Introduction (30 dec 2020)

Update 23 jan 2021: First a short announcement. Because some parts of this chapter made people think that nothing had happened, between this and chapter 15, and also didn't read the "epilogue" part, that added some extra explanation, I decided to re-write a part of this chapter, to make it more open to multiple interpretations, as it was originally intended. Also added a clear separation between the epilogue and the disclaimer part, so people are less likely to consider the entire "wall of text" at the end of a chapter as something that should be skipped. (like a certain person who's into red fish…)

So, the original chapter 16 has now been replaced with this updated version. Now let's continue with the original chapter introduction text:

You must all have been eagerly awaiting this chapter. At least I got several questions when this one would be ready. I can understand though, as the previous chapter did end with a cliffhanger that needed resolving. Well, the wait is over, so let's do this!

I hope you will enjoy reading this, and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what you think of this chapter, as well as the other chapters in this story.

Note: If you want to comment on this story, or any of my other stories, you're welcome to leave a review, preferably as registered member, as this allows much more interaction between writer and reviewer. If there are parts you felt lacking, or disliked, please let me know this as well. Things can appear amazing in my perception, while others might think very differently. I'm eager to hear such feedback as well, since praise is always nice, and can confirm being on the right track, criticism is often what helps more to improve.

Chapter Prologue:

After their dinner date, and the rest of the events of the evening before, what would the dawning of a new day bring for Ruka and Kazuya?

The Morning After

It had started to become daytime outside, as light came pouring in through a small opening between the curtains. But inside Kazuya's bedroom, things were still pretty quiet. Inside the bed, or actually it was a futon, Kazuya was lying on his right side, with Ruka pressed against his back, her left arm still wrapped around him. Her eyes were closed, and she had a faint smile on her face. Kazuya suddenly made a slightly grumbling sound, that startled the young girl, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"EEEUUUAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ruka yawned, as she gradually came to her senses. The dark-haired girl briefly poked Kazuya's side, making him twitch for a moment; "Good morning, sleepyhead…" she softly whispered in his ear.

"Huh!? Where am I? Who's this?" a drowsy Kazuya reacted, as he blinked his eyes a few times, trying to get better vision than the blurry one he was currently having.

"You don't recognize your own bedroom, silly? Or even your cute girlfriend?" Ruka added, trying to sound really disappointed; "Wait, do you remember anything about last night?"

Kazuya thought hard and bits and pieces slowly came to mind. 'Hmm, I do clearly remember we went to visit grandma and then I took Ruka out for dinner. After that… hmmm… we went home to watch a movie and she snuggled up against me later on. But… what happened after that?'

"Good morning, Ruka…" Kazuya started; "Well, I think I'm starting to remember most of it…" he very carefully continued his reply, while trying to buy time to further freshen up his memory.

Kazuya's eyes wandered around the room, where he could see various clothes having been spread out all over the floor. 'Does t-that mean we did actually… eehh?' Kazuya wondered. He felt a blush appear on his face, while he took a closer look at the state of his room and discovered, much to his surprise, there weren't actually that many clothes lying scattered all around. Basically, all he could clearly distinguish were a pair of his own socks, some girls' stockings, that obviously must have been Ruka's, and his trusty sweater. In fact, Kazuya was still mostly dressed, and although he could clearly feel Ruka's warmth, with her soft body still being pressed so snugly against his back, it appeared like she was also still mostly dressed too. 'Wait, what does this all mean?' Kazuya silently asked himself.

"I t-think we must have fallen asleep shortly after we went to your room…" Ruka said somewhat shyly, as she released her grip on Kazuya, then sat upright, to stretch her arms, while yawning.

"I-I think y-you're right…" Kazuya stuttered, as he didn't dare to turn around yet, in case he had misinterpreted the situation, and Ruka actually wouldn't be fully dressed.

"Don't worry, there's nothing showing," Ruka assured Kazuya, as if she had been reading his mind.

"Oh, ok… So, I guess that means we… eh, you know… didn't do anything then?" Kazuya started, as he turned around, and looked Ruka straight into the eyes, while a blush formed on his cheeks.

"I'm sure that if something would have happened, we would both, uhm… remember, right?" Ruka suggested, as she also blushed slightly.

For a moment both youngsters remained silent, feeling a bit awkward about this situation. Kazuya was the first to regain himself and to start talking again.

