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11th of November.
He didn't know what was up with that day. It was totally a coincidence that he brought them to CR. There was a discount on going in a store so he thought of buying some and gave them to the others in CR later.
But when Poppy looked at the plastic bags filled with pocky boxes, she asked.
"Emu, do you have a girlfriend?"
.
One confused stare returned to the girl’s curious gaze.
"What.. girlfriend?" Emu blinked twice as he thought why would Poppy ask this. "I don't? You know that the girls I'm close with is only you and Nico-chan."
"She will give you a glare if she heard that," Kiriya said, sliding towards the only table in CR with the chair he sat on and peeked at the plastic bags. "Oh, wow. What's with these pockies?"
"There is a discount in a store I passed. I thought of buying some for everyone," Emu replied, taking off his jacket and folded it before he put on his doctor coat (without forgetting his game scope, of course).
Kiriya rummaged inside the plastic bags. "Nine boxes, aren't these a bit too much?"
"Oh, I will keep some for myself and Parad. We tend to eat late night snacks when we play games." Emu grinned, didn’t even feel embarrassed about telling his childish trait when he was in the age of an adult already, as a doctor even.
"Aww, that's so cute! You two are like brothers already!" Poppy squealed, happy to know her fellow Bugster spent a great time with his host.
"In a way, they are indeed brothers though.." Kiriya picked a vanilla-flavored pocky box. "Well, since you bought them already, I'll pick one. Thanks, Emu."
Emu smiled, "Not at all! It's nice to have things to be shared!" Emu moved his gaze at the person who was being silent during the conversation, eating his shortcake in peace. "Do you want one too, Hiiro-san? They are sweet."
Hiiro was about to slice the cake to smaller piece until Emu asked. He sighed and eyeing the boy with his usual sharp gaze, "Before that, intern, look at what time is it."
Emu looked at the clock and panicked in an instant. "My shift! I, I'm off!" He ran down the stairs, followed by a "good luck" by Poppy.
The CR turned into silence again after Emu left, only a sound of Kiriya teared the top part of the pocky box he picked but then he also broke the silence as he spoke.
"Oh, right. Poppy, why do you ask Emu about him having a girlfriend?"
"Hm? Because he bought pockies!"
"? I don't quite get.." He realized it when he put that one pocky in his mouth, suddenly grinning. "Oh, oooh. So that’s why there is a discount."
Can't help his curiosit, Hiiro asked, "What? What is it?"
"Does the prince wants to know too?" Kiriya teased. "It's Pocky day."
"..Then? What's the correlation between pocky and lovers?"
The room, once again, turned into silence but the atmosphere was gloomy. Poppy looked at empty space in sorrow.
Poor Saki-chan.
She hadn't had the game with Hiiro yet, huh.
Kiriya noticed why Poppy suddenly felt sad and only chuckled while crunching down the remaining of his pocky. " Well, pocky is identical with its game. It's not always lovers. Teens often play this too with their friends."
“I still don’t quite get.. how people play with a snack.”
"Basically, you put the pocky in your mouth, like this." Kiriya picked another pocky and demonstrated how to play by taking an edge of the pocky with his lips. "Then let your partner took the other edge and both of you slowly crunch down the pocky until—"
His words was cut off by the sudden appearance of none other than Dan Kuroto, taking the other edge of the pocky, crunching it down until Kiriya's reflexive reaction broke the pocky in the middle.
"The one who broke the pocky first loses." Kuroto proudly explained. "It's either you go fast or let both of you ki—"
The memetic gamer god got a bugvisor thrown on him — on his freaking face — by Kiriya before the coroner dispersed into the air, transported to another place.
"Bad Kuroto! You make Kiriya angry!" Poppy scolded, pouting at Kuroto.
"Angry? Why would he..." Kuroto trailed off, then put on his thinking pose. "Was he just embarrassed?"
"Eh?" Poppy blinked, looking at Kuroto as if she needed more explaination.
"His face was indeed kind of reddish." It was the first time for Hiiro to make a sentence that supported Kuroto's words. "But his expression looks disgusted."
Poppy couldn't really imagine Kiriya being embarrassed with such face. Well, it was caused by.. none other than Dan Kuroto. Isn’t it something?
“Ah! Kuroto, how do you even know about something like Pocky game?”
The proud expression stayed there on Kuroto’s face. “I’m titled as a Game Master is not for nothing.”
…Well.
"Dan Kuroto. Behave, next time." Hiiro sipped on his tea. "CR isn't a place for such a thing."
"For what?
"..." Hiiro didn't know if Kuroto was that oblivious or it was because his brain only focused on games.
.
It was late at night. Emu had just gotten a time to go back to CR after he came that morning. Of course he got break time but not long enough so he couldn't really had a time to spend time with everyone in CR. Good thing, no bugster virus was found that day so he shouldn't neglect his duty in the hospital.
