Miku woke up to the feeling of something warm and furry lightly caressing her cheek. Miku moaned softly and slowly opened her eyes. She heard a soft mewl at her side and turned her head where (in her hazy vision) she saw a familiar blond cat sitting right next to her head.
The cat stared down at her intently before he meowed once more and licked his paw. Miku blinked and sat up. "Hey kitty." She greeted softly and the cat meowed in response before he moved closer and lightly rubbed his head against her arm.
Miku smiled and reached out for the cat to gently scratch his chin, to which it purred in contentment. She giggled at how cute the cat was. She got up from the bed and stretched with a sigh. Miku walked over to her bathroom and washed her face. As she turned around, she paused when she looked down and noticed the cat was sitting in front of her with a small towel in its mouth.
Miku blinked and bent down. "You got this for me?" She questioned and the cat meowed in responded. Miku smiled and softly pat his head. "Thanks kitty." She said as she stood up and lightly wiped her face. She walked over to her cabinet and pulled out a some clothes.
As Miku was about to change out of her pajamas, she paused as she felt an intent stare coming from behind her and she turned to see the cat sitting on the bed, staring at her with his big blue eyes. She blinked while the cat meowed. She didn't know why but for some odd reason she felt a bit...cautious. Sure, it was just a cat but still...it felt weird.
Miku immediately shook the feeling away and decided to ignore it as she peeled off her pajamas off her and changed. Meito had given her the day off today since she had been working all week so Miku couldn't help but feel grateful. She had been working non-stop since she got there so she was beyond excited for her long awaited day off.
Miku hummed as she stared into her mirror then twirled around to make sure about her appearance before she nodded. She then walked over to her desk and took out her hairbrush, lightly brushing her hair to fix up her hair into her signature look then smiled, satisfied with her looks.
"Alright! Let's start this day!" She exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. The cat leaped off the bed and stood next to Miku as it mewled loudly as if to cheer with her. Miku smiled down at the cat before she turned to her bedroom door to leave with the cat following from behind.
As she stepped out of her room, the door next to her opened and she turned to see Mikuo walking out of his room with a yawn.
"Ah, Good morning Mikuo-kun." Miku greeted. Mikuo looked over to Miku then smiled. "Morning." He greeted back. He then glanced down at the cat and his expression changed to a glare.
Last night when Mikuo finally came home from school, Miku showed him the cat and wondered if he was okay with having a pet around. Mikuo at first, was alright with it but that was until the blond feline decided to try and claw Mikuo's face off when he was simply reached out to pet it.
Needless to say, Mikuo didn't like having the cat anymore. Miku laughed nervously as Mikuo glared down at the cat, who hissed at him. She wasn't sure how to respond to this nor was she sure on why the cat seemed to dislike Mikuo so much but she decided not to say anything about it and immediate stepped into Mikuo's view instead.
"Anyways Mikuo-kun, let's go down and have some breakfast." Miku immediately suggested. "I'm sure Meito-san is making breakfast by now."
Mikuo looked back to Miku and smiled. "Yeah, we should." He said and Miku nodded as she walked over to the stairs. Mikuo just shot a dirty look at the cat, who seeming returned the look as Mikuo walked past it and the cat followed after them.
As they walked down the stairs, they immediately smelled a delicious scent in the air coming from the kitchen and they glanced at each other before they grinned and dashed down the stairs into the kitchen where they saw Meito standing in front of the stove, cooking...with a bottle of sake in his hand.
Meito turned to the two and smiled. "Morning you two." He said. There was a slight slur in his tone as he spoke. The two blinked as Meito took a drink from his bottle and Mikuo frowned. "Meito-nii, are you drunk...again?" He said in disapproval. "You do realize its so early in the morning to be drink?"
Meito snorted. "I'm not that drunk." He responded. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the sake. "And for me, anytime is drinking time. You'll understand once you become an adult." He said as he took one last drink from the bottle.
