaning against the trunk of the tree, watching as Takanori yawned while laying comfortably on the soft grass.

"Who knows..."

He turned his head to me slightly, giving off that same lethargic expression as always. He was about to yawn again, but suppressed it.

"If you want to sleep, it's okay. I'll be here to watch over you peacefully."

Seeing how tired he was, I pitied him. Part of me wanted to reach out and stroke his head, like he was a cat, but I stopped myself since it'd probably wake him up from his sleepy state, rather than help him fall asleep.

"...somehow, that feels less reassuring."

I laughed at his dry response. To match it, I decided to tease him slightly.

"What? Would you prefer Shinomiya-senpai to say that to you, or something?"

Honestly, Takanori acts like it isn't, but it's super obvious he has a huge crush on Shinomiya. Whenever I see him talk to her, he has a completely different look in his eyes. It's somehow both loving and (almost) lecherous, the way he gazes at her.

When he's around her, it's almost like he regains some of his innocence. His face turns a faint pink and his eyes soften from their usual hard glare. It's quite cute, actually... maybe because it's an expression he doesn't show anyone else. Not even me.

The closest I got to seeing it today was when I was pushing him on the swings. His deadpan voice rose slightly, the pitch a smidge higher than usual. He seemed more relaxed and docile in that moment. A bit more shy, even.

"Whatever..."

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't tease him about Shinomiya... he just looks upset whenever I poke fun at him for it. I guess that's how much he loves her, huh? I felt bad for him, so I wanted to try and cheer him up a bit.

"If you want, you can use my lap as a pillow."

What better way than with a lap pillow? All boys love lap pillows.

I'm sure Takanori is no exception, no matter how much he tries to hide and cover up his perverted side. It's usually the closet perverts that are the worst, precisely because they suppress their sexuality. I know he's just as dirty as the rest of them deep down.

He stared at me blankly and looked away.

"...no thanks."

I sighed to myself inwardly. For a moment, I could see a glint of consideration in his eyes. He seriously thought about taking my offer, but he declined as usual.

Things would be a lot easier if he was just honest with himself. At least thinking about it is a start...

"Your loss."

I let go of my mild annoyance and shrugged. Takanori yawned again, his eyes growing heavy as he turned on his side.

Oh, he's actually falling asleep...

As he closed his eyes, I gently rubbed his back to help him relax. Soon enough, he was fast asleep, snoring away peacefully.

"I guess it can't be helped."

I rolled his body to lie flat on his back and removed his sunglasses so he'd have an easier time resting. It'd be bad if I woke him up by accident, so I did everything as meticulously as I could.

"What now...?"

I clipped his sunglasses to my shirt and stared up at the foliage, wondering how this all happened. At the very least, I'm glad I was able to get his mind off all the stress... he must've been so tired, poor thing.

While I would've preferred to talk to him for hours, I guess this wasn't too bad either. I got to see his cute sleeping face, which is a win in my book. I gently brushed his shiny blonde bangs out of his eyes.

Ah, what silky hair... it's become quite long though. He should really get it cut when he has the chance. If it gets long enough to cover his eyes, it'd ruin his beauty.

My fingers traced his right cheek softly, dancing curiously along the line of his scar. One thing I've always been curious about was how he got this. I know he's gotten into a couple fights before, but I don't recall any of them involving a sharp object.

Did he get attacked by a knife perhaps?

I almost laughed at myself for even thinking that. There's no way that Takanori would fight someone who has a knife on them. That'd be too risky, especially for him.

Takanori so risk adverse, he's definitely the type of guy to always play it safe. I've only ever seen him take a risk if absolutely necessary or when he's assured the outcome is worth it, like his plan in the Test Shuffle.

As I pulled my hand away, Takanori shifted in his sleep. His body rolled over on its side and his mouth began muttering something.

"Ara?"

Could he be a sleep talker perhaps? I was going to go play on my phone and leave him be, but this is far more interesting. Maybe he'll accidentally say something incriminating and I'd be the only one to know.

"...mo..."

I tilted my head. "Mo"? As in, money? Or maybe, movie? He might be dreaming of being at the cinema right now. I wonder which popcorn Takanori prefers.

