Nudging Hearts in Unexpected Ways

"How soon can you get it fixed?" Akari was sitting on a wooden stool as he watched their gang's armorer drop his phone into a gridded shelf behind the counter.

"The damage is only superficial. I'll be able to repair yours in the afternoon." The man with forest-green hair attached a sticky note to the device after counting the other occupied slots.

"Thank you, Ryoichi~" Akari's eyes were fixated on the armorer's spikey stub ponytail. Ryoichi waved a hand while rummaging through a plastic container that held an assortment of fasteners.

"You seem tired," Ryoichi noticed as he picked up a screwdriver. The red-haired boy was gently swaying with his eyes half closed.

"I had a long night," Akari's hand lingered near his mouth as he yawned.

"Ah, that's right. Naoki-san set you up on a date yesterday." Ryoichi remembered overhearing it in his workshop. Word of Akari's date had spread like wildfire after Yuuta reported his absence to their boss. When a few gangsters visited Ryoichi's storefront, it was the only thing they were talking about.

"Do you want to lie down in the back?" Ryoichi suggested the small cot with a brown leather jacket laying on top.

"I'll be fine, thank you." Akari tried to sit up straight. He didn't trust Ryoichi to leave him alone while he slept. His fan would more than likely snap a few pictures of his sleeping face and market them to the others.

"Excuse me," a soft voice called out as the door was opened. "Do you do bicycle repairs here?"

"We do! Please come in, miss." Ryoichi called over his shoulder.

Gliding through the door was Ayano with a vibrant red bicycle parked by her side. Her footsteps lightly echoed on the concrete floor creating a gentle rhythm that echoed in the store. As her gaze wandered, Ayano's eyes connected with Akari's, a flicker of recognition passing between them.

"What a coincidence meeting you here," she sighed.

"G-good morning, Ayano-san." Akari smiled, trying to muffle another yawn. Even though he had countlessly repeated her name in his mind the night before, the languid gangster had almost forgotten it when she walked in.

"I know I told you it's fine to call me by my name but it feels strange…" Ayano tugged on the edges of her white shirt.

"How is it strange?"

"I'm our class president. You should address me as such."

"Are we in the same class?" Akari reached up to lightly tap his temple as he struggled to recall.

"Did you not even know that?!"

"Sorry, I'm usually tuned out."

"Do you know her, Akari?" Ryoichi asked as he lifted up a hatch for Ayano's bike.

"Apparently, we're in the same class," Akari repeated the news.

"Is that so? Good for you." The repairman had been discreetly observing the two students' interaction. The repairman pulled the bike through the raised counter. "Is the problem the front tire?"

"Yes, I tried inflating it but there seems to be a few holes," Ayano mentioned. Ryoichi slid a Post-it pad over the wooden counter and placed a pen on top.

"Please leave your name and phone number."

Ayano picked up the pen and began filling out the note while Ryoichi set her bicycle on an empty rack. Simultaneously, the repairman cast a quick glance in Akari's direction, who happened to be inadvertently fixated on the class president. Ryoichi stifled a laugh before resuming his work.

The sneer snapped Akari out of his daze and became aware of Ryoichi's amused expression, hinting at the obvious infatuation that was starting to bloom between the two classmates. Akari ignored the glance and returned his attention back to Ayano, who had just finished filling out the note.

"It may take me a day or two before I can repair your bike," Ryoichi mentioned as he accepted the pad and stuck the note on the frame of the bike.

"Really? I was hoping I could use it by Monday," Ayano sighed. Ryoichi grinned as he saw this as an opportunity to help blossom the relationship between the two.

"You know, Akari here is quite the handyman himself. Maybe he can lend you a hand with your bike troubles." Ryoichi tried nudging them in the right direction.

Before Akari could refute, the door suddenly swung open, revealing a panicky Naoki breathing heavily. A gust of wind followed his entrance before he slammed the door shut. Upon spotting Ryoichi, Naoki dashed past Ayano and slipped below the lift-up counter. He grasped Ryoichi’s shoulders with a firm grip.

