Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. Anyway, enjoy reading this chapter and leave a REVIEW! XD
Chapter 4: The Two of Us
A week has passed and the Rikkaidai regulars join the U- 17 camp. During that time, Eri finds it so peaceful since there are no Sugar Freak and Sea Urchin in her life. Well, not so long because the boys have already returned from their camp. She saw them at the school gate as Yukimura dismissed the group. The boys' appearance has apparently changed especially for Sanada and Niou because they get slightly skinny and a little darker.
"Yo!" Niou greeted the girl while carrying his bag on his shoulder.
"Hi… how's your camp?" Eri asked while looking at the trickster from head to foot.
"Everything is fine," he replied when he noticed the girl's fleeting look. "What's with that gaze?"
Eri was surprised that Niou noticed that she is looking at him, "Uhmm… nothing… I'm just wondering what happened to you at the camp."
"Oh, don't tell me you're worried about me the whole time," the silver hair smirked and messed the girl's hair.
"Could you stop messing my hair?" Eri said and take away Niou's hand on her head.
"As you commanded your highness," he replied and bowed like a knight.
Quite a distant is a jealous tensai watching the scene. Marui wanted to disrupt Eri and Niou's conversation but he sees no point of doing it. He knows that Eri is not the kind who will forgive him that easily, but he also can't stand watching Niou hitting on the girl in front of him. The red hair had no choice but to walk away gloomy.
"Ah… I feel like I want to go somewhere tomorrow…" the trickster said while yawning. "How about you Eri-chan?"
"Me? I got nothing to do tomorrow since my parents will go at Osaka."
"That will be nice," Niou remarked. "Tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning, I'll meet you at the train station."
Eri's heart started to thump. Is Niou asking her for a date? She wanted to ask further but the trickster already turned his back and leaves her. At night, she can't sleep because Niou's words are still clinging on her mind so she decided to send him an SMS.
"Gud eve, r u stil awake?"
"Y?"
"Just wnted 2 ask about 2morow"
"It's a d8"
"I see…Wer r we going?"
"Se-cret"
Eri closed her phone and sighed. It's not working at all; Niou won't tell her where they would go. But wait, did he just say that it was a date? Is that also part of their contract? She rolls over her bed and types a message but before she could send it, her phone vibrates.
"Let me repeat, it's a d8. Don't 4get 2 bring xtra clothes w/ u bcoz wer staying overnyt."
The girl's eyes widened when she read the word OVERNIGHT. Does it mean she would have to spend her night with Niou? Her parents will surely kill her if they would know about that! Then she receives another message …
"I cud c u panic, don't wory I won't do any harm 2 u. Gudnyt XD"
It was 5 minutes before 8:00 when Eri reached the train station. She looks around but she doesn't see Niou. All she saw is the red haired tensai who seriously walks towards her. She wanted to ignore him but there is no way she can do it.
"Where are you going?" Marui asked.
"It's none of your business," she replied while clutching on the strap of her bag.
"Are you going on a date with Niou?" the red hair asked in a serious tone.
Eri looked away, "Yes…."
Marui holds her shoulders tightly while looking directly on her eyes. He is damn serious on disapproving Eri's decision. He convinced her not to go when Niou came and interrupt their conversation. The trickster removed Marui's hands on the girl's shoulder and shrugged.
"Let's go Eri-chan," he said.
The girl nodded and followed him but she was stopped when Marui grabbed her hand. The red hair looked at her deeply trying to convince her not to go with Niou. Eri is so confused on what she is doing, it can't be denied that she still likes Sugar Freak but she wanted to know the trickster more. For what? Even she herself can't answer that question.
"I'm sorry… please don't bother me anymore. I want to move on," Eri said as she removed her hands gently from Marui's gasp.
Marui walked towards Niou who is watching them closely. He pats Niou's right shoulder and mutters some words before he walked away, "I won't forgive you if something bad happens to Eri. Please take care of her…"
"You don't have to tell me that Marui," the silver hair replied.
Niou and Eri boarded the train. It is quite crowded but still Eri managed to get a seat while Niou stands before her. She gazed at him whenever he was off guard and blush was pasted on her face. It's the first time that she realize how slender Niou's body is and that he got a pink ponytail. It's also the time that she noticed that Niou's eyes are sapphire blue and that he got a mole near the right side of his lips. Her mind is clouding of many thoughts about Niou that she didn't notice that the trickster is talking to her.
"Are you listening?"
"Ha?" that's all she could say.
"I say, we will get off the train on the next station."
The train stopped and they get off the train. Niou get Eri's bag and carried it with his stuffs. They went in a café where lots of teenagers hang around. Eri waited on a table near the glass wall of the shop while Niou went to the counter to order their drinks. She never thinks that the trickster could act this well-mannered because for her, Niou is just a playboy who loves to tease girls.
"The cappuccino in this place is great; I think you should try this." The silver hair said and placed a cup in front of Eri.
