"Sunakawa-kun, I'm glad you came." A dark haired girl, with big blue eyes was waiting for me behind the school block. When I got closer, I could see her hands trembling, but she was smiling.

"It's okay. It's lunch break now anyway. What can I do for you, senpai?" I asked, even though I already knew what she wanted from me. Also, I knew that I wouldn't be able to give it to her.

"Well… You probably don't remember me, but I…"

"I remember you. You're Kashiwagi-senpai, the seito kaichou, right? We met that time Aibara-sensei asked us to help him after class."

Kashiwagi-senpai smiled brightly. "Yes, that's right. Since that day I've… I've fallen for you, Sunakawa-kun, so how do you feel about me?"

She looked at me straight in the eyes as she said that. She sounded confident and she was handling her nervousness well. That impressed me, and, being her kouhai, I really wished my reply could be different.

I bowed my head a little. "Thank you for your feelings. I'm really flattered. But I am not in love with you, senpai, and I am not looking for a relationship right now."

And I don't think I'll ever be.

Senpai blinked and took a step back. "I see… So it's like that."

"I'm sorry." I bowed again. She shook her head, still shocked. Even after being rejected, Kashiwagi-senpai still looked very regal.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then smiled at me. "Well, it can't be helped if that's how you feel. Still…" She handed me a box of chocolate. "I got this around Valentine's but I didn't have the guts to give it to you then. I would like you to have it, if you please."

I took the box and smiled as well. "Then I'll accept it. Thank you very much."

"I will let you enjoy the rest of your lunch break now. C'ya, Sunakawa-kun."

She turned around and left the place before I could answer it.

"Suna!" I heard Takeo's loud, deep voice calling me all across the classroom. "Where have you been?"

"I told you, Kashiwagi-senpai called me." I said, sitting back in my chair and opening my book.

"The Kashiwagi-senpai?" Kurihara asked, leaning over my desk.

"I suppose." I replied, turning a page of my book.

"Who's that?" Takeo asked while stuffing his cheeks with his lunch. I had been watching him eat like that every day for more than ten years, but it still amazed me how could a single person eat that much.

"The student council president! She is just the most popular girl at this school. I think every guy have already fallen for her at least once." Kurihara explained. "Well, except the two of you."

"I can understand that. She is really nice and she is very pretty and regal." I said.

Takeo dropped his lunch box and grabbed my hands. "Suna! I will do everything I can to support your love for the council president! Leave it to me!"

"Please, don't." I pulled my hands away and placed them over the chocolate box. "I am not in love with her and I have already told her that."

"Oh, my God!" Kurihara grabbed the chocolate box. "This brand is so expensive, I saw it on the store I bought Nanako's white day chocolate! Did senpai give you that?" He widened his eyes and grabbed my hands as well. "Did she confess to you?"

"Yeah." I pulled my hands away one more time and opened the chocolate box. "Do you guys want to try it? I don't think I can eat this box all by myself."

Kurihara and Takeo exchanged a look. I could tell they wanted to eat the chocolate, but they were also worried if it would be alright. I took one myself and placed it on my mouth.

"It's really good. Go ahead, you two."

Kurihara grabbed a chocolate truffle and Takeo just threw three of them inside his mouth.

"I'm really surprised. Not even Kashiwagi-senpai is good enough for you, eh?" Kurihara joked.

"It's not that. She is. She is too good for me, actually. She can do a lot better." I took another truffle and looked at it. "Kashiwagi-senpai has a lot of people in love with her. No matter how pretty or nice I think she is, it wouldn't be fair to accept her feelings if I'm not in love with senpai."

"Suna…" Takeo was chewing his sixth or seventh truffle, with tears on his eyes. "You're such a nice guy!"

I chuckled. "Is that so?" As I see it, you're the nice guy here.

I threw the truffle in my mouth and crunched it. It seemed harder than the first one. Frowning, I chewed it one more time and heard a little cracking sound inside my mouth. I spitted the truffle in my open hand. Looking at it, I got a sick feeling.

"Suna, are you okay?" Takeo asked.

"I chipped a tooth." I said. "There was a rock inside my truffle."

Kurihara and Takeo stopped their chewing and spitted the truffles.

"There's nothing in mine." Kurihara announced.

"Neither in these." Takeo added.

"Well, I'm glad." I got up and wiped my hand with my handkerchief. "Takeo could probably chew on those anyway." I showed them the rock.

"Is that… a precious stone?" Kurihara narrowed his eyes. "Maybe from a piece of jewelry that the person that made those was wearing?"

"Maybe." I took the chocolate box. "I'll let Kashiwagi-senpai know about this, in case she decides to press charges against the company or something."

Senpai was quite desperate when I told her. She kept apologizing over and over and she insisted to take me to a dentist after class and pay for whatever treatment it was necessary. I tried to convince her it was okay, but she didn't listen and made me wait for her on the school gate. When we met, she gave me an ice pack to place on my broken tooth.

"Does it hurt?" Senpai asked while we walked.

"A little bit. Not a big deal."

"I'm really sorry. My dentist is close by. I always walk there from school when I have appointments and he is really capable." She smiled.

