"So... how long have you been dating?"

Mahiru relaxed a little. This was a question that he had expected Suzuhara to ask, and he had been wise enough to prepare an answer. "Just a couple months," he said. "We met in spring, at the beginning of the school year."

Okay, maybe he had panicked a little too much. Up till now, things were going smoothly. Maybe, just maybe, all of this wouldn't be as bad as he'd feared. Hopefully.

"I see..." Suzuhara looked genuinely interested as she continued to ask all kinds of questions. "How did you meet then?"

Another question Mahiru had anticipated. "He moved into the house next to mine," he lied. "Since we're about the same age, we became friends pretty soon." Not really a lie. Well, maybe.

Suzuhara smiled. "That makes sense! You see, I was wondering because I've never seen Kuro-kun at school..." She paused. "Speaking of school, isn't Kuro also your cat's name? The one that's always sitting on your desk?"

Oh crap.

That question caught Mahiru off guard. "Ah, um..." Why hadn't he thought about that? He should have known that she would bring it up. Especially since Suzuhara was one of the girls who obsessed over Kuro the most. "Actually, that's... how should I put it..." What could he say? How could he lie his way out of this one? "It's kind of a coincidence... but not really... uh..." Think, think, think, think, think! "That's right!" His eyes lit up as an idea popped up in his head. "Soon after I met Kuro, I found this cat on the street and took him in. And the way he looked and acted just kind of... reminded me of Kuro, you know? So that's what I named him. Kuro. There's Human Kuro and Cat Kuro now... does that make sense?"

Suzuhara nodded. Mahiru sighed with relief as he gave his companions a glare that asked, 'Why didn't you guys say anything?' Well, it didn't matter anymore. He had dodged this bullet, so he should be fine now.

Or maybe not.

"Speaking of your cat, where is he today? Isn't he always with you?"

Double crap. Mahiru tried to look as calm as possible as he frantically racked his brains for a logical explanation. Nothing seemed to make sense in his head. All the excuses seemed cheap and easy to see through. Damn it, why was he so horribly bad at lying? And why on earth hadn't he thought about Suzuhara mentioning his cat? Was he an idiot? His eyes strayed to his friends, pleading, begging for help. Somebody had to think of something.

Mere words were not enough to describe Mahiru's relief when Hugh spoke up. "There are no pets allowed here, so he had to stay at home," he said simply.

Oh, stupid. Obvious. Why hadn't Mahiru thought of this? He gave the small vampire a grateful look as he secretly cursed himself for his stupidity. Being too honest did have its drawbacks sometimes.

"By the way," Hugh added, "is anyone else feeling thirsty?"

Suzuhara jumped to her feet. "I can get everyone a drink," she offered.

"No, it's fine," Mahiru started to protest. "I can- mmmph?!"

Lily covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence. "That would be very nice of you, Suzuhara-san," he said with the sweetest smile he could muster. "I'd like a black coffee please."

"I'd like some orange juice," Hugh said.

"Coke..."

"Uh, then it's soda for me... Hey, Kuro! At least say 'please'!"

"You're making such a big deal over a tiny word... How exhausting..."

"This isn't about words, it's about manners! Geez!"

"My, my, a lovers' quarrel..."

"Shut up, Lily!"

It took awhile, but finally everyone had placed their drink orders and Suzuhara left the table. Mahiru slumped with relief, letting out an exhausted sigh. "This is actually a lot harder than I thought."

"If it's so hard, then don't do it in the first place, you fool," Misono said. "Shirota, you should know by now that diving headfirst into danger doesn't qualify as a plan!"

"It sounds good enough to me," Tetsu remarked.

"Quiet, Sendagaya! Nobody asked you!"

"More importantly," Lily interrupted before the boys could start fighting, "you two need to act more like a couple."

The dreaded words.

"B-B-But isn't it fine?" Mahiru stammered. "I-I mean, Suzuhara seems to buy it just fine... right?" His face was practically glowing. Mahiru was positive that he was redder than a cherry by now. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. This was about to get even more mortifying than it already was. It looked like the universe really hated him today.

