Chapter 8. Gossip Girl.
The following day, the small group of misfit friends went to the Okumura's dorm building, an old vacant structure that was decommissioned a few years ago to be prepped to be torn down and rebuilt, though the project was put on hold for the time being. The twins had given the grand tour of the massive building, showing them where the cafeteria and the baths were. The two left the girls in one of the activity rooms to lounge on the couch and watch TV, while the boys were down in the kitchen preparing a casual meal for all of them.
The girls spent some time in silence, watching whatever was on the large television, and flipping channels to try to find something interesting to relax to. Turning the channel again, they landed on a drama show, where the handsome lead actor confessed his feelings to the smart female character; they were an unlikely couple, but the girl supposed that's what had made it all the better throughout the duration of the show. It seemed as though the female role was supposed to be the head boss' secretary, and the male lead, which was her boss and owner of the company, had fallen in love with her after spending so much time together. The female assistant didn't take his confession very well, claiming that they were too different to make it work, and it was unprofessional to be seen in that state. Of course, the male lead dramatically stated that he didn't care, and kissed her regardless.
Turning to Shiemi, who was watching intently, the girl decided to break the silence. "So, which twin do you think is cuter?" she giggled.
Shiemi's neck snapped around like an owl as she screeched. "Wh-what?! I don't think of Rin or Yuki like that at all, they're just my friends!" she cried as her face grew red as a tomato. That was all the girl needed to confirm that there really was something there.
"I know that, but that doesn't mean you can't think they're cute. I'm not asking you who you'd rather make out with, I'm just asking who you think is cuter," she grinned, crossing her legs onto the couch like a preschooler.
Calming down, Shiemi looked away as she thought through her words very selectively. "Well… I suppose Rin is pretty cute, but Yuki has a real attractive quality in the way that he holds himself. He's so mature and confident. I've always looked up to him for that. Rin is very funny and carefree, and has such a big heart."
"They're like polar opposites," the girl spoke bluntly, turning her attention back to the show on television. The owners' partner walked it on them, who apparently also had feelings for the girl, and began threatening the security of the company.
"Yeah, I didn't believe they were brothers at first, let alone twins," Shiemi continued. "To be honest, back before I had even met Rin, I used to have kind of a crush on Yuki when we were younger—" she clasped her hands over her mouth and groaned. "Please don't say anything!"
The girl chuckled to herself. "Don't worry," she assured, "your secret is safe with me."
The blonde girl turned bright red once more. "Wh-which one do you think is more attractive?!" Shiemi blurted, not wanting to be left alone admitting something she found to be very embarrassing.
"Rin," the girl said matter-of-factly. She glanced at Shiemi's awe-struck face. "I mean, like you said, he's really funny and carefree. He's like comedy relief—I don't know, it's kind of endearing. Yukio is a bit stoic for my taste."
"Oh..." came Shiemi's hushed tone. She looked down at her hands, deep in thought. "It's not like it matters anyways…I get the feeling both of them are more interested in you, than they would ever be interested in me."
A little caught off guard, the girl did a double take before finally asking for clarification. "What are you talking about?!"
"I've seen the way both of them look at you. Yuki is more reserved, but I can still see," her voice trailed off as she looked down. There was a pause for a few seconds, then she looked back up at the girl beside her. "You're beautiful! And I'm sure they think so too—everyone thinks so! You don't even have to try and you get attention from all the guys."
Eyes wide in disbelief, the girl took a few moments to process what Shiemi had just said to her, trying to figure out exactly where it all came from. Finally, she broke out in a loud, uncontrolled cackle. "Oh that's rich! Okay, maybe people think I'm like next door neighbor pretty, but that doesn't mean they're interested in me," she dismissed, wiping below her eye. "Besides, I know for sure that those boys kinda have a thing for their little Shiemi – you're adorable, but their caring for you definitely goes far beyond what you look like. They don't like me."
Once again, Shiemi's face grew bright, tomato red at hearing the girl say those words. The thought of Rin or Yukio liking her as more than just a friend was almost unbearable. She kept replaying what her new friend had said, getting more and more embarrassed, until she thought of something—had she implied no one was interested in her? "Hey," Shiemi began. "What about Sir Faust?"
The girl froze. "What about him?"
"Do you think he's attractive?"
Her ears suddenly felt like someone blew hot air on them from under the veil of her long hair. "What kind of question is that? He's the headmaster!" she snorted.
"Well, you two seem to hang around each other a lot. You guys just went to dinner last night, didn't you?"
"It was a meeting!" she deflected.
"At a restaurant," Shiemi giggled. "That seems more like a date. You don't think he's interested in you at all?"
Pursing her lips, the girl put her nose in the air. "No way!" she shouted. "We're totally like work friends—acquaintances even—his interests are clearly no more than that!" Looking back over her shoulder, her gaze was met with the blonde's big, glittery blue eyes. A tight smile was on her face. "What, what are you looking at?"
The smile on her face grew larger. "Nothing," she said, plopping back onto the couch, resuming watching the drama on TV. The assistant could no longer deny her feelings for her boss, but due to the turmoil their interactions caused, she resigned from the company and said how they needed to go their separate ways. "I think you like him," she said under her breath.
"Do not."
"Don't what?" Yukio asked as he and Rin entered the room, platters of food in their arms.
"Don't worry about it," the girl said, sticking her tongue out and giggling. The boys set the plates of food down on the coffee table and pulled a couple chairs closer so they too could eat. Rin nabbed the remote from the girls and changed the channel to a comedy. This was the girls' first time trying Rin's home cooked meals, and they were both amazed at how amazing it looked and even smelled. They enjoyed some light conversation in between stuffing their faces with the delicious meal.
The sounds of their laughter carried out into the night, where unbeknownst to the group, a dark figure sat outside the window listening in to their conversation. The light of the silver moon peeked through the dark clouds for just a moment, landing on a set of eyes that shone like the calm forest. The whites of the eyes flashed brightly as they rolled to the side, peering at the window next to the figure, the low hum of a chuckle resonating almost noiselessly. "It seems that intentions need to become known," a smooth whisper came from the shadow, just as it jumped down from the ledge and vanished into the night.
Later on that evening, Rin had offered to walk the girls home himself so Yukio could get some things done. As they were leaving, Yukio grabbed the girls' arm and pulled her back into the dorm, leaving Rin and Shiemi outside together. Admitting his worries about her passing her coming exams, but knowing he couldn't go against his orders and go through with a temptaint ritual, he offered to tutor the girl in everything that he knew and then some, to help her as much as he possibly could. She nearly broke into tears as she threw her arms around him and thanked him repeatedly.
