How did I not notice it before?

"I'm sorry that you're stuck babysitting on Saturday. I really wanted you to come to the party with me."

Tomoka let out a sigh, letting the television remote in her arms flop lazily into the crevice between the sofa cushion and the armrest.

"Tell me about it. I was kind of looking forward to meeting all the hot guys from Rikkaidai. Such a shame."

Letting a small smile cross her lips at this notion, Sakuno took over the remote and resumed the continuous flipping of channels.

"But if you ask me," Tomoka continued, "what sucks more is that An couldn't have gone with you. It would've been perfect since she already knows some of the guys there."

"Yeah, but I think it's kind of sweet that she and Kirihara wanted to have some alone time this weekend. And she said she might stop by the party later."

"Well that's good," Tomoka noted, bringing her feet around so she could lean against the armrest sideways. "So how's it going with you and that guy?"

Sakuno looked at Tomoka questionably.

"What guy?"

Tomoka slightly tilted her head downwards, gazing at Sakuno as if insinuating the answer to that question was completely obvious.

"You know. That guy that you've been talking on the phone with recently."

"Oh, what about him?"

Tomoka shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. From what I've heard, it sounded like the two of you were starting to like each other. I thought maybe something might have happened between you guys."

Taken aback, Sakuno scrunched up her face in contemplation.

"Me and Niou-san? Sounds pretty weird."

"Is it? Because it seems pretty natural to me. I mean, there are plenty of signs pointing toward it."

Sakuno actually had to laugh at this.

"Like what?"

"Well he's just so willing to help you and all, and you guys have been talking a lot lately."

"So we're friends. It's not a big deal or anything."

"Oh come on, Sakuno. I know you like him. You can't hide these kind of things from your best friend. And to be honest, I think he likes you too."

"What makes you say that?" Sakuno asked, still skeptical.

"Don't you think it's rather odd that he's so quick to reject guys for you? And then just when you're getting desperate, he invites you to a party so the two of you can see each other again. It sounds like he's taking advantage of the situation."

Sakuno rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're taking this way too seriously. He told me to come to this party because he wanted me to meet someone.'

"What if the person he wanted you to meet was him?"

Sakuno opened her mouth to say something in retaliation, but then decided against it. What if Tomoka was right? Could she and Niou really have something going on between them? No, she thought. It wasn't possible. The two of them were just friends.

Still, those signs were pretty convincing.

An was starting to notice some signs as well.

In the past, Kirihara Akaya had been known to indulge in a few alcoholic consumptions. Though it was usually only limited to parties, it wasn't uncommon for him to grab a beer bottle and drink his troubles away, drowning them all in the booze and liquor. However, as he grew older and more mature, he decided to retire his dependence on alcohol and quit cold turkey. As of right now, Kirihara was completely sober. At least, An thought he was.

Now at this point, it wasn't necessarily a lie to say that An's relationship with Kirihara was a little rocky. Many times, the couple bickered over trivial matters, escalating into fights over absolutely nothing. It was after one of them, when the two had kissed and made up, that An started to be a little doubtful of Kirihara's supposedly repressed habits. As his lips pressed closer to hers, she could almost detect the subtle toxic scent of alcohol under the minty-fresh smell of his breath.

The second clue was when he was leaving her house one day after a rather intense study session, and An got his backpack for him as he was getting ready to go. When she picked it up, she swore she could hear the slightest clink of glass beneath its contents. Needless to say, she was now even more apprehensive of the matter, and the fact that he now seemed to be a little bit more secretive of his whereabouts and possessions didn't help the situation at all.

"Hey you, how's it going?"

"Oh hey An, come in."

Stepping aside to let An through the front door, Kirihara grabbed her and gave her the customary peck on the lips. There it was again, An thought. That vulgar stench, so carefully hidden.

"Are you drinking again?" An blurted out casually, before the censors of her mouth could react. She really hadn't been planning her confrontation to be so direct.

"No," Kirihara answered with a small chuckle. "Geez, that was a random question."

"Yeah, but I thought I smelled it on your breath. I just wanted to make sure. I mean, you know how I feel about drinking."

With a kind smile, Kirihara cupped her cheek and rubbed the apple of it softly with his thumb.

"Don't worry. I understand," he said as he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, her head resting gently on his chest. An let out a deep breath, as if she had been holding that all day due to anxiety.

"I'm sorry. It's just that my brother used to drink, before we transferred to Fudomine. I saw what it did to him. I just didn't want that to happen to you."

"I told you I understood, didn't I?" Kirihara said, continuing his soft caresses on the small of her back. "And I'm telling you that I am definitely, absolutely, positively not drinking."

An pulled back and looked at him with large eyes.

"Promise?"

Kirihara gave her one more quick kiss.

"I promise."

Somehow, An still didn't feel any more reassured.

Hell ya! Exam week is over, and winter break is here! I hope this chapter is satisfactory enough for the wait. Man, I had a long explanation of the characters from the movie and their translation into the story in this Author's Note, but then my computer decided to hate me and freeze and then close down all my internet windows so I had to start over from where I had last finished editing (because I write my story on Microsoft Word, but I add my Author's Note on here). Anyway, I am far too lazy to type it all up again, so you're just going to have to wait for another chapter when I feel more up to it. Don't worry. It doesn't affect your comprehension of the plot at all. More of food for thought, I guess, and some other insight that might have entertained you. Oh well.