Thinking back to the way they had acted when they were children, Akihiko started to open his mouth, intending to recall those memories out loud. Yes, it had felt natural to him, just like running or boxing. It was something familiar that he enjoyed doing. But then he closed his mouth, wondering if maybe Junpei had a point? Their behavior seemed strange to outside people because they didn’t know how their bond had been, before.

Shinji didn’t like talking about the past with anyone, though. Might not be a good idea to disclose any of that info.

“Hell, I wouldn’t be doing it to hit on you,” Akihiko grumbled, still looking at his friend a bit askew, “I might’ve read about that technique though. Don’t girls usually-ah, never mind.”

No one knew he had perused magazines for advice after Yakushima, and he was planning to keep it that way.

He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure Shinji didn’t take it like that, anyway. He likes girls.”