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1.
Leon Kuwata blew his pencil’s top, flicking it down and back up amusedly as the argument continued to his right. Mondo and Kiyotaka had been fighting ever since they stepped into the classroom. So much for actually catching up with his work, like Leon was supposed to be doing.
“Don’t you care about your future? Studying is important!” Taka was yelling.
“What future?” Mondo huffed back. “We both know no-one serious ’s gonna hire me.”
“Not with that attitude.”
The bickering continued, all because Mondo didn’t want to study for the exams they had at the end of the week. Leon groaned and rested his head on the table. If Taka hadn’t insisted he come, Leon wouldn’t be there either, but now it seemed the Hall Monitor didn’t even notice his presence.
Mondo had acted similarly, ever since the two become ‘kyoudais’ or whatever it was they referred to each other as. Leon didn’t get it. One day Mondo had been jeering at the stick up Taka’s ass like the rest of them and the following day they were bosom pals.
There’d been a sauna contest in the mix somewhere, but Leon didn’t recall the details when the main point was still so memorable: Mondo had betrayed him.
Leon had genuinely believed that Mondo was winding Taka up with the whole ‘friendship’ act at first, but had quickly realised it was for real when he’d tried to make a jab at Kiyotaka for falling asleep over his schoolwork.
“Not cool, man. He’s just puttin’ a bit of effort in. Unlike the two of us,” Mondo had responded, icily. He’d then proceeded to drape his coat over the smaller man before edging out of the room as quietly as possible, dragging Leon with him.
Leon had realised they were actually friends from then on, but he still didn’t understand why. As demonstrated in the exhibit to his right, they didn’t even get on.
“Just try studying for one exam. What’s the worst that could happen?” Taka was still yelling, his voice rising and his eyes beginning to water. Leon had been contemplating slipping away before, but if he was going to be subjected to Taka Tears, he was definitely legging it.
“Uh, I could miss out on a day of doing something that’s actually fun and then still fail the test on top of it,” Mondo rolled his eyes, his arms folded stubbornly. “Just let me go.”
“Not until you study!”
“I won’t!”
That was it, Leon was leaving. He’d just fail the test. It wasn’t like he needed it. No recording contract was going to require straight A’s in high school, so it wasn’t worth the time.
Leon quietly got to his feet and tiptoed to the classroom door without so much as a break in the argument from the other two. Even when the door squeaked upon opening, neither looked up. Leon’s escape had succeeded.
And hey, maybe after all of this, he’d finally be able to talk Mondo around to ditching the failing friendship and being his normal self again.
Leon had left the classroom before he could hear the end of their argument.
“Why’re you so bothered about my future? What’s it t’you, anyway?” Mondo growled. Kiyotaka froze in his yelling at the sign of Mondo’s face dropping.
“Because I care about you,” he said earnestly, “and I believe in you. I really do know you could pass if you tried. You’re not unintelligent.”
Mondo had fallen quiet, too, and was looking at Kiyotaka with an unintelligible look in his eyes.
“Y’really do?” he asked, his voice muted. Kiyotaka nodded, a few stray tears that had surfaced during their impassioned fight still trickling down his face.
“Of course I do. Everyone who’s ever told you you won’t make it is wrong and I want you to prove it to them,” Kiyotaka explained. Mondo smiled a little wider before very abruptly pulling him into a hug.
“Sorry for all the yelling. I guess I could do a little studying,” he relented. Kiyotaka sighed with relief and hugged him back.
“I promise I won’t make you stay here for too long. I wouldn’t want to impose upon your ‘fun’ activities,” he promised. Mondo snorted and released him just to bump his side with his elbow.
“Spending time with you is fun, anyway, Kyoudai.”
With a beaming smile, Kiyotaka sat them both down and got to tutoring.
2.
Mondo Oowada and Kiyotaka Ishimaru were in a romantic relationship. It was another mystery Kyouko had solved and yet she wasn’t satisfied, remotely. Something seemed wrong.
Of course, none of their classmates were aware of the nature of their relationship, but Kyouko was starting to wonder if Mondo and Kiyotaka were even aware. They still acted largely as they had done before they were together, and their normalcy was reflected in the class’s ignorance to their relationship status.
