Karaoke Neighbor

Chapter 28

Filth in the Beauty

'Ah, yes. My favorite thing to do; attend school on a Saturday and play sports while random parents watch. What a time to be alive…'

Estell put on the jacket of her tracksuit and placed a hand on her hip. Sport's Day was typically on the first or second weekend in October, and parents attended to see how athletic their child was. Or something.

The young woman stood around with some other students from her class whose parents could not attend. She looked around and was able to spot the 3 Kim's, as well as the 2 Yamane's, with Tsubaki just being with her dad.

Of course, Estell's parents wouldn't fly all the way to Japan for something as slight as this and being alone didn't bother her.

She continued to look around before the event officially started and spotted one Hibari Kyoya who was still in uniform, along with a few other important looking students.

"Hmm…" She hummed. 'So, he doesn't have to participate, huh…?'

The event started not long after the introduction and after participating in 3 events (one being a relay race, where her team lost catastrophically because of her speed, and the fact that she didn't want to be here,) Estell decided to slip away from the event. Her team would probably thank her for being gone.

As she sneakily wandered around, she noticed Hibari also going off on his own somewhere, though his reasons for meandering were probably official. She caught up to him as he was about to enter one of the storage sheds.

"What are you doing…?" He eyed her suspiciously. "Shouldn't you be out there dragging down your team? What was that, exactly? I know from experience that you're a much faster runner than that. That was just sad…"

"…I didn't come here to be chastised…"

"And what was it that you came here for?"

The girl only shrugged. "I saw you."

"And?"

"That's it. I saw you, so I wanted to go where you went."

The young man stared at her for a bit before continuing on with his inventory check.

"Should I put you to work, then?"

"Um…"

"You're right. That's a terrible idea. Forget I suggested."

Estell tilted her head. "So what do they have you doing?"

Hibari sighed. "The equipment here is meant to be separate from the one's their using for Sport's Day. I'm checking the inventory to ensure that none of it was used."

"Oh, yes. You're right. Terrible work for me."

"Ah."

Hibari got started with his check and Estell trailed behind, peeking at the list every now and then. Halfway through she got bored and sat down on one of the mats.

"Do you ever participate in Sport's Day?"

A beat passed before he replied. "Nope."

"Oh, how lucky you are. It's freaking torture."

"Says the smoker."

"I quit already!"

He looked over at her. "Good job."

"Eheh…" Estell giddily put her hands on her cheeks at the praise she got.

"Do you ever just… I don't know... Stop being a weirdo?"

"I'm not weird! You don't give out nice words often. I have to savor them…"

"Ah? Then I shouldn't give them out at all, then."

"Hey! Meany!"

"What are you; a child? Aren't you almost 20 or something?"

"I'll be 19! Don't make me older!"

"And when will you turn that again?" he casually asked as he checked the contents of a few boxes.

"January 11th."

"Right… And why did you switch back to English?"

"I… no reason. Hey, you're really talkative today. That's weird."

"I will cease speaking if you hate it so much."

"Never!"

He turned to her with an eyebrow raised.

"'Cause you.. don't really talk to me anymore. So…" She began fidgeting again, "…I like it."

Their eyes met and he held her gaze for a while before looking back at the mostly completed inventory list.

"Ah…" He said simply and continued on with the last bit of his work.

Estell looked on, watching him make checkmarks with his pen, count equipment and mumble things. He'd look her way a few times and coolly break eye contact.

Finally, he came to stand in front of her. "Move. I can't tell how many mats there are with you there."

She silently did what she was told and stood behind him, continuing to admire him.

'He's got a good frame. Cute butt. Really cute butt. Estell, stop staring at his butt…' she thought to herself.

When it looked like he was done counting mats, she plopped right back down, but not without pulling him along with her first.

"The hell!"

"Break time."

"Yeah it's break time: I'm done." He showed her the completed clipboard. "I've gotta get this back to-"

He was interrupted by the slight weight on his left shoulder. He turned to look at the girl's head on his shoulder with his eyes wider than normal. "What is this?"

"I'm seeing what it's like…"

"Why?"

"…why not?" For added effect, she linked his arm with hers.

He didn't answer.

After a minute, Estell started to fear that maybe she was about to be on the receiving end of a clipboard to the face, so she slowly let go and lifted her head.

He just stared at her with a blank face.

'Okay… so maybe he wasn't actually angry. Good to know…This staring contest is kinda awkward though.' She thought.

