"Sorry, Rin…I have dinner plans." She gave her an apologetic look, but Rin didn't seem too bothered, raising an eyebrow as a sly smile curving her lips.
"A dinner date, eh? With who?" She tapped a finger against her chin. "Wait. Don't tell me it's Gumo. I thought you didn't want to acknowledge his crush on you."
"Not Gumo. I mean, he'll be there, but…his sister invited me to dinner." She opened the door wider, inviting Rin in, and her best friend skipped into the room, immediately diving onto her bed with her shoes still on. "Rin! Off!" she cried, pointing at her feet.
"So naggy," Rin moaned, but she did as Miku said anyway, kicking her slippers away. "Gumo's sister, huh? How the heck did you even meet her? Isn't she super old?"
"Yeah, she's working now. Going to get married soon. She invited me to her wedding." Miku threw open her cupboard, looking for something nice to wear – Gumo had told her to dress up, but she didn't have many fancy clothes. "She came to our dorm this afternoon looking for Gumo, and I happened to be around, so we talked for a bit."
"Oh. Is she like her brother?" Rin rolled onto her back, bumping into Miku's bear, and she frowned at it, her eyes narrowed in thought.
"She looks just like him if that's what you mean. But personality-wise they're nothing alike." Miku rifled through her clothes, pulling out the little black dress she wore for their dinner-and-dance last year. "Huh. I have no idea what to wear."
"Miku, why do you have this bear? I'm quite sure it belongs to Len," Rin said, her voice deceptively neutral, and she paused, glancing over her shoulder at her best friend. It was a little scary to see Rin smiling so brightly. "Are you not telling me something?"
"It was a gift! To commemorate our friendship!" She turned back to her cupboard, not wanting Rin to see the blush that no doubt painted her face. "Nothing more to it."
"Friendship? Really?" Rin's tone was dry. "You think boys go out and buy soft toys for girls just to celebrate their friendship? What planet are you living on?"
"A planet where we don't make assumptions about the way our friends feel." Miku pushed a pile of shirts aside, some of them still with their price tags on. "Len was the one who said it was about friendship, so I'm going to take his words at face value."
Rin groaned. "Miku, you idiot. You're hopeless! He obviously has a crush on you!"
She shook her head. "Not every girl who gives a guy chocolate on Valentine's Day has a crush on him. It's the same thing! We don't only give presents to people we have romantic feelings for! I mean, I give you stuff all the time too."
"Yeah, but that's different. We're best friends. Think about it. How long did Len know you? Less than a year?" she retorted. "And he's my twin. I know very well the way he thinks. He's not going to randomly give things to people he feels nothing for."
"Okay. Say what you want, but unless he outright tells me he has feelings for me I'm not going to think too much about it." She tapped her fingers against her cupboard door, taking a deep breath. One, two, three. "You know why I'm so scared of believing in him. Love, feelings, relationships…there's no guarantee any of it is real."
"Miku…" Rin sighed. "I know, yes. Who was the one who showed up at your door with chocolates and ice cream afterwards? But this isn't the same. It's not."
"Rin. Please. I don't want to talk about this right now." She stared at one of the fallen price tags, focusing on the numbers, the brand, the size of the shirt.
There was silence for a moment, then the creak of the bed as Rin shifted her weight. "Okay. I'm sorry." Soft footsteps and a gentle touch on her arm. "Do you need help in picking out something to wear? Though I'm sure you'll look great in anything."
Back in safe territory. She forced a smile, turning her head to meet her best friend's gaze. Rin looked genuinely apologetic, and she felt bad for lashing out like that, but just remembering that episode was enough to make her eyes sting, and she didn't want to relieve those memories. "Yeah. Gumo told me to dress nicely."
"Why not wear that, then?" Rin picked out the same little black dress she'd considered earlier. Miku frowned at it, turning the dress this way and that – it revealed far more skin than she'd like, and she was in two minds about putting it on again.
"The last time I wore this was for the dinner-and-dance last year. You know, the one where half of us got drunk in that nightclub before the bouncers kicked us out." She fingered the satin material, thoughtful. "Pretty sure this dress is bad luck."
"I doubt you're going to get drunk at a fancy restaurant, Miku." Rin snorted, slipping the dress off its hanger. "And you'd look amazing in it. Put it on! I want to see!"
She shimmied into the dress, secretly relieved to note that it still fit her. Rin clapped, whistling long and low. "Oh, you're gorgeous. Heads are going to turn for sure."
"You're too nice." But she laughed, flipping her long hair over her shoulder, posing exaggeratedly for Rin's benefit, and her best friend cackled, snapping photos on her phone. "I'm curious about where we're eating though. Gumo didn't say."
"Maybe he wants it to be a surprise." Rin slipped her phone into her pocket. "By the way, I'm curious. I know you're scared of confronting him, but if let's say he confesses to you one day. Would you say yes?" Her blue eyes were piercing.
