~ Kent ~

I did not want to tell her. "Will you promise me something first?"

"Depends on what it is." Michi frowned up at me, ever the cautious one.

"You hated me before. Please… Don't go back to that."

"I hated you?" She stared at me with wide eyes. "I can't really… Comprehend that."

"You did. Or rather, you hated what I was a part of." I took a breath. Telling her was the right thing to do. "My parents are socialites. We're an incredibly affluent family."

"Yeah, I sort of got that… I mean, you have your own office in that fancy building."

I shook my head. "That, I did myself. But just a few years ago, I was still relying on my parents for finances as I was in my time of undergraduate studies. As a part of that allowance, I was made to attend parties with them in order to incur favor with other families. They wanted me to marry the daughter of a rival company so that that company too would be under their control."

"What the hell?!" Michi snapped. "That's not right, making you do that!"

I held on to her hand tighter. "It's common among the wealthy. Anything in order to get more, to gain control. Such a thing… It puts a person on a high they can't get enough of. That's what I've gathered. But…" I turned to look at her earnestly as she gazed up at me. "At one such party is where I met you. Five years ago."

"Oh… I would have been thirteen…"

"Yes. You had gotten a job helping to cater. I don't know why, but…"

"My dad and I were always in a pretty tight financial place. I did whatever odd jobs I could to help out." She shrugged.

"I see…" And now that she was alone, that burden was probably even worse. I never wanted to let go of her hand. I wanted to help her, somehow. Protect her.

"Well, keep going."

"Ah, yes. At the party, you…" I trailed off as she suddenly doubled over and put her free hand against her head. "Michi?"

"I'm just… This happens… When I'm remembering something… Just let me be, alright?" She trembled from the pain.

I helped her sit up and lean against my shoulder. This was all I could do.

~ Michi ~

The night of the party… The time I'd met Kent.

The starched black and white uniform I had been given was itchy against my skin, and I could barely walk in the heeled shoes. The guests were the ones supposed to be dressed up all fancy, not the servants… But I was going to get one-hundred dollars if I could make it through the night, so I really couldn't complain.

No one looked at me, even as I would hand them fancy little snacks or sparkling glasses of wine. Not a thank you or a nod of acknowledgement. What was with that sense of entitlement?

I was almost through the night when it happened. My anger and frustration boiled over in one incident, ruining everything.

I was beckoned over by a woman in a lacy black dress, standing with a stern-looking man with slicked hair and a younger guy with glasses and a green tie who looked just about as uncomfortable as I felt. At least the lady was looking at me, I guessed. I held out a glass as I walked towards her, but then I tripped over my own feet. I stumbled and managed to stay standing, but half of the glasses on the tray I was carrying went tumbling down to the floor and shattered piercingly while the glass I had been holding just sloshed out, the contents landing all over the front of her dress.

Everyone turned to stare. This was probably the most interesting thing they had seen the whole night past the false pleasantries they'd been exchanging.

"Sor…" I started to apologize meekly but was startled into silence by a sudden pain on my leg. Glass had grazed it, and a thin line of blood was running down to my foot.

The woman turned to her husband, face twisted with the unpleasantness of having had her front drenched. "Isn't that Ohayashi's daughter?"

I perked up at the mention of my father. He too worked as many odd jobs as he could. He'd done a lot of cooking for this very event. We'd both worked it tonight, making it as fun as it could be by calling it a team effort.

"He was caught drinking some of the wine earlier and was dismissed… I wonder why they let his daughter stay. She might have the same brutish tendencies as he," the man with slicked hair mused.

That was the thing that made me snap. Say anything about me and I could take it by keeping my anger simmering silently. But my father… I exploded, boiled over. I grabbed a drink and tossed the contents into their faces, one for each of them, and then threw to rest of the platter to the ground.

"You rich bastards don't know a thing!" I screamed. "You don't know what it's like anymore if you ever did to have to work for every single scrap you've got! Just because we weren't born with money doesn't mean we that our lives have any less meaning than yours! Fuck all of you!"

After that I was restrained by security and tossed out onto the street. My dad was already waiting there. "I guess we both messed it up, huh?" He ruffled my hair. "It's not your fault, Michi. I know you tried your hardest. Let's just go home." On the way home I cried, aware that tears were the only water we were going to be able to get for a while.

I gasped as I came out of the memory.

"Are you alright?" Kent was gazing at me with concern.

I stood, slipping away from his grasp.

~ Kent ~

"Don't…" I reached out for her, fearing having to watch her walk away. But she turned and moved to stand in front of me before throwing her arms around my neck.

"Sorry… I'm sorry, Kent."

"Wha…?"

"I don't think that way anymore. I… I certainly don't hate you. I know you're a good person. And again, I'm sorry for making you feel like I did."

I put my arms around her back. "You avoided me at work, too, back then. I was certain you couldn't stand the sight of me."

She laughed softly. "I was too embarrassed to face you… I couldn't think of how to apologize. But I'm saying it now."

"I'm sorry as well. You were treated unfairly, both you and your father."

"It's okay. I've had a lot of growing up to do since then… But I'm not angry at the world or at my own circumstances anymore. I just work as hard as I can." She pulled away and sat next to me again. "You forgive me?"

