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Despite not being in the same university and pursuing different majors, some things remain the same between the two of them. The frequency of them meeting up isn't as often as their middle-school or high-school years, but they make it a point to make time for each other. Theirs is a friendship that could withstand a threat to Earth, after all.
It has come to the point that nobody even bothers to invite Nagisa out starting from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. Amongst his peers, it has become known as the block of time where Nagisa would never agree to meeting up with them—not even when they offer to invite the reason for this 'impenetrable block'.
Nagisa doesn't think too deeply as to why he's hesitant to let others intrude on this time. "I promised to meet up with Karma-kun during this time," is how he explains it to anyone who asks.
(Karma had asked him once and never again, a pleased smile on the redhead's face. It's why Nagisa knows that there's no need to overthink it, when it's clearly the right answer.)
They don't do anything too outlandish. They usually just return home together. Oftentimes, it ends up in a sleepover where they lose sleep over games or watching movies together. Sometimes they go out to watch those movies in an actual cinema. Parks, arcades, restaurants and malls have been visited multiple times.
Now that they have more money in their disposal, thanks to scholarships and part-time jobs, something that happens more often recently is them shopping together. This leads to purchases that are matching in nature. The same caps, the same design of sweaters, the same jeans, the same sunglasses... the list goes on and on.
It comes to the point that no one ever questions Nagisa why he's never available during a certain timeframe. Now, the questions are to the tune of "Are you wearing the same necklace as Akabane-san?" or "Aren't those bracelets from a couple's set?" or something similar.
Nagisa doesn't want to think too deeply about things, but he still brings it up during one Saturday on an amusement park.
Karma's arm is around his shoulders, drawing him close so they could pose for a selfie before they queue for the new ride, supposedly a rollercoaster so extreme it could make one's heart drop. This kind of physical closeness is at least a few years' old, but they've never posed like this while wearing matching heart-shaped sunglasses.
"...Um, Karma-kun," he starts, creating a half-step distance between their bodies. "Is it really okay to take photos while we're... wearing matching things?"
Despite not being in the same university and pursuing different majors, some things remain the same. Karma is still as charismatic and brilliant as ever, a long line of people admiring him from afar. Nagisa hears from Kayano each time someone wails on the university forum about their love letter getting rejected by Karma—and Nagisa hears from her every single day.
For his part, Karma doesn't even twitch. He erases the distance between them so smoothly that it's like it has never existed to begin with. One side-step, and their bodies are pressed together once more. Karma even leans down so he could smush their cheeks together too. The arm around his shoulder drops to his waist, as if to ensure that he couldn't repeat his action of creating distance.
"What's wrong with posting photos of us wearing matching things? The worst that could happen is that people would suspect we're dating." Karma makes it sound so reasonable and logical, his voice calm. Then, it gains a teasing tone. "Or are you saying you don't want to be rumored to be dating someone like me? I'm so hurt, okay?"
"...You'd also be rumored to be dating someone like me," he says after a while, not moving away even when Karma has already taken ten selfies of them in practically the same pose. They both don't make the move to separate. Nagisa stares at the phone screen reflecting their figures, knowing that the heat on his cheeks is transmitted real-time to the culprit. "So if it's fine with you, Karma-kun, it's also fine with me."
Karma huffs, then squeezes him. "Tsk. Look at you, trying to steal my words!"
The squeeze becomes a prelude to tickling, until Nagisa's doubling down in laughter, his heart-shaped glasses nearly falling off his face.
More photos of them wearing matching things crowd Nagisa's social media feed. He likes every one of Karma's posts, only smiling in response when Kayano threatens to block him if he doesn't stop trying to blind her with their bubbles of pink.
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