Miku and Mikuo sweatdropped at that before Mikuo snorted. "I doubt I'd wanna grow up to be a drunkard like you, Meito-nii." He said and Meito scoffed loudly, placing down the bottle onto the nearby counter.
"Anyways kids, I already made breakfast so take your seats and lets start eating." Meito said. Miku took her seat in the table while Mikuo sighed before grabbing the seat next to her.
As Meito placed down the plates of food in front of them, Mikuo looked down at his plate suspiciously. "This doesn't have any traces of alcohol again, does it?" He questioned, picking the food with his chopsticks.
"No, there is none." Meito deadpanned as he took a seat across him. "Stop worrying so much about it. This is why you're going to grow up old and alone."
Mikuo glared at him. "Shut up." He groaned. Miku just laughed awkwardly as she watched the two interact. This was waaay to familiar. Was this really how she and Meiko acted around each other? This was...interesting.
In the middle of breakfast, Miku turned to Meito. "So um Meito-san.." Miku began. "I was thinking of going out today too get some things for the cat." As if in cue, they heard a soft meowing from underneath the table. They looked down to see the cat walking into view and mewled once more.
Miku smiled and looked back to Meito. "So is that okay with you?" She asked as the cat lightly rubbed against her leg and mewled. Meito chuckled and smiled. "Of course I don't mind." He said. "Its already your responsibility so I don't see anything wrong with that."
Miku grinned. 'Thank you, Meito-san." She cheered. Mikuo on the other hand, snorted as he ate his food. "I think it would be better if you tossed that cat back onto the street." He grumbled under his breath.
Meito glanced over to Mikuo then looked back at Miku with a smile. "How about you take Mikuo with you?" He suggested and Mikuo looked at him with shock. "Huh? Me?" He gaped.
Meito rolled his eyes. "Is there any other Mikuo we know of?" He deadpanned. "You don't honestly think I would let a sweet girl like Miku carry her stuff all alone, do you?"
"Well...no but..." Mikuo trailed off for a second before he glared down at the feline rubbing its head against Miku's leg. For a moment, he could've sworn he saw that damn cat glance up at him and smirk. He doesn't know what that cat's problem was with him but what he does know was that the feeling of dislike was mutual.
"Its okay Meito-san." Miku said. "I can handle shopping for cat things on my own. I don't really mind."
"I know that but I think it would be better for Mikuo to come with you." Meito added before he raised his gaze to Mikuo, annoyance was clear in his eyes. "The reason is because this lazy bum would just laze around in the living room all day watching TV."
"Hey! I spend almost everyday in school so the least I could do is relax." Mikuo defended "No excuses kid." Meito snorted then looked back to Miku. "So you see Miku-chan, I don't trust this kid staying at home all day so for his sake and the sake of my couch just take him with you."
Mikuo glared at Meito who merely ignored him and ate his breakfast while Miku sweatdropped. "Um well..." She turned to Mikuo and smiled awkwardly. "If Mikuo-kun wants to come..."
Mikuo turned to Miku and paused for a couple of moment before he sighed. "Alright." He said, scratching the back of his head. "I'll come with you."
Miku grinned and was about to thank him when suddenly Mikuo let out a yelp and leaped out of his seat. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Mikuo cried out as that damn blond feline clawed at his leg ferociously. It hissed loudly as it continued to leave marks on his leg.
"You little-" Mikuo tried to shake the cat off him but it merely held on even more. Miku and Meito sweatdropped at they watched the two.
"Are you sure its safe to Mikuo-kun?" Miku questioned. "He'll be fine." Meito responded with a sigh. "If anything, he'll survive with a couple of scratches."
Miku laughed awkwardly at that. "Alright then..." She said before they continued to eat breakfast, ignoring the commotion coming from Mikuo and the blond cat.
"Have a safe trip, you two." Meito said as he saw the two off and waved. Miku smiled at Meito as she waved back. Mikuo stood next to her, grumbling. His face had a couple of scratches and his hair was a mess.