She thought back to the kiss they shared earlier. How he was warm and patient and understanding, how his smell reminded her of chocolate and books and dried flowers. She thought about the way his pretty eyes glowed in the sunlight, almost otherworldly.
"Maybe." She hesitated. "Probably. If he's sincere." Gumo was known for his flirtatious smiles and his playful jokes – while she was fairly confident that he truly did like her, she still wanted to be careful. Besides, she couldn't let go of Len. Not entirely.
It was a choice between waiting for someone who might never return her feelings or believing in a friend who never seemed to take anything seriously. With that in mind, it felt easier to just not think about them. Rin nodded. "If that's your decision."
She gave Rin a reproachful look. "You don't have to make it sound so serious. It's not like I'm going to get married to him or anything. Wasn't it a rhetorical question?"
"Yeah, but with each day that passes it seems more and more likely that he's going to make a move." Rin shrugged. "You're either blind or willfully oblivious. The way he looks at you…" She didn't finish her sentence, but Miku's heart stuttered anyway.
"I know the way he looks at me," she answered, her voice quiet. She had seen it, seen the way he watched her with soft curiosity in his eyes. "But for now, I don't want it."
"Mm. Playing dumb as always, I see." Rin made a face. "Sometimes, the way you cope with problems makes me worried. You'll never trust anyone again, at this rate."
"It's easier not to trust people, isn't it?" She met her best friend's gaze. "All I need is you, Rin. There's no need to take risks. You're the one person I can always rely on."
"Miku, I love you, but that's seriously unhealthy." Rin sighed, reaching up to pat her on the cheek. "You know that too. I've already told you like, a million times."
She pouted. "Right. And I know where you're coming from. I promise I'll work on my issues someday. But for now, just let me worry about other things, okay?"
"Fine, fine." Rin held up her hands in surrender. "To think all I wanted to know was whether or not you were free to have dinner. We should grab lunch tomorrow."
"Yeah, okay. Fine by me." They chatted for a while longer, Rin ranting about her assignments and the bad grade she got on her quiz while Miku listened, nodding along. Eventually, they looked at the time and Rin decided she had to go.
"I'll be late for training if I don't get a move on. Let me know how your dinner goes, okay? And if you need help or something. I'll beat Gumo up if he tries anything weird."
"You know he won't," Miku laughed. "He likes to flirt, but he's not an asshole."
Rin waved a fist semi-threateningly. "I don't care. I'd beat up Len too if he tried to do something you were uncomfortable with. No one messes with my friends, okay?"
"I love you," she answered, and Rin blew her a kiss, waving goodbye as she flounced out of her room. Now that she was gone, Miku turned towards her cupboard, eyeing the clothes that had fallen out while she was deciding on what to wear. She still had some time left before she had to meet Gumo – maybe she could tidy up her room.
Thirty minutes to go. Her stomach growled, and she picked at her dress, studying her reflection in the mirror. She wondered what Gumo would think of her outfit.
When she met Gumo downstairs at half-past six, she couldn't help but stare.
He had always been attractive, but this was the first time she'd seen him in a suit and it certainly hit differently. Gumo didn't attend the dinner-and-dance last year, stating that he wasn't interested in watching a bunch of horny teenagers grinding on the dance floor. At that point, she just assumed that he didn't want to dress up.
After all, Gumo's fashion sense was pretty unique; suits and ties had no place in his wardrobe. She'd never seen him put on anything even remotely close to formalwear.
But now, here he was with his hair slicked back, dressed in a dark brown suit – was that leopard print? – with a black shirt and a purple tie. It was a complete mess, but he made it look good somehow, and she just stared, unable to believe her eyes.
A group of girls walked past, giggling and waving, and he shot them a wink before he looked up and noticed her standing there. He smiled, his entire face lighting up. "Miku!" he shouted, and the girls all glanced back at her, blinking in surprise.
It felt strange to have so many eyes upon her, and she hurried towards him, keeping her face averted. "Where are we going for dinner?" she asked, clutching his arm.
His smile was filled with mischief. "You'll have to wait and see! I've booked a cab, so let's head over to the pick-up point. I'm sure you'll love what we're eating tonight."
She was burning with curiosity at this point, and she walked with him to the campus bus stop, where their cab was waiting for them. Gumo kept his mouth shut every time she tried to ask for information, and in the end, she gave up on questioning him.
"You look stunning," he suddenly said, glancing at the thin straps of her dress. "And you had this locked up in your cupboard the entire time? It's a damn shame."
"Thank you?" She was a little embarrassed about his compliment, especially since this involved her taste in clothes and that was undoubtedly Gumo's domain, but he simply smiled and twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, and she had to look away.
