Kazuya walked back home tired but satisfied after another double shift at his work. He had finally worked off the advance in his salary that his boss had given him and today he had gotten his paycheck . A fact that made him particularly elated because after several weeks, he had enough money to rent Mizuhara Chizuru.

He pulled out his phone and opened the Diamond app as fast as he could . However he was disappointed to find that she had turned off booking on Saturday . And she was completely booked out on Sunday .

Crushed , Kazuya put his phone away and descended back into misery , until a thought forced its way through.

" It's pretty unusual for Mizuhara to not accept clients on a Saturday. Is she busy or something? " , he wondered.

He again pulled out his phone and checked her schedule for next week. It had a few dates , not that many ,but still more than she usually accepted on weekdays. However there was an open slot for next Friday.

" Should I book for Friday ? " , he wondered but was met with some internal uncertainty. He knew why he was hesitating .

" Mizuhara's spent a lot of time with me , outside the rentals , these last couple of weeks. And it seemed like she really enjoyed it . I didn't want to get my hopes up but it seemed like we've become closer. So is renting her again a step back ? " , he debated .

" Now that I think about it " , he continued to himself,

" The last time I genuinely rented her for a date was the uniform date . That was months ago. After that I only rented her to cheer her up after Sayuri-san... So it's actually been a really long time since I rented her. It almost seems ... weird now . But that's so strange, because I used to rent her all the time , but now... "

Kazuya felt a little frustration poking through his mind as he thought to himself,

" I want to date her for real " .

Kazuya sighed in frustration as he neared his apartment, finally giving up and deciding ,

" I guess I'll just ask her if she's free for a date on Friday . If she's okay with it , I'll rent her next week " .

Kazuya woke up well past 10 ,next morning. He had no other plans for the day except to hopefully run into Mizuhara and ask her about the date .

He ate a bowl of cereal and then grabbed his trash bin and headed outside to empty it out .

He had barely taken a step outside his door , when he felt something whizz past his head and crash into the wall behind him . Kazuya stood completely still in shock, then slowly tuned to see an empty bag on the floor behind him , with the groceries it once contained , rolling around the floor . Then he turned back and stared in complete shock at the person who had just thrown the bag .

She was standing as still as he was, slightly red in the face , clearly surprised to see him there. Her phone was in her left hand and her right hand remained in the position of just having thrown something.

" M...Mizuhara? " , Kazuya manged to get out .

She didn't say anything for a few seconds and then mumbled ,

" Sorry . I didn't see you there " .

" You didn't see me ? " , Kazuya thought frantically.

" That's not an excuse to chuck a bag of groceries " .

Kazuya swallowed a few times and then bent down and started picking up the groceries. Mizuhara also came closer to him and started doing the same.

" Why would she do something like that? It's completely out of character for her ? And she didn't say that it was an accident. Is she mad about something?" , he wondered .

He glanced at her and saw that indeed she looked angry . Her eyebrows were bunched up and there wasn't a hint of a smile on her face as she picked up the groceries. In fact she just stared expressionlessly as she went about it

" Good thing it didn't hit me huh? " , he said out loud with a smile ?

" Mmhm " .

" Man ,I would have been a goner . Imagine going to the hospital and saying that a packet of Ramen assaulted me "

" Yeah , I guess " , she replied .

Soon they were done and Kazuya handed over the groceries to her . She took them, brushed her hair back and was about to go back into her apartment when Kazuya blurted out,

" Mizuhara are you okay ? "

She replied , without turning back ,

" Why wouldn't I be ? "

Kazuya hesitated for a second and then continued,

" It's just... you seem .. angry about something" .

She turned , looked at him and told him ,

" No , nothing like that. I was just.. "

" Is it Mami-chan? " , he suddenly interrupted.

" What ? "

" Did you run into her and then she said something or ... ", his voice faltered .

She was silent for some time and then replied,

" No , nothing like that . I'm just upset about something. It's not about Mami-san or anything related to us or you . It's... personal. But don't worry, it's nothing major . I'll be fine " .

This time Kazuya was silent for some time as he thought through everything she had said and then he asked her,

" Are you really angry about whatever happened?"

" Yes " , she replied, slightly wary .

" Then lets go to the batting cage " .

" Eh ? Why ? " , she asked surprised.

" That's were you go to work out your frustrations right? You were probably going there anyway right? "

" Yeah , but ... "

" Then I'll come with you and make sure nobody bothers you " .