The girl looked at the cappuccino in front of her and blushed, "Ne Niou, what's with this heart shape art on my coffee?"
"Don't you like it? Cappuccino art is the specialty of this store."
"You surely know places like this, don't you?" Eri replied and stir the cappuccino. "Tell me, how many girls did you bring to this place?"
Niou smirks and counted by his fingers, "Ah… as long as I can remember you are the only girl that I bring to this place. Yagyuu and I often went here that's why I know this place."
"Liar."
"Say Eri-chan, aren't you going to ask me where we are really going?" he asked.
"I also want to know, but it's alight if you won't tell me."
Niou scratched his head lightly, "We're going to Chiba."
They reached Chiba around lunch time. Niou explained to her that they are going to stay at his grandmother's house. When they reached the place, something is strange. The gate of the house is locked so he has to climb up but lots of ants started to bite him so he falls on the other side.
"Niou, are you alright?" Eri asked in a concern voice.
"Yeah, I'm alright." He replied while brushing the ants on his shirt and then he opened the gate for Eri to come in.
The house looks suspicious since it's so silent. Eri tugs on the trickster's sleeve as they enter the house. Niou calls out but nobody is answering. They place their bags on the sofa and start searching for Niou's grandmother.
"Oba-san!" the trickster runs toward the old lady lying on the floor.
Eri was petrified on where she stands and her heart started to beat fast. Niou yelled at her to dial 119. She panicked and reached the phone near her but her fingers are shaking tremendously to dial. Niou held his grandmother trying to wakes her up but she is not responding. When he is in the verge of breaking his voice to cry, the old lady pinched his cheek.
"You're cute as ever Haru!" grandma said and hugs her grandson. "I could still trick you."
Eri dropped the phone when she saw that Niou's grandmother is only playing a prank. The old lady looked at her and gives a sweet smile, uhmm… well maybe not sweet since its Niou's grandma after all. Niou wipes his forehead and assist his grandmother to stand up then he introduced Eri to her. The girl behaves at her best which caught the attention of the old lady.
Niou's grandmother is actually nice yet playful. She admits that the ants in the house gate are her deed. She is the kind of grandma who has many tricks on her sleeves and full of stories. Eri learned that the old lady is a former kyudoka which created a rapport between the two of them. Grandma shows her a collection of different bows and arrow which amazed the girl so much. She lends Eri a bow and arrows as well as a hakama then they went on a nearby dojo to practice.
On the other hand, Niou stays on his grandma's house alone. He lies down on the sofa and later falls asleep. When he woke up, he saw two giggling faces in front of him holding lipstick and blush on. Oh my, it looks like that they pull a prank on him while he was asleep. He touched his face only to find out it's so sticky.
"He's awake now… what should we do Oba-san?" Eri asked while pouting.
"Don't worry, I got better plans for him." Grandma replied and takes a picture of half-unconscious Niou.
"Eri-chan, I can't believe you team up with my Oba-san," the trickster complained.
"Puri~" Eri and grandma replied in sync and laugh together.
There is a festival on the shrine that night so Niou and Eri went together. Just as grandma advice, Eri wears a yukata. The place is crowded by people who make it so lively to stroll at the stalls. The sweet smell of cotton candy caught Eri's attention but she didn't tell Niou. The trickster is not insensitive not to know it. He buys her cotton candy and other sweet stuffs that he knows the girl likes.
"That's too much Niou," the girl tries to stop him and started to look for paper bills on her wallet but the trickster stopped her.
"Don't embarrass me Eri-chan, you are my date so I'm paying for it," the silver hair said and pay the sweets.
They sat on the grass near a tree full of fireflies which is considered as an attraction in the place. Eri started to eat the sweets that Niou bought for her while the trickster only watches her. She offers some sweets but he declined, saying that he is not Marui.
"I choose to be with you tonight so don't mention his name Niou," she said.
"I see," the trickster replied and gaze at the darkness of the sky. "Eri-chan…"
"Hmm?" she hummed while munching the last piece of sweets.
"What do you think of me?" the silver hair asked straightforwardly.
"What do you mean by that Niou?" she asked and put the sweet wrappers on a plastic bag then she throws it on a bin nearby.
Eri avoided to answer the trickster query so she stands up and fixed her yukata, "It's getting late, I think we should go back… "The girl's words are interrupted when she feels that Niou's arms are wrapped around her. She sighs but didn't brush the trickster's arms.
"I won't release you until you tell me what do you think of me," Niou whispered to her ears.
"That's so cheap of you…" Eri replied casually while enjoying the trickster's warm embrace.
"Tell me Eri-chan, what will you do if I tell you that I like you?" Niou asked as he tighten his grip on hugging the girl.
Author's Note: To tell you seriously, I am thinking of abandoning this story because I can't publish the next chapters of Honey, Honey since this side story tells what happened behind the scenes. But of course, I won't do it! The only disadvantage that I see is that it might take a week or two before I update the stories.
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