Now, he got time in CR, there was only Poppy and Kuroto. They were actually about to go back to the Tokimeki Crisis arcade but they waited for Emu. Kiriya was off to do a bit more research of something.
"Everyone had already left. Hiiro came earlier but he went out again after he put off his coat." Poppy explained, handed the plastic bag filled with three pocky box left in it. She also said that each people in CR had picked one boxes, including Hiiro’s father, Taiga and Nico. Parad came by and he almost took one box before Poppy said that he would get more for himself and Emu later. It made the bugster pout because he wanted to eat one (box) that time.
"Can you bring Hiiro's suit as well when you leave? Thought you two may meet on his way here!"
"Sure." Emu nodded. "I'll be going soon.”
“Yes. Rest well, Emu!”
“Mhm. Good night, Poppy, Kuroto-san.”
"It's Shin Dan—"
Poppy grabbed Kuroto by the back of his collar then the two of them went inside the arcade. Emu couldn't help but laugh a little. He folded Hiiro's suit and carefully embraced it so it wouldn't be messy anymore. After turning off the light, he was about to leave before someone entered the room from the lift.
"Intern?" Hiiro raised an eyebrow, noticing his suit on Emu's hand.
"Oh, Hiiro-san." Emu immediately gave the suit to his senior. "Poppy asked me to give it to you, if we meet on your way back here."
Hiiro didn't say anything and merely nodded, taking the suit. He pressed the button to open the lift then went inside, followed by Emu.
The lift door closed and awkward silence ensued in the small room. The two of them were never being left alone—not in a small space like this. They weren't that close so having idle chat was kind of.. weird between them. Well, Emu could have started a conversation but he looked more exhausted than usual—and Hiiro noticed it.
"I took one." The genius surgeon, surprisingly, broke the silence. He just wanted to keep Emu away from sleepiness by starting an idle chit-chat, though, he might be not good at it.
"Huh, uh?" Emu blinked repeatedly, an obvious hint that he was trying to keep himself awake. "Um.. What?"
Hiiro took a pocky box from a pocket on his suit. “This.”
Emu blinked twice before his face brightened for a second there. “Oh- I see. Have you tried eating it?”
“Later. On my way to my house.”
“I see. Okay.”
Ding
The lift stopped and the door opened. Hiiro left first and again, followed by Emu. Usually, Hiiro would walk fast but he slowed down this time to get Emu caught up to him. Yes, of course. Hiiro wasn’t someone who would willingly stop to wait for a certain person—and of course, he wasn’t worried. He was just being a good senior, as usual.
Barely had the energy, Emu finally caught up to Hiiro when they got out from the hospital building and was about to part himself.
“We.. part here, Hiiro-san..” He blinked repeatedly while talking. “Good work today and.. see you tomorrow.”
Would he pass out in the middle of the road though? Hiiro couldn't help but worry. (Yes, he’s worried now. Happy?). He remembered that Emu used to stumble a lot, even in his alarmed state. Now, in this state, the worse could happen.
“Intern,” Hiiro called out when Emu had already took a few step. The boy turned around and Hiiro said as he walked away, “Follow me.”
“Eh, w-what? Hiiro-san?”
Hiiro didn’t say anything and kept walking towards the shady area beside the building. Emu tried to catch up and it helped him to stay awake a bit because he had to move fast.
When they stopped, Emu had to lean on the wall and caught his breath. He wasn’t running but he panicked because of the sudden command.
“Um, what is it?”
Emu asked but Hiiro stayed in position, backing Emu while taking something out of his pocket and a tear sound effect could be heard.
Emu knew what was that and only thought in confusion about why would Hiiro open the pocky box now. Then Hiiro turned around and approached Emu.
“Hiiro—” His words got cut off because of a pocky slipped smoothly between his lips. He could only stare until Hiiro suddenly took the other edge of the pocky and started to crunch it down, slowly. Right in the middle, suddenly Emu pulled away and accidentally broke the pocky, with the longer part on his mouth. He ate it quickly before Hiiro got a chance to continue because Emu knew where this was going.
It wasn’t as he planned because when the pocky got smaller, their lips had already meet.
‘Huh?’
‘Wait, WAIT—’
Emu panicked even more when Hiiro suddenly slipped in his tongue to push the pocky inside Emu’s mouth and it gave him a shiver. The pocky’s taste mixed with how his tongue dance with Hiiro’s. Hiiro wasn’t that forceful, and he moved his tongue slowly instead—but that what made it feel.. odd.
Emu was glad because it didn’t last long but he froze on his place. Lips opened slightly and his eyes stared straight at Hiiro, stunned. The man in front of him just stayed there in silence before he spoke.
“Make sure you stay awake until you get home.” Then, he felt a pat on his head before Hiiro walked away.
“…” Emu froze on his place. Brain was still working to comprehend at what just happened but the more he thought of it, the redder his face could be.
“I.. I should get home.”