Introduction (2 oct 2020)
This chapter took quite a bit longer to finish than I had anticipated. Partially because some new ideas for the next chapter came up, so I had to make a rough draft for that, before being able to focus on this one again. So, let's keep this intro short, and without further ado, let's go to chapter 3!
I hope you will enjoy reading this, and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it.
Update 15 feb 2021: fixed an error where I typed 'Raku' instead of 'Ruka'. A guest reviewer pointed out this mistake. No storyline changes were made.
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Story Prologue:
Still feeling a little bad over making Ruka sad more than a few times, and to repay her for cooking him a nice meal the day before, Kazuya wanted to plan something special, just for her. But he soon began to realize he could probably use some help with this. Suddenly he heard his phone ring…
Complicated…
"Kazuya! Wanna have lunch together? Your treat?" Ruka asked, with a cheerful voice.
"Sorry Ruka, but the manager just called and asked me to do an extra shift at work," Kazuya quickly made up, since he wouldn't be able to prepare anything for Ruka, if she was going to be with him all day. "So, I'm afraid you've got to entertain yourself today."
"Aww, I was so looking forward to seeing you again…" Ruka objected. "… now, you don't want your girlfriend to be all wrinkly and teary-eyed from being sad, or do you?
"Aren't you exaggerating things just a little bit?" Kazuya replied.
"Who, me?" Ruka said, trying to sound totally innocent; "Oh, I know, I'll just come over too and help you! Then work will be finished much sooner and we also get to spend more time together!"
"That's sweet of you, but…" Kazuya started, "… isn't that what we discussed yesterday, about keeping some distance from time to time?"
"Hmm, I guess so…" Ruka said, sounding a lot less enthusiastic.
"I promise I'll make it up to you!" Kazuya assured her; "Gotta go now, see ya!"
"Ok, bye…" Ruka said, with a voice that clearly showed her disappointment.
But Ruka quickly pulled herself together, and decided to contact Sumi, to see if maybe she would like some company. Kazuya had told her how Sumi was such a good listener, and how at times it seemed she could almost read people's minds. 'Maybe she has an idea why Kazuya acted a bit odd this morning?' Ruka thought.
She texted Sumi and quickly got a 'thumbs up smiley' for reply. A little later both girls were sitting at a table in Sumi's apartment, sipping a drink.
"Maybe I'm not such a good girlfriend after all, and that's the reason Kazuya likes working better than spending time with me…" Ruka sighed, trying to find an explanation for what had happened earlier today. "But when I'm with Kazuya, or even when I just think about him, it's hard to contain myself. He's so passionate about what he does…" she added, holding her head in her hands.
Sumi raised her finger, to draw Ruka's attention, then started typing on her phone. After she had finished typing, the red-haired girl turned her phone around, so Ruka could read the message.
"You're not a bad girlfriend, just a bit…" Ruka read out loud, "… is that a picture of a hurricane?"
Sumi nodded repeatedly.
"I guess you're right…" Ruka said, laughing, "… I guess there must have been quite a few times Kazuya never knew what hit him, when I came 'storming' at him."
Sumi nodded again, smiling while listening attentively.
"Speaking of hitting," Ruka continued, "I actually whacked Kazuya once, shortly after we first met."
The look on Sumi's face changed to a more serious one, showing she didn't approve of Ruka's action.
"Not that I really wanted to hurt him, it was more like a reflex," Ruka explained, after seeing Sumi's reaction. "Besides, that was before I had started to fall in love with him, naturally now I wouldn't do that again, unless he's done something to deserve it."
Sumi gave a sigh of relief, hearing Ruka's words, and a friendly smile appeared on the shy girl's face again. Suddenly Sumi's phone beeped. She quickly read the message, slightly blushing, and typed a reply. A few seconds later the phone beeped again, and she instantly typed another reply, partially covering the screen to make sure Ruka couldn't see what she was writing.