The two walked down the street in silence before Mikuo spoke up. "You know...I'm just curious but..." Mikuo then glared down at the thing in Miku's arms. "Why are you bring this...demonic furball?"
The cat nuzzled comfortably in Miku's arms and for a moment, Mikuo could've sworn he saw that damn feline smirking at him which annoyed him even more.
Miku just smiled awkwardly. "Sorry but he didn't want to stay at home." She said as she pat the cat's head. "I couldn't do anything so I had to bring him alone."
"Riiight..." Mikuo muttered but continued to glare at the cat. "You don't mind him coming along right?" Miku questioned. Mikuo looked back at Miku then at the cat then back to her. Mikuo let out a sigh. "As long as this...thing doesn't attack me out of nowhere, I'll be fine."
Miku just smiled. "Will do, Mikuo-kun." She then looked down at the cat. "Now you be good too. I don't want any of you causing trouble, got it?" Miku said as she patted the cat's head. The cat lifted his head to her then turned its gaze to Mikuo. It let out a soft meow in response though for some reason, it sound more like a defeated sigh to them.
"Good." Miku said. "Now let's hurry to the store so we can get home soon." With that said, Miku took Mikuo's wrist and proceeded to drag the teal haired male down the street despite the said male's protests.
-0-0-0-
"Mikuo-kun, do you think this collar looks good?" Miku asked as she lifted a cute looking collar. Mikuo stared at the collar and tilted his head. "Well honestly...It looks kinda girly for a male cat." He admitted. The comment would've annoyed any other girl but Miku simply hummed thoughtfully. "I guess you're right." She said as she placed back the collar.
Currently, they were at a pet store in shopping district. Miku was busy looking around the different sets of pet collars on shelves while Mikuo stood at the sideline, watching her as she looked around while that annoying cat followed her around.
Mikuo crossed his arms as he watched her. For moment, he thought about how odd this scene was. It was like watching a mother walking around in a grocery, picking up food from the aisle while her child followed after her and the father was...
Mikuo blushed at the sudden thought. Wait. Wait Wait! What on earth was he thinking? He wasn't trying to picture Miku as a mother! He honestly didn't mean it like that.
For goodness's sake, he was just dumped by the girl he liked! He shouldn't even be thinking about stuff like that!
"Alright, Mikuo-kun. Which do you prefer? This green collar or this blue one?" Mikuo lifted his head to Miku who was now holding up two different collars. Miku tilted her head innocently at him and Mikuo's face colored slightly. "U-Um...the blue one? I guess..." He muttered.
Miku glanced at the blue collar in her hand. "The blue one? Okay then." She nodded and smiled. "Let's get this one." She then handed the collar to Mikuo. "Now we have to get kitty's food bowl, bed, and so on." She then turned back to him with a grin. "Come on, Mikuo."
Mikuo said nothing and followed her like a lost puppy. This made him feel awkward as he followed her around the shop, scanning through food bowls and the likes with the cat following close by. He glanced to the side to see the shop owner who was by the cashier, smiling at them.
Mikuo could hear the owner say to himself. "Ahhh, Young love." Mikuo turned even redder at that and turn to Miku, who was looking at bunch of animal clothes. "Um, Miku-chan let's hurry, shall we?" He said as he gently grabbed her shoulder and pushed her forward, much to her confusion and surprise.
-0-0-0-
"Thanks for coming with me today, Mikuo-kun." Miku said as they stepped out of the pet shop. "You've been a really big help."
"No problem." Mikuo grunted while dragging a large bag filled with pet goods. Seriously? Just how much stuff does a single cat need? He heard a soft mewl next to him and he glared at the feline who was innocently licking paw and grooming himself. The cat gave a glance to him before he ran up to Miku and leaped into her arms.
Mikuo felt annoyed how relaxed that damn cat was while he was busy trying to drag his stuff. He didn't want the cat's deal was with him but whatever it was, the feeling to dislike was mutual.