At first glance, you'd think he's a sweet popcorn kind of person, but once you get to know him, it's clear he's definitely a salty popcorn kind of guy.

"...mo..."

This time, it was his quiet snoring that was cutting off his words. Even when asleep, his voice is low and soft. I put my ear closer to his mouth, brushed my hair over my shoulder to get it out of the way, and listened in closely.

"Mo... mom..."

Eh? Mom?

Takanori... is calling for his mom?

"Mom... momm... y..."

Aww... that's adorable.

So he's a mommy's boy, huh...?

Somehow, that suits him better than I thought it would...

"Mom..."

While calling out for her, his hands started thrusting outwards, as if he were trying to grab something. I blinked, tilting my head as I watched curiously.

However, that was the last of the sleep talking. He returned back to snoring, but his hands were still instinctively trying to grab onto something.

I reached out slightly, but when my hand was within his vicinity, he blindly grabbed hold of it, squeezing it tightly.

"Ah?"

As he held onto my hand, he slowly calmed down, stopping his strange movements. Using my arm as a guide, he rolled over to face me, curling up in his slumber.

"Somehow, he's more bold in his sleep than when he's awake..."

I tried to pull my hand away from his, but he kept holding onto it tightly, like he didn't want to let go. I tried pulling a bit harder, but he was really persistent.

"Huh... you really like me, don't you?"

I didn't want to yank my hand, since that'd probably wake him up, so I instead I came up with another idea. I unbuttoned my blazer and slid it off, leaving it wrapped around the arm Takanori is currently holding onto.

Then, I slowly fed the blazer forward, letting it invert and flop on top of him like a blanket. As it did, his free hand caught the collar, and he pulled it closely to him.

"Mo... m..."

Sleep talking some more as he snuggled up to the collar, he eventually let go of my hand in favour of hugging my blazer. I laughed to myself, seeing how ridiculous he looked sleeping with my inverted blazer on top of him.

What surprised me more was how childlike he was in his sleep... I would've never guessed someone as cold as Takanori to be hiding such an adorable side of himself like this. I guess even cool and mysterious people have their vulnerabilities.

Honestly, I wish I found out about this sooner. If I did, I wouldn't have to go out of my way to pin down Kazuraba. I could've made him my ally by appealing to this side of him. Or, if he were an enemy, I could've kept this to myself as a secret weapon against him.

Well, it's not like any of this matters now. After this special exam, things have become clear to me. From here on out, no matter what happens now...

I've got what I wanted.

My ticket to graduating from A Class is all but secured. From the first time I saw you... I could tell you were an incredible person, Takanori.

I think the first time he caught my eye was on the first day of school.

It was lunch time, but I had yet to make any friends. So, I headed to the cafeteria by myself to buy something to eat while scrolling through the menu on my phone.

As I did, I bumped into a boy on my way in— Takanori.

My phone slipped out of my hands, hurdling to the floor. I tried to catch it, but my reflexes were too slow. It was all but certain to fall onto the floor.

However, before I resigned my fate to a cracked screen, Takanori thrust his hand out of his pocket, scooping up my phone mid-fall without so much even flinching or hesitating.

"Sorry."

He apologised like he was brushing off a simple mistake, and handed my phone back to me. I was both confused and shocked by his casual attitude and quick reflexes. Despite looking like a nobody, there was something cool about him that urged me to talk to him.

Then, as quick as I met him, he walked away, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

That one moment bumping into him changed my life forever.

It wouldn't be until nearly a month later that I'd get to run into him again. By that point, everyone in our year knew about the caste system, which made me even more suspicious about him.

It was a brief exchange, but he didn't seem like a Drachma Red student in that moment... not at all. Thinking back, maybe that's why I first noticed his true abilities.

I'm glad I got to witness them up close this month. His pragmatism really shone through in the results. It feels like he's really grown into his own now. Despite all his failures in the past, he managed to win this time, and even became D Class's new leader.

I'm happy for him. But honestly?

"I'm proud of you more, Takanori-san."

I leaned in and kissed him on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams."