040: Almost Genuine.
Miura Yumiko wanted to meet her high school friend Ebina Hina for quite awhile now, but both of them had been unable to make room in their schedule for a little high school reunion. Both of them were no longer teenagers, studying in Sobu High anymore. Both of them went their separate ways after graduating high school. Both of them moved out of Chiba, enrolled in different universities in accordance to their grades and preferences and like most high school friends their interactions grew less and less over the years.
They tried to stay in contact by calling one another frequently, by face timing sometimes and even by sending emails but gradually their cherished friendship got lost while keeping up with their respective adult lives.
No one was at fault and there was no one left to blame. Their respective careers took priority over everything else but after spending a couple of years without any contact from her old friends, maybe except Hayato, Miura Yumiko found herself wanting to be a little bit selfish.
She could afford being a little selfish, it went perfectly with her character and personality but of course cancelling arrangements by strong arming her manager and personal assistants was proving to be a difficult chore.
But regardless she always had her way while dealing with such menial things and finding herself enjoying a cup of ice cold mocha while reliving old high school memories with one Ebina Hina, more than made up for her future problems which would mostly consist of overlapping schedules. But she paid her manager more than enough to move things around a little, once in a while and if he was ill-equipped than she could certainly fire him and hire a better one. There was no shortage of managers wanting to work for her, Miura Yumiko.
"Ne, Yumiko you are smiling again. Did you remember something funny?"
"Nothing Hina. Where were we?"
"Nowhere Yumiko. You were just telling me how hard your life is now that your film won another award."
"No need to sound sarcastic, you know? You should be happy for me."
"How can I!? With you looking stunningly beautiful there wasn't any boy love to go around! Made me sad. No boy-love! No boy-love!"
Miura and Ebina both broke into raucous laughter which failed to match both their personality and character but at this present moment neither of them were representatives of their respective professional fields. At this moment Miura Yumiko was no longer pretending to be an up and coming actor and Ebina Hina was no longer pretending to be affiliated with any media outlet because at this moment, in this little café, both of them were just two normal people who were friends since high school and now they wanted nothing more than just to catch up a little and listen in to whatever they have missed while they had grown apart while growing up.
Miura Yumiko was dressed rather fashionably while Ebina Hina was dressed quite practically but of course Miura had other considerations to pay attention to which mostly included having no attention focused on her at all. Using a disguise and dressing against their know style was an old trick used by several celebrities to escape unwanted public attention. She had used sunglasses and a sunhat along with a floral patterned sundress which stopped just below her knees to hide her perfect visage and figure from being recognised and photographed by any pesky little paparazzi. However Hina assured her that she was quite safe from being ambushed by any unwanted stalkers in here for she had used this same café quite a lot while meeting with her sources during the course of her small yet growing career and of course Miura showed her trust in her by removing her disguise. She had to say wearing sunglasses and sunhats was not exactly her style and neither was tolerating interruptions from several message bleeps during the course of an invigorating conversation. Miura had her phone switched off and she expected Hina to offer her the same courtesy.
"Sheesh Hina! Tobe is way too meddlesome. Can't he leave his girlfriend alone for a minute!? Looks like after talking to you I'll have to pay him a visit and teach him a lesson on how not to interfere with me when I decide to steal you away from him for a little girl talk."
Hina smiled and put her phone on silence mode.
"Tobe and I broke up."
Miura was taken aback. Last she heard Tobe and Hina were both together in a healthy relationship and were slowly progressing towards committing to one another. She never heard about them breaking up and this just showed how less she knew about her friends these days.
"When did this happen?"
"A long time ago."
Miura understood this was a painful subject but curiosity won her over and she decided to intrude on her friend's personal life once again despite her better judgement.
"So, are you dating someone?"
Hina kept her gaze on her phone.
"No."
Her reply was prompt almost like there was no thinking involved and Miura Yumiko wondered whether her friend still had feelings left for her ex-boyfriend. If she did then Yumiko would surely help her get over him for this was the least she could do after she had been away from her life for such a long time. Yumiko had already made up her mind. She would help Hina find someone new because having her get back together with Tobe was no longer possible. Yumiko had lost her trust in Tobe and once she lost her trust in someone she rarely found it back.
"Hina! We have to get you back on the dating scene. Forget about Tobe! Frankly, I always thought you were too good for him."
"Thanks Yumiko. But you don't have to worry. I'm over him. In fact I met someone."
