Try new things and discover yourself every single day.

–Bhavya Choudhary

o0o

The week following the exam was probably the most peaceful of Kish's life. His and Ichigo's study sessions having naturally come to an end, Kish spent the days largely lazing around his house during the day and then going to the café to visit with the Mew Mews in the afternoon after they finished school.

Now that his secret was out, Ichigo's friends had begun stopping by his table to talk with him at intervals throughout their shift. To his surprise, they were full of questions about his home planet and the wellbeing of his people. Lettuce in particular was quite eager to know all about his people's society and she asked many questions pertaining to its government, education and economy. Kish noted with some amusement the way her face lit up whenever Pie's name was mentioned and he took a mental memo to tease Pie incessantly about this the next time he saw him.

Of course, Kish's favorite visitor was Ichigo herself. To his delight, she always made time for him during her breaks and occasionally she'd join him at his table when the café wasn't busy. They talked about all manner of things, the topics ranging from Ichigo's day at school to her gripes about her boss being a slave driver to her thoughts about the manga series she was currently reading.

"It's so frustrating," she complained over the top of her book. "Momo-chan should just forget Ringo-kun and go out with Orenji-kun instead."

Kish raised a brow as he sipped on his strawberry soda. "Why's that?"

Ichigo huffed as she turned the page. "Because Ringo's so boring. I liked him a lot at first because he's very sweet and treats Momo-chan well, but ever since he and Momo got together both of their characters have become super flat. She has much better chemistry with Orenji and it's obvious that she has way more fun when she's with him than when she goes out with Ringo."

"Oh?" he questioned as he used the side of his fork to cut a piece off the end of his tart. "Then what's keeping her with Ringo?"

Ichigo turned another page and Kish watched her eyes travel back and forth as she read the dialogue bubbles. "It's because they're childhood friends. Momo's liked Ringo for a long time and it took ages for her to work up the courage to ask him out. I was rooting for them in the beginning, but Orenji is so much better-written that it's hard not to want her to get together with him instead."

Kish chewed on his dessert thoughtfully as he considered Ichigo's frustration. Upon swallowing, he said, "Well, in my experience, girls seem to prefer bland guys." Deciding to leave aside the matter of Ichigo's own bland-as-crackers boyfriend, he leaned forward over the table and raised a hand to hide his mouth from prying eyes before gesturing with his thumb to where Lettuce stood wiping down a table not far away. "I mean, did you know that Lettuce totally has a crush on Pie? Pie."

Both of Ichigo's eyebrows shot up. "What? Really?"

Kish nodded. "Totally. And he's the blandest guy I know." He settled back into his seat with a smug look.

Ichigo's eyes travelled briefly to her friend and then back to him. She lifted a hand to her lips in wonder. "I had no idea." Her eyes repeated their path and to his surprise, she asked, "Do you think he likes her back?"

Kish considered this. After a moment, he shook his head and shrugged helplessly. "It's hard to say. Pie is an unstoppable force of apathy."

Ichigo smiled and took a sip of her own drink. "Well, I think they'd be cute together."

Kish furrowed his eyebrows and pointed his fork at her. "Weren't you just complaining about girls liking dull guys?"

"This is different," she defended. "Pie and Lettuce suit one another."

Kish snorted. "Well, I won't argue with that."

Ichigo smiled to herself in a decidedly pleased fashion and Kish could tell that she was imagining her friend going on a date with Pie. He laid down his fork and propped his cheek on his palm to watch her fantasize. Suddenly, Ichigo's eyes widened and she straightened in her seat. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed. "There was something I was supposed to tell you. I nearly forgot."

Kish tilted his head curiously.

"I was thinking that you must be super bored hanging around the café like this all the time, so I talked to Akasaka-san and Shirogane-san and they said they'd be willing to let you work here if you wanted. In exchange for letting Akasaka-san run some tests on you, that is. He wants to know more about Alien physiology. Oh! But it won't be anything too invasive, I promise."

Kish lifted his head in surprise. "Me? Work here?"

Ichigo nodded. "You're always here anyway and it would be good if you had a way to earn some money so you don't have to rely on abductions to get stuff like clothes and groceries."

