(A/N: We still have two chapters left for this story and I'd like to apologize in advance if the next future chapters will take a bit too long to come out because my schedule is really hectic and I'm in a bit of writer's block right now so I tried to complete this chapter with a bit of difficulty because my Muse is going in and out of my mind and I need to take a bit of a time out before getting back to this fic again. I do hope that both characters are still in character as I tried to capture their actions, thoughts and emotions based on their canon personality and how would they react when they were in a certain situation with one another. Lastly, I do hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I did when writing it).
Chapter 6
By: Aztec999
A week after the incident…
"If you think about it, you accidentally drowning works in your favor." Emma said on the other end of the line.
"What the hell Emma?" Senju exclaimed indignantly as she almost loses the grip on her phone because of Emma's words.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Emma quickly rectified. "What I mean is I was ready to barge in there after I saw Carol strutting her stuff in the pool like a gatecrasher. But then voila! Fate must be on our side because that thing happened which almost made my heart stopped by the way for a second out there but Mikey didn't even hesitate to save you immediately! And how does it feel like being kissed by my brother hmm?" She asked teasingly.
"It's a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation Emma." Senju clarified firmly. "And how would I know that? I was unconscious when he was doing that for Pete's sake!" She added vehemently. Of course, she wouldn't admit the tingling sensation that crept inside her body once she was half conscious and her numb lips had felt the warmness of the other's own against hers.
Nope.
Not over her dead, gorgeous body.
Even if Emma was her closest friend.
Still wanted to retain some shred of her own dignity thank you very much.
"I guess you're right. You were struggling to breathe out there while I'm asking that stupid question. My bad." Emma giggled impishly at the other end of the line.
"God, just give it a rest Emma. It happened over a week ago." Senju sighed, wanting to erase those thoughts out of her head but thanks to Emma reminding it to her again, the previous memory of Mikey's lips slotting against her own was playing inside her head like a damn broken record.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Calm down. At the very least, the times that Mikey and Carol hang out together had lessened compared to before."
"Oh really? Yay." Senju tried to sound nonchalant but the news made her heart danced out in delight much to her bewilderment and chagrin. Damn. Why can't her heart shut up sometimes?
"But that doesn't mean we'll stop at this moment because the agenda was to completely separate Carol's presence away from my brother." Emma reminded.
"Yeah, I get it. You're like my alarm clock for that." Senju shot back lightly to which the other woman giggled at her words.
They briefly talked about other things and catch up with each other before saying goodbye and hanging up.
Senju then flopped down on her bed, staring at the ceiling, a contemplative look crossing her features.
Should they continue doing this when she got a dilemma on her own?
Such as getting weird around Mikey every time they crossed paths and their gazes met?
The plan would be easier to fulfill if these pesky emotions got out of her way.
It made Senju furious, bewildered yet helplessly drawn to the other man who possessed a pair of midnight irises which seemed to bore right through her soul every time their eyes meet and those short, sandy locks that made her want to run her fingers through it as it danced along the waves of the wind—
Senju halted her thoughts midway and shook her head furiously.
"What the hell?" She thought out loud as she suddenly felt a human crisis hit right through her.
Damn it to hell. Maybe she should get a life outside this…kind of thing.
The point was to seduce the other person and not to get emotionally invested in this!
A loud notification ring from her phone cut off her derailing thoughts and she immediately took it from the nightstand and opened the message.
It was from Mikey.
Senju stared at the message on her phone in silence, blinking owlishly as she tried to register the words inside her head:
'You free this Saturday afternoon? I'll be going to Amairo Café in Kyoto this weekend. Wanna ask you if you can come with me.'
"Is this a date?" Senju thought out loud, her heart racing inside her chest before she quickly typed out a message in response.
"There's only one way to find out." Senju muttered as she hit send the button and threw her phone on the other side of the bed and buried her face into pillows.
'Why? Are you asking me out on a date?'
Muffled sounds came out from Senju's lips as she waited for Mikey's reply with a bated breath. Her heart almost jumped out of her throat when she heard the notification ring of her phone again and she'd never whipped her head fast enough in her life to immediately grabbed her phone and quickly read his message.
A pang of disappointment hit her when she read his reply:
'Of course not. Just think of it as an apologetic treat when you almost drowned at the pool last week. I wanted to make it up to you.'
