The sun had gradually began its decent down, turning the once-blue sky to different shades of red and orange. A seagull cawed in the distance. It truly was a sight to behold. Kota stared at the sunset thoughtfully. It wasn’t often he was able to sit back and enjoy the scenery like today. He’d been too busy with school as of late, and too much work for him never ended well. He wasn’t meant to continuously be working – no one was. At least, that was what he told himself when he took these breaks from school. Aurora Academy was a blessing in disguise, though. He already learned so much about himself he never knew before.

A gust of wind suddenly blew past him once more, bringing along with it the scent of the ocean. It was a salty, otherworldly scent that couldn’t belong anywhere else but the ocean. At times like these, he wished he had all his senses enhanced rather than just his sight and hearing. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an enhanced smell to appreciate the ocean’s gorgeous aroma all the more. But alas, he had to sit with his regular senses. He would just make use of what he already had.

He heard steps approaching and assumed it was another onlooker, not bothering to turn around. What did catch his attention, however, was a flash of color to his right. Sparing a sideways glance, he noticed a beanie had flown from seemingly nowhere to land beside him on the boardwalk’s bench. Reaching over, Kota picked up the soft material with his free hand and stared at it in thought. Where did this come from?

On cue, he heard a voice behind him softly say, “…uhm…miss may I have my hat back?”

At first he assumed the voice was directed at someone else, though when he spared a look around he realized he was the only one nearby. The other people that had lingered on the edge of the boardwalk had apparently travelled back to participate in more of the festivities taking place. With his sight, he was able to spot one couple in particular over his shoulder, walking around together hand in hand. A slight ting of jealousy filled his heart, but he quickly shook it off. No need to get depressed.

Turning his attention to the voice that had called out, Kota realized it belonged to another boy appearing around his age. They looked extraordinarily similar, both sporting short blonde locks of hair and large baby blue eyes to match. On top of that, the two were both small-framed and skinny, with pale skin. Kota had been so focused on their similarities, he’d almost forgotten the words spoken to him.

That’s right, there was no one else around in their vicinity, which meant the comment had been directed at himself. Kota felt his eye twitch; not this again. Twice in the span of a week he’d been mistaken as a girl? What luck he had. Tossing the remains of his pretzel in the nearby trash can, he stood up to face the other boy, holding the beanie in his hands as he did so. He shot a glare in the boy’s direction – the one thing that pissed Kota off more than anything else was being called a girl. He thought he’d outgrown the stage of being called such, but he supposed he was wrong.

“I’m not a ‘miss’,” he snapped, annoyed that this was the second time he’d had to correct someone about it. First the jerk in the boys’ dorms, and now this random guy. “How would you like it if someone called you by the wrong gender?” Kota asked, his tone laced with frustration. He was honestly done with being mistaken as a girl.

Realizing he had the upper hand by holding the wanted beanie, his frustration suddenly turned to amusement as he grinned wickedly at the other boy before him. “Since you got my identity wrong, you’ll have to pass a test to get your hat back.” He smirked, feeling oddly playful about the situation. “If you can answer a question right about myself, you’ll get it back. If you fail, I get to keep it. Sound fair?” Part of him realized he was being a bit unreasonable and taking his frustrations out on a stranger, but he started it. That’s what he told himself, anyway.

Kota remembered when he was younger, his older sisters would dress him in their clothes. He didn’t think anything of it at the time – in fact, he rather enjoyed the attention given to him. His sisters would praise him and exclaim what a pretty boy he was, and he would stand there with a proud grin across his tiny features. He thought he was king of the world with the way they treated him. Looking back on it now that he was older and knew better, he knew his sisters were only having fun and didn’t mean any harm by it. Although being older meant he needed respect, and part of that was being recognized for his actual gender.

While he was fuming about being mistaken, yet again, for a girl, he was appalled when the boy in front of him responded with a straight face, “You looked like one.” WHAT? The audacity this boy had was astounding. Kota felt his fists bawl tightly at his sides. He’d never felt more aggravated to actually hit someone before now. This boy was really getting under his skin.