Miku had no idea where they were going. Of course, she could tell they were headed towards the fancy part of town, but that was about it – she watched as the restaurants they passed became more and more expensive, queues spilling out onto the streets, and she fidgeted in her seat, desperately curious about their mysterious destination.
Surely it couldn't be one of these restaurants. Most of them required reservations to be made weeks in advance, if not months – Gumi couldn't have booked a table in just a few hours, right? These thoughts continued to whirl around her head as they drove down the street, eventually pulling up outside a very familiar-looking building.
TAKO. Megurine Luka's first-ever restaurant, popular among both renowned critics and casual diners. Miku had dreamt of eating here someday – she was a huge fan of Luka's cooking videos, and Gumo knew that. "Wait. We're not eating here, are we?"
Her voice was so soft it was practically a whisper. Gumo just grinned and opened the door, waiting for her to clamber out, and she stood there on the pavement, tipping her head back in shock as she took in the signboard. TAKO. She really was here.
"Gumo!" Gumi's voice rang out, and she saw her standing right outside TAKO, still in her brown trench coat. "You're late! You know we're on a tight schedule."
"Sorry! We had to wait for the cab!" A lie. Miku had simply been late. She opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to clarify, but Gumo gripped her wrist and squeezed and she immediately shut up. "Do we have a table already?"
Gumi nodded. "Follow me!" And Miku had to pinch herself as they breezed past the long line waiting outside, heading straight past the doors. Gumi led them to a corner booth hidden deep inside the restaurant, and Miku stared when she realised there was already someone sitting there. Someone with long pink hair and blue eyes and…
It was Megurine Luka in the flesh. She had to pinch herself again. "Luka!" Gumi cried, reaching over to hug her – the celebrity chef responded enthusiastically, and Miku shook her head, wondering what kind of world she had stumbled into. One where her friend's sister somehow knew one of Miku's favourite chefs? Was she dreaming?
"You should have told me earlier that you were visiting! I would have gotten a special menu prepared for you!" Luka said, and she sounded just like she did in her videos, bubbly and cheerful. "I'm so happy for you and Piko. And I have so many ideas…"
Gumo cleared his throat. "Hi. Can you two stop pretending we don't exist now?" Two pairs of eyes flicked to him, and Miku felt the sudden urge to disappear into thin air. "This is Miku. She's my friend. She's also a huge fan of yours, Luka."
"Gumo! You didn't need to say that!" she protested, but Luka was already staring at her, curiosity in her eyes. "Oh, um. Hello. Yeah, I enjoy watching your videos," she squeaked, unable to meet her gaze. Her heart was racing, and she felt dizzy.
"I'm glad you enjoyed them! They're one of my favourite things to do!" Luka giggled, reaching out to grasp her hand. Miku blinked, still in shock as she shook hands with Megurine Luka – this had to be a dream, surely. How on earth did Gumi manage…?
"Um, I bought all your cookbooks, and your recipes are all so delicious and easy to follow! I'm super honoured to be here!" she blurted out, her cheeks warming.
"You're so lovely! I like you already." Luka nudged Gumi conspiratorially. "Is she your future sister-in-law, perhaps?" And Gumo spluttered, waving his hands to cut off that line of thought – Miku was still too dazed to understand what Luka had just implied.
"All right, all right, we get it." Gumi shook her head, smiling at them. "Come on, Luka has kindly reserved a table for us tonight, so take a seat and enjoy yourselves, okay?"
Miku and Gumo slipped into the booth, and she found herself sitting directly opposite Luka. She could barely pull herself together. "Ah, I haven't seen you since you were a kid, Gumo," Luka was saying. "I still keep that little portrait you did of me, you know!"
She whipped out her phone, scrolling, and Gumo instantly flushed, reaching over to try and snatch her phone away. "Don't you dare pull it up," he hissed, but Luka held her phone out of reach, giggling uncontrollably. "Look, look!" she flipped her phone around, and Gumo buried his face in his hands, collapsing into his seat.
Miku blinked. It was a photo of a drawing; though it was a rough sketch, it still looked detailed enough that she could recognise Luka. She thought it was pretty nice, actually. "How long ago was this?"
"Oh! I think this was quite some time back. Maybe eight, ten years?" Luka hummed, and Gumo groaned, still not looking up at them. Miku glanced at him.
"It's really good, especially given that you were what, thirteen years old?" Or possibly younger. Gumo peeked up then, watching her through a gap between his hands.
"I don't like looking at my old work," he mumbled. "It makes me cringe. You only think it's good because you can't draw, Miku."
"Maybe, but that doesn't change my mind." She stared at him, and after a few seconds, he exhaled, removing his hands from his face. He looked at the picture, then at Luka and Gumi, who were quizzically observing the two of them.
"Shall we have dinner?" he asked, changing the topic, and Luka shrugged, raising her hand – one of the servers popped by their table and flashed Luka a thumbs-up before running off elsewhere. "What's on the menu tonight?" Gumo continued, looking very determined to avoid all mention of his art.