As they have done before, her eyes slowly trailed down to the boy's lips. As she dared to look back up, she noticed that his were doing the same.

She was curious about something, so she licked her lips.

As if on cue, his eyes widen and he removed his gaze, facing forward.

"I've concluded the inventory. Everything is present. Time for me to return." He said and raised up.

He walked away, leaving Estell to smirk alone in the shed.

A pretty foreign woman stood in front of Estell and smiled. Estell was confused but smiled back.

"Hi, did you need assistance with anything?"

"You're the chick my brother has a thing for, right?"

Estell blinked in confusion but then realized who it was that stood before her. Her smile widened.

"Hayato's big sis! Hello! Wow, I didn't actually think I'd meet you."

"Yeah. The kid said you were curious about me that one time, so I decided to pop up. I was in the area and in need of some quick bento anyway. So, hi. I'm Bianchi."

"Estell! It's great to meet you, Bianchi..-san?"

"Just Bianchi is fine."

"Sweet. And the thing about your brother… I think he just has a little crush. It'll go away. He knows I'm interested in someone else."

"That's too bad. He's kind of an awkward kid. I don't remember him having a crush on anyone in a while."

"Oh, I see."

Bianchi laughed. "It's all good. So I actually have something for you…" She reached into her purse and pulled out a small tin that looked like it was for storing snacks.

The sliding doors opened and the chime sounded throughout the store.

Estell turned her attention from the tin outstretched in her direction.

"Welc-"

"You're not gonna want to accept that, Kiseki." The person nodded towards the tin and went to lean beside the counter, pushing the tin back towards its owner.

"Well, look at you all grown up. It's been awhile, Hibari Kyoya."

"Likewise."

"Oh. You know each other. I guess that makes sense… Hayato knows you, so you've met his sister at some point."

"Yup, it's been some years. Back when they were in middle school, we all were a part of-"

"Not important. What are you doing here, Poison Scorpion? What were you about to offer her?"

"Call me Bianchi, hun. And it was just some cookies I made. Hayato told me about his senpai and that she wanted to meet me so here I am."

"I doubt you actually can cook even now. Don't offer her anything that you make. Ever."

Estell looked on in confusion. What were they talking about? Why was Hibari being so rude to his elder? And was something wrong with her cooking? And what was that about poison?

As if he could hear her thoughts, he turned to the burgundy-head and said, "Everything she makes ends up being poisoned. Don't accept any food from this woman."

Bianchi frowned while Estell cocked her head to the side.

"Okay..?"

The young woman stared at Takahiro as he busied himself with fixing her tie.

"Okay, Estell-san. You're all set."

"Thanks, Taka~" she squashed his cheeks.

"That's not very manly of you…"

"Pfft."

Class 3-D was in charge of a butler café for this weekend's Cultural Festival. When the class voted last month in October, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor for it. 3-A was doing a book lounge with everyone separated into little cubicles; one per person. Most likely Hibari's influence. 3-B was putting on a performance, and 3-C was doing a haunted house. Tsubaki oversaw the monster makeup application.

Estell checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was up in a ponytail, with her fringe clipped back. She didn't look masculine at all, and she hated looking at her forehead for too long. Hopefully no one thought she looked strange.

The class ran their café and Estell thought it was hilarious acting like a butler. When she was able to take a break, she grabbed up Takahiro and they checked out the haunted house (which did not scare her, but made him jump a bit) and they hung out with Tsubaki. Going to 3-A's 'no crowding' lounge (not the actual name), they had to be split up into separate cubicles.

Estell spotted Hibari overseeing everything in the unusually quiet classroom and motioned him over, but he shook his head. She pouted and sat in her cubicle after grabbing a manga magazine.

After about half an hour, she became bored and left her area. Hibari was still standing in the front of the class with his arms crossed. She went to stand beside him and smirked. He narrowed his eyes at her, but that was it. He didn't shoo her away or tell her off. Probably because there literally was a no talking rule for the lounge.

The young lady turned butler leaned against the wall behind her and checked her phone which was on silent. Tsubaki apparently dipped after 10 minutes. Taka hadn't texted, and since there was books here, he probably had no intentions of leaving. But their break would be over soon and she would have to fetched him.

Putting her phone in her pocket, she looked over at Hibari, who had been glancing at her. She made a finger heart and he rolled his eyes. She moved in a little closer to him so that their arms were touching. He moved away.

Defeated, she went to the cubicle that she saw Takahiro go into. Finding him engrossed in a book, she tapped his shoulder and waved for him to follow her. He begrudgingly did what he was "told" and left the books where they were. The 2 butlers exited the class.

