Disclaimer: I do not own this series. That makes me really sad.

Notes: This will be a Kyousuke x Kirino story, so if that's your squick... well, you can't say I didn't warn you. Also, thanks to Vercingetorix1234 for helping me clean this chapter.

Kyousuke woke up with a start.

"A dream. Just a dream," he mumbled. He took a deep breath and was just about to feel relieved when he felt something. Kyousuke looked under his blanket and groaned. Apparently, the dream had had after-effects.

He dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Kyousuke hissed as the first spray of ice cold water touched his skin. Taking a cold shower so early in the morning annoyed him, but it was incredibly effective so he did it anyway.

His mother greeted him in the kitchen. "Kyousuke, you're early again! Lately, you've been getting up earlier and earlier. Your first class must be really exciting."

There was no way he was going to admit the real reason why he was waking up so early these days so he just mumbled something in agreement. As he sat down to eat, his sister entered the room.

"Good morning, Mom. What's for breakfast?" Kirino said in a cheerful tone.

Kyousuke noticed the lack of greeting toward him but decided not to be bothered by it. After all, he was used to it.

He eyed his sister while taking a bite out of his sandwich. Kirino may have been in her first year of college, but Kyousuke thought that a lot of things about her still hadn't changed. Like the fact that she still enjoyed playing eroge and often coerced him into doing the same, all in the name of 'life counselling.' Or the fact that she still dyed her hair in that unusual color which, oddly enough, suited her quite well.

And those shorts. Kyousuke thought that his sister really needed to get new pairs of shorts to wear at home. He resolved to get her a pair for her birthday but decided not to almost immediately afterward. God knows how she'd react if he did that.

But he still thought that Kirino needed a new pair of shorts. Preferably a pair that was knee-length or even longer.

"Shorts," he said suddenly.

Kirino, startled, looked up from her cereal bowl and gave him an odd look.

"What are you talking about?"

"You should buy yourself a new pair."

"Why?"

"They're too short."

Kirino smirked at him. "That's why they're called shorts, remember?"

Kyousuke didn't know what to say to that. He decided to delay his response by taking a sip from his juice.

"And why are you thinking about my clothes anyway?" Kirino continued. "Gross!"

To be honest, he didn't know either.

Kyousuke chose not to answer and finished his drink instead. He picked up his bag from the couch and turned to leave.

"See you later, Mom, Kirino."

He heard his Mother's farewell and, as expected, nothing from his sister as he closed the door.

Kyousuke sighed as he started his daily walk toward the train station. Though everything was going normally for him right now (which he felt he should be proud of), he still felt as though something was lacking. He did not know what was missing in his ordinary life, but he resolved to think about it at a more appropriate time.

The more appropriate time turned out to be during his third class. As the professor's monotone voice droned on, Kyousuke mulled over his previous thoughts that morning. Something was lacking.

He briefly reviewed his life. He was currently a senior in college under a business course. He wasn't failing his subjects but he wasn't doing that great either. He did just enough to get by and not be noticed by the professors or the other students. He didn't have many friends but he didn't think he was a complete loser either. He knew that everything about him seemed so ordinary, so average, but that was exactly what he was striving for, since being 'normal' was his ultimate goal in life.

So if things were exactly the way he wanted them to be, what could be missing?

Kyousuke sighed and dropped his head into his folded arms. It was a big class so he knew, or at least he hoped, that the professor in front wouldn't notice him. He was certain that he wouldn't feel at peace until he found out what was bothering him.

As he turned his head to the side, something caught his eye. It was two of his classmates sitting quite close to each other and doodling in the same notebook. Every now and then the boy would write something with an impish grin and the girl in turn would read it and giggle. Kyousuke rolled his eyes.

But then his eyes widened and he abruptly sat up straight, startling some of the other students. He now knew what was missing in his life. He thought about it some more and came to the conclusion that, indeed, what was sorely lacking in his life lay in the romance department.

Kyousuke recounted his previous conversations with his other friends. Yes, most of his friends had had a relationship (or relationships, if he remembered correctly). At the very least they already had someone in mind. It was, apparently, normal for their age.

Kyousuke nodded to himself. If it was the normal thing, then he wanted it.

Kyousuke walked towards the lunch table he and Manami usually shared. She had been his best friend since he was a kid and was also studying in the same school but under a different program. They still met for lunch regularly and went home together, if their schedules permitted it. Manami also spent a lot of time in the school library, and Kyousuke often joined her there especially when an exam was coming up.