"Who is it?" Ruka inquired, as she had noticed Sumi becoming more and more nervous. "Someone who's really anxious to talk to you, it seems. Perhaps… your boyfriend?" she teased Sumi; "Ah, come on, let me see what sweet things he's saying…" Ruka insisted, as she leaned forward to try catch a glimpse of the conversation, "…huh?"
Ruka couldn't see most of the text on the screen but she did recognize the avatar of the person Sumi had been communicating with so intensively…
"W-Why are you texting with Kazuya?" Ruka asked, as she stood up, both hands resting on the table. "Are you trying to make a pass at my boyfriend!?" she added, feeling a mix of anger and disbelief.
Sumi shut her eyes tight as she frantically waved her hands, trying to convince Ruka she got it all wrong. Then she quickly typed 'I can explain!'
Ruka calmed down a little and sat down again, deciding to give Sumi the benefit of the doubt for now, though Ruka's eyes were still fiery. Sumi typed a few lines, then showed these to Ruka.
"So, you are saying Kazuya wanted to ask you something about me, but you can't tell what it is, since it has to remain a secret for me?" Ruka summarized what Sumi had typed.
Sumi nodded enthusiastically, while smiling.
"That is so…" Ruka paused briefly, causing Sumi to move back just a little, "… incredibly romantic!" Ruka cheered. "Must be something big if Kazuya felt like texting you about it when he's still at work. Our boss is very strict about this, no personal business during working hours. So Kazuya is probably preparing a special surprise for me and all I do is get jealous and even accuse you of being a cheat…"
Ruka looked down at the table, realizing her impetuous side had once again gotten the best of her.
"Why am I like this?" she said, thinking out loud; "I'm a lousy girlfriend, and terrible friend to you."
Sumi stood up, walked towards Ruka, took her hand so Sumi could pull her up, and then gave Ruka a friendly hug. Ruka was first baffled by Sumi's totally unexpected kindness, but then accepted it, and also wrapped her arms around Sumi for a moment.
"Thanks…" Ruka said, totally calm again, as both girls let go off each other, "… I needed that."
'She really can read people like an open book!' Ruka thought. 'While she may be shy and struggles with direct communication, she more than makes up for it by being so amazingly well in touch with other people's feelings.'
"I guess that means I shouldn't worry too much about Kazuya then and just wait and see what happens next…" Ruka said, "…instead of being a hurricane, wrecking things in its path. Won't be easy, but I'll try!"
Sumi smiled and gave Ruka a 'thumbs up' gesture to show she fully approved of the words the young black-haired girl had just spoken.
"Thanks, Sumi. You're such a good friend," Ruka praised Sumi. "Now I know why Kazuya thinks so highly of you."
Sumi felt she started to blush, and quickly ran to the bathroom.
'I still love you, Kazuya-kun…' Sumi thought, '…but if you're happy with Ruka, then I'm happy for the both of you…'
'That girl is so shy…' Ruka thought, thinking Sumi had run off because of the compliments she had just received. 'What I may have just a little too much, she seems to have way too little of. Maybe we should spend some more time together, so her calm can rub off on me, and then perhaps some of my overly outgoing personality can rub off on her…'
A little later Sumi returned from the bathroom, looking a little pale.
"Hey, are you ok?" Ruka asked, feeling a bit worried.
Sumi started typing again and showed her reply to Ruka.
"Oh, you skipped breakfast, that explains a lot," Ruka summarized Sumi's reply. "Better grab something to eat then. Or you'll end up skipping lunch too."
Sumi nodded in agreement, and walked to the kitchen, to get some yoghurt from the fridge, then added some cereal to it.
"Wait, that's it!" Ruka suddenly said; "Since Kazuya had to go to work so unexpectedly, he probably wouldn't have had time to make himself a proper lunch. So, he'll probably end up grabbing a quick snack from the cafeteria when he gets hungry. Nothing wholesome. I would be a bad girlfriend if I were to let this happen, so instead I'll make him a fresh lunch!" Ruka added.
