Chapter 9 - Good Company
"Isn't this great?" said Akane. "You really do remember everything!"
It was another busy day at the Café Dames with customers walking in by the dozens. The whole restaurant was easily filled with families, salary men who just got off work, and students. The cursed rush hour had come and gone. Now Natsuru, Akane, and others were enjoying their well-deserved break.
"Yeah," said Natsuru. "It was a very strange experience though. Like you were dreaming all this time, then you finally become conscious that you're in a dream."
"Hmm, not sure I understand. But it does sound strange." Said Akane.
"By the way Akane, how come you're working here?" asked Natsuru.
"Are you trying to say something about the restaurant, or perhaps something about me?" Akane stared Natsuru down with the same cold look he once knew. Only this time she had glasses and blonde hair aside from the usual red headed Kampfer form. "Hmph." She crossed her arms. "Well on a serious note, I'm still going to school right now and this job happens to pay really well."
"Really? I imagined it was just the two of you when this all started."
"Of course it wasn't popular right away, but we gained more and more reputation as time passed. And Natsume is my friend, so of course I'd help her out!"
That made Natsuru feel relaxed. The fact that even in his absence, she had friends like Akane around her to help. "By the way, where's Shizuku?" he asked.
Akane shrugged. "I don't know. She's an elite now, so she's probably traveling the world on a business trip or whatever. She stops by every once in a while."
Natsuru chuckled. "I guess she didn't want to settle with being a comedian." That thought always confused him. He tried to picture Shizuku, the super strict student council president, being funny in front of an audience. It was an awkward image, given her personality and the way she carried herself. He figured she might be able to pull it off, depending on her type of humor. "Where is she by the way?"
"She should be in town right now, I'm not sure where though. I can text her to come by if you want me to," said Akane.
"Yeah that'd be nice, I haven't seen her in a while."
She brought out her phone and proceeded to tap at its screen. The sound of her fingernails clicked against the plastic as she typed out her message to Shizuku. "Let me put your number in while I'm at it too," she said.
"I actually don't have a phone right now." He scratched his head.
"Really? Have Natsume go get you one, can't live without them these days."
Natsuru nodded and slumped into his chair, letting his body relax itself. He took a deep breath before he heard the break room door swing open, followed by a familiar figure dressed in a frilly blue maid outfit. It seems as if the outfits were always varying. Which was a good thing, it keeps things interesting and colorful, he thought.
"Isn't that skirt a little too short?" pointed out Natsuru as he tugged on the maid's clothing. "I feel a little weird knowing that you prance around in that, Natsume," he frowned.
"Don't worry about that," she waved at him. "What's a maid café without maid outfits?"
Natsuru examined Natsume's clothes as well as Akane's. It wouldn't be much of a maid café without the authentic outfits, but they didn't have to be that showy. Akane's uniform was actually more revealing than Natsume's, but it might as well be the same.
Akane took notice of Natsuru's suspicious eyes. "Don't worry. We can take care of ourselves, right Natsume?" said Akane as she winked at Natsume.
"Yeah, so stop worrying," said Natsume. She pat him on the head as if he were an overcautious dog worrying for his master.
"Sorry, I can't help but worry when you're this cute," said Natsuru. He playfully grabbed Natsume by the waist from behind, pulling her onto his lap as he tickled her sides. They playfully went back and forth with Natsuru's tickling and their laughter filling up the room.
"Ahem, will you two stop acting so immature? Sheesh, get a room!" said Akane.
"S-Sorry," said Natsume. She stood from Natsuru's lap and fixed her skirt. "Oh right, come with me Natsuru. There's someone who you might want to see," she smirked.
Natsuru titled his head before following Natsume out of the break room and into her office. As he walked in behind Natsume, he immediately spotted someone sitting down in of the chairs across her desk. "…Ken?"
The man turned around, showing his face to Natsuru. It was indeed Ken, Natsuru's best friend through his younger years up until the Kampfer incident. He stood up to greet Natsuru with a suffocating hug. Natsuru was surprised at the strength in his hug and returned it with a couple firm pats on the back.
"It really is you," said Ken. "I don't believe it," he laughed.
"Neither do I," said Natsuru. "You look well my old friend."
"Likewise! But this is unbelievable. I got a call from Natsume yesterday saying to stop by the restaurant for a surprise. This is a crazy surprise," said Ken.
"Guess I'll leave you boys to your bonding," said Natsume. "Let me know if you need anything," she said as she closed the door behind her.
