A/N: Oh god this took longer that I expected. AH'M SORRY! My beta and I had exams and we had to study etc. etc.
However, we have had the past three days off and one tomorrow, (Queen's birthday weekend and something because of school) so I'll write as much as I can.
So uh... yeah. My beta, Rosie Posie, thank you for putting up with all my crap and apologizing even though I'm the one who needed to move my ass and write. Merci. :)
Sorry for the lateness of this chapter and hope you somewhat enjoy it.
Disclaimer (I really need to start writing these): I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi.
The last drops of water falling from the sky had ceased a while ago. The sun came out from its hiding place behind the clouds, with rays of sunlight shining brightly through the cracks. Those rays reached the house of a platinum blonde-haired woman. The blinds were left open, letting the sun hit the bulge in the blankets. Something stirred under them and a slender hand reached out, only to pull them further up. After lying like that for a while, the bulge almost at the verge of falling asleep, a jingly tune rang out. The bulge groaned and suddenly sat up, throwing the blanket into its lap. A woman in her late twenties glared at her phone, vibrating against the dark timber of her nightstand. She was irritated. Before giving her number to anyone, she had warned them not to call before noon.
After a moment of contemplation, she reluctantly snatched up the device resting on the table. She shot a glare that Medusa would envy at the name on her phone. Before she was able to hang up on the call, the tune stopped. She smiled in relief, throwing her phone (gently) back to the table, her head hitting the pillow and getting back into her former position. Unfortunately for her, that peace was short-lived. The tune filled the room again, seconds later. This time, she shot for her phone and answered.
"OI, MASAMUNE. I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME IN THE MORNING!" she shouted into the phone, while another voice said at the same time:
"OI, MIZUNO. I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR THE PAST FIVE MINUTES!"
"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME NANA!" she screamed back, a faint smile on her face. A few seconds of a comfortable silence hung in the air. "Mmm. So what did you need?" she asked, calm now. They've had this argument for the past few years, so it was nothing special.
"I need a favour," the voice replied strongly. Mizuno was slightly taken aback. It was rare for this guy to ask her for anything in this way.
"What does the great Takano Masamune require from me?" she teased, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"I need you to find something out." If he heard the sarcasm, he obviously did not care.
Mizuno sighed and rubbed her temples. "I'm not some information broker, damnit. Plus, if I do it, what would you give me?"
"Food," the voice replied simply.
She sucked in a short breath. That food he mentioned was delicious. That cocky bastard was a damn good cook. And she couldn't create anything in the kitchen, she had literally burnt ice cream once. Mostly living on takeaways and other miscellaneous unhealthy food items, homemade food was a rare commodity.
"I'm in. What do you want?" she asked sharply, as she swung her legs over her bed and hobbled over to her small bathroom.
"Find out who Onodera Ritsu was stalking in high school."
"Hmmm? Your subordinate? Why do you want to know?"
"...Just curious." Then he hung up, before Mizuno could interrogate him any further. She raised an eyebrow and placed her phone beside her sink. This was yet another thing she could blackmail Masamune about. But first she had to draw up a plan. As she began fiddling with her locks, her phone vibrated again. An eye twitch and a string of curses later, the cool glass was now pressed against her ear.
"What?!"
"Mmm! Good morning, Nana!" a soft voice said, unphased by Mizuno's harsh tone.
"What is it, An? I was sleeping," the blonde mumbled in a more civilized tone. She had a soft spot for this somewhat ditzy girl.
"You're mean. And it's almost twelve, aren't you up yet? Jeez. I just came back from France a few days ago and I wanted to have dinner with you tonight, since I haven't seen you in ages!" Mizuno could picture a cute pout on her face right now. The beginning stages of a grin were beginning to form on her face. A plan was slowly mapping out in her mind.
"Yeah. Meet at the restaurant at...seven? I'll bring a friend," she said carefully, trying to not make herself sound suspicious.
"Which restaurant?"
"Th-that restaurant restaurant!" She blubbered, struggling to recall the name of the restaurant she frequented with An.