Now Miura was confused. She clearly remembered Ebina saying she was not dating anyone and hence her chances of being in a relationship seemed puzzling. Clearly her face showed her confusion otherwise Ebina would never bother enlightening her over the subtle nuances involved in working a relationship because everyone would agree Miura was far more capable than Ebina in stealing hearts and winning fancies of many a men. Her success in cinema bore evidence to support this fact but currently she was not a diva waiting for her chance to perform but instead she was her best friend and like most best friends she decided to grill her for every single little detail, starting with,
"Who is he?"
"Someone you already know. He was in our class in Sobu High."
Miura remembered most of her classmates. She was a member of the most popular clique in her class and knowing everyone was part of her duties when choosing her newest friends. She mentally sighed remembering how shallow she was back then, picking friends based on their level of 'cuteness' and she told herself she was no longer that same high school girl but here she was, mentally comparing faces of her old classmates and guessing who would be most suitable for Hina. But after a couple of minutes of carefully pondering she shook her head.
"I give up. Just tell me already!"
But Hina decided to keep her in suspense for a little while longer. She giggled to herself after checking a message on her phone but after she saw Miura growing irritated she gave in.
"You remember Hikigaya?"
Miura thought for a moment. This sounded familiar to her but she was having a hard time putting a face to this name. For some reason she was remembering a pair of dead fish eyes which was making her shudder.
"Don't remember. Who was he again?"
Miura noticed Ebina smile but it carried an undertone of bitterness which she blamed on her overactive imagination.
"Wow Yumiko! He always said everybody forgot about him but I always thought he was just being cynical and pessimistic. Guess he was right after all."
Miura heard her talk about him but yet she was unable to figure out the identity of this mystery man who by the way sounded very unlike a guy Hina would date. When she thought of Hina, cynical and pessimism never came to her mind, then how come she was in a relationship with this type of a guy.
"What are you talking about Hina? You are making no sense."
Hina blew on her coffee before gently taking a sip. Then she placed her hands around her styrofoam cup and gingerly kept it on her side of the table before replying to Miura.
"Yumiko, do you remember anyone by the name Hikigaya Hachiman?"
Miura Yumiko lost interest in her iced mocha. Their waiter had placed their orders before them but only Hina was digging into her cake with any form of enthusiasm.
"Yummy~ Try the cake Yumiko! It's delicious."
Miura looked at her cake but she lost her appetite. Of course the cake looked tasty and she was hungry but not for food anymore. She wanted information and involuntarily a name rolled out of her mouth.
"Hikio."
Ebina smiled and took another gulp from her coffee. Then she made a cutesy looking face which made Miura very uncomfortable.
"Aw~ You have your own nickname for him. How adorable! Is he secretly meeting you behind my back?"
Miura made a face.
"Gross! How could you say such a thing Hina! We never met after high school and this is the first time his name has come up in a conversation. Besides-"
Miura abruptly closed her mouth shut, she felt like shad said enough. This was supposed to be a conversation involving only two people but somehow Hikio came up and now he was making her drag another name into their little talk. She sometimes wondered how both of them despite being polar opposites was somehow similar, so similar that in a simple little chat one could not be discussed without mentioning the other and Ebina urging her to continue made it hard for her to stop from dropping his name in the mix.
"Besides what?"
"-Besides I'm with Hayato."
Miura saw her smile and she was glad there was no judgement in her eyes. She looked happy for them and despite not knowing the circumstances involved in their relationship Ebina counted on to know when to stop from discussing anymore private matters. Miura always thought Ebina had an understanding of certain boundaries and this was another example of how she was always right about people who she invited to join her clique during her days in Sobu High.
However Miura never expected Ebina of all people to hook up with Hikigaya. She was certain Hikio had nothing common with her, in fact she was convinced Hikio was compatible with no one that she knew from her high school. Of course there was Yui and Yukinoshita but they failed to make their move when they were club mates fearing they would destroy whatever kind of companionship they cherished amongst the three of them, in their stint at the short-lived Service Club. Hayato once mentioned how poorly Hikio thought of their clique, how he felt they were a bunch of fakers pretending everything will remain unchanged and unharmed in a safety bubble created by their friendly interactions. Miura was hurt when Hayato mentioned this to her and she hated Hikio for saying such things but she knew all along there was some form of truth in his claims. There was a reason why she and Hayato grew close overtime after they finished high school and there was also a reason why till date their relationship was a to the public at large. Both of them were lying when they agreed this was to keep their private life safe and to protect their larger than life image but this was a lie which was beginning to sound like an uncomfortable truth. In reality Hayato had reservations over her and she wondered why after so many years he still felt she was unworthy of his complete trust.