"I can see that. You have a beautiful smile, Kashiwagi-senpai."

Senpai blushed and I regretted saying that, fearing it would get her hopes up. But she recovered quite soon.

"We're just one block away now, can you see the sign?"

"Yeah." It was a simple, black and white sign with Hokuto Dentistry written in elegant calligraphy. "Are you sure they can attend me without making an appointment beforehand?"

"Yeah, sure. Hokuto-sensei is a family friend. Come!" She grabbed my hand and made me walk faster on those last few steps.

I knew that senpai was from a rich family, but, from the way that the people on the clinic treated us, I could see she was from a very import household. The receptionist immediately brought us tea and cookies and lead us to a very comfy waiting room, but we didn't have to wait more than one minute before she came back to tell me that Hokuto-sensei was ready to see me.

I followed the receptionist and senpai said she would stay there waiting. When we reached the doctor's office, the receptionist knocked and the door opened quickly.

The person on the other side of the door was already using a mask, cap and coat, so all that I could see was his deep, dark blue eyes. It was a very reassuring gaze, but I couldn't help but think that he seemed too young to be a doctor.

"Welcome, Sunakawa-kun, right?" He greeted behind the mask. "Come in and sit on that chair, please."

"Yes, thank you." When I sat on the chair, I saw another person dressed in medical clothes and I almost sighed with relief. The other person seemed way more experienced.

When the tallest of them was done with putting his gloves, he turned around to face me. I couldn't see his mouth since he was also using a mask, but I could tell he was smiling.

"Hello, Sunakawa-kun, I'm Hokuto Kenta and I will be taking care of you today." He placed a stool beside my chair and the other person turned the lamp on. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"There was a piece of diamond inside the chocolate truffle I was eating and it chipped my tooth."

Hokuto-sensei widened his eyes behind his square, plain glasses. "That sounds dangerous. I'm glad it was just one tooth. It's usually very simple to fix a chipped tooth. Let's see the damage."

"I will lower your chair a little bit." The one who had opened the door for me before warned me. Then he pressed a button to make the chair lean back. "Now you can open your mouth, please."

I did so and Hokuto-sensei leaned in to take a look on my broken tooth.

"Here it is… It was the tip of his 5." The doctor straightened his back and looked at me. "It was your maxillary first premolar. But it's not really bad, a simple procedure will make it perfect in no time." He turned to look at the smaller person. "Kei, I will prepare everything for bonding his tooth. Can you rinse Sunakawa-kun's mouth in the meantime, please?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." The doctor got up and Kei-san - the smaller person who opened the door for me earlier - sat on his place.

Watching the side of his face while he was putting on his gloves, I couldn't help but ask:

"You're not a dentist, are you? You don't look much older than me."

"I am not." He said simply. "Are you worried that I might ruin your smile by rinsing your mouth with the wrong substance?" Kei-san held up a suction tube threateningly.

I resisted the urge to pull my face away. "I believe that's a very reasonable concern."

Kei-san chuckled rather deeply for someone who had such a smooth voice. "Just open up your mouth, please, and try not to talk."

As soon as I opened my mouth, he started to suck the saliva off my teeth with the tube. Doing that on the dentist never bothered me before, but now I couldn't help but think it was a very embarrassing thing and the fact that the person doing it was a someone around my age was making me even more self-conscious, so I kept pulling away unconsciously.

Kei-san sighed softly. "You know, I am still a highschool student, like yourself. But I have been watching my older brother and our dad on this same clinic every since I was a baby."

"Agg eww Hokuko-henhei's yonga goga?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're not supposed to talk, you know. But yes, I am Hokuto-sensei's younger brother. See? I'm experienced enough to understand what you asked."

Kei-san turned off the suction and sprayed something in my mouth a couple of times and filled a glass with water. "Please, spread it over your teeth using your tongue then use this water to gargle. Count till 30 then you can spit it on the sink"

He looked at me while I was doing as he said, probably to make sure I wouldn't talk again. Once I was done, he turned the suction on again and I leaned back and opened my mouth again, resigned.

"As I was saying, I've been always hovering around the clinic, so my brother allows me stay here as a dental assistant every now and then. Something like a part-time job. It's fun." He leaned in closer while using the suction tube. I moved my eyes to look at his.

I still found it a very reassuring gaze. He had long, thick eyelashes and his irises were deep blue, but they had a darker, grayish spot on the upper section what made his eyes seem darker than they really were. We had studied that condition in science class… How was is called? I felt my head going oddly white and it was hard to focus on anything.

"Even though I like dentistry, I am not sure if I want to be a dentist when I grow up. It's a bit of a pressure to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life as a teenager, right?"

Kei-san smooth voice was making my mind sink deeper and deeper into the white oblivion. I didn't realize I was falling asleep until I woke up in the same dentist chair a few hours later.

I sat up.

"You're finally awake. It's been hours since Nii-san finished your tooth." A cold voice stated behind my back. I turned around and I was surprised to find out that it was Kei-san.