The two of them had a silent staring contest but Kazuya's determination won out in the end.

" Fine " , she relented .

" Just give me a couple of minutes " .

As they walked to the batting cage , Kazuya tried to keep the mood light by chatting animatedly but Chizuru refused to take the bait only nodding or giving one line replies . The only thing she asked him was if he had any other plans for the day . Even though she didn't say it , Kazuya got the sense that she was specifically wondering if she was keeping him from a date with Ruka .

" No , no . I have absolutely no plans for the entire weekend in fact, not just today " , he assured her.

Soon they reached the batting cage which was all but empty . Before Kazuya could say anything, Chizuru stepped up to the counter, spoke to the guy and the put her hand in her pocket to pay for it . Then she suddenly turned to him and told him clearly embarrassed,

" I left my phone and purse at home. "

Kazuya immediately paid as Chizuru apologized and insisted that she would pay him back later.

Then they walked in and Chizuru grabbed a bat and stepped up the cage that she had booked. Kazuya stood just behind the cage , watching her carefully as she pulled her hair into a ponytail, took her stance , focusing intensely on the pitching machine.

The first pitch came and she hit it decently well. The next three were similar but on the fifth one she made sweet contact and sent it flying. Then she got into a rhythm and sent ball after ball flying into the morning sun . She was relentless, swinging again and again, hitting home-run after homerun while Kazuya just gazed at her in awe.

"How does she seem more and more amazing each time " , he wondered to himself.

Finally she seemed to take a short break and as she did , Kazuya finally got a glimpse of her face . Maybe it was the physical exertion, but she was no longer holding back the anger on her face .

" She doesn't seem to be getting any less angry " , Kazuya thought to himself, worried .

" She looks more angry, if anything " .

Kazuya watched as she resumed hitting the life out of the pitches .

" I've got to help her take her mind off of whatever is bothering her " , he decided and walked back to the counter, where he paid , picked up a bat and then headed straight into the cage next to hers .

It was only when he got inside and stood on the mound that Kazuya realized that he had no ideas what to do . He glanced over at Mizuhara who seemed to be on another break . He watched as she glanced behind herself , presumably looking for him, and then looking around till she spotted him in the cage to her left .

" What are you doing ? " , she asked .

" I thought I'll have a go " , he replied.

"Let's see it then " , she said, quite interested.

The first pitch came and Kazuya swung with all his might only to miss it completely . He missed the next five before hitting the seventh one . Hit would be a generous description as the ball traveled a few feet along the ground before coming to a stop .

" A five year old could do better " , Mizuhara remarked.

" You don't have to be mean about it " , Kazuya replied indignantly.

She sighed and then walked around, into his cage .

" What are you doing? "

She took the bat from him and showed him how to hold it and how she swung it . Then she made him shadow swing for a few minutes before letting him go again.

" Don't worry , the machine is designed so that the pitches won't hit you. So just swing without fear " .

" Oh , I can guarantee that if there's a chance of the machine malfunctioning and hitting me in the face , it'll happen today. Why just earlier I walked out of my apartment and some fruits nearly took a liking to my face ".

For the first time that day , a smile broke across Mizuhara's face as she giggled. She tapped him on the back and told him ,

" Well if you don't hit the pitch well, I'll be back for round 2 " .

Kazuya also smiled finally having succeeded in making her smile .

Now he began to hit it better and so she also returned to her cage and continued .

The place started to get a bit more crowded now and Kazuya realized that a there were quite a few guys standing right behind Mizuhara , watching her carefully. He could hear their not so soft whispers about her,

" Man , what a babe . "

" And the way she's demolishing those pitches "

" And she's a perfect ten " .

" Ten ? She's a thousand " .

Kazuya agreed with all those sentiments but was uncomfortable with the guys there and so called over to her ,

" Mizuhara, could you show me again? "

She came over again and started explaining. Kazuya wasn't paying attention though, glancing behind to watch the guys who were now crestfallen having assumed that he was her boyfriend.

" So , show me again " , she told him.

" What ? Oh yeah. "

Kazuya took stance and was pretty impressed with how he hit the pitches but soon he heard the whispers behind him,

" This guy? He's so lame ."

" He's barely hitting it " .

Kazuya , a little stung , tried to hit the pitches harder but ended up losing his shape and missing it completely.

