Black Cat, White Dog

Chapter 4: I Can't Go On a Date With Senpai

By: ScribblingBear

Immediately after his hand left my head, Adam pulled me into a hug. Soon after, Yatsu and Mihng joined in for a big group hug. The whole thing left me flustered, but I was smiling.

"Thank you all for treating a stranger with such kindness."

After letting me go, the blonde man crossed his arms. "You've been a friend of Adam's for years. As far as we're concerned, you're our friend, too."

I couldn't help but bow. "Again, thank you!"

Mihng smiled and nudged me a little. "I want you to know that you can rely on us. All of us." The emphasis she put on that last bit told me exactly what she meant. "Say, do you mind if I walk home with you again? I'd like to talk to you."

"Yes, of course."

She smiled and waved to the guys before walking out with me. Despite the fact that I had started walking, she didn't move after closing the door.

"Do you like him?"

I stopped about halfway between the door and the gate, but I couldn't face her. "I hold him in very high regard. He's a precious friend to me."

"A precious friend, huh? Are you sure you don't think of him as anything more?"

Letting out a sigh, I turned around. "Even if I did, I'm most definitely not ready for that kind of relationship again."

Mihng approached me and put her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, I was just asking. Just... treasure him. Adam is a certain brand of kind that's not easy to come by. Even more than Yatsu or me, rely on him, Ruri."

Even though I had turned to face her, I kept my gaze to the ground. I just couldn't make eye contact no matter how hard I tried.

"I'll tell him tomorrow. Could you, maybe, ask him to meet me tomorrow? In the big pavilion at the center of town?"

She gave me a nod. "He'll be there. Yatsu and I will tag along from a distance to support you."

"You don't have to do that."

Mihng just grinned. "But I want to." She reached out and took my hand, tugging me towards the gate. "Come on now, I did say I'd walk home with you."

Her grabbing my hand brought another question I'd been meaning to ask to mind. Unfortunately, due to the nature of said question, it took me until we were halfway between Mihng's house and my own to actually figure out how I wanted to word it.

"Mihng, may I ask you something about earlier today?"

The other woman slowed down and let go of my hand so I could walk up beside her. "Of course. What is it?"

I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried to just let the words out. "Are you, um... you know, uh... The way you behave and something Yatsuhashi said made me think that..."

All it took was a small giggle from her to silence me. "Well, yes and no. I'm bisexual. I'm attracted to men and women, and I have to say, Saori-chan's a real hottie."

She winked at me, and I couldn't help but turn away in embarrassment. "Is that why you got angry with Yatsuhashi so often today?"

Mihng crossed her arms. "No, actually. I can tell that Saori's not into women, but Yatsu can be a... player at times. He's got a history of trying to charm any cute girl he sees, and I hate seeing a man play with a woman's heart like that."

"So... what did you do to him when you dragged him away after our... talk?"

She clapped her hands together and stopped walking. "Oh, that? Well, see, I had intended on punching him and telling him to knock it off, but you know how I said he can be a player 'at times'? Yatsu pleaded with me to hear him out, and so I did. Most of our time away from you, Saori, and Adam was spent by him telling me how he genuinely liked Saori-chan. There was more, but a girl's gotta keep some secrets."

Immediately, I crossed my arms, turned back to her, and huffed. "You're one to talk about a girl keeping secrets, Miss 'Harp on Ruri About Telling Adam Her Secret'. Does Tiro already know?"

The woman bit her lip and looked to the side. "He kind of does. He already knows you're upset because of a breakup. I mean, when he told me about it, he said straight up it was just a guess, but I told him he was right. I didn't tell him any more than that, though. I'm sorry, Ruri-chan, but saying he was wrong would've been a lie."

I just shook my head. "No, no, I understand. I'm just afraid of other people knowing the situation."

"Ruri, you're back! Did you have a good time?"

Hearing my mother greet me when arrive home was such a rarity that it easily caught me off guard. Both Mihng and I bowed courteously to her with smiles.

"I did, mother, thank you. Have Tamaki and Hinata behaved themselves?"

My mother grinned and opened the gate for me. "Of course they have. They're good girls, just like their big sister. And who's this?" Her gaze turned to Mihng as the woman followed me in. "Is she one of the friends you were hanging out with?"

Before I could answer her myself, Mihng bowed again and introduced herself. "Yes ma'am, I'm one of Ruri's friends. My name is Mihng Lo Fey and it's a pleasure to meet you."