"Anyways Mikuo-kun..." Miku started, bring Mikuo's attention to her. "Since we have some free time...do you wanna go somewhere before we go home? I wanna thank you for coming with me so how about it?"
Mikuo blinked at the sheepish look on Miku's face then a light pink color stained his cheeks. Now that he thought about it...it was kinda like she was asking him out on a date...
Mikuo mentally shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking like that! His heart belonged to Lily-senpai! At least...before it did...but that didn't mean he should think that Miku was interested him just because he was dumped by his first love!
"Um well..." Mikuo sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Uhh, w-we could go for some ice cream? I know a really good ice cream parlor nearby and I know someone working there so we could probably get a discount."
Miku smiled at that and was about to answer when they heard a loud gasp. "What the-!"
The teal haired duo turned to the side to see a familiar green haired male with red goggles on his head pointing at them with a shaky finger. His mouth was wide open with shock and his eyes were wide like saucers. Next to him was a tall male with long reddish hair tied to a low ponytail and he wore glasses. He looked just as surprised but was more collective than other.
Miku looked at them with curiosity. They looked oddly familiar...Wait, could they be-
Miku heard a chocked sound coming from Mikuo and looked to him to see a horrified look on his face. "G-Guys!" He squeaked. "Mikuo! Are you on a date?!" The green haired male exclaimed in shock. He then ran up to Mikuo and grabbed him by the shoulders and began to shake him violently. "You traitor! I can't believe you! Right after Masuda-senpai rejects you, you suddenly get another girl?! While I'm still single! That's not fair, man! Why do you have to be popular with the ladies?!"
"I can explain!" Mikuo yelled between the shakes. The red haired male finally walked up to them and placed a hand on the irritated green haired male's shoulder. "Gumo, that's enough." He sighed.
"But Ted-!" The greenet protested. The red head shook his head. "I get that you're annoyed but let's give the guy a chance to explain before you start a scene."
The greenet frowned but then did as he was told and released Mikuo, who sighed in relief. "Thanks Ted..." He grumbled. Mikuo looked over to Miku and smiled apologetically before he turned back to the two males with a reluctant look on his face. "Guys, umm this is Miku Hachune, she-"
"Whoa! She's really cute!" The green haired male exclaimed as he rushed over and stood face to face to her. Miku jumped at the sudden action as well as the change of attitude. The male grinned widely at her. "Hi cutie-san! I'm Gumo Megpoid. I'm sorry for my attitude just now but I didn't think Mikuo would find a cute girl like you!"
Miku blushed as she realized just how close Gumo's face was to hers. He was really good looking now that she had a really, really close look at him but he was literally getting too close for comfort. 'T-Too close!'
The cat in Miku's arms (which she had forgotten) growled loudly and tried scratching the green haired male's face which he immediately dodged. "Whoa there! What a mean kitty you got there." He remarked as the feline hissed. The green haired male just ignore the cat and smiled back at Miku as he was about to say something else-
"That's enough, Gumo." The red haired male said, grabbing the back of Gumo's shirt and pulled him back. Gumo yelped in response as the red head frowned. "You're creeping the girl out."
The red head turned to Miku and smiled. "My name's Ted Kasane by the way, miss. Its nice to meet you."
Miku blinked. "Um right." She smiled awkwardly. "Nice to meet you too."
Mikuo then stepped in front of Miku. "Okay, now that you guys are introduced. Me and Miku-chan need to leave." He said as he turned and began to gently push Miku to the other direction.
"Wait...Miku-chan? You guys are in first name basis already?!" Gumo exclaimed. "Now that is totally unfair! Why does Mikuo get all the girls?!"
"Because you are noisy and can be annoying." Ted bluntly said. Gumo froze and tears began to comically for in his eyes. "You are so cold to me, Ted." He said. "And here I thought you were on my side!"
