Chapter 4: There's no Way…

After Ayase had arrived, the room's atmosphere had turned to the complete opposite of what it was before. As I sat on the ground sipping on a cup of barley tea I had just prepared, the two people in front of me seemed to be having what seemed like a battle going on. Kuroneko sat in seiza form with a cup of untouched tea in her hands while she continued glaring at the girl across from her. Ayase, who had already finished her cup of tea, coldly stared back at the girl dressed in her Mascara cosplay clothing.

This silence is killing me. I have to say something fast to stop something out of hand from happening.

"A-Ayase! Is it true that you'll be in the fall issue of that magazine? That's pretty cool, isn't it? Even I can't get into such a mainstream magazine such as that one!"

Silence.

"Kuroneko-san, may I have a word with you in the hallway please?"

Ayase put on a smile that seemed to have something dark lurking behind it.

"What is it that you need to tell me? I'm sure that you can say it here."

Kuroneko's reply was full of dignity as always. She lifted her teacup and took a small sip after having finished saying her two sentences.

Thump!

Ayase jumped up from the ground and in less than three seconds managed to drag the cosplaying otaku out of the room and into the hallway.

"Heh?"

I stared in surprise as the spectacle occurred before me. I guess I should do something about it. Slowly and quietly, I made my way up against the door and leaned my ear against it. Just what could Ayase have to say to Kuroneko that she couldn't tell me?

As I tuned in more on the two blurry voices on the other side, I started being able to make their words out.

"Hold still and listen. What is your relationship with Kirino?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just answer. Don't make a fuss about it or Kirino will hear us."

"…Why do you want to know? Is it because you're jealous of Kirino having a friend who is closer to her than you are?"

Kuroneko made a strong counterattack with her words.

"That isn't true… Kirino is my best friend, and I'm her best friend."

"Then I wonder why she didn't tell you about her hobby before I found out about it."

"Guuh...It's because you share the same disgusting hobbies as Kirino does!"

"Disgusting? Are you in a position to say that about something which you don't even completely comprehend? If you can't accept Kirino's hobby then maybe you are unfit to be her best friend."

"I did accept it. Although Kirino…although she chose her hobby over me I accepted them. I accepted them and stayed as her friend!"

"What are you trying to say?"

"…What were you two doing before I came into the room?"

"It seems that you have misunderstood the situation. Kirino was merely trying to get me to undress since she thought it would have been too hot for me to be wearing this jacket indoors."

"Is that so…"

A sigh of relief came out of Ayase's mouth which was now tired from continuously attacking Kuroneko.

"But…"

Ayase's voice came again after she had just settled down.

"I will let you know that I am not willing to give up the spot of being Kirino's closest friend"

"And I will let you know, Ayase-san, that I am not willing to let you keep that position for much longer."

…

In the room lying across from me on my bed was Kuroneko. She was dressed in one of my pajama shirts and pants.

After "that" incident, Ayase said that she had some important business to attend to later and left soon after. Kuroko then arrived surprised to find out that Ayase had left even before she had arrived. Since Kuroko had something important to tell Ayase, she told me that we would have to meet up another time. Hence the situation that I am in now.

"You know, you could have gone home like the other two did."

"I...wanted to stay over since I've never done it before…"

Since the lights were off, I couldn't see Kuroneko very clearly, but it looked like she was hiding her face from me inside the blanket.

"I-isn't it a little cramped in here? Want me to go get the futon out for you?"

"No! ..I mean, I don't want to cause any trouble for you so…let's just stay like this. It feels better this way anyway…"

"Heh?"

Did I mishear the last sentence she said? There's no way Kuroneko could be that cute, is there?

"J-just forget it! Let's go to sleep."

Kuroneko turned her body so that instead of facing me, she faced the wall.

I closed my eyes, but even after several minutes had passed by, I couldn't fall asleep. I got up to get some water. As I made my way down the stairs, I used the handrail to guide me since it was a little dark. After drinking a cup of warm water, my drowsiness increased. When I was on my way back to my room, a faint noise hit my ears.

"Kirino…where are you…"

I quickened my pace and hurried back into my room. Inside, Kuroneko was tossing and turning around on the bed. It seems like she's still asleep. Could it be a bad dream?

"Kirino…don't leave…please…come back here…"

She's having a dream about me? I edged in closer to her and noticed that she had tears welling up in her eyes.

"Kirino…I love you…come back…"

Shock.

What did Kuroneko just say? Both alarm and bewilderment hit me at the same time. Could Kuroneko really have those kinds of feelings towards me?

Author's note: Thank you, all of the people who have continued to read my story up till now. I apologize for not having been able to write too much recently. I may be busier in the future, but I'll still aim for one or more chapters per week. Expect them on weekends. In case you did not know before, seiza is a sitting position preformed mainly by Asian people. You sit with your legs together with your calves underneath your thighs with your back straight. It is considered a very respectful and polite way to sit. It makes your legs hurt and go numb after a while if you stay in it for too long without having had done it often before. I had to do it in my childhood whenever I got in trouble with my parents as a punishment; which was a lot.