Sumi started typing again. 'Sounds good!' Ruka read on the screen, when Sumi showed it to her.
"Right! I could make him a bento lunchbox. That way I can make sure Kazuya gets healthy food and at the same time it'll be a token of my love for him," Ruka suggested. "Making bento is a lot of work, so I'd better get started as soon as possible. Gotta go, thanks for listening and your help!"
"Bye…" Sumi said with a soft voice, as Ruka left.
Meanwhile, Kazuya was still busy planning his surprise, and had called upon someone else for some more advice…
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Chizuru said, feeling a bit uneasy sitting once again at a table in a restaurant with Kazuya.
While Chizuru had started missing the regular 'rental dates' with Kazuya, and being in this situation right now did feel somewhat comfortably familiar to her, it also made it harder to not think about what could have been, if in the past she had been more honest about her own feelings for Kazuya…
"Remember how things went yesterday…" Chizuru further explained, "…and then we could still say we had just met by chance. Ruka will never believe that excuse if she sees us here now."
"Oh, I've taken care of that this time, I told Ruka I had to go to work…" Kazuya explained, "… and besides, there is nothing wrong with two good friends having a chat. Even if Ruka would see us, she knows there is no more 'battle' between you and her, so she'd probably understand, right?"
Chizuru felt a pinch hearing Kazuya say 'good friends' when referring to Kazuya and her. 'I doubt Ruka would understand, I'm not even always sure I do…' she pondered.
"Still, I think you should just have called me instead of going here. But ok, if you're sure it's really no problem coming here, then I'm willing to help you, as I promised you a long time ago," Chizuru gave in; "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"Thanks…" Kazuya started; "… now you see, I want to do something special for Ruka, not just for yesterday, but there are a few more occasions that I feel I have to make up for…" he paused for a brief moment, "… or more, I want to make up for, as Ruka keeps saying I don't have to. But what would she like? That's where you come in, as you probably know what a beautiful girl would want most, since you are one yourself…" Kazuya added.
Chizuru had to try hard not to blush, hearing this casually spoken compliment.
"Ok, but I still think I shouldn't be the one to give you advice on this…" Chizuru said, looking a bit dejected.
"Why? Is something wrong? You can tell me anything, right!?" Kazuya said, as he came a little closer and looked Chizuru straight in the eyes, causing her to feel even more uncomfortable.
'Don't do this to me!' Chizuru thought, as she felt those feelings, she'd been suppressing the past few days, slowly rising up again. 'I must resist, for Ruka, for Kazuya, for everyone!'
"Look, I…" Chizuru started, but then forgot what she wanted to say.
'Quit staring into my eyes like that! I can't focus…' Chizuru thought. 'I… I just need to get away…'
"Sorry… I have to go!" Chizuru said, breaking eye contact; "Talk to you later…"
She quickly picked up her bag, stood up, and walked away, leaving a baffled Kazuya behind.
'What was that all about!?' Kazuya wondered, unaware of the internal struggle Chizuru had been going through. After having recovered from the first shock, he jumped up, and went after her. Once outside, Kazuya looked around, but he couldn't see Chizuru anywhere.
'She was sure acting strange all of a sudden...' he thought, 'maybe something is wrong?' Kazuya got worried and ran around the corner, hoping he could still catch a glimpse of Chizuru, but then bumped right into someone!
"Ouch! Can't you watch where you're going!?" he heard a familiar voice say.
"Huh? Ruka? What are you doing here?" Kazuya asked.
"No, what are you doing here, Kazuya?" a surprised Ruka countered his question; "I thought you had to work all day?"
"Eh, well… you see…" Kazuya started, while rubbing the back of his head with his hand, "… to tell you the truth, I haven't been totally honest with you."
"Y-You… found someone else?" Ruka asked, her face suddenly getting a sad expression.
"Oh no! Nothing like that!" Kazuya instantly replied.
"Then why lie to me about this?" Ruka inquired, still not satisfied with his explanation so far.