Ted just sighed heavily. "Oi Mikuo, you got some explaining to do next time." He said, pushing back his glasses. "And you better not escape...or else."
Mikuo gulped at a rather scary glint flash in Ted's glasses which made Mikuo push the confused teal haired female even faster. "Let's go Miku-chan." He said before softly muttering. "Before the sadist decided to appear again..."
"Huh? W-Wait a-" Miku tried to protest but Mikuo wouldn't let her say a word as he proceeded to move them to a place far, far away from the two males while the cat in Miku's arm just hissed at them.
-0-0-0-
"Ugh, I didn't think those two would appear out of nowhere." Mikuo groaned to himself. "I can't believe those two saw us. What am I going to explain to those guys, ugh."
Mikuo continued to complain and grumble as Miku simply followed behind him silently. The blond feline was now next to her, softly meowing and trying to grab her attention but her mind wondered back to the two males just now.
So those two were Teto's and Gumi's counterparts. A part of her wasn't honestly surprised to see them. She knew sooner or later she would have met them, and she wasn't surprised seeing that both of them were very, very attractive.
After seeing the counterparts of several familiar faces, she would definitely be more surprised if they weren't.
"Anyways Miku-chan..." Miku's train of thoughts immediately broke at the sound of Mikuo's voice and see looked up to Mikuo. "I'm really sorry about Gumo." He said with a apologetic smile. "He can be a real pain and annoying but he's totally harmless. I hope you don't mind."
"Oh! Its alright." Miku said. "To be honest, I knew someone who acts the same way so I don't mind." She then thought about Gumi. She was always one of the more energetic types in her world. Although she didn't precisely act like the way her counterpart acted, that guy, Gumo was still Gumi's male counterpart.
"Really? Well...okay then." Mikuo smiled. "Anyway do you still wanna go that ice cream parlor I was talking about? It's nearby from here so..."
Miku blinked and smiled. "Sure. I'm starting to crave for some ice cream anyways." She said. Mikuo grinned and offered a hand to her. Miku blinked at him in confusion.
"Your hand, milady." Mikuo said with a bashful look on his face. Miku's face colored as well. That was when she mentally slapped herself. 'Idiot! This is your male counterpart! Your male self!' Miku scolded herself. 'You shouldn't feel all giddy and embarrassed at all! Focus!'
Miku took a deep breath and smiled. Well despite her thought...he was offering her a hand and it would be kinda rude not to take up his offer, especially since he looked really adora- ehem, embarrassed by his awkward action.
Miku was about to reach for his hand when the blond feline growled and leaped up, latched onto Mikuo's arm. Mikuo yelped loudly as he tried getting the damn cat off his arm. "You little-! Let go already!" He yelled as he tried shaking the cat off him with vigor.
The cat growled in response and just held on even more, making sure to leave marks onto his skin. Miku sweatdropped at the scene but regardless, she sighed and smiled . This was going to be a really long day.
Unbeknownst to them, a blond haired male was watching them with a cellphone at hand just across the street. He raised a brow at the scene before a mischievous smile stretched on his lips and he lifted his phone to take several pictures of the two before he turned and walked down the street, humming.
Looks like, he has a lot to talk about with Mikuo real soon.
A/N: I finally finished this chapter! This took me waaaay longer than I thought and I'm really sorry for that. Ahhh, I didn't get to make much character development on this chapter besides Mikuo! I really need to work on that.
Anyways I finally introduced Gumo and Ted (finally) after 8 whole chapter I finally introduced them to Miku. Just 2 more to go which I will do in the next chapter (Yes!). When I finally got all of them to meet Miku, I'll finally put up a poll on who do you think or want Miku to end up with in this story.
A part of me has regretted placing too many guys in this story but I just couldn't leave any of them alone! I mean I love those guys! It was impossible to not put them in the story!
Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to tell me about your thoughts on this chapter. I would absolutely love to read about them.
Well that's it for now. Until the next time, farewell!
-Yugao702