My mom put a hand on her chin and giggled softly. "My, my, how polite! Well, it's nice to meet you too, Miss Lo Fey. Thank you for looking after little Ruri for me."

Mihn held up her hands and waved them from side to side. "Oh no, the pleasure's all mine. She's a sweet girl and a joy to be around." She then leaned forward and whispered something into my mother's ear. After seeing the expressions on their faces, I deemed it to be something that I didn't want to stick around for.

"Well, thank you Mihng. I'm going to take a bath now, have a good evening!" With that, I quickly made my way towards the house.

"One o'clock, Ruri-chan! He'll be there."

After pausing and turning around, I bowed to my friend. "Thank you so much. I... I won't let you down."

The smile she gave me was as bright as the morning sun. "I'm sure you won't. I'll see you then."

We both waved to each other before I walked into my house. It wasn't long before I was assaulted by two hug goblins laughing and greeting me happily.

"Welcome home, sis!" They rarely ever spoke in unison, so hearing that felt a little odd.

"Good evening. Did you two have fun with Mom today?"

Hinata began nodding. "Yeah! We all went to the park for a picnic! It was nice seeing momma for a change."

I smiled and pat the girl's head. "A picnic? I'll be sure not to miss the next one."

The door opened and my mother walked in, creating a chain of head pats. Being so close to her warmed my heart like a fireplace in deep winter.

"So you're going out again, Ruri?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Awesome!" Tamaki gave me a thumbs up. "I thought you would never want to go out again after... you know."

I let out a sigh and stood up. "I have my new friends to thank for that. But for right now, I really want to take a bath and relax."

Mom patted my back. "I understand. Come on, girls, let's work on dinner together."

Both of my sisters hopped up excitedly and went to the kitchen with our mother. I was eager for a little time to myself, so I was quick to draw a bath, get everything ready, and slide in.

The warm water always helped melt away worries, but I still had a lot to think about. "How am I going to do this?" I sighed and slipped down a little deeper into the water. "How's Adam going to react? I'm afraid... maybe I could just tell Mihng I can't make it?"

I shook my head at the thought of running away. "No... I need to do this." I wasn't going to get anywhere worrying about tomorrow.

Instead of trying to figure out how I would handle the day to come, I let the hot water around me carry my body and mind off somewhere that nothing mattered. I moved my arms a little to create sound to listen to as well, which helped me ease a little tension.

Dinner that night was made wonderful simply by the presence of both my parents. I learned that my mother would have tomorrow completely off, which helped put me at ease. My sisters were two less things I had to worry about tomorrow, and I needed all I could get.

Getting to sleep was a bit of a chore. The relaxing effect the bath had given me had faded completely, leaving me tense and with far too many thoughts racing through my mind. I must have been lying in bed for hours before I nodded off, which probably contributed to me waking up much later than I usually did.

Most days I woke up early enough to make breakfast, but this morning I walked into the living room only to be greeted by my mother and sisters, along with a full plate at an empty spot, already sitting down to eat.

"Good morning, everyone."

Everyone smiled and waved at me as I took my seat. "Good morning, sweetheart. I take it you slept well?"

I gave her a nod and bit a piece off of the slice of toast on my plate. "I suppose that could be true, depending on your idea of 'slept well'."

"Yeah, you were mumbling in your sleep when Hinata and I went to check on you." Despite having a mouth full of food, I still got the gist of what Tamaki said.

"I was? Oh joy, what did I say?"

Before the older sister could answer, Hinata shoved her head between Tamaki and me to cut her off. "You were too quiet for us to hear! We saw your mouth moving but only heard whispers."

I let out a sigh when the girl sat down. "Alright, then."

A portion of breakfast continued in awkward silence. The four of us would glance at each other from time to time, but never said anything until my mother decided to speak up.

"So, where are you headed to today, Ruri?"

I set my spoon down. "Just to the center of town. I'm supposed to meet a friend. There's something... important I need to speak with him about."

"Ooh!" Tamaki sprang up with a grin. "Finally decided to get back in the dating game?"

"Tamaki! Honestly! This is not a date, I just have some things to tell him."

She sat back down and puffed out her cheeks. "Fine. Geeze."

Mom put her hand on my sister's head. "I believe your friend said one, correct? That leaves you a little over two hours."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Looking at the clock showed that it was a few minutes past ten o'clock. I really did sleep in. "Oh, that's no problem. The walk may take me fifteen to twenty minutes, probably."