"What we're you thinking Senju? Stop being delusional. As if that dwarf would ask you out on a date." Senju sighed deeply before replying:
'You don't have to you know. It's an accident. Nobody wanted it. And you saving my life is enough to make it up for it.'
'But I insist. It seemed right to do this for you. Unless you're not free this weekend? If not, then it's completely fine.'
Senju read the texts repeatedly, biting her lip. She needed to grab this opportunity so that her goal and plan to seduce him would become successful.
She ignored the way her heart was telling her otherwise and whispering something inside of her that she chose not to pay attention into lest she would be thrown into another emotional havoc once again.
'My schedule is clear this Saturday. Just send me the details here on where we should meet up.'
'Cool. Will do later this day.'
Mikey stared at his phone blankly before placing into the nightstand and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom.
Fuck.
He almost got a heart attack when Senju asked him if he was asking her out on a date!
He wasn't looking into the mirror at that time but he swore that he could feel his cheeks burning at that question.
It didn't even occur to him that it sounded like a date until he reread his first message again and Senju's initial reaction.
Damn. It did sound like he was asking her out on a date.
'But you really wanna ask her out right?' His mind supplied teasingly at him.
He shook his head furiously. Of course not. This was simply an act of apology for having an accident at the pool.
He didn't want Senju to have an unpleasant experience staying at their house.
'Yeah right. Keep repeating that to yourself bud until you believed it.'His mind scoffed lightly at him.
"Shut the fuck up brain." Mikey mumbled to himself in a disgruntled voice as he tried to clear his head and focus on other things such as the house had gone quiet after the guests had left their place when the traditional event of holding a family reunion at their house already ended.
Mikey was used to the silence on his house seeing that he was always away from home anyway to hang out with his friends after class to do some teenager shit.
Regardless, his mind was a traitor sometimes.
The image of Senju's presence last week would flit over his head teasingly.
He'd remember her quick remarks against his teasing, of how her brows would furrow but kept that cute smile over hers when she was holding her patience for him in front of the others, her nice yet playful gestures with him when they raced against each other on the pool…and how those chartreuse irises stared up at him with a genuine surprise and vulnerability after he revived her from drowning…
It wouldn't leave his goddamn mind.
Mikey tried to chalk it up to some guilt he felt because Senju accidentally drowned in their pool when he should be watching over her.
So, he wanted to make it up to her.
And what other way to show it by showing her one of the best coffeehouses that made the best taiyaki right?
"It's not a date you dumbass. Get over yourself." Mikey mumbled mostly to himself trying to convince himself and his own stubborn heart that said otherwise.
"Sorry but I can't go with you on that day. I have plans on the weekend." Mikey replied casually as he glanced at Carol who standing in the doorway of their house one day and invited him to hang out over the weekend. His gaze returned to the screen on his phone and scrolled down.
"Oh." Carol tried not to sound disappointed and kept an even smile on her face. "Well, it must be really important to keep you busy over the weekend…" She trailed off, wanting to know what the male's plans were in a subtle manner.
"Sort of. I have already made plans with Senju to meet her at Kyoto this Saturday." Mikey replied nonchalantly as his eyes remained glued on his phone as if he was talking something usual but it had the opposite effect to the other woman as she was slightly taken aback by his words.
"What? You're going out with her this weekend?" Carol asked, surprise coloring her voice.
Her words caught Mikey's attention and immediately snapped his head towards her, blinking a few times before a mixture of emotions passed his face for a mere second.
"No! It's not!" He denied vehemently before he calmed himself again. "It's a simple hang out. We're not dating or anything of that sort." He quickly clarified although he could feel the tips of his ears getting a warm sensation of pinkish hues at the implication.
"Okay, okay. If you say so…" Carol didn't know on what she should be surprised more: Mikey's plans to hang out with Senju this weekend or his reaction when she misunderstood that they're dating each other.
"Maybe some other time?" Carol tried again and searched his face imploringly.
"Yeah. Ah, maybe I'll let you know when I'm free…" Mikey replied vaguely.
Carol tried not to sigh out in disappointment and forced a pleasant expression on her face.
"Right. Guess I'll be going now. I'll see you around Mikey. Bye!" She quickly left and didn't wait for him to answer. She clutched her handbag tightly, gritting her teeth.