Kyouko went over the clues that had tipped her off in the first place:
- Rather than referring to the other as ‘Kyoudai’, they would now occasionally use first names only, although the former was still the predominant form of address
- When unaware that the other was watching, they would often look at each other with a gaze Kyouko could only describe as fondness
- One night, after she’d been sneaking back to her dorms from grabbing a glass of water, Kyouko had spotted the two of them embracing in Mondo’s doorway. Kiyotaka appeared to be crying (not an unusual observation) and Mondo was comforting him with a hug. Whilst the two had been physically intimate since the beginning of their friendship, Kyouko was unsure how frequently she’d seen them hug and the extended embrace they’d been in seemed a little friendlier than Kyouko would ever be comfortable to partake in with any of her friends.
Admittedly, the last point had been the one to finally shift them from ‘mutual crushes’ to ‘dating’ on Kyouko’s mental list, but as the days passed, she was questioning her ultimate talent’s accuracy. Had she been presumptuous with her verdict?
Kyouko spent the next few days observing them closely. Makoto had expressed confusion with her seemingly sudden obsession with Mondo and Kiyotaka, but once she had explained that she was conducting an investigation on them, his worries seemed to ease instantly. Perhaps another investigation was due there, but Kyouko was nervous of the verdict that particular case would provide.
Keeping a respectful distance, Kyouko practically stalked the two. In public situations, their relationship would remain much as it had before with nothing beyond light arm touches or an arm over the shoulder when particularly jubilant laughter was emitted. When alone, they would walk a little closer together, but nothing else could noticeably be discerned.
Kyouko had noticed that whilst ‘Kyoudai’ was the most frequent term of address amongst their peers, they resorted to first name basis when alone. That could have just been due to their level of intimacy, rather than any romantic feelings. Aoi referred to almost everyone by their first name.
The only real difference between Mondo and Kiyotaka against any other friendship in the class were the lingering looks they would cast towards the other. Were they still in the ‘mutual crushes’ stage? Perhaps the night Kyouko had seen them was a fluke.
Unwillingly, Kyouko would have to leave her investigation open. There was no further digging plausible without crossing into serious stalker territory. Besides, she was hardly an expert on the nuances of friendships versus relationships. Sometimes romantic feelings were hard to distinguish from platonic ones.
Maybe the way to further the Kiyotaka and Mondo investigation was to conduct a new investigation on romantic feelings. Until then, Kyouko felt utterly clueless regarding why or if Mondo and Taka were together when their interactions seemed both platonic and highly emotionally charged.
Unfortunately, Kyouko’s reluctance to resort to stalking had caused her to miss Kiyotaka’s whispered plea to Mondo.
“I think Kyouko knows,” he said to his boyfriend, hand tightening around Mondo’s larger one from his anxiety. “Would you mind if we toned it down a little outside of either of our rooms?”
“Course not, Taka,” Mondo assured, squeezing his hand encouragingly. “I know you’re not ready yet. ‘Sfine by me. Back to being the best kyoudais ever!”
Taka laughed at that. Mondo was relieved to see a smile on his face.
“Thank you, Mondo,” he said gratefully. Mondo smiled softly in return. He was so far gone.
3.
Celestia Ludenburg had never lost a bet, and if Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Mondo Oowada’s relationship was the cause of her first ever loss, Celeste was going to stab somebody. Gambling occasionally raised a murderous rage in her, but she’d prevented herself from committing any crime from simply being too good at gambling.
And, of all people, she was going to lose to Toko Fukawa. Technically, other people were involved in the bet, too, but most of them had sided with Celeste, as they should. After all, she wasn’t the Ultimate Gambler for nothing.
Makoto Naegi, the naïve fool, had sided with Toko. He had ‘hope’ in his classmates that their relationship would last. It was foolish hope. They were far too ill-fitted. Ishimaru’s strict, proper and intense personality clashed far too commonly with Oowada’s laid-back, delinquent and equally as intense disposition.
That was why, with great skill and critical thinking, Celeste had determined that their relationship would not last until the end of March when they revealed their status as a couple to the class upon returning from the Christmas holidays.
There were only two weeks left, however, and despite frequent shouting matches in the hallway, Ishimaru and Oowada were still together. It was infuriating.
Still, Celeste wasn’t about to forfeit her Ultimate status without a fight. If Ishimaru and Oowada weren’t breaking up by themselves, Celeste would have to… intervene.