"So… are you, ehhh, disappointed about this? Kazuya asked, as he looked down at the futon.

"Huh? Are you kidding me!? This was the best night of my life!" Ruka enthusiastically replied.

"Are you sure?" Kazuya continued, very surprised by Ruka's reaction.

"Being so close to you for so long, and waking up together like we just did, I've been thinking for so long about how that would be…" Ruka said, with dreamy eyes.

"Then it's probably fine things went like they did…" Kazuya commented, mostly feeling relieved.

"Well, except this one thing…" Ruka started, as she put on a more serious face.

"What? What is it?" Kazuya asked, feeling a bit anxious now.

"Nah, I'm just teasing you, it was perfect!" Ruka replied, with a big smile on her face, and her eyes twinkling like little stars.

'Wow, even when she's just awake, she still looks amazing!' Kazuya thought, as he watched Ruka's beaming face. 'Maybe it's for the best that nothing happened, I did tell her not to rush things…'

"How about I make my boyfriend some breakfast?" Ruka suggested.

"Sounds great!" Kazuya instantly agreed.

Ruka stood up, and walked towards the kitchen, while Kazuya was still contemplating the events of the past night, and before that, including Chizuru leaving for that acting masterclass. 'It's strange that she is no longer my neighbor…' Kazuya pondered. He had actually somewhat started to miss all these little moments, like putting out the trash, and meeting her during that. But he realized there was also a positive side. 'Ruka has become so much more relaxed, when Mizuhara isn't around all the time.'

"Aaaaahhh…." Kazuya sighed softly, as he let himself fall over backwards on the futon, then fully extended his arms to either side and closed his eyes. 'Could it really be that nothing has happened between Ruka and me last night?' he kept asking himself.

"How do you like your eggs, Kazuya!?" he heard Ruka call out from the kitchen.

"Sunny side up, please!" he shouted back.

"Ok, got it!" Ruka acknowledged, then she started humming a tune.

'Huh, I don't remember I've ever heard her do that before… and why do I feel so well?' Kazuya kept wondering. "This was the best night of my life!" is what Ruka had said… Could that really just from us being next to each other all the time, and nothing more?'

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes!" Ruka shouted, with a cheerful voice.

"Ok, I'm coming!" Kazuya replied.

'Anyway, regardless of what may or may not have happened between us last night, I honestly can't believe how well my life is starting to turn out, lately…' Kazuya thought, as a relaxed feeling came over him, like a soft blanket. Kazuya opened his eyes again, and stood up, then walked to the kitchen. A little while later, both youngsters were sitting at the table, with Kazuya still a bit lost in thought.

"Kazuya? Is something wrong?" Ruka asked.

"Huh? Why?" Kazuya replied, as he woke up from his daydream.

"You seemed like you were spacing out a little there," Ruka continued; "So, is my cooking really that bad? I had to whip up something fast, just using whatever I could find. Your fridge is still not exactly well stocked, you know? We really have to do some shopping later today, so the next time, you have at least some more food and staples readily available."

"Well, it tastes really good, and I was just thinking I am so lucky that you are taking such good care of me, that's all…" Kazuya explained, "… so, thank you for that."

"Don't be silly, that's why I'm your girlfriend, right?" Ruka added, with a beaming smile.

Kazuya had just taken a mouthful of food, so he couldn't speak, but instead nodded, while trying to smile back. The youngsters enjoyed the rest of the breakfast while occasionally chatting about some random subjects. After cleaning up everything, and getting fully dressed, Ruka was about to grab the shopping bag, for the groceries she was going to get, as the doorbell rang.

"Are you expecting anyone, Kazuya?" Ruka asked.

"Not as far as I know, but I will have a look," Kazuya replied, as he paced to the door and opened it a little, so he could peek around the corner, to see who was there.

"Hiya, Kazu-kun!" Mami greeted him with her usual cheerful voice.

'Oh shoot! That is right, Mami was coming over today, to discuss last year's sale number on the liquor store!' Kazuya suddenly remembered. 'I really should keep a better track of my agenda!'

"H-Hello, Mami-chan," Kazuya said, nearly whispering.

'Wait, Ruka is still here! This can only go really bad!' he instantly panicked, while remembering what the previous encounters between his ex and his current girlfriend had boiled down to.

"Ehhh, M-Mami-chan? N-Now is maybe not such a good time, you see…" Kazuya tried to apologize.

