Kashima lifts Hori up. In more ways than one.

For one, she now often takes to hoisting him up like a kid whenever she has the slightest opportunity. It seems she likes grasping him under the armpit without warning – he's always in the air before he knows it, gnashing his teeth in barely-held-back rage. Kashima just smiles at him infuriatingly (it's an annoyingly hopeful beam) and stands there waiting for her hair to be ruffled or something. Too bad all he's ever gonna give is a punch that sends her flying halfway across the campus.

Still, even though he doesn't really get it – like how he doesn't really get where that entire princess harassment thing came from – her being around for him to chase and wallop makes him feel a little lighter. Not that he's saying club members playing truant and bringing a swarm of destructive fangirls around contributes to any lightening of his mood, oh no. It's just – just something about Kashima Yuu. In his eyes, she's both a blessing and a curse of sorts: Hori honestly can't think of anyone else who can make him want to snort fondly at them and rip his hair out by the roots at the same time.

Saying she bets he wants to be carried, princess style? No thanks, but no thanks.

Now Hori and Kashima stand together among the crowd, all couples and families jostling gently to reach each other and get a better spot to view the fireworks. He's still busy looking out for anything that he might need to use as reference for Nozaki's manga while cursing the fact that his height has capped at 5"4. Kashima is standing slightly in front of him, but when she observes his consternation about not being able to see over the crowd properly, she moves aside to stand behind him with a small smile on her face. Hori is ready to thank her for being so considerate, but really, he should have known better. The next thing he knows, he's been hoisted up into the air in public, and he swears to himself that Kashima isn't going to be forgiven for this, damn it all.

The moment Kashima puts a spitting-mad Hori-senpai back down, she's seized by the collar and unceremoniously dragged off into one of the many shady back alleys in the surrounding streets, the ones where Mamiko might get hit on. Hori yanks Kashima around so her back is against the grimy concrete, presses her against the wall and then swoops in and glares at her sharply. She swallows audibly.

"Listen up," Hori hisses lowly into the shell of her ear. "I'm sick and tired of all this nonsense. All this bullshit from you about being carried princess style, especially." Eh? Kashima blinks in surprise at that part, but flicks her eyes back to Hori's tight jawline as his voice drops even further. "I don't know where you got that idea from, Kashima, but get it out of your head already. I'm being serious here. Enough of that bull. Please." He's grated the lines out very gingerly, but Kashima's still able to pick up on the break in his voice as he says that last word, those three syllables. Onegai. It's almost soft, almost pleading to her ears, and she drinks it in as much as she can, because it's so rare and she feels the urge to grasp it and make it stay.

Kashima can feel a little something surge inside her, as she hears herself think: Hori-senpai isn't acting.

He's staring quietly into her eyes now as he waits for some kind of response, hand still fisted around her collar – so she reaches over and pulls his neck forward so they bump foreheads – so Hori can feel it when she takes a deep breath and shakily exhales in his face. His eyebrow twitches and his mouth does too, but she beats him to it. "Senpai, I believe you. And I'm sorry. Sorry if I've hurt you with my teasing."

Hori grunts and looks at her more expressively than he ever has, slowly uncurls his fingers from the now-wrinkled collar and tries to smoothen it best as he can. Kashima shifts the hand she has on his neck so it's cradling his head. Incidentally, they do not kiss; because Kashima kills the mood right then by asking Hori-senpai out loud if they can kiss.

They'll have to settle for standing side by side in a dirty back alley, blushingly letting their shoulders touch, as they look up at the fireworks in the night sky. Their hearts have had more than enough for today.

*omake*

Kashima sends Hori a sidelong glance.

"Senpai," she begins cautiously, "what if I really want to carry you?"

Hori freezes up, but says in an endearingly grudging way that he supposes a piggyback ride would be acceptable, considering where they happen to be.

He can't stop himself from flushing a little in mortification, but the sight of Kashima's dazzling grin sweeps all other thoughts away. They set off into the night, and Hori finds that being lifted onto Kashima's back has not only lifted his spirits, but the corners of his mouth too.