It looked like she was deftly one-upped by Senju. Again.
The day of their hang-out…
Grabbing her bag and keys of their house, Senju took a one last glance of herself in the mirror and eyed herself critically form head to toe.
She wore an off-shoulder lavender ruffled dress for this occasion. It wasn't her style perse but she wanted to ditch her usual tomboyish look for today in favor of a feminine style. Her hair was neatly tied up into a bun with some short wisps of her locks fell on the sides of her face. Senju didn't want to overdo it so she applied a light make up on her face that leant her a soft, charming look.
She tried to convince herself that this was not a date overall and she was merely doing it so that she could finally "seduce" Mikey with her own charm and whisked her away from Carol.
Nothing else.
As she continued to inspect herself at the mirror a little longer, she heard a doorbell ring which made her surprise a little before she quickly approached their front door and opened it.
Any words died inside her throat as she came face to face with Mikey who was standing in front of her looking dashing as always with that simple get up yet lending him a boy next door look which always caught her attention.
"Mikey? What are you doing here? I thought we're going to meet up at the café?" She found herself asking.
"Well, I didn't want to waste time and think of the possibility that you might get lost because the place that we're going into is a bit hidden in the city so I'm just picking you up." Mikey answered nonchalantly as his hands were on the pockets of his jeans. His eyes glancing at her from head to toe.
"And you look good by the way…" He mumbled but mostly to himself as he looked away from her.
Senju heard his last words and tried not to be affected by it but she could feel the tiniest hint of blush creeping into her cheeks.
"Thanks… You too… I mean you look nice. So, let's go?" She asked faintly as she took her bag and keys and went out of the house, locking the front door in front of her.
Mikey could only nod in silence, not trusting his voice to speak without making himself looked like an idiot.
Senju was pleasantly surprised when they finally arrived at the place.
It was a quaint café with an intimate and homey vibe because of its traditional wood building and picturesque features which gave an overall calm and tranquil atmosphere.
"You know this kind of place?" She blinked a few times as her eyes scanned the surroundings appreciatively.
"Of course, I do. My knowledge is not limited in taiyaki stands and alley fights y'know? I know how to find a good place and Amairo is quite famous for their round shaped taiyaki." Mikey replied proudly as he led her in one of the available seats.
Senju resisted the urge to giggle because she was seeing the familiar trait of his when he was proud of something even if it's something trivial to other people. It was a genuine yet endearing trait of his when they're kids and he still possessed that—
Her thoughts halted midway.
Wait. Endearing?
Since when did she associated that word with Mikey in one sentence?
'Maybe I'm hungry and weird thoughts are getting into my head.' Senju gave herself an internal shake and focused on the present situation in front of her.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say." Senju rolled her eyes playfully as she sat down on the available seat opposite side of him.
They finally ordered something from the menu and the next hour would pass in a blur because it was spent on talking with each other and eating in between when their orders have arrived.
Senju initially thought they would spend it in awkward silence between their meals but surprisingly Mikey was an easy person to talk despite the nonchalant and blank expression on his face most of the time.
Most of their topics would be solely from karate and the techniques that they used. Senju thought if she would divert the topic to a personal one before she decided against it because frankly, they both enjoyed the topic and she wasn't even that too close to him yet to thread into that kind of discussion.
After some time, they're already done eating and talking inside the café and they were already walking outside when a boy handed out a flyer to them.
"Hey, mister! The amusement park is celebrating their 5th anniversary today and as a treat were giving a free pass to couples and children inside the park! So, if you and your girlfriend have time, please visit us!" He said enthusiastically before he quickly left them and not giving them a chance to respond.
'What?!' They both thought out in panic as Senju's face was burning in mortification at being called Mikey's girlfriend while Mikey remained silent, his eyes wide as saucers as he stared at the flyer. He wasn't blushing but he could feel his neck getting a warm sensation of being misunderstood by the kid earlier of him and Senju being a couple together.
"Well, it would be a waste not to go right? So, it wouldn't hurt our day today if we tried to check the amusement park today?" Mikey thought out loud as he beamed at Senju which made her almost blind because of how radiant and bright it was.
"I-I guess so. I had nothing better to do for the rest of the day anyway…" She trailed off before Mikey took her wrist and tugged her excitedly going to the amusement park.