Natsuru nodded at her before turning to meet Ken. "So, what'd I miss?"
"No way!" Natsuru cackled. "We're talking about Higashida right? The Higashida in our high school?"
Ken nodded. "Yup. I couldn't believe it either."
The two continued their conversation, bursting out in laughter as they talked about their high school days and the whole 7 years Natsuru had missed, with some alcoholic beverages in hand. There were so many things that happened in his absence, and he was sad that he couldn't be there to experience them.
"Ken, I want to thank you for helping her all this time," said Natsuru. "It really means a lot to me."
"No need to thank me, I was just helping out someone in need." He took a swig at the bottle of Sapporo in his hand. "But you know, Natsuru. You can't be as lax as you were back in high school anymore."
"What do you mean?" asked Natsuru.
"How old are you now?"
"I'm turning 24 the following year."
"How old is Natsume now?"
"Same age as me," he shrugged.
Ken set his bottle down on the table. "We're adults now Natsuru, we have to be more aware of things."
"I'm still not sure what you're getting at."
"Alright, I'm going to be frank with you here. There are a ton of guys who are dying to get to know her. That said, that Haru guy she used to hang out with a lot?"
"Yeah, what about him?"
"I never liked him, I don't know why, but he gave off a strange aura that didn't feel right, you know? I'm not really sure why someone like Natsume would be associated with her."
Natsuru nodded. He felt a sense of security knowing that he wasn't the only one who felt a strange vibe from Haru. He wondered why she would become friends with someone like him in the first place.
"Anyways, just be aware that she's a woman now. And there are plenty of hungry men who are after her."
Natsuru laughed, "I don't think she'd be the type to be bothered by those kinds of things."
"I'm not saying that she'll be bothered by being gawked at, I think she's comfortable with those kinds of things to a certain extent." Ken took one last swig at his beer slammed it on the table before standing up from his chair. He stretched his back, turning his torso side to side. "I'm telling you to be aware of this, I know you tend to dismiss the details. But, it was nice seeing you again buddy, I have to head out now." He said as he patted Natsuru's shoulder. "We'll hang out soon!" he said as he left through the door.
Natsuru waved at Ken as he exited the room, turning into the hallway that led out to the front door of the restaurant. He thought about what Ken had said. But why was he telling Natsuru about all this? Natsuru was aware of Natsume's popularity. Was there something that happened that he didn't know about?"
He heard a knock on the door frame, followed by a,"Hey."
She stood in the doorway with a smile. Natsuru smiled back at her and waved her in. She walked over to her desk, leaning on its edge.
He looked into her eyes, trying to dismiss some thought of doubt in his head. He trusted her, but it feels like she was hiding something from him. He had to know, the curiosity was tugging at him. "Natsume, did something happen with you and Haru in the past?" his voice sounding disappointed.
"Did Ken tell you…?" she asked.
Natsuru shook his head.
Natsume could see the disappointment on Natsuru's face, his eyes losing their vigor.
"What happened?" he asked.
She blinked a couple times before taking a seat in the chair next to him. "It was a while ago, a couple years ago," she started. "We were good friends, and he invited me out one night to cheer me up; I was feeling a bit depressed that day. We had a couple drinks…and one thing led to another. But I didn't sleep with him!"
Natsume watched his face as she explained. She could see the pain on his face as his mouth fidgeted and averted his gaze from her.
"I'm not going to make excuses," she said. "It was a mistake on my part…I know. I'm so sorry. Could you please forgive me?" she said softly.
Natsuru couldn't remember the last time he felt this angry. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his blood as he clenched his fists. His face was no doubt red. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked.
"Today…"
"Is that why Ken was here?"
Natsume nodded. "I was too scared to bring it up…I was afraid to hurt you, but I knew I had to tell you," she said.
Natsuru eyes darted to her and saw that her head was hung low, as if she was bowing to him. He resisted the urge to yell, seeing that she was making an effort to be honest with him. He realized he didn't even have a right to be mad. It was him who had left seven years ago, and was she supposed to just mourn him forever? But here she is, apologizing for something that wasn't her fault and isn't even arguing with him about her situation.
He sighed, "I can't be mad at you because of that," he said. "It's not fair." He raised her chin up with his hand and looked at her. "I should be apologizing to you," he said.
She smiled and threw her arms around him, hugging him as tight as she could. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she whispered in his ear.
"I told you that you didn't need to apologize to me."