"Of course. I was never angry at you. After that I started wanting to work for myself, find my own way. I suppose in part, the person I changed myself into can be attributed to you." I tilted my head. "Your circumstances… What are they like now that your father is gone?"

"Well…" She laughed, but it was a tired one. "I've been looking into downsizing into a new apartment that'll cost less and picking up another job. Two if I need. Bills are a bit more than what I'm pulling in right now. I'm willing to work hard as always, though." She sounded more determined than exhausted.

"Would you like to move in below me?"

"Huh?"

"I own the rights to the room below me as well, just in case I ever have guests. It's an office with a bed and bath attached to it. Do you want to live there?"

"Maybe you should think about it more… I mean, you'd have me as a neighbor, and then I'd definitely owe you, and…"

"You can pay me a small rent if it's a matter of pride. Please, just… Give it some thought."

She shook her head. "I'm not stupid enough to pass up an opportunity like this. I'll take it, Kent." She looked up at me, cheeks red and eyes slightly watery. "Thanks…" She turned away and rubbed at her eyes.

The timing was definitely right now, wasn't it? It had to be. I'd never felt such a pleasant warmth in my chest before. "Michi…"

~ Michi ~

Profound relief had surged through me at his offer, bringing tears to my eyes. This really could change everything. "What is it?" I asked in response to him saying my name softly.

"Earlier I had something I wanted to say, remember? I feel as if the timing is right now."

"Okay?" Anticipation made my heart thump a little harder.

"I feel that, rather I think that…" He frowned with frustration. "That you are perfect the way you are."

"What?" I blushed. "Um, thanks?"

"And if I ever gave you an impression as to the contrary, I apologize."

"What's this even about?"

"Ikkyu told me that you seemed to have a few matters with your self-confidence."

"That sneaky bastard…" I grumbled.

"Indeed. I became concerned about a few passing comments I've made… I apologize."

"You mean comparing me to Sawa and Mine? Dude, it's fine. I mean, I know that keeping a comparative mindset is one of the surefire ways to block your way to finding happiness. I didn't take it to heart when you said those things… Much."

"I reiterate, though. As you are, you are perfect. I don't want you to think otherwise."

"Fine, just stop… It's embarrassing." I tried to rub the redness on my face away. "So is this where you had planned to go today? This bench?"

"Oh. Not at all. This was a rather unexpected detour for both of us."

I sighed. "It's not me if something unexpected doesn't happen."

"It's much more interesting that way, isn't it?"

"Sometimes," I laughed, not feeling a sense of awkwardness or unease when he took my hand anymore. "Really, this had better be good. You've kept me in suspense for forever."

"We'll arrive at our destination soon."

"You sound like GPS."

He smiled wryly. "Turn right in 100 meters." His strides were starting to become long again, probably a sign of excitement.

I laughed. "Hey, slow down…"

"We're here."

I stared at the logo of the building. "Cheesecake factory."

"Yes. The Cheesecake Factory."

"Fucking Cheesecake Factory?!"

"Indeed."

"You evil genius… No one can be unhappy when they're eating cheesecake…"

"I had figured you would enjoy it. Shall we?"

"Well hell yeah!" Of course, deciding what to order was the hardest part. Narrowing it down to five options was almost more than I could handle. "White chocolate… Love that stuff… But the wildberry… Sounds so fresh… Triple chocolate though… Death by chocolate really doesn't sound that bad… Turtle is classic… But is it too classic? Raspberry… Love raspberry, but does wildberry eclipse raspberry?"

Kent watched me with amusement as I muttered to myself. "Why don't we each get two and share?"

"Lemme see here…" I pulled my wallet out to check how much cash I had.

Kent frowned. "Is it not customary for a man to pay on a date?"

"I don't really care what's customary, I prefer to pay for what I eat."

"We'll split the bill then… But I can leave the tip."

"Deal." I nodded.

In the end my eyes ended up being bigger than my stomach and I was only able to eat what amounted to one slice of cheesecake before I felt like taking a nap. "Urg… Wah…"

"I'm surprised at you." Kent commented as we left, him carrying the takeout boxes.

"I know, this is really uncharacteristic for me…"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, though."

"Thanks… I think this is the best date ever," I laughed.

"You saw it that way? An actual date. I wasn't thinking you would."

"Uh… I mean…" I blushed. Holy shit, I hadn't even brought up Sawa like I'd said I would. "R-remember when you said you were going to ask Sawa out?"

"I do."

"M-maybe you should…" My chest was hurting. The words felt wrong. I didn't want to… "T-try…" I trailed off with a squeak.

"Are you alright there?" Kent frowned down at me.

"Fine, fine…"

"You want me to ask Sawa out now?"

"I mean… She likes you!" I blurted. "She likes you… But that's all I wanted to tell you. I'm not telling you what to do."

"Ah." He blinked, surprised, but then his expression turned thoughtful. "You told me once to only act if I was coming from a genuine place. Although it's regrettable, I'm afraid I can't return her feelings at this time. Perhaps if things were different."

"What do you mean, if they were different?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing." Then he turned to me with a slight smile on his face. "Is the owner of your apartment building available at this hour? What do you say we put things into motion tonight?"

I grinned. "Let's do it." But what did he mean? If things were different… What was in his way to pursuing Sawa? What do you think, Musca? What is it?

She sighed. "You idiot..."

Huh?

"It's obvious. Just figure it out for yourself."