"Ryoichi! You have to help me out, man!" Naoki pleaded while staring into his eyes. The man's brow glistened with perspiration, his jacket appearing disheveled and covered in dirt. Ryoichi poked Naoki's stomach with the screwdriver that was still in his hand to make Naoki back off.

"I may have run into the Vipers," Naoki sheepishly laughed, scratching the back of his head with his hand. Gritting his teeth, Ryoichi landed a solid punch on Naoki. The impact sent the troublemaker stumbling backward, his glasses soaring off his face.

"Did you really just anger the Vipers and lead them here?!" Ryoichi lashed out before clenching his teeth. Naoki kept his head lowered, his carefree smile having been wiped from his face.

Ryoichi let out a frustrated groan before glancing at the two fellow gangsters.

"Quickly, through the back door. I'll keep them distracted for as long as possible." He lifted the hatch before pointing towards a doorway located around the corner at the back.

“What about Ayano-san?” Akari asked as he picked up Naoki’s glasses. The room fell silent as all eyes shifted toward the frightened girl. Her confusion was evident in her wide eyes and trembling hands.

"Miss, I'm sorry but it might be best for you to go with them," Ryoichi glanced at Ayano apologetically, a concerned expression creasing his brow. "These Viper thugs don't exactly have a reputation for treating young girls kindly..."

“Ryoichi, what about you?” Akari pointed out.

“Don’t worry about me. I can keep my cover intact.” He gave Akari a reassuring smile. Akari hesitated, his uncertainty lingering but then nodded confidently before following the two out the back door, firmly closing the back door behind him.

Ryoichi’s smile faded away as he turned around. He took in a deep breath as he fixed his gaze on the front door, the distant clamor of an angry mob grew steadily louder by the second.

♦_______✭❀✭_______♦

“Naoki, what on earth did you do?!” Akari screamed as the three of them ran through the streets with a portion of the Viper gang close behind them.

“I didn’t know they were Vipers!” Naoki cried. “Those stupid worms cheated at a game so I taught them a lesson!”

“You idiot!”

The trio had barely managed to sneak down a block when the stray thugs, detached from the main group, caught sight of their fleeing targets and swiftly gave chase. Every turn they took seemed to lead them inching closer to their relentless pursuers. As their breaths grew ragged and their legs burned with exhaustion, they reached an intersection.

Naoki's face contorted with fierce resolve as he made a split-second decision. “You two, save yourselves!” In a heartbeat, he veered sharply to the right, his actions driven by an unwavering determination to protect the two students. He aimed to lead away the majority of the impending danger.

Understanding Naoki's intentions, Akari tightly clasped Ayano's hand and steered her to the left. While a few of the Vipers from the back of the group kept their pursuit of the youngsters, the slight hesitation managed to gain them a bit more distance.

Despite the division, Akari knew that evading the pursuing thugs would be a fruitless endeavor. Scouting ahead, he tightly gripped Ayano's hand and swiftly guided her to a concealed alley.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!—"

In the narrow, shaded alleyway, Akari held Ayano close to him, shielding her from the nearby commotion. As the thugs hurried past, he remained vigilant, unaware of the intimate stance they were in. Ayano was blushing intensely, her head nestled gently against Akari's shoulder.

As the chaos gradually subsided, the alley fell into an eerie silence, punctuated only by the sound of their hushed breaths. Akari maintained his grip on Ayano, his protective instincts still lingering.

After a prolonged silence, Akari released a deep sigh and allowed his eyes to rest. "We should be safe now," he said softly. Opening his eyes, he noticed Ayano staring at him, their faces inches apart.

Locked in an intense gaze, they could feel the rhythmic pounding of their own hearts. The two of them stood in the depths of the narrow alleyway, embraced by the gentle caress of the warm spring breeze.