Prologue: Hiroki's Graduation Confession

It was a warm, spring day when Kamijou Hiroki graduated from college. Even though he had at least another four years ahead of him for his doctorate, he was practically being forced to celebrate with the few friends he had made. His real friend, Akihiko, had long-since disappeared. Then again, he had seen Aikawa-san lurking around, looking pissed-off, so he probably had a deadline to run screaming from.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a second," Hiroki told them as they headed for the subway. They planned to be plastered, so there was no way any of them were driving. One of them stopped and smiled, and Hiroki had about two seconds before he was hugged from behind.

"Congratulations, Hiro-san," Nowaki said into his ear. Hiroki blushed; with how many jobs Nowaki still had, he hadn't expected to see his lover's grinning face when he scanned the audience. But of course he'd rearrange his schedule for 'his Hiro-san.' And of course, out of all the seats set out for T University's graduation ceremony, he sat beside Hiroki's mother and father. It had only been a few months, so he hadn't gotten around to telling his parents.

He couldn't help but melt into Nowaki's arms, though. "Thank you, Nowaki." He closed his eyes and laid his head against Nowaki's chest. "I guess we'll both be in school after vacation."

"Your parents want you to spend time at home," Nowaki said.

Hiroki froze, and then he jerked his head around, trying to locate his wayward parents. "You talked to them?"

"Your mother asked who I was here for," Nowaki said like it was no big deal. "Of course I answered my lover, and pointed you out." Hiroki looked ready to explode. "Did I do something wrong, Hiro-san?"

"Hey, Kamijou-kun! The subway is leaving soon!" His friends had waited for him the entire time. Or, a couple of them, anyway. The one woman in their group wasn't there, but then, she had never been a patient person. She had been part of their group from the start, and even stayed when she switched to an Economics major, saying Literature wasn't concrete enough for her.

Hiroki managed to pry himself from Nowaki's arms. "I'll be home around midnight," he muttered, ducking his head. Nowaki smiled, understanding the implications. "Don't look so happy, brat." But he handed his diploma off to him before making a break for it. His parents had finally emerged from the crowd, and he wasn't ready to deal with them just yet.

His friends grinned and threw their arms around his shoulders as they walked to the station. "Oh Hiro-san, you're so cute," one of them cooed, a stupid grin on his face.

"If you call me that again I'll kill you." No one ever said Kamijou Hiroki was a subtle man.

"What? Cute, or Hiro-san?"

"Either!"

The two men laughed, which just pissed Hiroki off more. "But it's so adorable!" the other said. "Who would've thought there was someone who could melt Kamijou's cold heart?" They let go of him when they got to the station, and only Hiroki seemed to notice their other friend was still there, sitting outside on a bench.

She looked up abruptly, making Hiroki jump. "Kamijou!" she said. "Can I talk to you?"

The other two men eyed him but went ahead to buy their tickets.

"Sazanami-san?" he asked. The woman had a serious look on her face, one that could give Hiroki a run for his money.

"Could you call me Keiko?" she asked suddenly, and Hiroki looked exceedingly uncomfortable. "We've known each other for four years, after all."

"Yeah, but-"

"It's just, now that we've graduated, I thought…" She was blushing, something Hiroki had never seen on her. Sazanami was a very confident woman. "Would you, go out with me, Kamijou-kun? I know you have graduate school and all that, and I'd be willing to work around it."

Hiroki was even more uncomfortable, although he did vaguely remember that Sazanami had never met Nowaki. The one time Hiroki had brought Nowaki drinking with him and his friends, the day they had all finished their thesis, she hadn't been there. She had some things left to do, a consequence of no longer sharing the same classes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Hiroki said, refusing to look his friend in the eye.

Sazanami, for all the work and courage she had put into getting to the point where she could ask Hiroki out, deflated without protest. "O-okay," she said. She bowed her head. "Good luck with graduate school, Kamijou-kun. Maybe we'll work together, some day? I do plan to go on with my degree, after I earn some money."

Hiroki couldn't say anymore. The only other time he had felt so awkward in his life was when he officially introduced Nowaki to Akihiko. That had been the quietest meal he'd ever had with his old friend; usually they talked about books, or Akihiko's writing, but the entire time had been spent with them both taking quick glances, both at each other and Nowaki.

Sazanami wasn't the kind of woman to cry in public, so she just took a large sniff, her nose sounding stuffed, before standing up. "Are you still going drinking?"

"…I don't think so," Hiroki said. "If I'm lucky, my… lover, is home by now, and didn't get dragged along with my parents."

Sazanami nodded. "I didn't know you had a lover."

"Well, I can understand why you wouldn't, but if you listened to those two idiots occasionally you would've known."

The woman flinched but nodded. "Well. Good luck, Kamijou-kun." She bowed and disappeared down into the subway station.

Hiroki had almost forgotten about her. After all, after she left him that day with a smile and a bow, he hadn't seen her again, even in passing. So, seven years later when he was looking at the names of the new professors and assistant professors hired at M University, he didn't know what he was in for.