She gave a nod while setting her utensils on an empty plate. "I see. If that's the case, then would you mind helping me with the dishes?"

"No, not at all!"

Once breakfast was finished, my mother and I proceeded into the kitchen to clean. Despite the silence, it was a complete and utter joy to be doing something with her. Not only that, but knowing my sisters were getting a chance to spend some time with her warmed my heart as well.

I got dressed and spent the remainder of my time home watching television with Tamaki and Hinata. Mom joined in for a few minutes as well, but had to leave the room in preparation to take the girls to the zoo. I forgot this town even had a zoo.

Finally, twelve-thirty came around and I waved goodbye to everyone for the day. As expected, the walk to town square took about twenty minutes, but I saw Adam sitting on a bench under the pavilion with a cup of coffee in his hand.

I waved to him with a small smile on my face. "Hello, Adam. You're here ealy, have you been waiting long?"

He shook his head and offered me a second coffee, which I gratefully accepted. "Not that long. I got here maybe two minutes ago."

I sat down beside him and sipped at the drink. I never was much of a coffee person, but it was alright with enough sugar. "I see."

Adam rubbed the back of his neck, flicking at his short ponytail. "I'm a little shocked though, Ruri. I know asking me in person would've been awkward, but you didn't need to get Mihng to ask me out for you."

My eyes widened and I blinked. "Ask you... out?"

We stared at each other for a moment before he grimaced. "Don't tell me..."

We both jumped up and spoke in unison. "She set us up!"

After a moment, Adam's cheeks puffed out and he could no longer hold back his laughter. I was soon to follow, giggling a little as we sat back down."

My friend took a sip of his coffee and looked up to the clear, blue sky. "So, if this isn't a date, what was it you wanted to meet me for?"

I bit my lip and clutched my dress. To stall for time, I began sipping my coffee while averting my gaze. It was now or never, and as the tip of the cup left my lips, I steeled myself in preparation for whatever would come next.

"Adam, I've not been entirely honest with you. I don't own any cats. What's been tearing me up inside is being dumped by a man I loved. The two of us dated all summer, but I left him because of my move. However, he came back for me, but only to tell me that he had another girl he loved. I broke his heart... and he broke mine."

Adam's eyes widened for a moment, but then his gaze softened. "Ruri..."

Now that I had let that out, I could no longer stop myself from spewing other thoughts I had been suppressing.

"I mean, I'm not surprised. This other girl is prettier and funnier than I could ever be. She knows that man better than I ever could, and I bet he just went along with me to keep me from being upset."

The hand coming down on my shoulder instantly silenced me. I was scared. Adam's head was lowered in such a way that the brim of his dog hat was covering his eyes.

"Stop. Stop right now."

Tears began to well up in my eyes. "Are you upset?"

"I am. But not because of what you did to that guy. I'm upset because you felt the need to lie to me."

As tears began to fall, Adam placed his hand on my face and wiped them away. "Adam..."

"I'm upset because a beautiful, wonderful girl is comparing herself to someone else instead of realizing how great she is. I'm upset because you did what you believed was right and ended up having your heart broken because of it."

At this point, I was crying just as severely as I had been with Mihng yesterday. In my current state I could do nothing to stop myself when my hands hooked around each other against the man's back.

Slowly and softly, Adam brought his arms around me too, leaving me to shove my face into his coat and probably soak it at this point.

"How can you say that? What I did was awful."

A quiet chuckle preceded his response. "How many times do I have to say it, Ruri? You're my friend. I care about you from the bottom of my heart and nothing you can say or do will ever change that."

I softly began beating my balled hands against his back. "You idiot. How can you be so good to me?"

One of his arms moved, and I felt his hand rest on my head. "It's just how I am, I guess. Hey, have you eaten anything lately?"

After a sniffle, I slipped away from him. "Not in a few hours, why?"

"Why don't I take you somewhere? It might help you calm down."

"I would," I paused and wiped my eyes, "I would like that."

"Great." Adam stood up, helped me up, and tossed our now cold coffees into the trash. "Do you have anywhere in particular you want to go?"

"No, not really?"

He grinned. "Mind if I show you a nice place?"

"By all means."

Adam motioned towards the other side of the pavilion. Once I was ready, we both began walking. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw some kind of glint, but when I turned, it was gone.