She swirled the contents of her mocha with a straw to clear her thoughts surrounding her own trials in her relationship and decided to worry more about Ebina. Being in a relationship with Hikio must be weird and it was made quite clear when upon her asking Ebina said she was not dating currently but then she followed it up with saying she was with Hikio. Surely Hikio was corrupting her high school friend in more ways than one and judging by her newfound method of speaking in confusing, his influence on her was far greater than she expected.
Ebina was currently busy tapping on her phone, probably checking her texts, leaving Miura to come up with new material to further their conversation, another thing she must have picked up from Hikio. She decided to seek a quick confirmation.
"So you are dating Hikio?"
"No."
"But you are with him?"
"Yes."
Ebina was smiling at her and Miura had a distinct feeling she was enjoying herself in making her confused. Again, Hikio had turned Ebina into a sadist. There was no way the old Ebina, her high school friend, would find pleasure in puzzling any of her friends but this Ebina, who was dating Hikio was clearly a cruel being. Miura was growing steadily irritated by every passing moment and her impatience was making her say stupid things.
"Your relationship sounds complicated."
"Not at all Yumiko."
Miura was sure she heard no hitch in her voice. Her reply was prompt but she was not lying. She was just stating her claim with certainty without being informative. Miura was now at the pinnacle of impatience and her irritancies made her next question intentionally hurtful.
"So are you friends with benefits?"
"…"
Ebina placed her phone next to her elbow and gently shook her head from side to side without voicing an equally hurtful retort. By now both of them had stopped paying attention to their respective food items and beverages. Before two high school friends, cakes lay half eaten, mocha half finished and coffee growing cold. Both of them avoided touching their spoons, lifting their straws and bringing their cups to their lips.
Miura wanted to elicit a reaction from Ebina and she was successful in her endeavour only by hurting her. Now there was another thing she could blame on Hikio. He was not here, but his influence was corrupting both of them and at least Miura wanted to correct herself from getting further manipulated by him. He was merely a footnote of her past meant to remain forgotten and she would help Ebina come to this realisation after she apologized.
"I'm sorry Hina. That was a very mean thing to say."
"Thank you Yumiko. But let's forget about my relationship for a moment."
Miura wanted nothing better. Dropping Hikio altogether would do wonders for their little chat and help both of them forget this small awkwardness which they experienced only a moment ago.
"You know what? You are right! Ok then Hina, what do you want to talk about?"
"How about your relationship with Hayato?"
Miura looked at her carefully the sighed. There was no escaping this. She was responsible for broaching the subject of dating and relationships in what should have been a pleasant conversation which started out with a promise to exclude anything remotely masculine but then she stepped on two landmines named Hikio and Hayato with both her feet and as expected her legs blew off. Hayato cherished their privacy and she wanted to keep him out of this little chat but it would be unfair to Ebina if only her relationship with Hikio was criticised without giving her a fair chance to make any comment on her love life. Hence Miura decided to step down from her high horse and met Ebina on an equal footing. However she wanted to ease her mind
"Are you asking me this as a friend or a reporter?"
"I'm asking you this as one of your best friends Yumiko. Nothing you say will leave this café."
Miura sighed heavily and finished her mocha in one gulp without using her straw. She had refrained from discussing her relationship with anyone fearing about her image and his image and how they will both receive a permanent smear whenever this came out before worldwide media. Both of them were famous in their own way but it would take one photo to leak out to make them infamous and ruin everything they worked on and built by shedding blood and tears. However her high school self was still buried somewhere deep within her adult mind and before a friendly face she forgot to take her weariness into account and decided to spill the beans.
"Hayato likes to keep our relationship secret. He is not ashamed of me or anything! He just finds comfort in knowing our professional lives are separate from our love life."
"And you agree with this?"
Miura hesitated for a minute before replying.
"It's necessary."
"I see. Can you give me a moment Yumiko, I have to check something."
"Go ahead."
"Thanks Yumiko. This will just take a second."