It took a little digging, to acquire enough knowledge to scupper their relationship, and poor Kyouko was none the wiser to Celeste’s innocent-appearing inquisitions. Celeste was certain she’d obtained enough information to generate some tension.
Ishimaru was her first target. She suspected Oowada would be weaker and more susceptible, and therefore it seemed just a little more honest to skew the bet by testing Ishimaru’s faith in his partner, first.
“I just passed by the infirmary,” Celeste airily declared as she sauntered into the classroom, ready for their first lesson after lunch. The situation had aligned itself perfectly for her plan. “Ishimaru-kun, were you aware that Oowada-kun had injured himself?”
Ishimaru sat up sharply and nodded his head.
“He was accosted by an underclassman at lunch. It was quite honourable that he refrained from fighting back, but it did land him in the infirmary,” Ishimaru over-explained.
“I think you’ve been a good influence on him,” Fukawa muttered from the side. Celeste shot her a small glare for interfering with her interference. It was Fukawa’s fault that she had to do any of this in the first place.
Celeste had a persona to uphold, however, so she quickly replaced her sickeningly sweet smile.
“I was just wondering if you knew. He seemed awfully familiar with the nurse. Tsumiki-san? She’s an upperclassman. I thought perhaps he was going behind your back with another,” she finished.
To Celeste’s relief, Ishimaru looked affronted.
“I am sure Mondo had his reasons and I am sure he would tell me those reasons. It is not your job to tell me what my boyfriend is doing. I trust him,” he confirmed. Celeste raised an eyebrow.
“Oh my,” she sighed, sitting carefully into the chair at the desk in front. “I am surprised you have such faith in him. After all, you know what they say about people who like boys and girls.”
“They ch-cheat,” Fukawa shuddered, and Celeste reconsidered her previous consideration of bankrupting her. Perhaps she wouldn’t hinder Celeste’s plan, after all.
Ishimaru simply looked confused.
“I do not understand why a person’s sexual orientation would alter their likelihood of being disloyal,” he explained. Fukawa opened her mouth and looked as though she’d like to explain, but Ishimaru hadn’t finished talking. “After all, heterosexual couples commit adultery very frequently. I highly doubt a study would prove bisexuals to be more disloyal than them.”
Celeste was hoping Ishimaru was finished, as she’d sown the seeds of doubt she intended to. However, before she turned around to the front of the classroom, he started talking again.
“Besides, as I have previously stated, I trust Mondo. I would appreciate it if you didn’t try to involve yourself in our relationship, Celes-kun.”
“If you so wish,” Celestia smiled politely before focussing her attention to the front of the classroom. She’d give it a week before she put her next plan in action, should this one fail.
Much to Celeste’s despair, Ishimaru and Oowada were still together the following week. Alas, she would have to resort to exploiting Oowada’s weaknesses.
It was quite easy to corner him. After watching his schedule for the past few days, she could estimate what time Oowada would visit the supply closet that held her favourite tea to collect his gym gear.
Pretending it was a coincidence to bump into him was easy.
“Oowada-kun, I rarely find you down here,” Celeste commented. “Whatever are you doing?”
“Oh, sorry, didn’t see ya there. Just getting my workout stuff. I’ll get outta ya hair,” Oowada muttered his way through an explanation.
“No, no, don’t feel like you need to leave. It’s been so long since we last spoke,” Celeste smiled, taking a seat on top of a box she’d conveniently emptied beforehand. “How are things with you and Ishimaru-kun. You’ve been dating for a couple of months now, correct?”
“You wanna talk about me and Taka?” Oowada asked in surprise. Celeste closed her eyes and nodded with a sickening smile.
“Well, uh, we’ve been good. He’s great. Well, y’know how he is. Super hard on himself and strict on others just ‘cause he wants the best for everyone. It’s sweet,” Oowada shrugged. Hm, interesting. Celeste hadn’t realised he was so serious about their relationship. That only made the next part easier.
“He sure is dedicated,” Celeste commented. “It’s such a shame he’ll have to break up with you once we graduate. You seem such a happy couple.”
Oowada’s face scrunched in confusion. Check. Celeste was almost there.
“Whaddya mean?” he grunted.