Instead, he took a deep breath and threw out, “That’s a rude thing to say.” The other boy was lucky that’s all he said. If Kota wanted, he could go on a tangent about this guy, but he held his tongue. No need to make further enemies. Since the two looked around the same age, he was sure this boy also attended Aurora Academy.

The question was now, what to ask for his game?

As he pondered this, Kota heard a bell go off and glanced to his side, seeing a girl win a stuffed panda as a prize at one of the gaming stands. His face puffed out in jealousy once more. What he wouldn’t give for a cute stuffed animal at that moment. It was a girly thing to like, but Kota had always been a fan of stuffed animals. When he was younger, he had a collection of them on the shelves of his wall. And he was damn proud of that collection, too.

He shook his head, realizing he was getting off topic. Suddenly, an idea for his game sprang into his head. As the boy in front of him made the obvious comment of “I don’t know you”, Kota found himself rolling his eyes. “That’s the point. Don’t you enjoy a good challenge?” He grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it a simple question. If you can’t figure it out, I’ll give you a second chance at something else. Sound good?”

Without waiting for a response, he continued on. “I’m assuming you’re also from Aurora Academy, judging by your age. So! Answer me this: what is my talent? If you guess right, I’ll give you the beanie back right away.”

The sound of seagulls cawing behind him was beginning to grow too loud for his sensitive ears. Kota spared an annoyed glance behind him to see the birds fighting over his pretzel. Surprised, originally thinking he had thrown it in a trash can, he shook his head and looked back over to the other boy, crossing his arms over one another with a grin now across his features.

Kota noticed a few streetlamps around them flickered on, and it occurred to him at that moment that he hadn’t been paying much attention to the time of day. The day was already fading to night, with the crowds still mostly lingering around the game and food stands. He felt his stomach growl at the thought. He inwardly kicked himself at throwing away his pretzel, the morsel of food now long gone thanks to the seagulls crowding the beach. Kota could still hear them cawing behind him, begging for more food. As if he had any to give. As if he would if he did.

“It depends whether or not I get something out of it…Or if it makes sense,” he heard him reply.

Kota shook his head. Did this guy have no sense of whimsy? No playful side? Kota, himself, had always been the playful sort, especially as a child. He had a wild imagination and wasn’t afraid to show it. That was simply how he was. He shouldn’t have been surprised this guy wasn’t the same – after all, he’d hardly shown any emotions across his features. This guy was almost…robotic-like. Kota made it his mission all-the-more to get this guy out of his shell. Those that had the hardest exteriors tended to have the softest insides.

“How exactly are you sure I’m from the same school as you.”

The guy had a point. There were two other schools in the area, but Kota went with his gut and called it like he saw it. Thinking that to himself, he muttered a reply of “I’m not sure. Call it a gut feeling.” He knew that wasn’t the best answer to give, but regardless gave it anyway. It wasn’t unusual for him to make assumptions on other people. Most of the time he was wrong, and he very well could’ve been in this instance, too. He didn’t appreciate how cryptic the other boy was being, either. Instead of confirming or denying if they both went to Aurora Academy, he only left him with more questions than answers.

Finally, the moment he’d been waiting for: the other boy answered his game question with a simple “Pheromones?” and a tilt of his head.

Kota literally smacked his forehead in a face palm. That was the best this guy could guess? “No,” he huffed, embarrassed by the answer. He also didn’t appreciate the implications, but kept that to himself. No point dwelling on it. “So you lost, but have no fear – I’ll give you a second chance.”

Walking over toward the gaming stands, feeling his confidence rising, he turned to face the other boy and called out, “You get to choose which game we play. The prize will be your beanie.” As if trying to get a reaction from the other boy, Kota waved the prized beanie in the air before returning it to his side. He had luck on his side, after all. Kota was a natural at games, and with his enhanced vision he had great hand-eye coordination. This should be a piece of cake for him.

