Entry 68: Learning. But just a little bit
July 30th: Morning
"Allllllll right, party people! Let's get this shit on a roll!"
"YEAH!" What the fuck. After my heart to heart (?) with Maki, I made breakfast for everyone and waited for them to all wake up. As soon as the last plate was cleaned, Subaru stood up from his chair and took charge. I was honestly surprised to see even Nino playing along with his ramblings.
"Come on guys! We're all out here, in the prime of our youth, in an amazing camping ground! So, what else to do but... hunt for our own food!"
"...what?" And he lost them. Come on Subaru. You know that if there's anything these girls hate, It's manual labor. Standing for her sisters, Nino crossed her arms as she glared at Subaru. The eight of us sitting around the fire pit. "Why the hell would we even need to do that? Ku brought plenty of food for us to cook so-"
"Not exactly." Interrupting my girlfriend, I recalled the state of our rations. "I half expected Subaru to show up, but not Maki. If we don't find a few substitutes, we won't have enough food for breakfast tomorrow." I'd only brought enough food for seven people. Not including Itsuki's , with Maki's extra mouth, and the fact that she eats a pretty healthy amount didn't help. "So unless you want one of us to starve, let's scrounge up some food."
"Well... I think Itsuki and Su could stand to skip a few meals." Ichika was obviously joking, but the wide eyed look she got from Itsuki said she didn't get it. "Joking! Mostly. A-Anyway, Kuku, are you sure that everything around here is edible?"
Nodding to her, I recalled the info I looked up while reserving this space. "This place is a pretty popular spot for that reason. Obviously there's shit you can't eat like grass and rocks. But almost everything here is edible. And if you're confused, just ask me. I made sure to memorize any and all plants and mushrooms that are poisonous and inedible."
It seems my instructions were a surprise to everyone. Eventually, with her mouth still agape, Yotsu commented. "...you'd be better at math if you memorized equations instead."
"...no."
The eight of us split into four groups two to look for some interesting and delicious ingredients. We'd agreed to make a steak dish with whatever we found. "Ow! Ku, watch where you're going! How're you keep making branches hit me!"
"Sorry, Nino. I'll be more careful." After she and Miku had an intensive RPS match, she and I paired off and walked into the woods. A part of me feels bad for not choosing one of them, but I literally can't! I want to snuggle with them equally! That's not what we're talking about right now though... Finally reaching a clearing, the two of us looked around. "It's pretty nice isn't it?"
"Yeah. We don't really go into nature much do we? Hehe, it's a little romantic, isn't it?"
"...I guess so." With that, the two of us split up to look around. Honestly, it was a bit hard for me to concentrate on the task. Unlike yesterday, I didn't have the Ono/Seth situation on my mind. No, this time, I was worried about what my dumbass actions have done. I wasn't an idiot, I've noticed that Nino's been nicer than normal. Since yesterday, she hasn't teased me once or even went for a seductive attack. At first, I thought she was just excited for the trip. But, after talking to Yotsu yesterday, I know the cause. My neck. "I'm a dumbass..." Whispering to myself, I gently touched the bandages wrapped around my neck. I hadn't checked on it since yesterday, but I'm sure that the bruises from the strangulation should still be there. And everyone knows I'm hiding something.
"Hey, I found some mush- everything alright?" Jumping in my own skin, I turned back to the shirt haired girl to see some wild Enoki mushrooms in her hand. "Why're you-"
"I-I'm fine. My neck was just itchy, that's all!" Quickly standing up, I grabbed Nino's hands and took a good look at what she had. "Enoki! Perfect! This'll go perfect with like a stew or-" I quickly stopped myself from rambling. What good would continuing to lie do? I thought I wanted to be normal so that I wouldn't have to do this. Dammit. Why can't I fucking learn. "...Nino. About my neck..."
Sighing, my partner leaned closer to me, resting her head on my chest. "Look. I... I get it. I mean, I hate it but, if you don't want to tell me right now, I get it. Just tell me soon."
Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot! Planting a kiss on the top of her head, I built off the courage to confess my idiotic nature. "Nino, don't get mad alright."
