On the way home, Deeno and Nonoa walked side by side.
Deeno blinked and glanced at the girl beside him.
"Wait a sec… Nono, if I remember right, your house is the opposite way."
Nonoa stretched her arms behind her head, walking at a relaxed pace.
"Well, I'm coming to your house today, so this is the right way now" she said with a grin.
"Don't worry, I already told Mom I'll be staying over."
Deeno let out a small sigh. "Sigh… I don't really mind, but Rindo's not home, so I was planning to just grab something outside."
"Oh? Really? Yay That means we'll be all alone tonight," she teased, flashing a mischievous smirk.
"Don't suddenly turn into a wolf, okay?" Nonoa leaned closer, eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.
"…As if," Deeno smirked back. "Don't worry, I'll be asleep before that can happen. Your safety is guaranteed by my laziness."
"He-he-he~ That'll be your loss then," Nonoa said, nudging him lightly with her elbow.
"Nah. My sleep schedule is sacred."
"So is your napping-on-the-desk habit."
"That's advanced sleep practice, I'll have you know."
"Like, wow, only you would make sleeping sound like a martial art."
They both chuckled as they passed through quiet streets, the sky dimming into soft oranges and purples.
Nonoa tilted her head, feigning deep thought.
"So… what are we eating? Curry? Ramen? Oh! How about steak—"
"—Nah. I'm in the mood for McRonald's," Deeno cut in, hands behind his head.
Nonoa blinked. "Wait, seriously? Out of everything, you're choosing fast food?"
"Yeah. Simple cravings. Don't question it."
She squinted at him, lips twitching. "…So the mighty Deeno, who could buy the entire street if he wanted, is settling for a burger set meal?"
"Exactly," he said with a straight face.
Nonoa let out a short laugh and threw her hands up.
"Fine, fine! McRonald's it is."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the glowing red-and-yellow sign of McRonald's. They stepped inside, the familiar smell of fries and grease washing over them.
"You order. I'll find us a seat," Dino said, yawning as he shuffled toward an empty booth near the window.
"How convenient," Nonoa muttered playfully before heading to the counter.
Soon enough, she returned with a tray—two burgers, fries, and drinks.
"You're lucky I like you," she said as she set the tray down.
"Correction: I'm lucky you're too chill to care," Deeno replied, slouching in the seat and unwrapping his burger.
They began eating, chatting about random things—class gossip, weird things that happened during PE, and Nonoa's newest conspiracy theory that the school's vending machines were sentient and judged people's snack choices.
"I swear, every time I pick chips, the machine delays the drop just to mess with me," she said, completely serious.
"Maybe it's punishing you for ignoring the healthy options," Dino replied between bites.
"You ignore the healthy options too."
"Yeah, but I don't pretend I'm being judged."
"Like, wow, so smug."
They both laughed.
After finishing their food, Dino stretched, letting out a yawn. "Alright. Let's go. My bed's calling me."
"Already? Not even dessert?"
"Sleep is dessert."
"Like, trademark that line already, lazy boy."
Walking out of McRonald's, the air had cooled, and stars peeked through the twilight sky.
Nonoa walked just a little closer than before, arms folded behind her head.
"Thanks for the food, Dinocchi."
"You paid though."
"I paid. You accompanied. It's the thought that counts~"
"In that case, I'm very thoughtful."
"Mm-hmm~ Lazy but thoughtful. Classic Dinocchi."
They continued walking under the evening sky—bickering, laughing, and looking like a couple completely at ease with each other.
—
Back at Deeno's house, the door clicked shut behind them.
Nonoa tossed her bag onto the couch and flopped down dramatically, arms spread out like a starfish.
"Ahhh~ Finally! Freedom from school uniforms. I swear, they're like prison clothes."
Deeno kicked off his shoes and leaned against the doorframe.
"If uniforms are prison clothes, then you've been serving a life sentence since first year."
"Rude. At least I make prison look cute."
"…Can't argue with that," Deeno muttered, heading toward the kitchen to grab two cans of soda.
Nonoa peeked at him from the couch, a small grin tugging at her lips.
"You know… it's kinda nostalgic, hanging out here again. Remember the first time I came over? You barely said two words to me."
"That's because you barged in uninvited."
"Correction—Rindo invited me."
"Same difference."
She laughed, patting the seat beside her. "C'mon, stop standing around like some gloomy NPC. Sit."
Deeno sighed, walked over, and dropped onto the couch next to her, handing her a soda.
"Thanks~" she said, popping it open and taking a sip.
For a while, they just sat there in a comfortable silence, the faint glow of the TV screen reflecting off their faces.
"Nee, Dinocchi… you still remember when we first met?"
Nonoa's voice broke the comfortable silence in the room. The faint glow of the TV painted the walls in soft colors, half the sound drowned out by the faint hum of the air conditioner. Deeno, sprawled out across the couch with his head pillowed neatly on her lap, cracked one eye open.
