"It depends on when he decides to come back. He would usually want to check on me by now, but at least he's out having fun." There was something strange with the way Kengo had said those words, taking another bite of his onigiri. It was nice that Gentarou could run around with the rest of the club. Kengo didn't want to force the other to work all the time, but it made Kengo realize that he wished he could be closer to the others and out doing things with them. ... or maybe it was just Gentarou that he wanted to spend more time with. For as close as their bond seemed to be, the two of them rarely spent any time alone or talking. It was almost always work.

When asked about being nervous, Kengo paused for a moment with his food still in his mouth. Finishing his current bite, he chewed his food and swallowed it, hoping that he could figure out what to say before he finished. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. ... was he really being nervous?

"I'm still not used to talking to you, I guess." As an afterthought, Kengo added after a few moments of silence, "I'm not usually like this around anyone else." It was true, wasn't it? Gentarou was so forceful that he never had time to be nervous. Yuki was essentially his little sister. ... the rest of the club members were treated as if they were any other person he knew, just less coldly. With Sakuta... What made him different from the others?

Thinking that far had pinged Kengo with the sudden realization of why he was acting so strange. This interaction was the first time he had ever actively tried to be friends with someone. It was no wonder his actions felt so strange and foreign.