Chizuru stood behind him thoughtfully and the told him to get into his stance . Then she walked up behind him and told him,

" I'm just going to show you how to do it , so don't panic " .

" What are you going to .. " , Kazuya began before yelping as he felt her hands snake around his back and then grip his bat .

" Mizuhara what are you ... "

" Just pay attention. Bend your knees a bit . Now feel how I hold it and swing through and then mimic the motion " .

She pressed herself into him a little more which nearly drove Kazuya senseless as he suddenly felt two mounds of warmth against his back . Kazuya hurriedly began to move the bat the way she was guiding him , trying his best to maintain his sanity . Finally she let him go , seemingly unaware of the effect she had on him .

After all that, Kazuya began hitting the ball pretty well , even hitting a couple of homeruns as Chizuru watched, quite pleased.

However behind him the whispers began once again,

" How's this guy improved all of a sudden?"

" He was terrible " .

" You guys , I figured it out" , one of the guys said

" He's not lame at all . He pretended to be so that his hot girlfriend would come and teach him "

" You mean ? "

" Yeah , this guy is some sort of relationship genius " .

" No wonder, he landed a babe like her " .

" No , I am that lame " , Kazuya thought to himself , pitifully .

He instinctively turned to Mizuhara and saw her giggling again. Clearly she had heard what they had said and was enjoying laughing at their conclusions.

" I don't mind her laughing at my expense. It's better than her being angry " , he thought to himself .

" Wait a second, did she hear them earlier as well ? Is that why she came close to me and ... "

Kazuya glanced at her again,

" She's always like this. Being ultra nice and pretending like she's done nothing , hiding her kindness behind a straight face . "

She tapped him on the shoulder and told him , still laughing ,

" Come on , Mr Genius " .

Kazuya and Chizuru sat on a bench just outside the cages , both having a cool drink . For a while they just sat there, without saying anything, looking around enjoying the early afternoon.

Kazuya offered to throw the cans away , walked away to do that and came back with a couple of ice creams and held one out to Chizuru. She smiled and accepted it and they both ate it slowly, Kazuya glancing at her every once in a while , confirming happily that she was now smiling cheerfully , with all signs of the anger from earlier having disappeared.

" You're really good at this " , Kazuya remarked after some time .

" At what? " , she asked innocently .

" You know what " , he replied indignantly.

" baseball and stuff " .

" Thank you " , she replied happily . She then sobered slightly and told Kazuya,

" My Grandpa taught me actually , when I was about five years old " .

Kazuya was quiet for a bit knowing that this was a sensitive topic and so he delicately replied,

" Well , he certainly did a good job " .

" Yes he did " , she agreed and continued , smiling once again,

" You may not believe me but I used to be a tomboy , growing up " .

Kazuya chuckled and replied,

" Sayuri-san mentioned that to me once before, actually " .

" She did ? "

" Yep and I was certainly surprised at first but the more I thought about it, it made sense. I mean you're so headstrong and confident and capable and uncompromising and even feisty at times . Nobody in their right mind would call you a damsel in distress . You could probably kick my butt if you wanted to "

" Oh , I definitely can . But thank you for the compliments " , she replied grinning.

Kazuya took a deep breath . He knew that he didn't have to say anything. He had cheered her up. But he also knew that whatever had upset her was still there . And he wanted to help her. So he steeled himself and decided to speak from his heart.

So he asked her ,

" Hey can I say something to you ? "

Chizuru was a little surprised but nodded her head.

" And if you feel like I'm crossing the line or poking my nose where it doesn't belong, tell me to stop " .

Kazuya noted a slight change in her expression as she became slightly wary of him but she nodded once again .

" Back when I met you " , he began ,

" You know that I was really upset because I got dumped and I was just spending all my time moping around in my apartment. Back then i couldn't talk to anyone about how I was feeling, but I just really felt really really sad and lonely . Heartbroken, actually . Anyway I was just suffering by myself until I met you . After that my life got better. Sharing what had happened with you, what you told me back then, and you being with me through it all , day after day was the only thing that got me through it all and I'm really grateful to you " .

Chizuru looked away a little and replied,

" I'm glad you feel that way but ... "

Kazuya continued ,

" After that things really changed for me. I pulled you into my life and because of that almost everything that happened to me since then , happened to you also, in a way . And we ended up sharing a lot of experiences . Happy , joyful , peaceful, funny , amazing, experiences . But also confusion, misunderstanding , pain , sorrow, misery and anger . Everything that happened to me , you witnessed it and stood by me " .