Misono sighed. "Shirota, you're too simple-minded. If you don't give her proof that you and your Servamp really are a couple, she won't 'buy it' anymore. That fight of yours was enough to make her suspicious."

"Okay, I get it. But..." Mahiru hid behind his hands to conceal his flushed face. His voice was so quiet that it was almost unintelligible as he continued, "How do we... act like a couple?"

"Are you serious?" Misono managed to sound annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. "Shirota, you really are a fool. Didn't you think this through before you decided to carry out your plan?"

"Well... That doesn't even matter now!"

It was Tetsu of all people who knew what to do. "My big sis has a boyfriend," he said slowly. "She always puts her head on his shoulder when they sit together. They keep saying all these cheesy lovey-dovey lines. I think they share food and drinks too. And the usual stuff... you know, kissing and holding hands."

During Tetsu's speech, the fake couple on the other side of the table had been reduced to a blushing mess that only wished to crawl into a hole in the ground and disappear. Kuro tried his hardest not to let his expression betray his feelings, but the color of his face spoke volumes.

Mahiru swallowed hard, took a deep breath, leaned to the side, and placed his head on Kuro's shoulder.

The vampire stiffened. Having someone this close, even if it was only an act, wasn't something he was used to. His heart beat faster. The spot where Mahiru's head rested on his shoulder felt oddly warm. It was uncomfortable, sure, but at the same time, it was exciting. Kuro hated to admit it, but he enjoyed it a little.

He didn't say that, of course. Instead, he kept his default expression and mumbled, "Mahiru, you're heavy. Do we have to sit like this?"

"You heard the others. We have to look like a couple," Mahiru answered. "We don't have to, uh, kiss and stuff," the boy blushed and averted his eyes, "but this should be okay, right? It's not for long."

Kuro was glad he didn't have to answer because at that very moment, Suzuhara came back with everyone's drinks.

Her eyes went wide as her gaze found Mahiru and Kuro. For a second, the supposed couple and the girl just stared at each other, faces flushed with embarrassment. This evening is turning into a series of blushes and awkward moments, Mahiru thought. I'll be so glad when it's finally over.

At the moment, though, it didn't look like that would happen anytime soon.

Suzuhara swallowed, blinked back her tears, and forced herself to smile. "Here are everyone's drinks," she said. "I hope I got them right."

"I'm sure you did." Mahiru gave her a reassuring smile. "Thanks a lot, Suzuhara."

Kuro wasn't sure why, but he didn't like Mahiru's smile and tone. At all. He was getting way too friendly with that girl, seeing as he was supposed to be dating him and...

He stopped in his tracks. Didn't that sound like he was jealous? No. No, of course he wasn't jealous. All of this was only an act. Kuro definitely wasn't falling in love with Mahiru or anything.

Still, one of his arms snaked around the boy's waist, and the glare he shot at Suzuhara was a silent warning. Hands off.

If Mahiru had noticed any of this, he certainly didn't show it. All he did was take a large sip of his soda as everyone else reached for their drinks.

Lily took one look at Misono and chuckled. "You're drinking hot chocolate at a karaoke night with friends? That's not very cool."

"Lame... can't deal," Kuro joined in.

Misono glared at them over the edge of his cup. Tetsu's gaze strayed from one to the other, genuine confusion in his eyes.

"Lame? I think you're pretty cool."

Misono almost choked on his hot chocolate. "What the-?!" he sputtered. "Sendagaya, you imbecile! Don't just say stupid things like that out of the blue! You really are an idiot!"

His face, which had been the epitome of calm, collected nobility up until then, now closely resembled a tomato. A very, very angry tomato yelling at Tetsu, who didn't have the slightest idea what he had done wrong.

"I was just telling the truth," he protested weakly. "I thought everyone liked getting called cool."