"Kazuya, who is it!?" Ruka shouted from the kitchen, as she was writing down some last things on her shopping list.

"Kazu-kun, don't tell me you've got yet another girlfriend staying over?" Mami said, with a teasing voice; "You've really become quite the player these days," she added, while winking.

"Well…" Kazuya started, momentarily lost for words.

"So, aren't you going to open up and invite me in, Kazu-kun?" Mami asked, with an angel's smile on her face.

'Now what am I going to do? I really must prevent Ruka and Mami from seeing each other, but how!?' it kept racing through his mind. 'I shouldn't have been thinking about how nice my life was starting to turn out, now I jinxed it!'

"Ok, I'm going now," Ruka said, as she gave Kazuya a short kiss on the cheek, startling him as he had not heard her walking up to behind him; "Now then, can you fully open the door, so I can get through and get these groceries?"

Reluctantly, Kazuya did as Ruka had asked, and the door swung open, causing Mami and Ruka to end up face to face!

"Huh!? It's you!?" both girls shouted at the same time.

Kazuya wondered if he should jump right in between Mami and Ruka, or run away and hide, from the imminent showdown that was sure to happen any moment now. His body however, decided on a yet another option, freezing on the spot, unable to move, while the two girls kept staring at each other for, what in his mind, seemed like an eternity…

"Look… I'm sorry for what happened at the Karaoke Village…" Ruka started, as she looked down at the floor; "I said some pretty nasty things to you, and didn't think about how you and Kazuya might feel about that…"

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, I had almost forgotten about it anyway," Mami responded, with a smile; "I really should have been more discrete to begin with, like going to a different place, when I noticed Kazu-kun was working there. So, while I appreciate your apology, I think that I am at least as much to blame for what happened back then. Maybe you can forgive me for that?"

Kazuya felt like his jaw had just dropped down on the floor, and he should go looking for it. 'They're not going against each other!? Wait, am I dreaming again?' Kazuya wondered, as he quickly pinched himself. 'I sure felt that! So, it must be real what I am seeing right now…'

"I suppose I can…" Ruka replied, as she looked Mami in the eyes again.

"So happy to hear that! So, you really are Kazuya's girlfriend now…" Mami commented; "And you seem to get along quite well too. I don't think we've ever been properly introduced though?"

"Ehmm, probably not…" Kazuya said, as he had slowly regained himself from the initial surprise, or perhaps shock would have been a better word for it; "Mami-chan, this is Sarashina Ruka. Ruka, meet Nanami Mami" he added, introducing his girlfriend and his ex to each other.

"Pleased to meet you, and you look really cute, I can see why Kazu-kun has fallen for you," Mami said, on a cheerful tone, making Ruka blush a little out of embarrassment.

'This is even better than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams…' Kazuya thought. 'But while things might seem to be going really well at the moment, it's probably better not to overdo it and push my luck too far…' he thought.

"Ruka, weren't you just about to leave to get those groceries?" Kazuya suggested; "Maybe we can all have a nice chat later?"

"Oh, I'd love that!" Mami stated, as Ruka nodded in agreement.

Kazuya quickly waved Ruka goodbye, then went inside with Mami. When he asked her if she wanted something to drink, the blond-haired girl opted for a cup of tea. Luckily, he still had some left, and after boiling some water, both youngsters were soon found sitting at the table, enjoying their hot beverages.

"I'm really happy for you, Kazu-kun, that you're no longer involved with rental girlfriends," Mami suddenly commented.

'Well, technically, this isn't entirely correct, as Ruka has been a rental girlfriend as well…' Kazuya reflected inside his mind. 'Though I never did rent her, that was Kuri, and our 'trial relationship' doesn't count as renting either.' So, Kazuya nodded in agreement, in response to Mami's remark.

"So, Kazu-kun, how did you meet? Was it in the Karaoke Village? Was it love at first sight?" Mami quickly posed one question after another.

"That's a long story…" Kazuya sighed, "… mind if we discuss that some other time? I believe you came here to show me some things?"

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Let me get my laptop, then I can show it more easily…" Mami replied, as she unpacked her bag.

After setting up everything on the table, Mami showed Kazuya a series of sheets with figures and graphs, which indicated the recent developments around the Kinoshita family store. At first, Kazuya was diligently observing the results that Mami presented, but after some time had passed, his mind began to wander. 'This really is the good life... Mami getting along pretty well with Ruka, that's way more than I ever could have hoped for…' Kazuya thought, with a blissful smile on his face.