Luka smiled, seeming pleased with herself. "You'll see! It's going to be delicious…if I do say so myself." She hummed, lacing her fingers together, propping them beneath her chin. "Gumi said that you're going to help her with the decorations for her wedding?"
Gumo nodded. "And I bet you're going to help with the catering." Miku just listened quietly to the conversation, wondering how on earth they all knew each other.
"Sweet! We should work together, you and I. We'll make sure the food and the décor all come together nicely." Luka winked and Gumo seemed to relax marginally, resting his hand on the table. "I don't think I've seen your projects in a long time."
"You haven't seen me in a long time," he pointed out, glancing at Miku. "Oh, just so you know, Luka and Gumi are good friends. They go way back – they attended the same high school before my sister went to university and Luka went to culinary school."
Luka smiled at her, her blue eyes crinkling. "Gumi and I were talking, and she mentioned she ran into a little darling at Gumo's dorm in the afternoon. I suppose she's referring to you, Miku."
Warmth flooded her face. It was embarrassing to hear Luka talking about her like this. She honestly never thought she would, in her entire life, ever have a chance to meet one of her favourite social media personalities like this. "Um, I guess so?"
Gumi beamed. "She made me feel right at home! It's nice to know that my little brother is keeping good company in school. He gets a little spacey sometimes."
"Oi, stop talking about me like I'm not here," Gumo groused. "Seriously, you should have told me you were coming to visit! I wouldn't have gone to the supplies shop if I knew. If you hadn't bumped into Miku who knows how long you'd be stuck outside?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise! And anyway, I did bump into Miku so your point is moot." Gumi took a sip from the glass of water in front of her. "Shouldn't you be happier to see your sister? I'm starting to feel like you didn't want me to come."
"No, no, that's not it!" Gumo interjected. "I was just taken by surprise. You know what I'm like about surprises," he said, sounding reproachful. "I'm no good with them."
"Yes, which makes planning your birthdays super difficult." Gumi sighed. "Gumo is a bit of a – I guess you could say he dislikes the unexpected. He's constantly planning, even if it doesn't look like he's doing anything. A sly little fox, this one."
He groaned. "Please stop calling me all your weird pet names in public. You're even more embarrassing than Mum, and that's saying something."
Miku couldn't help but feel amused. Gumi pouted. "But it's cute. You really do remind me of a little fox, sweetie. And your love for shiny things, almost like a magpie –"
"Please. No more animal comparisons." He held out a warning finger, and Gumi shook her head, though she didn't try to continue. "God, I've almost forgotten how weird it can be spending time with you. You'd think an accountant would be more…normal."
"I think Gumi is pretty normal. I'm like that around Mikuo too, sometimes." She spoke without thinking, and the entire table turned their attention towards her. She blinked, her voice turning quiet as she continued. "It's fun to watch him get flustered…"
"Oh, spoken like a true big sister!" Gumi giggled. "Right, it's funny sometimes seeing how worked up you can get. You'll always be my cute baby brother, Gumo," she cooed.
"Miku, aren't we friends? You're supposed to be on my side." Gumo splayed one hand on his chest, looking betrayed, and she bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh. "No wonder Mikuo doesn't text you too often. It must be humiliating."
"He's just not a great texter," she said. "He does call me to ask for advice, you know."
"Do you have any photos of your brother?" Luka asked, her eyes filled with curiosity. Miku nodded, rootling for her phone in her bag – she pulled up one of the more recent pictures she had of him, and Luka and Gumi oohed and aahed, gushing over Mikuo's brilliant aquamarine eyes. She felt a little bashful on her brother's behalf.
"He's so handsome! And he takes a lot after you," Gumi said, and she just smiled, not too sure how else to respond to the compliment. "Yes, yes, He has your eyes."
"Thank you," she said, bowing her head, and luckily she was rescued from having to say anything else by their server, who came over with a bottle of wine and a platter of cheese. She eyed the bottle, nervous – she'd never been good at drinking.
"Wonderful! Now we can eat," Luka said, watching as the server poured the wine into their glasses – it came out a clear shade of red, almost ruby, and the smell of alcohol wafted over to her, making her nose wrinkle. "We're all able to drink here, yes?"
One drink probably wouldn't hurt. She nodded, and the server placed a glass directly in front of her. She swallowed, glancing at the ruby liquid, and remembered the time she got drunk on Christmas Eve with Rin and a few other girls. It didn't turn out well.
But she felt a hand rest on hers underneath the table and she blinked, sending Gumo a sidelong glance – he met her gaze with a twinkle in his eyes, and she found herself relaxing slightly, flipping her hand over so that she could hold his. Everything would be fine; she'd have to thank him and Gumi for letting her meet Luka later.