Kota didn’t understand this boy.

First: he insults his appearance by calling him a girl. The irony didn’t pass him up; he was well-aware of the other boy’s feminine looks as well, but wisely held his tongue. He was sure he could’ve started something between the two over their own femininity, but honestly wasn’t feeling in the mood to start a fight. Especially with someone he didn’t know. For all he knew, this boy could know martial arts and slam him on the ground for calling him girly in return. He didn’t look it, but looks could be deceiving.

Second: his attitude needed some work. Kota had spent a whole two minutes with this guy and already knew he was the type that would have trouble making friends. He rarely spoke, and when he did it was curt and to the point. Despite the fact that he’d mistaken Kota for a woman, he had yet to make an apology for his mistake. He was reckless. Perhaps not as much as Kota, but to the point where it would eventually lead him into trouble.

Lastly: he had been cryptic about his school roots. Kota was positive he went to Aurora Academy and was just playing aloof, but he couldn’t be completely certain. After all, the guy hadn’t confirmed or denied this fact yet, merely stating the other two neighboring schools in Silver Falls. Kota hated when someone wouldn’t give a proper answer, like they were playing him. Messing with him. It made him feel out of the loop, like they were in on a joke that went above his head.

Finally the other boy agreed to his challenge of a second game, and Kota let out a sigh of relief to his response. At least he was being cooperative. Truth be told, it wasn’t like Kota wanted to keep the beanie. He wasn’t a fan of hats. They were tight on his head and messed up his hair, often giving him the bedhead, mishandled look that he wasn’t sure he could pull off. All the more power to those that could, but it probably wasn’t in the cards for him.

The boy pointed in the direction of a gaming stand, and Kota turned his head to see what he picked. It was a shooting game with moving ducks. Score! Kota had near-perfect hand-eye coordination thanks to his special vision. This would be a piece of cake.

“Alright then. Let’s go,” Kota replied, nodding his head to the suggested place. Walking over to the gaming stand, he handed over a leftover ticket he’d kept in his pocket from earlier that day, turning to face the plastic ducks as they began to move around. Swiping up the toy gun from the counter, he narrowed his eyes and aimed at the first duck.

Bang! Score.

By the end of it, he had shot nine of the ten ducks, barely missing the last one by an inch due to someone distracting him in the background. Letting out a huff, Kota turned to face the other blonde boy with a grin across his features.

“Alright. Only way to beat me is to get a perfect score. You still game?”

Kota was honestly slightly annoyed with himself.

He missed a single shot during his last target. That was so unlike him. Normally he’d have no problem hitting everything perfectly, even if there were distractions around him. Part of him wanted to blame it on the crowd. People had begun gathering around the two during Kota’s shooting, marveling at his near perfect score. It would have been perfect, too, if it wasn’t for someone bumping into his arm at the last second. The guy had been apparently pushing through the crowd, trying to get a better view on the game, and had run into Kota by accident. That’s what he kept telling himself, anyway. That it was just an accident – nothing more, nothing less. Certainly not some sign from God telling him he didn’t deserve the beanie.

Which, technically, he didn’t. It was true. He was surprised the other boy had agreed to his game up to this point. Why hadn’t he just simply tried taking the beanie back by force? It would’ve been easy enough. Kota wasn’t exactly the athletic type, built scrawny and skinny with baby fat still in his cheeks. Although the other boy didn’t look like the fighting type – he honestly looked a bit like Kota. Well, aside from the robotic personality. In that sense, the two were polar opposites.

The other boy picked up the pellet gun and began his aim, Kota watching silently beside him with his hands shoved in the depths of his pockets. He thought this would be interesting. Part of him wondered whether or not the boy was any good at shooting. He still didn’t know if he had a talent or attended Aurora Academy, but his gut told him yes. Kota wondered to himself if that talent was anything like his own, and if the boy was able to shoot more accurately because of it. If it weren’t for his enhanced vision, after all, Kota might not be as good of a shooter as he was.

