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XXX Sato Itsukixx#AC5553
"Nice eye, Sato-kun! That'll be perfect." Itsuki huffs a laugh at Yamada's praise.
Walking ahead of Yamada, Itsuki makes his way around the stairwell and quickly finds what he's looking for- a ladder onto the top platform. The metal is starting to rust just like the railing around the edge of the roof and Itsuki swears it's a little bit crooked too. Itsuki tugs on it, attempts to pull it off the wall. The ladder doesn't move an inch. I guess it's stronger than I thought it would be.
Carefully, so very carefully, Itsuki grabs hold of the ladder and steps onto the first rung. It doesn't come crashing down on him when he puts his full weight onto it, and Itsuki sighs in relief.
I just hope it'll be strong enough for Yamada, too.
Through a stroke of luck, both of them manage to climb onto the platform without falling. Itsuki brushes away some dust and makes himself comfortable, allows himself to enjoy the view- the school courtyard, the streets beyond, the rows of houses beyond the streets, the city skyscrapers beyond that. Itsuki hadn't ever thought their school was tall enough for a view like this.
He sneaks a look at Yamada as he eats and wonders how long he's been planning this roof nonsense. Was it just a recent idea? Or has he been planning since the day Itsuki yelled at him? It still seems strange for him to have cared that much after being embarrassed in front of others.
But then, what does Itsuki know of making friends?
"Thank you," he says again, wanting to make sure his gratitude is clear. "For staying."
Because that's the one thing Yamada has done that no one else in Itsuki's life ever has: stayed. He kept going, kept trying, even when Itsuki pushed him away and embarrassed him. Even then, he stayed. And though Itsuki has no idea if this will last - whatever this is - he's really, truly grateful.