Chapter 2

Why did she think of not coming to this place, anyway? Well, the problem was the owner. She realized that this place was not so terrifying at all times.

'Hand me over the bowl, Takaomi-kun.' Mafuyu was able to say even though her mouth was already full.

The table was overflowing with food. It was clearly that these weren't his cooking but Kakimoto-san's. They made a bet the other day; loser will do whatever the winner will please. And so you could already guess what happened. Kakimoto dropped at Saeki's residence around a while ago, blabbering on something while serving the dishes. He was still about to tell him his recent date with his girlfriend, the problem dog at the neighbour's backyard and to trash-talk the new transferred English teacher in their department, but were thankfully abrupt by a mysterious call that made him dashed out of the building.

Saeki, sitting at the other side of the table with his arms stretched over his folded knees, frowned at the ridiculous state his next-door neighbour was into. He knew she had been far-away from home and had been eating meals from cheap convenience stores. By the time she entered his door and made a good view of his dinner table, he swore he saw a sudden sparks of light in her eyes and the strange drool she has in her face until now.

'Huh! Get it' ,he snarled as he imbibed the bottle of sake.

'Chew the food! You look like a funny donkey.'

She frowned but continued gobbling the dried squid and the bean soup. What kind of life she exactly had been living?

'Eh, National Geographic Channel?' the petite girl exclaimed in disbelief, pointing the prominent LCD screen not so distant from her seat. 'It's so unlike you, Takaomi-kun?!'

Without too much response, he raised one of his thick brows for her sarcastic remark.

Her smile broke into a seemingly stupid grin. And there she was, blushing lightly, laughing her heart out- amusing him just like as always.

A pleasant tiger was walking peacefully in a forest. The narrator on TV was mumbling about something she hardly understood. A monkey came in the scene, hanging from a thin bended branch above and patted the tiger's butt much to its surprise. The naughty primate swung to another tree just in a perfect timing before the upset beast caught him with its waiting claws. The monkey seemed to be enjoying the mockery and got the nerve to repeat its recent stupid antic. Mafuyu found it very funny and started banging her small fist in his dinner table.

Watching through half-lidded eyes, Takaomi found his arms stretched across the table, reaching through the small brunette, pinching her nose - the act that the math instructor himself made out of any explainable reason and leave Mafuyu dumbstruck.

Silence…

…

'Ehh, W-WHY-?!' the female student flinched (her response just a little slow because her brain works slow, too), covering her nose with her own hands. Did I actually piss him?

The man in the opposite remained unfazed. His sharp eyes were silently piercing through her very skin, making her shiver. She had grew accustomed to his weird personality, yet there were still sometimes that she felt Takaomi was a lot more mysterious than she ever thought of.

'Why, you're blushing badly.' There's a dangerous glint in his eyes. Oh, no here he goes!

'N-NO! IM NOT!'

She quickly denied though her face said otherwise. She stamped one of her foot on the floor 'You know –'

'Buy me okonomiyaki.'

Then, she was cut short. A big question mark just popped out in the air.

Mafuyu pondered for a moment. She was puzzled, since the table was already offering unbelievable goodness, why still care to buy some street foods?

' Ugh?!' in a swift of the wind, a couple of penny came just right in her open palms.

'Go, Mafuyu!' his commanding voice sent her body in full alert, making her jumped in her seat. This was a situation that doesn't need any discussion.

'HAI !' immediately the petite girl launched towards the exit, almost tripping her. She stopped short in her tracks and peeked through the door. Perhaps she remembered something.

'A, Taka –' two sandals came flying in her way in a fast speed, she ducked before she got smacked in the face. She might be small but her fighting prowess was just above the average person can do, she's a former banchou– for heaven's sake! Her voice and her clumsy steps quickly faded along the hallway.

His apartment no longer occupied by two people. He knew he didn't made any adjustment in the air conditioning, and the room was the same as it was awhile ago, but there's something that made him felt uneasy. He ran a large hand through his soft black hair and loosened up a few buttons of his home attire. His handsome features revealed a smirk that he has been holding back for awhile just grew wider. 'Oh, my…'

Author's Corner:

I really had a hard time dealing with this. I'm not a very good writer so I literally squeezed my head for any possible outcome for the story. (*sigh) This chapter mainly relies over Takaomi's thoughts. Well, I do hope you somehow like what I wrote. Please tell me what's on your mind- its how I know you care.

In the chapter one, I initially thought that the paper Mafuyu was answering (or wasting time in) was for Future Plans Survey (since I read about it in a manga- Yankee kun & Megane chan) but since Takaomi had became in-charge of tutoring in some certain chapters, I considered the idea of changing it to make-up exam.

We are off-work today so I spent some time in watching the episodes where Luffy broke into the Impel Down and took part into the great war of the era in Marineford (One Piece, ha ha , sorry for advertising, I just feel like saying it) I NEARLY CRIED WHEN ACE FELL LIFEELESS ON THE RUBBLES!