Miura watched Ebina pick up her phone and after a moment she felt like Ebina almost forgot that she was currently in a café with her and not in at her office. She was busily typing on her touch screen and occasionally thumbing through a few pages but after a few minutes Miura saw her frown and it made her especially worry.
"Interesting."
"What?"
Miura was certain anything interesting for her would mean troublesome for her right about now. She had faith in Ebina but after telling her about Hayato she had picked up her phone and though she felt ashamed to even consider it, she was worried whether Ebina had betrayed her by leaking this piece of information into the net. She was a reporter and Miura had heard she was fairly good and she was suddenly feeling worried that rekindling their friendship might cause a conflict in regard to their respective professional careers. However Miura found all her worries pointless when Ebina abruptly thrust her mobile screen close to her face and made her gloss over a few insignificant details. Miura was hardly pleased at what Ebina found interesting.
"My facebook page. Seriously, Ebina!?"
"What? I'm just proud of myself to know you consider me a friend both in real life and on facebook. Not many people have it both ways, you know?"
Miura smiled at her friend engaging and reliving her old and usual antics. Right now she was reminding her of another high school friend and she wondered whether Ebina was reminded of her as well. She decided to check whether Ebina was having the same thoughts by making a veined reference and subtly dropping her name.
"True, but Ebina, why are you checking my facebook page all of a sudden. Seriously, you're worse than Yui sometimes."
"Ah, poor Yui! Wonder whether she will unfriend you when she hears about this?"
"Don't tell her!"
Miura smiled. All three of them were separated but they remembered one another and amidst all this fun and humour memories of their past helped them find comfort in their present adult life. Ebina assured her of this in more than one way when she decided to playfully keep her trust.
"Of course not Yumiko."
"Thanks again Hina."
Ebina smiled and hunched forward across the table and spoke in a hushed voice.
"By the way according to your status, you are currently in a 'relationship'."
"Of course I am! I told it to you just now."
"But Hayato says he's 'single'."
Miura found nothing scathing in her remark. Ebina was not making a hurtful comment like she had only a moment before but instead she was stating a fact. Miura didn't need to look at the facebook page Ebina was showing her now to believe her because she herself checked this page occasionally in her free time and always hoped by some miracle Hayato would change his status and at least admit on being in a relationship on the internet if not anywhere else. However, like now and maybe like a few weeks later, Miura already knew that was highly unlikely to happen. All this in the name of privacy, she repeated to herself and then feeling rather childish, she took out her own phone and smiled at Ebina in a manner much more similar to Hayato.
"Hina, excuse me for a minute, will you?"
"Of course Yumiko."
Miura repeated those same actions Ebina did a few moments ago before proudly displaying her findings with a smug smile.
"Your facebook page says you're in a relationship too Hina."
"Of course it does Yumiko. I'm with 'Hikio'."
"…shut up!"
Ebina teasing smile made Miura far more invested in wanting a little payback. Of course there was nothing sinister involved, at least she told herself. She was just simply showing her how both of them were in the same boat. Hayato and Miura kept their relationship secret but that didn't dissuade them from engaging in a physical relationship whenever they could escape from their respective responsibilities and find reservations in luxurious hotel suites. Having romantic candlelight dinner in restaurants was impossible without drawing attention to either of them but their amorous activities in a bedroom which belonged neither to him nor to her made up for everything, at least according to Hayato and Miura despite knowing better trusted him.
But currently Hayato was not a problem and like her days in Sobu High, Hikio was causing her trouble without ever meaning to and her expensive phone was failing to live upto those standards set by fanciful advertisements.
"Stupid phone."
"What's wrong Yumiko?"
She looked at Ebina and found her waiting patiently while enjoying another delicious looking cake. Miura had asked her for a minute and now it was ten. Miura furiously tapped away at her phone and spoke to Ebina without lifting her gaze from her screen. She should have found him by now but like always Hikio escaped her clutches whenever she needed him most.
"Something's wrong with this phone.I can't find Hikio on facebook."
"That's because he doesn't have an account."
Miura was sure she hurt her neck when she lifted her face up to look at Ebina.
"You must be joking Hina!"
"Oh believe me, I wish I was."
Miura dropped her phone unceremoniously into her bag and her features showed how disheartened she was without needing to open her mouth but she decided to voice her grievance anyway.
"I bet you he did this on purpose Hina. Forget about checking his status updates, he was way too lazy to even open a facebook account. Unbelievable! Now there is no way to figure out his take on your relationship."