Kyousuke was surprised when he approached their table and saw someone else sitting there instead of Manami.

"Kohei?"

The man sitting on Manami's usual spot looked up from his plate. "Oy, Kyousuke! How's it been?" he said with an enthusiastic grin.

"Kohei! How are you? Where've you been? I haven't seen you for a while!" Kyousuke eagerly replied as he sat down.

"I'm good! Just got back yesterday from that class trip I was telling you about. So, you and Manami going out already?" Kohei playfully asked.

"I've said this before, she's like my grandmother! No way I'd get together with her," Kyousuke stated as he started digging in to his lunch tray. "But you know, I've been thinking earlier, I really do need to start going out with someone. Everyone I know is dating, including you. The problem is I don't know anyone who would be willing to go out with me."

Kyousuke protested as his friend threw a crumpled tissue at him.

"Idiot!" Kohei exclaimed. "Manami's had a crush on you since high school. Maybe even since middle school!"

"Seriously? Stop joking and don't say those kind of things about her."

"I'm serious! Look, you want a girlfriend right? She's right there waiting for you to make a move!"

"Wha-"

"Kyou-chan! Oh, Kohei, you're here too."

Kyousuke whirled around when he heard Manami's voice. He hoped that she hadn't overheard their earlier conversation because it would be really embarrassing if she had.

"Kohei, how have you been? How was your trip?" Manami asked as she took a seat, setting down her lunch tray on the table.

As his two friends talked, Kyousuke pondered about what his friend had said about Manami. He didn't really think that Manami liked him in the same way that Kohei believed. But she had always been nice to him and had always been there for him throughout everything, and Kyousuke thought that meant she really cared about him. Maybe he should try asking her out. He'd never really thought about her in that way, but maybe once they started dating, he'd change his mind.

"Kyou-chan, what about you? How was your morning?" Manami's voice broke through his thoughts.

"The usual," he automatically responded. "I fell asleep during the first one, then took a surprise exam, which really surprised me by the way, for the second, and..."

Kyousuke trailed off, suddenly remembering his previous decision.

"Manami, what are you doing this weekend?" he asked.

"Huh? Nothing really special, I was going to do a bit of research for that paper I was telling you about."

Kyousuke recalled that the due date for that paper was still a long way ahead. "Want to watch a movie? Then maybe we can eat somewhere afterward." He smiled at Manami. Contrary to what he had heard, asking out a girl on a date seemed to be rather easy. Then again, maybe it was because it was his best friend he was asking.

Manami suddenly blushed. "I w-would love to, Kyou-chan. That would be really nice!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kohei trying to stifle his laughter with his hand. Kyousuke was also amused to note that Manami was turning redder with every word that she spoke. He decided to talk about something else for the meantime.

"So anyway, about that exam..."

"I'm home," Kyousuke said to no one in particular as he toed off his shoes. He knew that nobody was home right now but he still felt like saying it, for ritual's sake.

After getting a glass of his regular drink, he headed upstairs to his room and immediately lay down on his bed. He stretched, flexing his arms and his back, and scratched his chin. He wondered what movie he and Manami should watch and where they should eat. They hadn't been able to talk about it earlier since all they had agreed on was where and when they should meet. He made a mental note to call her later and closed his eyes for a moment.

When Kyousuke opened his eyes again, it was already night time. He had accidentally fallen asleep. He heard his mother setting up the dining table and, after stretching for a bit, went down to help her.

After dinner, he decided to call Manami. While setting the details for their date (I'm actually going out on a date, he thought), he heard a thump by his door. He told Manami to hold for a while and opened his door. He was just in time to see his sister enter her own room.

Kyousuke shrugged and went back to his conversation with Manami. They agreed to meet after lunch the next day at the movie theater, where they would decide what to watch on the spot.

He hung up the phone with a goofy smile on his face, thinking that this was what having a normal girlfriend was like. He didn't really think much about love and all that sentimental stuff, but the few times that he did, he'd always thought that Manami would be the ideal girlfriend to have. She was sweet, kind, and (most importantly) extremely normal.

Kyousuke paused when he heard a loud noise coming from one of his walls, as if a heavy object had been thrown at it. He was just about to ignore it when it happened again. What's she up to now? he thought, looking at the wall as if it could answer him.

He heard the word "idiot" muttered from the other side. , He placed a hand on the thin wall separating them, considering whether he should approach his sister or not. After listening for a few moments and hearing nothing else, he settled on just asking his sister in the morning.

End of chapter 1

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