"No promises." Fair.
"Um, I kind of... almost got strangled to death the other day."
"YOU, WHAT?!" Pushing herself away from me, I could see the fire in her eyes instantly flare up. Uh oh. "You're going to tell me every single detail about what happened. If you don't-"
"I-I will, okay!" And so, I did just that. Making sure not to miss a single detail, I recounted the events of the 27th her. Of course, as I explained my stupid thought process and where it got me, Nino slowly started getting angrier and angrier. By the time I finished, it felt like she was surrounded by flames of pure and utter hatred. "So...yeah... are you mad?" Why the fuck would I ask that?!
"Am I angry? No, of course not." Oh really? Thank go- "I'M FUCKING PISSED! YOU FUCKING IDOIT!" With a cock of her fist, I felt the rage of Nino's Iconic right hook. Straight to the jaw.
"Braogh?!" Falling right onto my back, I began to think through my life choices. I had to go wrong somewhere to get my face abused this much in the last few days, right? Of course I did something wrong. Idiot. "Okay... I guess I deserved that."
"You GUESS?! Do you have any idea how much of a fucking imbecile you have to be to walk into a fucking abandoned house?! You could have died if it wasn't for your brother and the Cunt! Do you not think?!" Well- "Then you had the fucking GALL to keep this a secret form us? And LIE to me about your neck?! Oh, I should strangle you right now!" Sitting up, I stared at Nino as she gave me the second dressing down I'd get this week. Probably not the last either.
"Look, I-"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Yes, Ma'am." Turning my eyes to the dirt, I waited for whatever came next for my punishment. One that I deserved. She was right, I didn't think of the consequences. While yes, it did work out in the end, if Maki was even a few seconds too late we'd be at my funeral instead of camping. That's not even mentioning the mental toll that it'd have on everyone. What happened to the Kuro who had to have a plan for everything? Sure, that's a version of me I hate but he would have been very useful a few days ago. Shaking my head to try and get the thoughts of what If's out, I faced the reality that I was living in the here and now. "Nino." Looking back up to her, the fierce glare she had on almost made me bite back what I was going to say, but I had to push on. "I'm sorry."
"I don't need your fucking sorry! I know you're just going to do something just as stupid again!"
"...I won't. I promise I won't. I know it wasn't a good idea and one of the stupidest things I've ever done in my life. But... it also showed me how dumb I am and that I really am not suited for that world. I want to live normally. With you and Miku. And that means learning from this." I can't just continue going on like this. It's about time I grow up and actually change. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise!" Prostrating myself before her, I Planted my head into the dirt as I apologized.
"..." The only thing that could be heard for a good while was the whistling of the leaves and a few small animals running around. That was until- "If you do something like that again, I'll personally tie you up, throw you into a dungeon, and let dad get his revenge on you."
"...Understood." Lifting my head, a mushroom was thrown square at my forehead as soon as I caught a glance at her. "Ouch. Was that necessary?
"Just because I forgive you doesn't mean I'm not pissed you fucking idiot ! Hmph!" Turing on her heel, my kind girlfriend turned her back to me.
"Sorry. But thank you Nino. I love you."
"...dumbass, Love you too..."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, Dumbass!"
Same day: Afternoon
"Ow. Ouch! Okay! You don't have to keep kicking me!"
"Just shut up and keep cookin!" It's been like this since I explained everything to Nino. Once we'd gotten back to camp and everyone was gathered, she took it upon herself to let everyone know about my mistake. So, here I stood, cutting wild mushrooms and plants while resisting the urge to flinch at the constant hits I was getting from Nino.
"You know, this is kind of dang-"
"Shut. Up." Sighing, I resigned myself to my work and tried my best to tune out the pain. I glanced over to the tents, where Miku, Subaru and Ichika were talking. They seemed to be having fun... until Miku glanced over to me, sent me a glare and turned back to the conversation. Now pissed. Ugh. I suck.