"Mmm…? Well, yeah…" he muttered, voice heavy with drowsiness. His tone was lazy, but his eye curved slightly as if replaying the memory in his head.
Nonoa's lips tugged upward, fingers absentmindedly combing through his hair. "Hehe, that's a rare tone from you. All serious and nostalgic. For real, though—I still think about it sometimes."
"Hah… You mean when I randomly ended up in that piano class?" Deeno asked. His voice was flat, but there was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"I only took that piano lesson 'cause I heard from Masachika he was going there… got curious, I guess." Deeno shifted a little, getting more comfortable on her lap. "Didn't expect to meet you there of all places."
"Yoo~ your playing legit surprised everyone, you know? Even the teachers." Nonoa laughed, her shoulders shaking slightly as she remembered. "I even gave you flowers after that, remember?"
"…Yeah. Still don't know why you thought flowers were necessary." Deeno sighed, eyes already drifting shut again.
"Because my body legit moved on its own! Like—bam! Flower attack." Nonoa clapped her hands dramatically, earning herself a muffled snort from Dino.
"Uh-huh. Totally natural reaction," he deadpanned.
"Don't tsukkomi me! It was legit heartfelt!" she puffed her cheeks, though her fingers never stopped brushing his hair.
"Sure, sure…" Deeno muttered. "And then after that you started showing up at my house every weekend."
"Hey~ that was pure curiosity," she shot back, poking his forehead. "Like, you looked like the type who wouldn't care even if the world ended, but then—boom—you play like some pro pianist. Of course I was curious."
"Uh-huh. Pure curiosity… that just so happened to turn into barging into my house and raiding my snacks every weekend."
"Don't make it sound like I was some burglar! For real, I always knocked first!"
"Yeah. After letting yourself in."
"…Shut up, Dinocchi."
Deeno smirked faintly, eyes still closed. "Then you just started talking to me at school like we were already friends. Didn't even give me a choice."
"And you didn't stop me either," she shot back, grinning. "Which means you liked it, huh?"
"…Maybe."
"Hehe~ I knew it." Nonoa's grin grew smug. "Then you just randomly confessed right before we became first-years. While we were playing video games of all things. Seriously? That was your timing?"
"Not my fault," Deeno grumbled, voice dipping low as if he was talking more to himself than her. "Saw you on the roof getting confessed to. You just told the guy you'd think about it. Not like I could just ignore that."
Nonoa blinked at him, caught off guard by his honesty. Then, slowly, a teasing smile spread across her lips.
"Wow~ Dinocchi getting all jealous? For real, this is rare."
"…Tch." Deeno turned his head away.
"Seriously, I wanted something more romantic at least…" she continued, rolling her eyes but smiling softly all the same.
"…Want a redo?"
Nonoa froze. "Eh?"
Dino finally cracked one eye open, staring up at her. His cheeks were visibly red now, contrasting with his usual calm tone. "You said you wanted it more romantic back then… So I'm asking. Want a redo?"
The air went still for a moment. Nonoa just stared at him, her fingers pausing in his hair.
Then—
"Hehe~" Her lips curled into a wide grin, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Your blushing face right now is ten times cuter than when you confessed the first time."
"Shut up."
"Nope."
She pulled out her phone in a flash.
"Say cheese~"
Click!
"Perfect. A rare shot of shy Dinocchi."
"…I should've just stayed asleep," Deeno muttered, dragging an arm across his face to hide.
Nonoa giggled, her voice warm and soft. "For real, though… I'm glad I met you, Deeno."
He peeked at her from under his arm, the corner of his lips tugging up.
"…Same here."
The two spent the next few hours sprawled on the couch. Half-watching, half-talking, tossing in dumb commentary at the screen. They debated which anime opening was better, Nonoa shouting "Legit, you've got no taste!" every time Deeno picked the "wrong" one. They shared fries from a leftover takeout bag, Nonoa stealing more than her fair share and getting a lazy tsukkomi in response.
By the time midnight rolled around, Nonoa had fallen asleep mid-ramble. Dino noticed the sudden quiet, turned his head—and saw her leaning against him, breathing softly, already out cold.
He sighed. "…You always fall asleep first."
Carefully, he sat up and shifted her so she was lying down comfortably. Then, with practiced ease, he scooped her up and carried her to the guest room—though at this point, it was more hers than anyone else's. After all, she'd been sleeping over since they were kids.
He laid her down, tucked the blanket over her, and lingered for a moment.
Staring at her peaceful face, he whispered under his breath,
"'Glad to have met me,' huh…? That should be my line. If not for you, I probably would've just focused on finding a way back."
His tone softened, almost unreadable. "I just hope the barrier around the universe holds… set enough traps, at least. Even if not, they'll manage. I'm sure of it."
He stood there in silence for a while before turning away.
Back in his room, Deeno collapsed onto his own bed, pulling out his phone out of habit. A familiar glow lit up the screen.
[Sleeping Ruler (Admin) is online]
Deeno blinked at it, eyes half-lidded.
"…Oh yeah. Completely forgot about this thing."