Kish thought about this. She made a fair point. It did sometimes get boring merely watching Ichigo's day-to-day life like an outsider. Working would give him something to do and also an excuse to stay close to her. It might even be fun. He grinned and waved a hand at her. "Sure. Why not? I guess I can put up with a few tests."

Ichigo smiled brilliantly and stood from her chair. "Great! I'll go tell Akasaka-san right away." She grabbed her manga from where she'd deposited it on the table and pushed her chair in before hurrying away.

Kish watched her run off with a fond smile. To think that he and Ichigo had become this close. He wished they could stay like this forever. He'd never wanted anything so badly.

He exhaled a small sigh and pushed his finished plate to the center of the table. He would just have to content himself with enjoying this while it lasted. Rather, he was determined to. Come what may, he would hang onto this happiness for as long as he could.

o0o


"The uniform looks good on you," Ichigo said, her approval evident in her tone.

Kish twisted his body left and right to get a good look at himself as his new coworkers stood by. The pink dress shirt was a little off-putting in his opinion but it paired well with the accompanying gray vest and slacks so he supposed he could tolerate it.

Pudding examined him with a bright smile. "You look very classy," she declared with a hand on her chin. "Like you belong in Mint's house."

Mint made a show of covering her nose in disgust. "Please. Like I need a filthy alien for a butler. I'll pass, thank you."

Kish thought about mentioning that on his planet, his rank greatly exceeded hers and she would more likely be the one serving him but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the fight.

Akasaka stepped forward and motioned him toward the kitchen. "Now that you're dressed, I'll show you the ropes. Please come this way."

Kish spent the next hour learning all his new duties, from dishwashing to waiting and bussing tables to how to take out the trash at the end of the day. Kish had never worked in the service industry before but he was no slouch and he picked up everything quickly. By the end of his shift he was able to confidently take and deliver orders and his natural charm made him an instant hit with customers. Initially, he had worried that serving would be boring, but he ended up having a lot of fun. He particularly enjoyed waiting on young women because of the way they blushed and giggled at his flirting.

As they cleaned up the shop at the end of the evening, Ichigo nudged him with an elbow and smirked slyly. "You know, maybe you should consider a career as a host. I bet you'd be popular."

Kish pretended to consider this. "I am overflowing with good looks and charisma," he agreed. He leaned down to wiggle his eyebrows at her and Ichigo pushed him away playfully. "But," he continued, placing his hands on his hips, "playing the field isn't really my style. I'm a one girl kinda guy."

A light flush bloomed on Ichigo's cheeks and she turned her face away to examine the table she was cleaning. She said nothing and Kish regarded her curiously. Her reaction to his flirting was different than usual. Had she grown tired of being baited by his teasing? She didn't look offended, though. Rather, he could almost swear that she looked flustered.

She cleared her throat and said, "Yes, well, in any case, you did a good job today." Looking back at him, she added, "I'll be counting on your help again tomorrow, so don't be late, okay?"

Kish smiled and nudged her with his hip. "I wouldn't dream of it."

o0o


By the end of the week, Kish had well and truly acclimated to working at the café. He zipped around the room, taking orders and delivering cakes and chatting up the clientele. He was a definite hit, and as the days passed, the number of young women visiting the café grew as word of Café Mew Mew's charming new waiter spread around town. Much to his amusement, it seemed that in conjunction with his popularity, rumors about him had begun to spread as well.

"You're Keisuke, right?" a university-aged young woman asked as he finished writing down her table's orders. "Is it true that you're an undercover idol?"

Kish smiled secretively and leaned down to give the girl a wink. "My, if I were, I'd be doing a very poor job at the undercover part if I admitted it, now wouldn't I?"

The girl and her friends broke into a fit of giggles and Kish sashayed away with a satisfied grin. Not ten minutes later, he overheard another table full of young ladies whispering amongst themselves as he passed.

"I heard he's a model from Korea. I watched a program about how the Korean fashion industry is trying to internationalize by sending models to Tokyo to study."

Kish snorted at that and shook his head. How absurd. As if such a person would be found waiting tables alongside junior high schoolers in a small, park-side café. Humans had the strangest notions.