Miura was beginning to sulk in a very unbecoming manner and when she received a gentle nudge from Ebina she looked at her with those eyes which earned her the moniker of Fire Queen back in Sobu High by none other than Hikigaya Hachiman.
Her tone of voice would scare anyone.
"What!"
But not Ebina Hina.
"You could always ask me Yumiko."
Thus Ebina slowly began to unfold her simplified relationship to one of her friend. She began from the very beginning without needing any prompts from Miura. She was already well versed in the art of telling a story courtesy of her job in a prominent media outlet and the only thing she asked from Miura was to hold off on asking any questions until she was finished talking. Miura agreed and gave her the go ahead.
"Ok Hina, first of all tell me how did you two meet?"
"We didn't actually meet Yumiko, more like we bumped into each other one day and afterwards we kept bumping into each other and stopped calling it a coincidence."
"…Hina you're confusing me. Basically you're saying Hikio is stalking you."
"Oh not at all Yumiko, I was stalking him."
Miura stared at her in disbelief.
"You are confusing me again Hina."
"There is nothing confusing about it Yumiko. I'm a reporter and it's my job to follow a story. I go wherever it leads me and this time it led me to Hikigaya."
"…And then by following a story you landed a date with him?"
"Exactly, well not exactly. At first he took me to a ramen shop to thank me for my help and later on he agreed not all reporters are vultures. We exchanged number and decided a professional relationship would prove to be mutually beneficial for both of us."
Miura was a little bit uncertain but she nodded her head.
"Ok but how did this professional relationship become a romantic one? I remember Hikio being unusually dense back in high school."
"Oh Yumiko! He was not dense at all. He was just busy maintaining the 'status quo'."
Miura raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity.
"And what is this 'status quo'?"
"If you are lucky you will never know."
Ebina was smiling for a moment before she returned to telling her story with new found enthusiasm.
"Well after that everything was rather clichéd. I called him a lot, mostly to get an inside scoop. He was fairly guarded and kept most things close to his chest but after annoying him and spamming his inbox, he decided to meet me at this very same café, to discuss a few important details after giving me a thinly veiled warning to stop bothering him."
Miura smiled at her persistence.
"But you didn't stop, did you?"
"You know me too well."
"Then what happened?"
"We kept meeting in this café over and over again and slowly our talks became less and less about our work and more and more about ourselves and then one day he stopped calling this an appointment and I started calling it a date and a week later one of my co-worker called our banter an unusual form of flirting and neither of us had anytime to correct him."
Miura looked at her in disbelief.
"That's it?"
"Pretty much."
Miura was worried about nothing however this was mostly her fault. She should have known better than to think there could be much progress in a relationship between these two people who had nothing in common and were only eluding themselves to think they were in a relationship. Of course Hikio was truly the only person at fault. Miura should have expected it from him at not knowing anything about dating and she wondered whether Ebina was tagging along with him more out of pity and sympathy. To have a better understanding of this arrangement she asked the simplest of question which caused most natural couples to hiccup.
"And where are you two in your relationship?"
"I don't know Yumiko. We never talk about it."
Miura was shocked. She was not expecting this but considering this was Hikio they were talking about this shouldn't have surprised her. He was practically a mute but Ebina always spoke her mind. Miura remembered Ebina and her fujoshi antic and how she was practically unembarrassed at the stares she received whenever she talked animatedly about BL. Miura had thrown away several blood soaked handkerchiefs to forget about those days and she wondered why Ebina was being coy about broaching this subject with Hikio. For one thing he never seemed like a guy who was capable of holding his ground. Miura could make him flinch with a simple glare back in high school and no matter how many years passed it was unthinkable to consider Hikio had changed this much. Maybe both of them had started dating only recently.
"How long have you been dating?"
"We have been together for over a month."
Well a month was a considerable amount of time for a couple to work out a relationship but Hikio was a handicap when it came to matters of the heart. Clearly this seemed too early for him and if things kept moving without progress Miura was certain Ebina would see the error of her ways. Miura decided to rest her doubts.
"And what have you two been upto for a month?"
"Nothing much Yumiko. He came over my place a couple of times and I stayed over with him at least thrice a week. We spent a lot of time together and we enjoy each other's company."
Miura was not excepting this. She cleared and throat and decided to leave no room for doubts.
"You slept together?"