I was taken to a small cafe a ways away from town square. The entire building was cozy, inviting, and was filled with the aroma of tea and various baked goods. As soon as we walked in, a red-haired, buxom woman dressed in surprisingly casual clothes, aside from the cat ear headband she was wearing, greeted us with a bow.

"Meow! My name is Kanae! How may I help you today?"

Adam nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Whoops, I completely forgot that Sunday was cat day. Can I get a booth for two please?"

"Of course! Please follow me."

As we were led to seats, I couldn't help but think that Adam's knowledge of this place was given by Yatsuhashi. Before we were seated, I heard a similar booth for two request from behind us. This place must've been very popular.

Menus were set before us once we sat down, and the waitress smiled at us. "Meow! Shall we start with something to drink?"

My friend didn't even look at the menu before speaking. "I'll take a house blend tea, please."

The waitress began scribbling on a notepad. "Certainly! And you, miss?"

After looking through all of the options, I was unable to make a decision. "I suppose I'll have the same."

She winked at us. "Coming right up!"

The waitress spun around, and I think I heard her mumble something about cute boyfriends, making my face heat up.

"So Ruri, is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest? I'd hope you know you can trust me, now."

I just shook my head. "There's nothing. Thankfully, it looks like time is slowly chipping away at the breakup pain. A little piece of light has broken through the deep darkness to ease my suffering."

"Whoa, careful there. Talk like that will make me think you're one of us now."

I couldn't help but smile. "I'll always be a dark angel."

His next words made my face bright red, forcing me to look down. "But an angel, nonetheless."

Before I could retort, our tea was set down in front of us by a smiling Kanae. "Sorry for the wait! Have we figured out what we want to order yet?"

Adam tapped a spot on the menu I didn't even see him open. "I'd like the double layer fudge cake, please."

"Ooh, a chocolate lover?" If Kanae was actually a cat, she'd probably be purring.

My friend chuckled a little. "It's a weakness."

The waitress then turned to me. "And you, my dear?"

After perusing the actual food items, my eyes lit up as they came to rest on tbe greatest invention of all mankind.

"May I have the strawberry pudding marshmallow cake?"

Kanae blinked. "Oh wow. Only real sweets enthusiasts go for that."

"It's her favorite." Adam's gaze drifted from Kanae to me. "Which is why I chose this place."

The waitress clapped her hands together. "How sweet! Alright, I'll be back in a short while with your food." She then turned and skipped away. I think I overheard her say something about "making him mine", but paid it no mind.

I heard papers shuffling behind us, peeked over, and saw a man and his wife beside each other with a large newspaper in front of there faces. The next few moments were a crazy blur.

I turned to say something to Adam, but a waitress tripped and fell before I could. As the glasses she was holding shattered onto the floor, Adam shoved me down under the table, went down himself, and spread his arms out in front of me.

My friend's eyes were wide, his breathing heavy, and his entire body shaking.

"Adam?"

Suddenly, the couple that had been behind us ran up, tugged us both up, and revealed themselves to be Mihng and Yatsuhashi. Mihng sat by Adam, patting his back, while Yatsu looked me over.

"Hey, you alright?"

"I am, but what happened to Adam?"

He looked over at his friends and sighed. "Just... loud noises really freak him out."

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Adam waved to me and sighed. "Sorry about that. It's just a reflex, I'm all good." He then pointed to the other two. "But why were you following us?"

Yatsu held his hands up. "I was worried about you, dude. Well, Mihng's a weirdo who ships real life people, but I was worried."

That comment earned him a swift elbow in the ribs. "I was worried, too."

Adam let out a sigh and fixed his hat. Those pointed dog ears were far too cute.

"I appreciate it, but I really don't like us being followed. If you would, please don't."

Yatsuhashi held out a balled fist, which Adam met with his own. "It's cool, man. Just be careful." He then closed one eye and grinned. "Just stay away from the love hotels."

Both my and Adam's faces turned bright red, and immediately Mihng grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him away.

"Let's go, you turd."

Without another word, the two left. My friend and I didn't have much time to speak before our cakes were set down before us.

"Meow! Dig in, sweethearts!" Kanae winked at both of us before bowing. After she took her leave, Adam started chuckling.

"What is it with us and food? Every big bonding moment we've shared since I came to Japan has been over a meal."