"Oh! The restaurant cafe restaurant?"
"Yes!" She sighed, rolling her eyes at the stupid exchange, "I'll see you then, then."
"...So the restaurant cafe restaurant?" An asked, trying to humor Mizuno.
"I'm hanging up now. Bye," Mizuno declared as she hung up. She had a slightly amused smile on her face, and was anticipating An's reaction when she found out what she had in mind. Of course, she knew Ritsu was An's fiancée as she had mentioned it many times in their conversations. And because she was a damn good excuse for an information broker.
Mizuno muttered incomprehensible things under her breath as she entered the building. Those brats coming into the library, making a racket...ugh, her eardrums were going to pop any minute now. Don't scream in the library; if you're gonna scream, go to the dentist or something! she thought, angrily. She shivered slightly as she waited for Ritsu to arrive. She had forgotten about her promise with her ex-boyfriend-turned-friend. Apparently, it was a great idea to wear a short-sleeved shirt today, in winter. Good job, Mizuno!
A large man resembling a bear walked past her. She instantly recognized him as Yokozawa Takafumi, a friend of Masamune's.
"Ah, good evening Yokozawa." The man turned at the sound of his name and his eyes fell on a...close acquaintance, if you would put it that way.
"Good evening," he said flatly, "what brings you here?"
"I'm here to meet a coworker of Masamune's, Onodera Ritsu." she said, simply, forcing herself not to shiver. They tolerated each other, but they would've rather not be together if they had any choice in the matter. This relationship they had was rather rocky. Maybe it was because she had barged into Masamune's apartment after a one month absence to find the two men tangled in each other's arms. She would never know.
A flitter of recognition was apparent in his eyes. "Oh, that new guy in Emerald? I know him," he said, a look of displeasure crossing his face. He rarely warmed up to newbies, so Mizuno disregarded it as a normal face expression for Yokozawa Takafumi. They both said their goodbyes and Mizuno stood beside the reception, somewhat cold because of her lack of warm clothes. She dozed off for a few seconds before noticing that someone had brushed beside her. Her attention was now focused on the man, mumbling an 'excuse me' as he walked past.
"Wait a second," she said, outstretching her arm.
The woman now sat, slightly dejected at the departure of the brunet. The other girl shot her a smile she thought to be reassuring. It wasn't.
"He's always been like that, Nana-chan," An said. Mizuno was more depressed that she should have been. The source of it was most likely her thirst for knowledge, no matter how trivial it may seem. So she would be able to get what she wanted. And so she could mooch food off of her friends and acquaintances. She flashed an apologetic smile at her. Mizuno could tell by the way that Ritsu carried himself around An, and because of her sharp gaydar, that Ritsu did not see her beyond a friend. Mizuno - she was a blunt woman. She rarely sugar-glazed her words in serious situations.
'Your fiancé is gay and in love with my ex-boyfriend/his boss' is what she would like to say, but..."Hey, An. I don't think he's in love with you," An's expression was unchanged. "Why don't you date me? I'm much more fun," she added, a little bit hopefully. Mainly to lighten the mood.
A light colour tinged the other's cheeks. "Hey, shut up," An muttered, puffing out her cheeks a bit. "I know that. He told me in high school." her expression darkened slightly. " But I just want him to be happy!"
Mizuno placed a hand on An's shoulder, her now being the comforter. "You can't make everyone happy, An, no matter how much you want to." She hesitated a bit before adding, "And he's in love with someone else. I think he'd be more happy if you let him decide who he likes." The part about him being in love with somebody was only a thought.
An stared at Mizuno in shock. How did she know? But she wouldn't lie to her, right? An quickly schooled her face into an expression akin to resignment and sniffed. "Could you do me a favour?"
Oh. Another favour on top of Masamune's. Most of the time she'd ask what it was and more often than not, turned it down. But this wasn't like most of the time. "Yeah."
Beta's Note (B/N?):
Just want to let all of you guys know, we are SO SORRY that we took so long to update this chapter. Please, no flames, as we had exams and all that. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
-RosiePosieRW