[ 'It should be simple,' Esikko says, and Fuuta grits his teeth, because -- is it? Is it really so simple? Maybe it is for Esikko, but for Fuuta ... it's not that the sentiment itself is untrue for him. But he's far too aware of the potential weight of those feelings, the danger of voicing those thoughts out loud, every one of the billion ways things could and probably will go wrong afterward.

That's the reason for the long pause after Esikko's message.

Then there's a ping for a voicecall. And the moment Esikko picks up -- ]

I'm not messing around with him. [ It's said stiffly, his voice emerging tight from nerves, but he still forges on regardless. ] It's not that I think I'm better or anything, either. But I'm not fucking -- playing around. I'm not trying to hurt him. It's ... special.

[ He'd switched to voice just because it had felt like the most effective way of getting his sincerity across, but it does mean he just kind of awkwardly peters off once he's said his part. Even through audio, his tension is almost palpable. ]