In a week from now, winter break would start. It didn't mean much to Estell. She would be working through it, and even during the holidays, though she didn't care much about Christmas anyway. She was able to take her birthday off, and that was all that mattered.

And speaking of birthdays…

Everyone sat around in beanbag chairs with books and beverages. Taka wanted to go to the café/bookstore for his 18th birthday, so there they were. He was so easy to please. And since all he wanted was books for his birthday anyway, he picked out the ones he wanted the most for his friends and parents to buy (the Kim's were sitting in the other part of the café as not to cramp their style this time.)

Estell expected Tsubaki to be asleep, but she was busy reading a teen magazine, with her chair very close to Miles', who was focused on a manga. Q was also reading a manga. Estell had opted to try a harder novel to see if she was able to understand it, even with its difficult kanji. She couldn't. Not fully at least. She got the gist of it.

Japanese would have to be something she continued to pursue, less she lose everything she learned within months or even years. She figured she'd be okay when she went back home, since she'd have her mom. But would they be okay with her staying with them still when she was 19? 20? She shrugged her thoughts away and continued to read about the woman assassin.

"Hurry up and put that away!"

"Shhhhhh!"

"Oops."

"I'm sorry. I didn't understand…"

"Ugh, do you pay attention in English class?"

"No…"

"Whatever. I said to put it away."

"Right. Sorry.."

"Who would like to bet that we get chased out of here again?"

"Shut up, Taka."

"I couldn't quite hear you, Estell-san."

"Sshhh." Said young woman continued to look out her peephole into the hall.

The friends all gathered once again in Estell's apartment. The occasion? Her 19th birthday. She had checked to make sure that Hibari was not home before everyone got there. They came up with the idea of having a very quiet party. The karaoke machine was once again used, but at a very low volume, and everyone whisper sang. But they stopped when they heard the elevator chime. Estell had rushed to look out her peephole to see her neighbor walk by to his apartment, but not before briefly looking towards hers.

She released the breath she was holding. "Safe!" She whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Now the real test starts…"

"You said it, kid," Tsubaki absentmindedly started playing with Miles' hair while his arm casually rested around her waist.

"I am asking once again-"

"We get it, Taka. I wanted you guys here though. Sure, we could have gone somewhere. But it's always fun with you all at my place."

"Yeah, it's cool here, Esteru."

"So about that cake, Kiseki…"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I'll get it!"

"Sshh! Q!"

"Oops. My bad. I'll get your cake and stuff."

"Thanks."

Estell had bought a nice sized ice cream cake after her shift the night prior. Apparently, it was Tsubaki's favorite. She'd have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't finish it.

x-x

After the cake, it was time for presents. Tsubaki had gotten Estell a new set of earrings, these ones purple. Taka got her a giftcard to a bookstore. Miles seemed to have returned the favor from his birthday and got her a cookbook as well, this one with recipes from around the world. He also got her a new lip ring.

Q happily placed his gift in front of her. She opened it and raised an eyebrow.

It was a pocketknife.

"Because you seem to like weapons. Plus you're a pretty girl and you need to be safe, since… you never know."

Estell stared at her birthday gift for a few seconds before looking back at Q and smiling. "Thanks, Q. I appreciate it."

"Seem to like weapons? Huh…?" Tsubaki mumbled to herself.

"We won't talk about that. Anyway, thanks so much everyone. I love you all."

"Ew. Don't get sappy."

Miles pinched Tsubaki's cheek.

"To you as well, Estell-san."

"Say you love me, Taka!" Estell whisper-yelled to her friend.

The boy instead stuffed some snacks in his mouth.

"Little brat…"

The friends ended up leaving an hour later around 11PM. Their party was a success for the first time ever. Estell smiled and waved as they got on the elevator. When the doors closed, she was headed back inside when a click sounded from the hallway. Popping her head back out, she came face to face with her neighbor.

'How? We did so well! He couldn't have heard anything.' She thought.

He put a hand on her doorframe as his glaring face leaned in closer to hers.

"We need to talk."

You should totally play the Karaoke Neighbor dating sim and romance Hibari, Taka or Miles. 'Cause they're cool. Or no one. Or hang with girls cuz girl power and stuff. (Available for PC) Also, follow me on social media! Links in my profile.

Shout out to Pakistan! Thanks for reading.

Song:

FILTH IN THE BEAUTY - the GazettE