Humans. They were silly and irrational and more trouble than they were worth, but Kish couldn't deny that he was having fun. This past week had been the most enjoyable since he'd landed. For the first time in his life, he felt free and useful and wanted. Not to mention that his relationship with Ichigo and the other Mew Mews was better than ever. He'd fully expected to be treated as an outsider by Ichigo's friends, but they'd actually warmed to him quickly once it became clear that he truly meant no harm. Lettuce and Pudding in particular were very chatty with him and often chose to clean alongside him during closing time to ask questions about his culture. Even Mint could often be found lurking nearby with a curious ear turned to their conversations. Zakuro was the least sociable where he was concerned, but Kish was fairly sure that was just how she was. She preferred to keep to herself and she could rarely be found engaging in idle conversation with anyone, their bosses included.

And then there was Ichigo. He wondered if it wasn't jumping the gun to call her his best friend? They were definitely close. There was no one he enjoyed being with more than her and these days he'd begun to suspect the feeling was mutual. Ichigo sought him out over the other Mew Mews and he was always the last person she said goodbye to before going home for the night. He recalled Aoyama's words from the day of the exam: She never tries to hide from you. She doesn't fear rejection from you. She trusts you with the ugliest parts of her. He began to wonder if Aoyama hadn't been speaking the truth about that. It was true that Ichigo showed a different side of herself to him than to Aoyama—and to a certain extent, her teammates as well. He supposed that was because he'd experienced her at her worst time and again as her enemy. There was no point in putting on the face of an angel now. But he liked to think that it was due, at least in part, to her just feeling comfortable around him. He wanted to believe that.

And speaking of Ichigo, that evening as they were closing the shop, she approached him with an unexpected request.

"You know, Kish," she got his attention as he was putting away the last of the dishes. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Kish wiped his hands on his apron and cocked his head to show he was listening. "I probably should have asked this a long time ago, but where have you been staying? Do you go back to your ship every night?"

Kish shook his head. "Nah, it's too cramped. I've been staying in a house Pie found the last time we were here. The owners work overseas so there's no risk of being found out. It's actually not that far from you."

He thought Ichigo would reprimand him for using a stranger's home without their permission, but instead she looked interested. "What about utilities? Wouldn't the owners notice paying for electricity and water in a house they don't use?"

Kish grinned. "Pie looked into that. Apparently, the city pays for the house. The couple who own it are high ranking government employees so the property is fully subsidized. A waste of taxpayer money, if you ask me, but I'm not exactly in a position to complain."

It was indeed an excellent deal for him. The house was large, if a little old-fashioned, and fully furnished. It was practically begging for a vagrant like him to take up residence inside. Certainly, it had made for an excellent base of operations for the alien trio a year ago.

Ichigo looked even more interested at this. "You said it's not far from me? If that's the case, then I'd love to take a look sometime. If that's okay with you, of course."

Kish's ears lifted in glee. Ichigo wanted to visit him at his house! Of course he'd be more than happy to host her. It was then that he had a great idea. "Hey, tomorrow is Saturday," he pointed out. "Why don't you and the girls come over? I'll give you the tour and we can have a movie marathon. I've always wanted to experience a movie marathon."

Ichigo's face lit up. "That's a great idea! I have tons of movies. The Mews and I can buy some snacks and then come by in the afternoon. You're sure the owners won't be coming back, right?"

Kish nodded. "Positive. Here, I'll write down directions." He pulled out the notepad from his apron pocket and drew a crude map, labeling the turns and a few landmarks. When he was satisfied that his directions were sufficiently clear, he tore the page from the spiral binding and handed it to her.

Ichigo smiled and slipped the paper into her uniform pocket. "Awesome. I'll go talk to the others. I bet they'll jump at the idea." With that, she turned and hurried away to find their coworkers. Kish watched her race from the kitchen with a fond smile. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

oO0Oo


Abrupt ending is abrupt. This chapter was a bit crude in general, I think, but that's transition chapters for you. Despite that, I like this chapter because it's so full of little bondy moments. Ichigo and Kish really feel like friends now. It makes my heart glad. :3