"How often do I have to tell you to leave the thinking to me? Besides, don't tell people things because you think they like to hear them! That's even worse than just speaking your mind when nobody asks you! Why did you call me cool? Did you think I needed some reassurance after being called lame? That's pathetic. Who do you think I am?"

Confusion grew on Tetsu's face as he listened to Misono's rant. "I... don't really get what you're talking about," he admitted. "To be honest, I didn't even think that far. I just felt like saying it. Sorry if you don't like getting called cool." He paused for a moment, thinking, before he continued, "Should I call you uncool then?"

Mahiru had to resist the urge to facepalm. Lily pressed both hands on his mouth, desperately and unsuccessfully trying to hide his laugh. Hugh snickered, but quickly hid it behind a fake cough.

"Of course not." Misono leaned back and folded his arms. "You really are an idiot." His voice was calm, but his cheeks were still treacherously red as he took another sip from his cup. Lily and Hugh exchanged a glance. They knew what was going on.

Suzuhara, who had watched the whole scene in growing astonishment, leaned over to Mahiru. "What's the matter with Misono?" she whispered.

The boy laughed. "He's... not very good at taking compliments."

"I see," Suzuhara said, laughing in her turn. "Maybe it's better not to compliment him at all. The way he was just now was pretty scary-ah!"

Suzuhara's glass had stood on the very edge of the table. While laughing and talking, she had accidentally hit it with her elbow.

It hit the ground with a crash. A thousand shards scattered all over the floor. The drink was nothing more than a puddle on the floor, except for the splashes that had found their way on Suzuhara's new dress.

Suzuhara bit her lip. Her eyes filled with tears as she stood up. "I-I think I'll get something to clean this mess," she mumbled, turning away from the others. "And a new drink. And maybe a new dress, too..." She faked a laugh.

Before she could run away, Mahiru reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Suzuhara, wait. I'll help you with the cleaning, and the drink... you can have mine, you know. I'm not that thirsty anyway."

That was going too far.

Kuro didn't care if this was real or not, he definitely didn't like the thought of Mahiru sharing his drink with a girl. Especially not Suzuhara, who seemed to have gotten more smiles and nice words from him in a few hours than Kuro did in a month. She'd end up getting her hopes up if he kept going like this.

How exhausting.

Before Suzuhara could say anything about Mahiru's offer, Kuro grabbed his Coke and shoved it in her hands. "Here. You can have mine."

"Eh?"

"You like Coke, right? You can have it."

"Th-Thanks," she stammered, eyes wide with surprise. Mahiru was just as shocked. "Kuro...?" he asked. "Why did you... and what are you going to drink?"

Kuro took a look at the glass of soda Mahiru had just taken another sip from. Suddenly his body acted on its own. He leaned closer, took the glass from Mahiru's hands, and drained it with one gulp.

Mahiru stared at him. For a split second, his mind went completely blank. What was going on? Had Kuro just taken his drink instead of the one he had given to Suzuhara? Why had he done that in the first place, anyway? Helping others had always been troublesome to the vampire. And didn't he love Coke much more than soda? But more importantly... why was Mahiru's heart beating like crazy?

He suddenly noticed how close their faces were. They were just inches apart, so close that he could feel the vampire's warm breath on his lips. His throat felt tight and dry. He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his head. They were too close for comfort, way too close. He turned away, trying to figure out why his heart was racing like that.

"You said you weren't that thirsty," Kuro said almost apologetically.

Lily watched and observed.

The rest of the evening was unremarkable - well, as unremarkable as it could get considering that Mahiru was on a fake date with a vampire who played his role too well. They cleaned up the mess, took some more drinks, sang a few duets, and talked about pointless things.

Mahiru was glad when it was finally over.

"Thanks a lot for inviting me today, Shirota-kun," Suzuhara said with a slight smile. "It was very nice meeting you all."

"No problem," Mahiru answered without really listening. A few more minutes and everything would go back to normal.

Lily smiled his brightest smile. "It was very nice meeting you too, Suzuhara-san. Maybe you'd like to come with us again sometime...?"

So much for going back to normal.