As much as I wanted to respond to him, I had to take a bite of my cake first. As soon as the moist bread and creamy pudding touched my tongue, I was consumed with culinary ecstasy the likes of which no human would even be able to comprehend.

"Uh, Ruri? You okay? You look like you've seen Heaven."

"Maybe not seen, but I've certainly tasted it."

He flashed a wide grin. "Mind if I try it?"

Of course, I was more than happy to share this national treasure. Without thinking, I took a piece onto my fork and held it out to him. He didn't even hesitate to lean forward and eat right off of my fork. My face heated up a little, but seeing his face also made me smile.

"I love me some chocolate, but good gracious, this is some amazing stuff!"

All of a sudden, an urge came over me that overpowered my sense of reason. "May I have a bite of yours?"

"Of course!" Just as I had, he held a piece of his cake out for me and I happily accepted. I don't think I've tasted so much chocolate in one bite. Its rich decadence washed over me like a sweet tidal wave. It was nothing like my own dessert, but it was on its own level.

"I can see why you love chocolate so much."

Adam popped a piece in his own mouth with a smile. "Weird... it tastes even sweeter than usual."

My eyes widened and I was half tempted to push him for that comment. Instead, I just smiled. "That's awful. Making passes at a woman recovering from a breakup."

He smiled, shrugged, and took another bite of cake. "Laughter is the best medicine and I am a doctor."

I sighed and began working on the sweet feast before me. As the two of us ate together, Mihng's words from yesterday echoed in my mind.

"Do you like him?"

Did I? I was having strong suspicions that Adam, even if he didn't harbor romantic feelings for me, at least thought of me as more than just an average friend. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. As great of a man as Adam was, the idea of entering a relationship and putting my heart in the hands of someone else again terrified me.

Not even the cake could distract me from these thoughts. My hands were shaking just a little as I tried to lift another bite up to my mouth. I was only brought back down to Earth when a gentle hand took hold of my own.

"Ruri, what's wrong?" The worry in Adam's eyes was all too evident. "You're shaking."

"Sorry, I... I started thinking about him again."

Adam got up, sat down beside me, and put an arm around him. "I could punch him if you want."

"I appreciate it, but that wouldn't really help."

Since violence wouldn't help, I guess Adam thought maybe a bit more chocolate might. At the very least, leaning forward and taking the sweet chunk from his fork took my mind off of Kyousuke for a time. I let out a sigh, turning to face the window next to us.

"I feel... broken."

Although my friend was about to shovel another piece of cake into his mouth, he set it down and looked at the window with me. "How so?"

I bit my lip. "I'm afraid now. Afraid of people. Afraid of judgement. Afraid of letting other people know how I feel. I mean, just look at you and I. Because of what happened, I've been afraid of telling you the truth when you've been trying to make it clear that I can trust you."

Contrary to what I believed would be Adam's reaction, he smiled. "I'm glad you finally realized. I can't count the number of times I've said it, but I'm here for you. All of us are, you know? And I don't just mean Mihng and Yatsu, either. Don't forget about Saori. Even though they're young, try talking to your sisters. Confide in your parents when you have a chance. You have a lot of people around you that want you to be happy, Ruri."

Hearing that did help me perk up, albeit not by much. "Thank you... but you're scaring me still. See, I'm not just upset that my now ex boyfriend dumped me, but it's also who he left me for. She was my friend too, and suddenly they both just disappeared from my life."

I was trying not to cry again, but this time my efforts felt less futile. My eyes got a little misty, but there were no tears. "I wanted to be a greater part of both their lives, and instead I ended up getting pushed out of it. I've lost something dear to me, and I'll never get it back. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

Again, Adam's reactions were surprising me. He lowered his head to the point where his hat brim hid his eyes again. "Yes. Yes I do know."

My eyes went wide as a sudden wave of guilt washed over me. "Oh... I'm sorry. Here I am fretting over petty problems when you've no doubt got your own things to worry about."

Suddenly, my friend stood up, reached down, and grabbed my hand. "Don't ever talk like that. We're friends; your worries and problems are my worries and problems. Besides, the two of us are here for you, not me. Isn't that the whole reason you came to meet me?"

His logic was sound, leaving me unable to argue. As badly as I now felt about making this situation about myself, Adam was making it clear that that's how he wanted it. I wiped my eyes as he released me hand and reached for my cake again.

"Thank you, Adam. You really are a reliable friend."