Maybe the day was not a total waste after all.
"That looks easy." Senju pointed out as she stared at the rubber duckies circling around in front of them as she held a toy gun.
They were currently in one of those shooting game stalls wherein Senju wanted to try her luck out because a cute, brown teddy bear resting at the top of the shelf caught her eye and she wanted to win it.
So, sue her and her moment of weakness for cute things.
"You sure you don't need my help?" Mikey asked as he eyed at the prize and the target casually.
"Nope. I can handle it. Watch and learn." Senju replied smugly as she focused attentively on the rubber duckies in front of her and aimed the toy gun carefully at one of them before she pulled out a trigger and hit one of the rubber duckies precisely and knocked it down on the spot.
Mikey whistled in admiration. "You're a good shot. I can give you that."
"Told you I am." Senju replied proudly as the stall owner handed her the brown bear as the prize.
"But can you beat me at the claw machine over there?" Mikey asked as he pointed at the machine a few meters away from them.
"Seriously? You're asking me that? Don't ask or you'll probably regret it." Senju arched a brow at him.
Mikey smirked challengingly at her. "I'd like to see you try."
Twenty minutes later and Senju wanted to throw a tantrum or punch Mikey's face for looking so smug at her helplessness.
"Seriously?! What the hell is wrong with this one? Ugh." Senju grouched out as she already wasted at least 10 coins to get that small, white bunny plush to no avail as it simply fell off again in the sea of other plushies like it was mocking her for losing the nth time of the day.
Mikey sighed dramatically. "Move over there you midget and I'll get it for you."
"Don't be so sure of yourself dumbass. I bet it would take you 20 coins before you get that." Senju scoffed lightly but stepped aside to let him try at the claw machine.
"You're just saying that because you don't know any other techniques to get it." He shot back as he put a coin into the slot and the machine whirred again to life. He was able to direct the claw at the bunny plush that Senju wanted to get and successfully hold it and was almost at the hole when it stopped midway.
Mikey looked around to see if anyone was looking at them and when he was satisfied that no one was paying attention to them, he gave the machine a subtle but firm kick at the side where it shakes slightly and the bunny falling successfully into the hole and right outside of it.
Senju's mouth hung open as he watched Mikey took the bunny plush nonchalantly from it and handed it to her.
"Don't look at the me like I've done a crime. Other people had it worst y'know. You just gotta act smarter than these machines because there's a trick in them." Mikey grumbled out as he avoided her gaze.
Senju went silent for a while before she laughed heartily as she accepted the bunny plush from his hands.
"Guess I'll give you the win this time you dwarf. It's nice outsmarting a claw machine for once." She remarked teasingly as Mikey looked petulantly at her before he directed his gaze away.
Seeing her genuinely happy for once made him glad as well but it made his heart flipped wildly inside his chest.
And he wasn't sure if he should just let it be or not.
"Well, I guess that's a wrap." Senju was standing awkwardly in the front of her gate when they reached her house. It was already in the middle of the night. Their supposed hang out in the café just for a few hours went on longer until the whole day because they enjoyed themselves in the amusement park courtesy of the free tickets being given to the people who were mistakenly thought they're a couple.
Senju had received a message from her brothers that they're out of the house today to oversee some of their deliveries in the other places of Japan so she'd have the house to herself and she'd have to prepare her own dinner that day. Luckily, she wasn't that hungry because they had eaten lots of food that day starting from the café to the amusement park itself because they'd bought some food on the food stalls which caught their eyes.
"Yeah. It's gotten late. Sorry if it took this long when the plan was to just hang out at the café in the afternoon." Mikey's hands were on his pockets as he looked at the porch in front of her and couldn't hold her gaze directly.
"No. Don't say that when I've had fun today." Senju blurted out before she could stop herself. She could feel her cheeks burning at the honesty of her words. But why would she be embarrassed in the first place when her goal was to seduce and win his heart as part of her plan with Emma?
"Y'know before you leave, I can make us some coffee first. I mean you walk me here all the way and I want you to rest for a while before you go home so what do you say?" Senju suggested before she lost her nerve.
Mikey stared at her for a moment before a small but sincere smile graced his lips.
"Yeah. I'd like that."
