"No!" he exclaimed, and then flinched as he realized how bad that may have sounded, "I mean, of course I like being friends with you, I've liked being friends with you since the beginning."

With that out of the way, Kazuki took a deep breath and continued, hoping he could get this out right, "The other day, first with the mistletoe, and then when you were taking care of me... I thought... I didn't really understand then, I still don't understand all the way..."

"I thought that, you were... attractive. And those other feelings..."