Closing off my mind, I focused everything on cooking. In fact, I didn't even notice I had finished until I did. Looking down at the Chicken Hot Pot ready to be feasted upon, I set it over the campfire. "Food's... ready to eat." Sitting down, I sighed as everyone gathered around the fire with bowls. Ready to dig in. I simply watched, not ecstasy feeling hungry after all the events of today. Guess I'm full off of guilt. As everyone ate, I tried to clear my mind and relax. Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, I'll have to drive everyone home. That'll be a hassle but oh well. After that, I guess I should focus on working out and eventually scoring up the courage to ask Shiro about Ono and Seth. Till then, just work. Oh, I'll also have to clean out Lunalight too. Since three people left, I gotta make sure those rooms are operational for whatever my brother wants to do with them. Ow. Hm, speaking for Shiro, he's been really bugging me to check in on Hiiragi. I guess I should do that but... last time I met her she was thinking about castrating me. But leaving her alone might make her even more pissed at me. Ugh. Guess I have to. Ow. After that I should- "Okay, can you stop hitting me?"
Opening my eyes, I looked to my right to see Miku glaring at me and hitting my arm with the back of her spoon. "You aren't eating."
"I'm not hungry. Thank you. Please just enjoy your food and don't worry about me." I didn't even get the chance to close my eyes again before she hit me again. "Miku. I know you're angry at me, but please."
"..." Her glare softened a bit before she looked back at her own food. Turing my head back forward, I noticed that everyone seemed to be looking at us and our interaction. "Sorry."
"I... I'm sorry." Realizing how much of an asshole I was being, I stood up and gave a light bow to everyone. "I'm... gonna take a nap." I practically ran into my shared tent with Subaru, dived into my sleeping bag and forced my eyes shut. Fucking idiot.
Same day: Night
By the time I woke up, all I could hear were crickets and the sound of Subaru's snoring. Thankful for the fact I didn't have another weird ass dream, I wiggled out of my sleeping bag and out of the tent. The shining night sky was what greeted me as I walked out. Countless stars in the sky, shining beautifully. "Woah..."
"Impressive, right? You wouldn't think they'd be so bright so close to the city." Half scaring me, I looked around the campsite to see Nino sitting on the ground. Wrapped in a blanket, she was drinking a steaming mug of something. I presumed tea. "You're finally up."
"A-Ah... were you waiting for me? Sorry." Unconsciously, I took a step backwards. Not really knowing what to do, I stood there, looking around.
"Are you just going to stand there, are you gonna sit?" Opening her blanket, she patted the ground right next to her. Stiffly, I went over and sat as instructed. So close to her that our thighs were touching. As soon as my ass hit the ground, she threw the blanket over me. Practically trapping me with her in a prison of comfort. Ahhh! She's so close! And warm! And soft! "...Ku. I'm sorry for earlier. I was a little harsh..."
"Huh? N-No. No! Not at all! You were right. And-"
"Oh, I know I'm right. That's not what I'm apologizing for." Wow. "What I'm sorry for is... being so mean about it. Yea, you pissed me off and yea you were really fucking stupid. Like reaaaaally stupid. Like come on how didn't you-"
"Nino."
"Right. Sorry. Anyway, what I mean is that I forgive you. And I'm sorry for hitting you so much." Leaning her head on my shoulder, she let out a small sigh. "I just... I didn't mean for you to feel so alienated."
"Oh... you're talking about that. No, I was just tired. Haven't really gotten a good night of sleep in a while..." My mentioning that seemed to have brought her mood down even more but we just sat there for a moment. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so fucking dumb."
"I get it. You don't have to apologize every three seconds. Seriously. It's getting annoying."
"Sor- Ow." a pinch on my thigh interrupted me. "Yeah, so- I mean I got it." It was then that I remembered something. "Oh yeah. I remember someone saying that it's better to say thank you than apologize. So, thank you for being with me and dealing with me, Nino. You're the best."
Her head shot up from my shoulder, a light ting of red barely visible in the night. "Hmph, of course I am. You're one lucky guy for having me on your side. Or am I just an idiot for falling for you?"
"Probably both."
"Hey!" With a cute pout, Nino shook her head and gave me a slight glare. "Well, if we're going to be idiots. May as well be together, right?" I'm going to fall in love with you all over again, Nino! Building up my courage, I slowly wrapped my right arm around her waist. I half expected her to pinch my hand, but instead she leaned into my grasp. "You better keep your hands north of the border."