"What is it, Kazu-kun?" Mami asked, having noticed the change in his expression.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something, but I'm all ear again now, please continue," Kazuya replied, with somewhat of a 'caught in the act' look in his eyes.

However, soon Kazuya's thoughts started drifting away again to what had been happening recently. 'Even telling the truth about Mizuhara and Ruka to my friends went much better than expected,' he remembered. Sure, Kibe had threatened to punch Kazuya, after hearing Kazuya was no longer with Chizuru, but then calmed down after seeing a photo of Ruka. Then Kibe had wanted to punch Kazuya again, but this time because he so was jealous that Kazuya had found himself yet another stunning girlfriend. Kuri had been a lot easier, since he was on a trip with Yaemori, Kazuya had not been able to talk to him directly, but had to resort to sending him a message, to which his slender friend had replied with a 'thumbs up' smiley. 'No matter what I do, these guys always keep supporting me…'

"Uh, Kazu-kun, are you still with me?" Mami asked; "You must be thinking about that pretty girlfriend of yours all the time. Am I right, or am I right?" she added, while smiling.

"Oh, sorry…" Kazuya apologized; "I did get a little distracted there again…" he added, while laughing sheepishly.

"Even though we've been apart for so long, and we only dated for like a month or so, it seems I can still see right through you," Mami said, still with a smile on her face; "Right, Kazu-kun?"

"Eehhh, I guess so…" Kazuya admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed; "Mami-chan, do you want some more tea?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes please," Mami replied, as she presented him her empty cup.

After Kazuya had given them both a refill, they reviewed the rest of the Sake shop's numbers without any more interruptions.

"Looks like everything's doing great. Grandma was right to bring you in as extra advisor," Kazuya praised his ex.

"Thanks, Kazu-kun, that really means a lot to me," Mami said, as she struggled to hide a slight blush.

Kazuya casually checked the time on his phone. 'Ruka will probably be back soon. Hopefully things will still go as nicely as before, with Mami still being here…'

"Your girlfriend should be coming back any moment now, I guess?" Mami inquired.

"Well, the store isn't too far from here, and although I didn't have much food left, it shouldn't take very long to get everything and get back here," Kazuya replied.

"I think I'll take a raincheck on our little 'get together' then," Mami suggested; "So you can get some more 'alone time' with that cute new girlfriend of yours. You haven't been together for that long already, right? So, you are probably still 'testing the waters' a little here and there."

"Well, we've known each other for a few years now, but it's only quite recently that we've gotten serious, that's true…" Kazuya admitted.

"Say no more, Kazu-kun, it's clear that you don't need me prying into your new relationship," Mami continued; "Just let me know when you feel like having that friendly chat with the three of us. And no need to rush, ok? It's already been very interesting to meet your girlfriend. Ruka was it, right?"

"Eh, yes. I promise I'll call you soon," Kazuya agreed.

Mami quickly gathered her things, and then walked to the door.

"Cya, Kazu-kun!" she cheered, with a bright smile, before stepping outside.

"Bye, Mami-chan!" Kazuya returned the greeting, also smiling because of how well things had turned out today…

Kazuya heard Mami walking down the stairs, and then quickly brought the cups they had been using for drinking tea, to the kitchen, so he could clean these later on. As he got back to the living room, he heard some more footsteps on the stairs to the first floor, and then getting closer. A few moments later, the doorbell rang. 'That must be Ruka! Maybe I should give her a key of the apartment from now on, so she can just let herself in on moments like these…' Kazuya thought, as he rushed to get to the front door…

(To be continued…)

Epilogue (12 jan 2021)

So, now we know what happened that night, in Kazuya's bedroom. Or do we now? With their still somewhat blurry memory, I guess we may never know for sure. But regardless, they had a great time together, and I hope you also enjoyed this chapter. I know I had fun writing it, not just because I am still able to write anything, but also because it was nice to imagine how it would look, if such a scene would have really been part of the manga and/or anime.

Also my special thanks to reader .02 for reminding me about having forgotten about something in the previous chapter, which luckily I was able to 'fix' in this one. This once again shows just how your feedback, as reader, is simply invaluable to help make this story the best it can be!

Disclaimer

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 fanfiction website, and post a review as registered member, I can even reply to your comments. I'd be happy to have some more interaction with the people who read my stories!

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!