Kano Shuuya was well-known to be a liar. Everything he said should always be doubted, and the young man didn't mind that. In fact, he thought it was much better that way. After all, it was much easier to lie than to admit loneliness and pain. Kano didn't want to bother anyone, so he would go about his days lying constantly to everyone about everything.
But you wanted to change that. The more time you spent with the young man, the more you saw small pieces of who he truly was. They were small, unintentional slips on his part, but you still appreciated it. After all, that meant that Kano trusted you enough to accidentally speak the truth about himself and let down his defences.
You first "met" Kano when you were out shopping with your friends during one hot summer day; however, in the midst of having fun with your friends, the mall was suddenly in lock down, and you were held hostage along with the other people on the floor. You and your friends were bound and rounded up along with everybody else. As you sat there in fear of the terrorists, you could vaguely hear the hushed conversation of two males who sat nearby. It sounded like they were plotting something, but you weren't quite sure. All you knew was that one of the male's playful voices piqued your curiosity.
The terrorist incident was then resolved without any problems. Of course, you were confused as to what had happened, but you were just glad that you and your friends were able to make it out alive. While you were heading back home, you couldn't help but let your mind wander to the two males who sat close by you during that time. They were strange, but you couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to them.
The second time you met Kano, he had come up to you along with another strange-looking young man, asking if you had seen two children anywhere. You were just walking back from the park when the two approached you; you were a bit wary and anxious around them due to their strange appearance, but then you realized that they were jut searching for someone. You shook your head, saying that you hadn't seen any children that matched their description.
The two slumped their shoulders dejectedly when they heard your response. Your eyes softened at their disheartened expression, and you offered them a bit of your time to help them look for the two missing children.
"Is that really okay?" the young man asked you.
You nodded, "Yes. I'd feel bad if something happened to them when I could've helped in finding them."
"Thanks! I'm Kano, by the way. This guy here is named Konoha."
The white-haired male named Konoha gave a nod of acknowledgement upon being introduced. You smiled warmly at the two of them as you reciprocated your name. The three of you then started to walk around the area, in hopes of finding the two missing children.
"You look familiar," Kano commented suddenly, catching you off-guard.
Your head tilted to the side in curiosity, "Do I?"
The young man nodded, "Yeah. Um, were you perhaps one of the hostages during that terrorist attack at the mall a few days back?"
Upon being reminded of this incident, you suddenly remembered why Kano's voice sounded so familiar to you. You gasped and nodded furiously, "Yeah!"
"I thought so," Kano grinned, "There's no way I could forget a pretty face like yours."
"Oh, um...thanks...?" you answered lamely, surprised by the sudden compliment, leaving you unsure of how to answer. You decided to change the subject, "So, what's your relation to the two children we're looking for?"
"Oh, well, actually, I don't really have any relation to them; I'm just helping this strange guy here," Kano gestured behind him to where Konoha was supposed to be following behind both of you, except he was missing.
When Kano realized that Konoha was no longer there, he let out a nervous laugh. "Whoops, guess I lost him."
You just stared dubiously at the young man's easygoing nature of losing his friend in a crowd before you let out a soft laugh. You shook your hand in a dismissive manner as soon as you calmed down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."
Kano shook his head, "It's fine; you have a really cute laugh."
"Do you compliment every single girl you meet?" you asked, growing embarrassed with each compliment the young man gave you.
"Only the pretty ones," Kano answered mischievously, winking at you, prompting the corners of your mouth to curve upwards into a friendly smile.
Both you and Kano spent the entire remaining afternoon looking for the two missing children, along with the disappearance of Konoha. Eventually, the sun started to set, and it was getting awfully late. You checked the time on your cell phone and apologized to Kano.
"I should really be getting home now," you said.
Kano nodded in understanding, "Yeah, it is pretty late... I'll walk you home."
You shook your head, "It's alright. You don't have to."
"But I want to," Kano replied with a matter-of-factually tone. "I want to spend more time with you."
You didn't know how to reply to that, but upon seeing the expression on his face, you couldn't bring yourself to refuse his offer. You nodded your head to which Kano grinned in satisfaction. As you were walking back home, you deliberately started walking at a much slower pace than before, revelling in Kano's company. The two of you talked about countless things that were completely mundane, but it was the most fun you've had in a while.
Soon enough, you had reached your destination. Before heading back inside your house, Kano had suggested to exchange cell phone numbers, and you agreed to it