Of course, she had to say something like that. "I'll behave."
"And I don't mean you can grab my ti-"
"Nino."
"What? I can't make a joke?" Honestly, it was really reassuring to see her smirk at me.
"Go easy on the teasing, okay?"
"Come on, Kuro. You know I won't~" Jeez.
August 1st: Afternoon
"Good Afternoon, Master! Would you like to-"
"I'm good. I'm waiting for someone. Thank you."
"Understood, Nya~ Have a good day!" The cat ear wearing maid bowed politely before walking further down the street. Normally, seeing someone in a maid outfit would be weird, but in the streets of Akihabara, it's relatively normal. I was standing outside the train station, having just arrived. I'm here to meet someone and... I arrived two hours early. Like a dumbass. But, of all people to leave waiting, I didn't want it to be her.
After coming home from the very awkward camp trip, the awkwardness being my fault of course, I suddenly got a text from Miku asking to go on a date with her to Akihabara. Of course, I was elated, even squealing like a schoolgirl. I... I'm not joking about that part. I got so excited that I even showed up two hours eal- "Kuro?"
"Huh?" Looking up from my phone, my heart stopped for an honest few seconds. Seeing Miku in a soft blue dress with flower designs. Ugh! To fucking strong! I literally fell to my knees. Clutching my heart as if a certain witch tried to silence me.
"Kuro?! Are you alright?!"
"Y-Yeah. Just... recovering from your pure beauty!"
"D-Don't say such dumb things! Dummy!" Standing up, I withheld my desire to hug my girlfriend and just bowed to her.
"Thank you for the treat."
"Idiot!" A soft chop made contact with my head and I stood up. "A-Anyway. What're you doing here so early? We weren't supposed to meet until three."
"Well, I could ask the same to you." The two of us stared at each other for a solid few seconds before we both broke out into soft laughter. "Hehe, maybe Ichika's right. We are Simps."
"Hmmm, yeah. But don't let her know that." Walking up to me, she wrapped her right arm around my left. "Well, we have a lot to do. So I guess it's fine we can start early."
"What're we- woah!" Turns out, our first stop was a maid café of all things. Sitting down in the packed restaurant with the varied types of maids was a new feeling. There were cat girls, dog girls. Hell, when we walked in, we saw a customer being stepped on by what I assumed to be a tsundere type of maid. He was even drooling. Not gonna judge, considering I'm dating Nino. After we sat at our table, a young woman ,with long pink hair and fake horns coming from the side of her head, came over to serve us. She was quite short, maybe racing to the bottom of my chest if we stood next to each other. Of course she was wearing a maids outfit and... okay. I can't just ignore it. The young woman's chest was fucking huge. Like, it almost seemed impossible for someone of her stature to have one so large. "Ouch!" A sudden kick to my shin was felt under the table and the culprit looked like she wanted to spit in my face. Yeah, sorry.
"Hello, Masters! My name is Narmaya and I'll be your maid for today! Thank you so so so much for coming in today!" Bowing professionally, the young woman was honestly making me believe that she was a true and trained maid. Wait, Narmaya? Isn't that... Well, I guess it makes sense for a maid café in the middle of Akihabara to have cosplay maids too. Standing back up, she gave us a cute smile before asking "Now, is there anything on the menu that catches your fancy? Please let me know, Masters!" Making an effort to look cute and use her... assets, she did a tiny jump at the end of her sentence for emphasis. Cute. OW!
"I'll have the omelet rice please. And a green tea please." With a forced and honestly terrifying smile, Miku made her order. As soon as she was done, she turned her attention from the maid to me. A haunting gaze that sent a chill down my spine.
"J-Just a melon soda for me. Thank you." I made an effort not to look away from the menu as I ordered.
"Understood! I'll get you your food right away Masters!" Grabbing the menus out of our hands, the employee calling herself Narmaya gave us a smile before leaving. As soon as she left, the threatening aura around my girlfriend faded a bit, but didn't disappear.