He wasn't wearing his medical mask, cap nor the coat anymore. He had a smooth, black hair falling down his shoulders, his skin was very pale, like it had never been touched by the sun light. His segmental heterochromia - I could remember the name of it now - was way more easy to notice when he was gazing at you. Now there was nothing reassuring about that look, it was more like he was counting the seconds to see the back of me.

"Kei-san. I'm sorry."

"My name isn't Kei. It's Keiji. Hokuto Keiji." He was reading a book while waiting and he closed it violently. "So? Are you going to keep lazing on that chair for much longer?"

I got up immediately. "I'm sorry for the trouble. How m-?"

"Masako has already paid for everything. She's still at the waiting room." Keiji handed me an envelope. "This is the recommendations Nii-san left for you. Follow them thoroughly and you will never have a problem with your tooth."

"Thank you." I placed the envelope in my pocket.

"Yeah, yeah. Now, if you leave soon enough I may still be able to sterilize the chair in time for our next appointment." He opened up the door for me again.

Weird guy. I'm still a customer.

I walked through the door to find Kashiwagi-senpai waiting for me by the front desk. She smiled brightly when she saw me and I was smiling back at her without noticing.

"Wow, as expected of Hokuto-sensei! Your tooth is perfect!" She ran to me excitedly. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am. Keiji-san already gave me the recommendations."

"Good. I have a car waiting for us outside, so I will take you home. Let's go?"

"Sure." A car?

I would rather call it the car. I wasn't much of an enthusiast for cars, but I knew that one. It was a Mercedes-Benz, a black E-Class Sedan and it was parked in front of the clinic. When we stepped out, a man - almost as big as Takeo - opened the backdoor for us.

I sat on the backseat by Kashiwagi-senpai's side, but I was afraid to move too much on such expensive leather seats. She turned to look at me with an apologetic smile.

"I'm really really sorry for all the trouble, Sunakawa-kun. I'm so embarrassed, but I'm glad your friends didn't get hurt or that it wasn't worst…"

"Don't apologize, really. You even took the trouble of bringing me here, paying for everything and now you're taking me home. I have nothing to complain. I should be apologizing."

"Well, at least I could spend the whole day with you." She said. I opened my mouth to say something but she raised her hands to stop me. "I know, I know. I'm well aware of your feelings… or the lack of them… for me. But you're a really nice guy and it makes me happy to be with you."

"Thank you. But I still feel like I owe you, senpai. Please let me know if I can do something for you."

"Well, so why don't we exchange contacts and you can call me by my first name and drop the honorifics?"

"Hm, would Masako-senpai be alright? I really don't feel comfortable not calling a third-year senpai."

She chuckled as we sent each other our contact infos. "That's good enough for now. But, oh, you called Keiji by his first name and you used 'san'."

That surprised me. "Is he my senpai as well?"

"He is. Keiji is in my class. Actually, we have always been in the same class, ever since elementary school. Our families are super close. That's how I got to know his family's clinic."

I tried to imagine the regal and cheery Masako-senpai around the pale moody Hokuto Keiji and the contrast had me struggling to not to laugh.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. He is indeed a very weird guy. I have been together with him for so long and I still don't have him 100% figured out. It's like there were two Keijis."

I nodded. That was very accurate. In the short time I could observe Keiji-senpai, I saw the capable, soothing dental assistant and the obnoxiously cold guy that practically threw me out of his brother's office.

"But Keiji is my best friend." Masako-senpai smiled very fondly to her knees. "There isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for him."

The car parked in front of my condo. Senpai renewed her smile as looked at me.

"That was quick! Sunakawa-kun, see you tomorrow!"

I opened the door and placed a foot outside. "Yes. Thank you for everything, Masako-senpai, see you."

The car went off as soon as I was out. Senpai opened up the window and put her head and hand out to wave at me as they faded in the horizon. She looked even prettier than usual with the sunset shining on her hair. I waved back, though she probably couldn't see me anymore.

"Was that Kashi-something-senpai, the seito-kai?" Takeo said behind my back. I turned around to see his oh-so-in-love face.

"Kashiwagi. Yes." We walked in our condo and I called the elevator.

"She is a cute girl indeed. Not as cute as Yamato, but she looks like a painting."

"Hm, I understand what you mean." The elevator got there and it took Takeo three tries to get through the door. "Were you on a date with Yamato-san?"

"Yeah."

That explained it.

"Oh, right, Suna, did you get your tooth fixed?" He didn't wait for my reply and opened up my mouth with his huge hands. "Woah, it's just like always!"

"That's the point." I told him pushing his hands away. But it was good to be reassured that my tooth was fine. After all, Keiji-senpai had made me feel so unwanted that I left without taking a look at Hokuto-sensei's work.

We arrived at our floor, Takeo and I said our goodnights and, as soon as I got in my bedroom, I put my hand in my pocket to take a look at sensei's recommendations. When I pulled the envelope, another piece of paper tagged along.

I frowned. I didn't remember putting anything else in my pocket. I took the paper and unfolded it to see what was in it. There were just four words written on the whole paper, but so much aggressivity was emanating from them that I shivered.

STAY AWAY FROM MASAKO