"Yes."
"…in the same bed?"
"Yes Yumiko. We slept together in the same bed and by this I mean we had sex."
Miura felt like she was imagining this and it made her steadily grow infinitely uncomfortable. Ebina left no breathing room and her confession was needlessly frank. Of course she had a hard time admitting Hikio and her in such a manner and she was certain this would later on give her nightmares after she had a glass too many to drink.
But at present Miura was not bothered about their physical relationship, she was just disgusted at Hikio for never broaching the subject of where he was in his relationship with Ebina. Of course Miura knew she was being a hypocrite but her arrangement with Hayato was completely different. Both of them had a talk and she came to a compromise and though it was nowhere close to being perfect, at least Miura was glad she knew where she stood in her relationship. Ebina on the other hand couldn't say the same.
"Doesn't this bother you?"
"What? Us sleeping together"
"No! Absolutely not! Trust me I don't want to know about how Hikio is in bed. I meant the other thing, how you two never talk about your relationship. Communicating with your partner is essential, you know?"
"Maybe, but in a way it is kinda relief?"
"How so?"
Ebina looked at her for a moment before sighing deeply. Revisiting her past was painful and she hoped Miura understood and sympathised with her. She began by recounting her first heartbreak.
"My break up with Tobe was messy. Both of us wanted different things and none of us wanted to roll over for the other. We talked about it all the time and the more we talked the more our problems escalated. Afterwards we couldn't stand each other and both of said a lot of hurtful things. We tried everything but it was not working out and at that moment of time we were paying more attention to our career and our relationship got sidetracked. He stood me up a couple of time and I cancelled at the last moment once or twice. Both of were not trying to hurt each other but we ended up doing it anyway. Then Tobe had this stupid idea of getting married and I almost accepted his proposal but then one day while shopping he says that by marrying me he can stop worrying about his relationship, basically what he was trying to say was by marrying me, he could force me to give up on my career and turn me into a regular housewife."
Ebina was trying her best to keep her voice neutral but old wounds kept opening up and her voice began to sound terrible restrained. She coughed into her hand and decided to speak no more. Miura gave her a moment before curiosity won her over.
"And after this you broke up with him?"
"No! After this we argued day in and day out. He got drunk, got involved in a bar fight and after bailing him out in the middle of the night one too many times, I decided enough was enough, though I have to admit now that this is finally behind me, putting a restraining order on him was a bit too much."
"Yeah it was."
"But he slept with a colleague of mine just to spite me and in a sense he was pestering me, so in the end I was completely justified, won't you say so Yumiko?"
"Whatever you say Hina."
Miura understood Ebina but still she failed to recognize how her relationship with Tobe which ended mostly because he was being an idiotic moron could make her refrain from doing better in her current relationship with Hikio. Sure, miscommunication proved to be their downfall and knowing Hikio, there would be tons and tons of miscommunications in her current relationship as well but never talking about it was surely an extreme measure.
"Ebina, you are a smart women. You should know what kinda relationship you are in by now? This thing, whatever it is must have a name. I'm not judging you or anything, I'm just trying to look out for you like a good friend. You can tell me, right?"
Ebina took a small spoonful of her cake and chewed methodically. Miura waited and waited and without needing to strain her ears she heard her reply in a certain voice.
"We are in an 'almost relationship'."
Miura had heard about this recently common phenomenon which introduced something new into the present dating scene. An 'almost relationship' was unlike any conventional relationship but unlike those who were 'friends with benefits', there was no stigma associated with it which would adversely affect both individuals involved in this arrangement. However there was a problem and Miura was pretty much certain about it.
"You cannot possibly be happy with this Hina. You are only lying to yourself."
"No I'm not Yumiko. We never talk about our relationship, we make no plans for our future and we never talk about where we are and where we are going and I know you think this is a big problem but trust me Yumiko, for me it's a relief. We acknowledge our feelings for one another, he tries reciprocating them but for now we are focusing on our present, nothing else. He likes me and I like him, that's all it matters."
Miura shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Ebina was trying to make this seem like a pleasing experience but she was having trouble believing it. There was nothing pleasant about uncertainty. On troubling night, all alone, she often wondered whether Hayato and she had more in common with the friends with benefits arrangement than this so called secret relationship. Both of them referred to one another as friends before public, they met privately from their amorous rendezvous but never did he call her by a term of endearment. He called her by her name, nothing else and though she comforted herself and lied to herself, she was having problem reconciling with this tragic game of hide and seek. And now Ebina was refusing to see reason.