“Well,” Celeste considered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, “Ishimaru-kun longs to be president. He’s awfully goal orientated. He’s worked his whole life for that dream. Japan can hardly elect a gay politician, though. He’d have to end your relationship if he wants to achieve his goal. It really is a shame. Maybe he’d manage to bring about change if it weren’t for the awful reputation his grandfather gave the Ishimaru name. If Ishimaru-kun has any hope, he’ll need to be straight-laced, conservative and free from any distractions. Don’t you agree?”
Oowada looked stricken. Checkmate.
“What d’you know about Taka’s dreams, anyway? ‘Sides, we’ve still got all next year. Me ’n him can get through it, I reckon,” he struggled for words, dark eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Celeste gave a small giggle.
“I’m glad you have such faith in your relationship, Oowada-kun. Enjoy your workout,” she smiled before promptly standing and sauntering out of the room. Fukawa had no chance.
Or so Celeste had thought. It was the day of the deadline and nothing Celeste had said appeared to have put any strain on their relationship. Were they simply refusing to communicate at all? Because Celeste highly doubted they’d successfully talked through all the contributions she’d made to their relationship. In that case, surely they couldn’t remain together much longer. Maybe she should extend her bet by one week and still beat Fukawa.
Midnight came with a knock on her door. Fukawa stood triumphantly as Celeste reluctantly cashed over her winnings.
“Make sure Naegi-kun gets his share,” Celeste glowered. Fukawa simply snickered under her breath before finally leaving Celeste in peace to wallow in her pity. How had Oowada and Ishimaru stayed together? Their relationship seemed impossible. And, with the taste of bitter defeat in her mouth, Celeste decided she hated it.
4.
Takaaki Ishimaru did not like Mondo Oowada. He hadn’t even met the boy yet, but he knew his reputation. Leader of the notorious Crazy Diamonds, his name wasn’t unfamiliar to the detective and somehow, by some twisted scheme of the gods above, Mondo Oowada was his own Kiyotaka’s ‘best friend’.
The phrase Kiyotaka had actually used was ‘kyoudai’, but something about the way his son spoke of Oowada had Takaaki fearing that his son’s ‘friend’ had grown to be something a little more than that.
Takaaki didn’t like it. He knew, of course, that the world was changing, and he’d had an inkling of his son’s… preferences… for some time, now, but for it to be Mondo Oowada of all people who’d won his Kiyotaka’s affections? Takaaki was dubious, to say the least. Plus, it would hardly stand their family name in good stead and after all his own father had done, Takaaki was relying on Kiyotaka to fix their problems- restore the family’s honour.
Having the biker around would certainly not achieve such things.
Still, Takaaki was civil as his son announced that he’d invited Mondo over for dinner that weekend. He was civil as the gang leader appeared at his door, dressed in what the adolescent must have assumed was smart attire. He was even civil as Oowada shook his hand and thanked him for inviting him over. His palm was sweaty. Takaaki hoped it was nerves.
Dinner progressed without a hitch and whilst Kiyotaka led much of the conversation, Takaaki indulged in small talk with Oowada. At the very least, he would be polite to his son’s… significant other.
To Takaaki’s shock, Oowada was being polite in return. At times it was almost hard to picture him as the notorious gang leader Takaaki knew he was. That was when his suspicions reached their pique.
His poor son must have been lured into Oowada’s trap. The biker had simply offered Kiyotaka kindness and sweet-talked him into a relationship and now he was going to drag their family’s reputation through the mud once more. It was a cunning plan, but now Takaaki was aware of it, he’d never be able to follow through.
Kiyotaka asked his father to watch a film for the rest of the evening. Takaaki complied, but took himself off to finish some work. He’d have to speak to Kiyotaka once Oowada had left. Warn him. He wouldn’t outright tell him what was going on, as surely his son would protest and he was indisposed to severing their relationship. Kiyotaka was, after all, the only thing he had left.
No, instead Takaaki would warn Kiyotaka of signs to watch out for. Maybe a checklist would work. Kiyotaka learnt well with bullet-pointed lists. He’d warn his son of the signs and when Kiyotaka noticed them, he’d be able to end his liaison with Oowada and that would be the end of that disaster.
Goodness knows Kiyotaka was too trusting and too oblivious to others’ intentions to realise for himself just how bad Oowada would be for their family.
After Takaaki had realised he’d spent longer than he’d intended to in his office, he rose to return to the lounge. There were no voices to be heard and Takaaki wondered if perhaps they’d put on another film, or even if Oowada had thankfully returned home for the night.