He closed his eyes as he took that hunk of chocolate he had set down earlier. "Do you think it might be worth it to talk to them about this? Maybe you can't get those two back in your life, but surely keeping quiet isn't helping anything?"

"The thought crossed my mind, but I usually try to shake them out immediately."

Setting his cake aside, Adam set his chin in his hands. That must've felt odd with his facial hair.

"You're afraid of seeing them again?"

He saw right through me. "Yes."

He closed his eyes again. "I won't push you. I won't ask you to go see them. Just know that if you choose to do so, we'll be right behind you."

"Thank you." Talking with a fork in my mouth was easier than it seemed.

We ate the rest of our sweet treats in silence. When we were done, Adam paid for the both of us and we left. Apparently, the two of us weren't in there as long as I thought. Adam tapped me on the shoulder with a smile.

"You know, I really don't know much about this place beyond where I've shown. Do you feel up to showing me around? It might help you relax."

I just kind of stared at him for a moment before the corners of my mouth turned up to form a small smile. "Sure, I'd like that."

The two of us first decided to go back to the town's center. Once there, I told Adam about all the places of interest I knew about, allowing us to form a kind of route around town. The first few locations, like the small arcade and the town's manga shop, were visited in silence, but Adam spoke up on our way to the hot springs.

He was holding his hand out. "It's a bit crowded out today. Maybe we should hold on to keep from getting separated."

In all honesty, I would have preferred it if he had just asked if I wanted to hold hands. Now my face was red and hot as I stared at the open hand being offered to me. It felt rude to decline, so I reached out and set my hand in his own.

Despite the callouses from years of guitar playing, his hands were soft and gentle. His fingers closed around my hand softly, as if Adam were handling some kind of fragile glass. Even though we were just doing this to stay together, holding hands like this had me rather flustered. I can't really say it was unpleasant, though.

At first, my pace was quick, leaving Adam to kind of have to power walk to keep up with me. Eventually I slowed down so we could walk side by side again. When we got to the hot spring, Adam's eyes widened. It was typical for me, but I supposed this was something to behold for a foreigner.

"So this is a Japanese hot spring! Wow, the air tastes so clean. I feel energized just being here!"

His excitement made me smile. "We should make use of the spring some time. Bathing here is very relaxing."

He nodded, but after a moment he turned to me with a reddening face. "Whoa, wait, hang on a sec, is that allowed here?"

It took me a moment to figure out what he meant, but soon my face was just as red as his. "No, no, no! Of course, there's a women's section and a men's!"

The two of us stared at each other for a moment before regaining our composure. Soon after, we both began laughing. Before I knew it, two arms were wrapped around me and I was hit with a sudden, but comforting warmth.

"Hanging out with you is so much fun."

I lifted my arms to return the hug. "I could say the same. Thank you, Adam. It's like our online chats in a more tangible form."

He started chuckling. "That's one way to put it. I'm just... really happy to have met you face to face."

"Yes, it was quite a nice surprise."

After a moment of thought, I shifted a bit closer to him. With both of us holding hands and staring at the hot spring, it was probably very easy for someone to get the wrong idea. Right now, though, I didn't really care.

"You know, at first I was afraid of seeing you. Afraid that you might not be the man you acted like online. I was wrong, though. You're just as kind and caring offline as you are on. It's... comforting."

Hearing this made him chuckle. "Ruri, you'll never have to be afraid of me. I promise."

"Thank you."

It took a moment, but we both finally agreed that we may have been standing around just a little too long.

"Think it's time to head home, Ruri?"

"I believe so. Would you... care to walk me there?"

He grinned and nodded. "It would be my pleasure, dark angel."

The walk to my house was quiet for the most part. I was grateful for it, though; silence meant time to think. Time to think about Adam. Time to think about Kyousuke and Kirino. Time to think about myself. Finally, we stopped in front of my house and Adam pat my shoulder with his free hand.

"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

I just nodded. "I suppose so."

There was just a moment of awkward silence before I moved towards my house. Adam, however, kept a hold of my hand.

"Hey, did this... technically count as a date? Between friends, I mean, but do the circumstances qualify it as a date?"

What a bizarre question. Now I was curious too. "I guess some might call it one. We spent most of the day together, enjoying other's company. So yes, I believe I would call it a date. As friends."

Adam grinned before letting go of my hand. "As friends."

We stared at each other for a long while before I finally turned towards my house. "Goodnight, Adam.

" Goodnight, Ruri."