"About this whole 'data' thing..."
"Hey, Chika!" Kenji's voice cut through the conversation flat, followed by the loud, thumping of footsteps as the rest of the group rounded the corner. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you. You disappeared after first period."
Chika's stomach dropped. He felt like he'd been caught doing something illegal. He tried to yank his hand away from the strawberry milk can, but Ishi's grip was surprisingly firm, holding on for a split second longer than necessary before finally letting go.
"Yo, Ishi," Kenji said, coming to a halt and leaning a heavy arm on Chika's shoulder.
He looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes landing on the two identical cans of strawberry milk.
"Since when do you hang out at the vending machines with the top of the class? You getting private lessons or something?"
The other guys chuckled, nudging each other. Chika felt the heat crawling up his neck, his grand confession dying a quick, painful death in his throat.
"I'm just... we were just..." Chika stammered, his brain scrambling for a lie.
"We were discussing his lack of progress," Ishi interrupted. His voice was perfectly flat, his 'Robot' mask back in place as he adjusted his glasses. He didn't look flustered at all. He just reached into his pocket and pulled out his notebook, clicking his pen. "Chika has several areas that require... intensive observation."
Kenji made a face, pulling back slightly.
"Man, even your insults sound like a textbook. You're really giving him a hard time, huh?"
"I feel it is my responsibility," Ishi said simply. He looked at Chika, and for a second, the intense look softened into something sharper, something that reminded Chika exactly what was happening between them. Even if they must lie to everyone else, there was no lying to themselves. "Do not forget to finish the milk, Chika. The sugar intake is good for your brain."
With a small, stiff nod to the group, Ishi turned on his heel and walked away toward the stairs.
"What a weirdo," one of the guys muttered, kicking at the floor. "He's like a cyborg. Why do you let him follow you around, Chika? You could just tell him to get lost."
Chika stared at the strawberry milk in his hand, his thumb tracing the rim of the can. He could still feel the lingering pressure of Ishi's hand over his own.
"Yeah," Chika muttered, his heart still doing that frantic, uneven beat. "A real weirdo."
"Anyway, forget him," Kenji said, slapping Chika's back. "We're gonna head to the back of the gym to mess around before second period. You coming?"
Chika looked at his friends, then looked back at the empty hallway where Ishi had disappeared. The 'idiot' in his head was screaming at him to follow the guys and be normal, but the rest of him felt like he was still stuck in that 'data' notebook.
"I'll catch up with you guys," Chika lied, forcing a grin. "I gotta... finish this milk first. Can't have the nerd reporting me for wasting resources, right?"
The guys laughed and headed off, leaving Chika alone by the machines. He took a sip of the milk—it was cloyingly sweet and cold—and leaned his head back against the glass of the vending machine.
He'd missed his chance. The 'Grade-A moron' had been silenced by a bunch of loud-mouthed friends. But as he looked at the strawberry milk, he realized he wasn't just annoyed. He was frustrated.
Ishi wasn't going to stop the 'tests' on his own, and Chika was starting to realize that if he didn't say something soon, he was going to end up as a permanent entry in that little notebook and nothing more.
For the next week, Chika lived in a constant state of panic. Every time they were alone—behind the gym, in the empty hallway, or back in the library—Ishi would just walk up and kiss him. No warning, no 'romantic' lead-up. Just a quick press of lips or a lingering touch on the jaw that would get Chika flushed each and every time. Then, followed by Ishi pulling out that notebook to check the time and Chika's reaction.
Chika never got his confession out. Every time he opened his mouth to say, "I like you, stop the tests," someone would walk by, or the bell would ring, or Ishi would simply move on to the next 'parameter'.
Then, the day of the school trip to Kyoto arrived.
The train station was a mess of uniforms and shouting students. Chika was standing with Kenji and the others, trying to look like he wasn't scanning the crowd for a specific head of dark hair and pair of glasses.
They were looking the part like the delinquents they were and so the girls scramble away, feeling they would be doomed if they ended up paired with them.
"Everyone, listen up!" the teacher shouted over the noise. "You have your assigned seats on the bullet train. No swapping! If I catch you, you're going to find yourself sorry because then you'll be sitting with me."
The students groaned. No way were they going to sit with the teacher.
Chika looked at his ticket. Row 12, Seat B. He shoved his hands in his pockets and boarded the train, sliding into the middle seat and staring out the window. He just wanted to sleep. He was exhausted from a week of being a 'specimen.'
Then, the seat next to him shifted.
"Pulse check," a familiar, quiet voice said.
Chika's head snapped around. Ishi was sitting in Seat A, already reaching over to grab Chika's wrist.
"You're kidding me," Chika whispered, looking around to see if his friends were watching. "You rigged the seating chart, didn't you?"
"I am the class representative," Ishi said, his face as blank as ever as he pressed two fingers against Chika's pulse point. "Efficiency in data collection is a priority. Three hours on a train provides a stable environment for prolonged observation."
Chika felt his face catch fire. "Ishi, we're in public! My friends are like three rows back!"
"Yes, I made them three rows back for a reason. And right now... They are occupied with their snacks," Ishi replied. He let go of Chika's wrist, but instead of pulling away, he leaned his head onto Chika's shoulder. It wasn't a 'test' touch—it looked like he was actually trying to get comfortable.
Chika froze. His heart was hammering so hard he was sure Ishi could feel it through his blazer. "What are you doing now? Is this... is this a new test?"
"Quiet," Ishi muttered, closing his eyes. "I'm testing the effects of a resting state in close proximity. Don't move."
Chika looked down at the top of Ishi's head. The 'Robot' looked tired. For a second, he didn't look like he was analyzing anything; he just looked like a guy who wanted to be close to him.
Chika leaned his head back against the seat, his own eyes fluttering shut. I'm a moron, he thought. ...for letting him get away with this.
But as the train started to move, Chika didn't pull away. He reached down and blindly grabbed Ishi's hand, lacing their fingers together under the shared armrest where no one could see.
He didn't say a word. He didn't need a notebook to know that his 'results' were exactly the same as they'd been since the library.
He liked this weirdo, and apparently, the school trip was going to be one long, complicated experiment.