"You cannot like this arrangement Hina."
"But I do Yumiko. What we have is fabulously freeing. I don't owe him a thing, we meet or at least we try to meet every other day. There is no pressure. We don't make promises we can't keep, we don't share every single detail of our lives and most importantly we get to keep our secrets to ourselves. There is no jealousy, no tears."
Miura scoff at this. Now she was certain Ebina was deluding herself.
"You mean, you'll be fine watching him date other women while he's sleeping with you?"
Ebina chuckles at this but there is a certain firmness in her voice which catches Miura off guard.
"I know he won't."
Miura contemplates this certainty before remembering Hikio and his dead fish eyes.
"You are right about that. He has no chance of getting another woman looking like that."
"Now, that isn't completely true, is it Yumiko? You and I both know Yui still has feeling for him."
"And what about him? Does he have any feelings for her?"
"He has a special place in his heart for both of them. Yui and Yukinoshita-san are lucky."
Miura moved her head a bit forward towards Ebina.
"And you are fine with this?"
"Yes."
Ebina wasn't lying, Miura realised this and she moved back in her seat but this failed to make her comfortable.
"And what about you? If you were to get back with Tobe-"
"-not going to happen."
Miura let her off the hook for stopping her mid sentence. She tried again.
"What if you find someone new, someone who is willing to commit. Will Hikio let you go that easy?"
"…love is a rarity these days Yumiko."
Miura paid no attention to her evasiveness.
"You didn't answer my question Hina? Will he come after you?"
"…perhaps."
Miura sighs to herself and finishes those last morsels of cake from her plate and Ebina empties those last dregs of coffee from her cup. Both of them shared the bill and agreed this was their time to leave without knowing when they would meet again.
Ebina hugs Miura tightly and Miura finds this a convenient moment to say her final thoughts on this new arrangement.
"What you have isn't love Hina. You're only in denial, if you think it is."
Ebina unwraps her arms from around Miura and smiles in a melancholic fashion. She has her phone out and Miura has no trouble recognising a picture of Hikio on her dialling screen. Ebina is calling him but he is not picking up. Ebina puts her phone away for a moment and takes a final look at Miura to carefully word her reply. He voice never shakes.
"You know what he calls love?"
"…I don't know Hina."
Miura was taken aback by this question. She and Hikio were never close. He helped her when she came to his service club with a request and thought she was grateful for him, she never voiced her appreciation to him in any manner. Not even a humble 'thanks' came out of her lips and she was certain Hikio was never expecting any gratitude from her.
Ebina received a text message and she smiled. Miura had this distinct impression she already knew who sent her this text. Ignoring to take out her phone to send him a proper reply, Ebina instead finishes her final conversation with Miura by continuing in her own vein.
"He calls it something genuine."
Miura found this sentence both idiotic and philosophical at the same time. There was a needless use of sophistry as well. Guess out of everyone Hikio stayed true to his rotten self and never bothered to chance. Miura said to herself she was not envious of this creepy loner who was in a relationship with her high school friend.
Miura asked one more question.
"…Is what you have genuine?"
Ebina gave one more answer.
"…He calls it almost genuine."
A/N: Till this day, I consider this the best chapter I have ever written in fanfiction. And it doesn't even feature Hikigaya. Just Miura and Ebina discussing their love life. It's simple yet great in my opinion. Tell me what you think in the reviews.
Now back to the Ikebukuro fic –
Now I want Hikigaya to have powers and abilities in the series. I was thinking he should have a geass which helps him learn skills of other people. So for example, he will be able to learn haki, but he won't be able to copy the powers of the devil fruit. But yeah, that's just one idea. Tell me what kinda powers/abilities do you want Hikigaya to have?
Now onto the poll-
Poll#1: What animes do you want to feature in the "Ikebukuro" fic?
Option 1: Blood Lad.
Option 2: Inuyashiki.
Option 3: Devil's Line.
Option 4: Jujutsu Kaisen.
Option 5: Blue Exorcist.
Option 6: Anime for the Reviews.
Please pick according.
And don't forget to mention the animes you want to feature in The "Ikebukuro" fic in the reviews.
Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter.
Leave lots and lots of reviews, follow and fave.
Won't betray your dreams.