"I really can't tell you yet…" Kazuya started, "… but I'm pretty sure you will like it."
'So, he is planning something…' Ruka thought, '… that is just what Sumi already hinted at.'
"Fine, I won't ask any further about it," she said, much to Kazuya's surprise, as he was expecting to take at least some 'flak' for his actions.
"Uh, thanks…" Kazuya said, with a sigh of relief, "… by the way, what's in the bag you dropped?"
"Oh… that was the lunch I had prepared for you…" Ruka said, as she picked up the bag, with a sad look on her face. "… it's probably totally ruined now…"
"Lunch? For me? That's sweet of you…" Kazuya said, "…and I doubt it's ruined, seems like the box is still in one piece, so it's probably just fine. How about we look for a bench to sit down and have lunch together?" he suggested.
"Really?" Ruka asked, as her face lit up; "So you're not mad that I came after you, even though yesterday you told me about having to try not being too clingy?"
"Not when you bring me a homemade lunch…" Kazuya laughed, '… and besides, I should not have lied to you about going to work, to begin with," he added, looking down, feeling guilty over this.
"Well, it seems you had a good reason for it…" Ruka said, "… so, let's find a nice place to have that lunch together, right?" she added.
'Amazing how she always has such a positive attitude, and never dwells on my mistakes…' Kazuya praised Ruka in his mind.
Meanwhile, Chizuru had watched this scene from a distance, while hiding in a dark alley between two buildings. 'That was too close for comfort!' she thought, not just referring to Ruka nearly having spotted them together, but also because suddenly being so close to Kazuya in the restaurant, had shown that just being friends with him, would be more difficult than she had imagined. After Kazuya and Ruka had left, to go looking for a good spot to have lunch, Chizuru came out from hiding and quickly went home. She had to work out some things for herself…
A little later, Ruka and Kazuya had found a suitable location, near a small pond, and both sat down to enjoy the lunch she had made. 'This is so good' Kazuya thought, as he took another another bite of something delicious. 'Ruka really went all out again to take care of me, and meanwhile I lied to her about going to work. She's such a nice girl! Still, I'm glad she didn't spot me with Mizuhara, Ruka might not have been just as supportive seeing that, as she is now…'
"Kazuya, is something wrong?" Ruka asked; "You're being so quiet…"
"Uh, I'm fine, just enjoying all that nice and yummy food you made for me…" Kazuya replied, as he smiled at her, "… you're simply too good for me at times."
"That's just something a girlfriend would do for you, you silly…" Ruka said, with a beaming smile on her face.
After finishing the contents of the lunchbox, Ruka somewhat reluctantly went home, so Kazuya could finally continue with the original plan to surprise her. Even though his talk with Chizuru didn't exactly go as planned, during lunch he'd been able to come up with a few ideas of his own, some of which had sounded very promising. Combined with what he had discussed with Sumi, he knew he had his work cut out for him.
'But what had suddenly gotten into Mizuhara?' Kazuya also wondered, as he walked away. 'I really want to make sure that nothing's wrong, but I've still got so much to do for that big surprise date tomorrow…' he also realized. 'I guess I'll have to make sure to check on Mizuhara soon after that…'
(To be continued…)
Epilogue (10 oct 2020)
Well, ended up make a lot of changes in this chapter before being happy about it. First it was longer but also felt overly complicated as a result. Creating something also sometimes means leaving things out, which can be hard, but in the end the result is usually better. I hope you'll think the same.
Please let me know what you think of this story and leave some feedback in the form of a review. If you are logged in on this website, and post a review as registered member, I can even reply to your comments. Looking forward to some more interaction with the people who read my fanfics.
Btw, since I am not a native speaker, there will likely be some silly mistakes in this story. And in punctuation, maybe I made the same mistakes as in previous stories, or even made new mistakes. Hope you can bear with me and see through that. Helpful tips and suggestions are welcome.
Stay safe, and maybe until soon!