"So, you like them bigger."
"Don't-"
"And here I thought Nino and I were plenty for you. Playboy."
"Hey! You're the one who brought me to a maid café of all places! Plus, even if I think a girl is kinda cute, they could never compare to you two. I may be a bit biased, but I honestly believe that you and Nino are the cutest girls in the whole wide world! I don't think your sisters even come close." Pouting, I received another kick in the shin, this time being a bit softer.
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"I mean it though."
"That makes it worse."
Resting her head on the table, she played with her silverware for a while. "Say, why did you bring me here? I didn't take you as a maid enjoyer." I hope she doesn't expect me to wear a maid outfit sometime in the future. I mean, I won't say no to her , but still. I don't want to have to do it.
"Well, this was the place that I wanted to work at a few months ago. Remember?" Oh, of course I remembered. It was one of my worst showings in my entire life.
"When Nino called me cringe? Of course I remember." But I do still stand behind it. If the world was exposed to Miku's pure smile while she was wearing a maid's outfit? A cult would be made instantly. I, of course, would be the head, but still. "If I can be honest, I do think you're too powerful to work here. Not to mention, I'd have to become a regular."
A light flush came across her face as she sat up. "Shut up. No you-"
"Miku, I alone would make this establishment rich. I'd sink every single yen I have in here if it meant having you say 'moe moe kyun' to me! Oh, my heart is about to stop at the thought."
"Stupid! Idiot! Stop saying stupid stuff!" Her face was totally red. Either from the embarrassment of the thought, or second hand embarrassment because of my enthusiasm. Either way, I was completely serious. "You can be really embarrassing when you want to be..."
"I'm Kuro. Of course I'm embarrassing."
After that, our meal was relatively uneventful. Narmaya made a cute pose as she put ketchup on Miku's plate. My soda was delicious, and we headed to our next stop. Which took us to Shibuya where we walked into a petting zoo and- "SOOOOOOOO CUTE!" My girlfriend was stolen from me. Sitting in her hands was a small brown hedgehog standing on its hind legs, sniffing the air. "Kuro, look! Isn't it adorable?!"
"Yup... it sure is." Ugh, am I getting jealous of a hedgehog? But look at it. Being all smug because it's so close to Miku. I feel like it's making fun of me! The small animal went down to its four legs before taking a small jump into Miku's waiting lap and laying down. NOW YOU'RE GETTING COCKY! ONLY I GET TO REST MY HEAD ON HER THIGHS!
"Mouuuu, I want to get a hedgehog so bad! Kuro, when we move in together we have to get one! Oh, but then Nino's gonna want to get a rabbit... oh well! We can get both, right?" I can't say no to her!
"...Sure." I'm going to regret that, aren't I? Ah well. As long as she's happy.
AN: Hello once again. I hope you all have had a good week. First off, I want to thank everyone for their kind words and understanding for the change to my update schedule. I was really worried about taking this step, but I'm glad to know that you all are so understanding. It makes me want to do my absolute best when it comes to this story. I'll make sure to give you all my best! Thank you guys so much for reading and I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story.
Guest: Thank you for sticking with me as well. I never really thought about it, but is once a week really that rare? A few I've read had a similar schedule, at least for a while. I want to do my best to stay on schedule however and give you all my best. Thanks so much for reviewing and I'll do my best!
ShutenScript: Thank you for your kind words and I'll try my best not to burn myself out. I'm happy to know that you still enjoy my story so much. I want to give you all an enjoyable experience and not half ass things, like I have in the past with old fics. Thank you for your review, I hope you liked this chapter as well!
PoppingMonke: I agree. I really do love this story and want to make sure it's mostly similar to what I have in my head. I never really felt this excited to write before and it really does drive me. I'll do my best at work and here, so thanks for the review! Please keep supporting me!
TheMist33: I know it's normal to cut down a bit, but it was a bit heartbreaking to do so. I half thought about immediately quitting when I realized I couldn't write as much, but that was kind of a stupid thought. Even if my updates my be cut by half, I'll make em the best damn chapters ever written (maybe)! Thank you your kind review, Mist, and I hope you liked this update.