What he saw was, in fact, a rather different scenario. The TV screen had faded to black and, curled against each other on the couch, were Oowada and his son.
Kiyotaka looked peaceful. Far more peaceful than Takaaki had seen his son in years, always stressed with striving for greatness in both his classwork and beyond. What surprised him the most was that Oowada looked equally at ease.
A small smile graced his face and the tip of his nose was buried into Kiyotaka’s short black hair. Oowada’s stupid pompadour was crushed against the back of the sofa, slowly unravelling, and the man had his arms wrapped securely around Kiyotaka.
The scene was almost enough to erase all of Takaaki’s doubts about the biker.
Almost.
Takaaki still believed that Mondo Oowada was somehow taking advantage of his boy. The man was just far better an actor than Takaaki had anticipated.
5.
After being together for two whole years, Chihiro was fairly certain that Mondo and Taka’s relationship could survive anything. Even the biking accident Mondo had found himself in the previous day had given Chihiro no reason to doubt his friends whatsoever.
That was why he was so shocked at the scene he found upon arriving at the hospital.
Chihiro had been informed of the accident by Kiyotaka. The hall monitor had dropped Chihiro a text the previous evening, informing him that Mondo was currently hospitalised after an incident with a rival biker gang.
Gripped with fear, Chihiro had fretfully texted back, asking if Mondo was okay and if there was anything he could bring to the hospital. Taka had assured Chihiro that Mondo would pull through fine; he just had a couple of broken bones and a few superficial wounds that would heal with time.
Despite Taka’s reassurances, though they had filled Chihiro with immense relief at the time, he had still planned to take a trip to the hospital with a Get Well Soon card and a small stuffed dog for Mondo to keep on his bedside table. When Chihiro arrived at visiting time, he soon realised he wasn’t the only visitor.
Peering in through the window to the ward Taka had texted Chihiro that Mondo was on, he could see Taka stood by Mondo’s bed, his face red and cheeks stained with tears. He was talking rather loudly, and Chihiro realised he could overhear the conversation if he blocked out passing chatter from the rest of the ward.
“You can’t put your health at risk like this, Mondo!” Taka was yelling.
“It’s just a couple of bumps and bruises. Y’should see the other guy,” Mondo complained.
“There shouldn’t be another guy!” Taka frustratedly continued. “I don’t understand why you have to keep getting into these fights.”
“I didn’t start it, alright? What was I supposed to do- not hit him back?”
“Yes!”
Chihiro frowned as he watched them argue. Whilst he knew Taka and Mondo were often bickering familiarly like an old married couple, he didn’t think he’d ever seen them in such a serious looking argument.
“Look, I just want you to stay safe. If the gang lands you in hospital, then maybe it’s time you quit.”
Chihiro couldn’t see Mondo’s face from where he was stood, but he could imagine how angry he was from the rage filling his voice.
“Quit the gang? Taka, I promised my brother! They’re important to me!”
“What about me?” Taka sobbed. “Am I not important to you anymore?”
“OF COURSE YA ARE,” Mondo bellowed before his voice instantly dropped again, “but I won’t let ya talk about my safety when you work yourself half to death without so much as a break. What about your well-being? Planning on landing yourself in hospital, too?”
“That’s not true and you know it,” Taka snapped back, hotly. Chihiro had heard enough. With tears in his eyes, he took a walk down to the vending machine at the bottom of the ward. He needed something to drink.
All this time, he’d thought nothing could come between Mondo and Taka. Had all this tension been there all along and Chihiro had just never noticed it? Was he a bad friend for never helping them talk through their issues? Maybe Mondo and Taka weren’t as perfect together as he’d once foolishly thought.
Before Chihiro could return, he missed the culmination of their heated argument.
“I just want you to take care of yourself, Taka,” Mondo grunted in frustration.
“And I just want you to take care of yourself!” Kiyotaka snapped back before the two looked at each other in bemused silence. To Kiyotaka’s surprise, a small smile was sneaking its way onto Mondo’s mouth and then, before he knew it, his boyfriend was laughing.
“I don’t understand what’s so funny,” Kiyotaka said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Us,” Mondo spluttered out between laughs. “Look at us arguing like an old married couple, yelling that we don’t wanna lose the other.”