But he remained silent, keeping his opinions and thoughts to himself as he watched the boy steady his gun.

BANG.

A duck went down. Kota raised a brow but said nothing, choosing instead to watch while more people gathered in the crowd, impressed by the two boys. Another bang went off, and yet another duck went down. This trend continued on until the final duck, and Kota stood there amazed. So the other boy could back himself up. That was good to know.

BANG.

The final shot went off, determining the winner to be the other boy. Kota felt his shoulders slink in defeat, knowing he should’ve been able to get that last target if it weren’t for his distraction. But fair is fair. He lost, and he wouldn’t sulk over it. The other boy seemed genuinely surprised at his win, and Kota couldn’t help but feel suspicious at that. Why was he surprised? Did he not expect to win?

His thoughts were interrupted by the owner of the game stand, joking about them being from the army. Kota grinned in response, shaking his head and letting out a soft laugh. It was a genuine compliment to him, and one he hadn’t received before. Of course, the other boy said nothing while the man behind the counter explained to them the prizes they could choose. He vaguely noticed the boy beside him choose a panda – good choice, Kota thought, knowing he would’ve picked the same. Instead he had to choose a middle prize, pointing his finger in the direction of a medium-sized stuffed jellyfish.

After the man gave both their prizes, Kota turned to face the boy and was startled when he was suddenly shoved the large panda, barely able to hold the two prizes in his arms. “Keep it,” he shrugged, and Kota frowned.

“But you won…” he trailed off unsurely. Proving his point, he grasped the beanie and handed it over to the boy, saying, “Here’s your hat back.”

Despite losing, Kota had genuinely had a good time playing. He chose to voice this to the other blonde, smiling his way as he did so. “That was fun! Wanna try another tent? I could start building a collection with all my prizes.”

The crowd around the two had intensified, and Kota grinned in response. He loved the attention they were getting. It was something he practically fed off of. With his special hearing, he could hear every word of excitement said amongst the gathered crowd about the two young teenage boys and felt his pride swell from the praise given. He should do these games more often if he was getting this kind of attention. With this boy, the two would be the talk of the gaming stands.

“Good shot for a girl!” one bystander shouted.

Kota spun on his heel and practically snapped back “I’m not a girl!” in response, glaring at the person who’d uttered those words. The guy awkwardly apologized and backed off, seeming offended by Kota’s words. He didn’t care. He should’ve been the one offended. Too many people were mistaking him as a girl, and it was beginning to piss him off. He was a boy, dammit! He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, and he wouldn’t have been ashamed either. Why weren’t they mistaking the other boy as a girl? He had a feminine look about him, too, Kota thought begrudgingly. Why was he the only one cursed with this?

The other boy suddenly spoke, causing Kota to turn back around to face him as he explained he wasn’t a fan of stuffed animals. Kota shrugged in response. “More for me, then,” he grinned, letting out a lighthearted laugh. He honestly had a new goal in mind by this point: he wanted to walk out of the gaming tents with his arms full of stuffed animals. It would give him something to decorate his bland dorm room with. He didn’t have much in his room, anyway. Nothing but clothes carelessly thrown around the floor, in desperate need of a wash. He shuddered at the thought, not looking forward to laundry day.

“Another game?” the other boy asked, taking Kota’s attention once more. “Wasn’t one enough?”

He shook his head in response. “One’s never enough,” he smiled. “I’m gonna need others to keep these two company.” The other boy might’ve thought he was joking with his lighthearted tone, but he wasn’t. Kota was dead set on winning other prizes at this point. His blood was pumping, adrenaline shooting through his veins from the recent game he played. His competitive streak was now on fire. And it couldn’t be quenched until the two played some more.

Nodding at this thought, his eyes landed on the boy as he spoke up. “Why don’t you go ahead and choose another game? I’m not letting you off that easily!” Kota thought he was being a tad pushy toward the boy, but shrugged it off. That seemed to be the attitude he had to go with. And Kota could be a stubborn ass if he wanted to.