“We still haven’t reached any solution,” Kiyotaka shook his head, averse to joining Mondo’s laughter until the other had understood the crux of the issue.
“Maybe you haven’t,” Mondo shrugged, reaching out his bandaged arm to take Kiyotaka’s hand. “But I think I might have.”
Kiyotaka waited patiently for Mondo to explain.
“Look, I can’t live without you, Taka. You’re my rock. Being without you, now, would just be- well, it would be hell. That’s why I want ya to take care of yourself, yeah?”
Kiyotaka nodded along, cheeks pinking slightly at the sentiment.
“I feel the same about you, hence I was so angry that you’d gotten yourself hurt. You are the most important person in my life, Mondo,” he agreed.
“Right,” Mondo nodded. “So the solution is simple. We both want the other to be safe and stay alive, so we both work on being a bit safer together. Make sense?”
“So you’re agreeing to step down from the Crazy Diamonds?” Kiyotaka puzzled.
“Hell no!” Mondo shook his head. “I’ll step back from some of the crazy fights we get into, though. Teach the boys a bit more peace and love.”
“You know they’re going to tease you for that, don’t you?” Kiyotaka pointed out. Mondo nudged his arm affectionately.
“Yeah, but it’s worth it if it makes you happy.”
Kiyotaka tried to hide how red his face grew at that.
“Then, I guess I can schedule in a few more breaks into my timetable. And I’ll remember to drink more water, too,” he relented. Mondo grinned.
“See? Compromise. We’re still a good team.”
Kiyotaka finally allowed himself to give a small chuckle.
“We always will be.”
+1
Makoto could hardly believe it. When he’d considered the possibility that in the future he’d attend one of his old classmate’s weddings, he’d never imagined it would be the wedding of two classmates who’d been dating back when he knew them.
To be fair, he had kept in contact with the Mondo and Taka over the years, if infrequently, but it still came as rather a pleasant shock to him that their relationship had withstood the test of time. After all, Makoto distinctly remembered the first big fight the two had had, when they forced him to guard the door of the sauna and determine which of the two could withstand its heat the longest.
Seeing them now, so much more mature and so much more in love, standing in front of the whole class to devote their lives to one another, Makoto was distinctly reminded of that moment.
He’d moved from watching their weirdly personal experience through the sauna door to listening to their weirdly personal vows.
“Mondo Oowada,” Taka announced, his eyes watery, as expected. “Even when everyone else scorned me for my name or gave up on trying to be my friend, you never gave up on me. I know I can sometimes be rather socially inept and I know I haven’t been the easiest person to put up with over the years, but you have done. You’ve helped me overcome my insecurities and you’ve been the best friend, kyoudai, and lover that I could ever ask for. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.”
To Makoto’s surprise, Mondo was already crying, too. As was Hiro, whom Makoto could loudly hear blowing his nose behind them. He turned to Kyouko beside him and raised an eyebrow. In response, she smiled slightly and huffed a small laugh.
“Taka,” Mondo began, gripping his soon-to-be-husband’s hands tightly. “You’re the light of my life. Everyone always told me I’d never amount t’anything, but you believed in me when no one else would. You taught me that I was better than some useless good-for-nothing gang leader and you wouldn’t drop it ’til I believed it myself. You’ve made me a better man, and seeing as we first become friends during a manliness competition, I think it’s pretty fitting, don’t you?”
Taka nodded enthusiastically, his smile bright through his tears.
“I love ya, Taka. I’m looking forward to waking up next to you every day from now.”
“And now, the rings,” the priest announced. Makoto jumped with surprise at the sound of a motorbike. Riding in on Mondo’s bike, carrying the ring boxes, was a guy a few years younger than them sporting the Crazy Diamonds jacket. Makoto recognised him as one of the younger members of Mondo’s gang, the few times he’d ever met them.
Mondo and Taka exchanged rings as the crowd dabbed their eyes of tears. Makoto wasn’t about to admit that his own eyes felt a lot damper than when he’d arrived.
“I’m glad they stayed together,” Kyouko muttered to Makoto. “I didn’t understand why, for a while, but I think I do, now.”
Makoto nodded.
“You may now kiss one another,” the priest said and as Mondo enthusiastically grabbed the lapels of Taka’s suit jacket to pull him close, Makoto realised exactly what Kyouko meant.
“Yeah, I think we all do.”
It was love.