As Kazuya paused to take a breath , he saw that familiar expressionless face of hers but he continued unperturbed,

" And because you were with me , my good experiences were better , even great I would say. And I was able to get through the bad ones much easier than I would have been able to by myself " .

Chizuru finally spoke up ,

" So what are you trying to say ? "

Kazuya looked straight into her eyes and replied,

" You're not like me . You're a hundred times stronger and more capable . But even you ... . "

Kazuya took another deep breath and stated ,

" What I'm trying to say is , if there's one thing I've learnt in the time since I met you , it's that whatever happens to someone , whatever emotion they feel, whether it's happiness or sadness or pain or ... even anger , it's better to share it with someone else . "

Kazuya stared unflinchingly at Chizuru as he finished. She sat motionless however , turning her gaze to the ground . A few strands of her hair slipped out of her ponytail and covered the side of her face , leaving Kazuya blind to her reaction.

" Did I go too far " , he wondered for a second before finally noticing her hands moving , brushing back those strands of hair

Then he saw Chizuru smiling,

Kazuya was taken back , but sat silently and eventually she spoke up,

" I guess I shouldn't be surprised " , she remarked .

" You have a habit of picking up on things and trying to help me " .

He watched, still silently , as a little sadness crept into her smile. She interlocked her fingers and turned towards him and then told him ,

" I failed an audition " .

Kazuya swallowed for a second and then tentatively asked ,

" Is that why you were angry ? "

She nodded and replied,

" I had even canceled my clients for today thinking that I would get picked and that I would have to start preparing. But then I got the message that I hadn't been picked . That's when I lost it and threw my groceries. " .

" But that's okay . Getting frustrated in the moment is completely normal . And it's just one audition right ? I'm sure you'll ace the next one " , Kazuya told her.

She was silent for a few seconds and then spoke up again,

" The problem is that it isn't just one audition " .

She stopped and then continued softly

" The last time I auditioned well was before the movie "

" What ? "

" I landed a few good roles before Grandma got really sick . But since then , nothing. I failed a bunch when I was desperate to get into a production before Grandma ... . And then we did the movie and after that , the last couple of months, I've auditioned several times. And it's been disappointment after disappointment. Either I don't get a part , or I get a really minor one , just slightly better than an extra . It wasn't like I was getting the lead before, but I was at least getting something. But now ... "

" Mizuhara.. " , Kazuya said gently .

She turned away from him again , stared at the ground and spoke even more softly ,

" I thought that it was because of my deadline. That I was putting too much pressure on myself. And that after the deadline had passed , I would be able to give my best again. But ... right now... I feel like ... it's slipping away from me " .

They were both silent after that as the weight of her words and her pain settled on them. Kazuya thought carefully for as long as he could and then spoke,

" I know that I have absolutely no experience in your industry or any idea of how you're feeling now. But maybe you should consider taking a little... break " .

" A break ? " , she asked slightly angry.

" I can't just stop , I have to keep ... "

" I don't mean stop completely" , Kazuya interrupted.

" I meant like a week or two . Don't audition for a couple of weeks. Don't make a lot of bookings for your job . Treat yourself to something special . Go to a spa or a massage parlor. Go out with your friends. Just switch off from it all " .

" And after that what? I still won't... "

" And after that, you audition again " , Kazuya told her firmly .

" But what makes you think things will be different? "

Kazuya took a few deep breaths and then replied,

" Because this time I'll keep my word " .

"What ? " she asked finally looking at him again.

" I promised you once before that I'll support your career . But all I did was rent you . I didn't help you any other way " .

" No , that's not... " , Chizuru began but was cut off by Kazuya's determination.

" But from now on , I'll completely support you. I'll come and watch every performance of yours . Whether it's a play at a big theater or that rental ranger thing at the mall. No matter how big or small the production is , I'll be there. And I'll clap and cheer loudly. I'll do everything I can to support you " .

Kazuya stopped as he stood up and raised his hand to his chest and then continued,

" Because I believe in you completely. I know that you'll become a fantastic actress and you will succeed and achieve your dream . I know you will " .

Chizuru stared at him silently once again , having lost any sense of how to respond to that . After a few moments , Kazuya began to process what he had just said and with embarrassment now setting in, he sat back down slowly .

After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke up ,

" I ... I honestly don't know what to say . "

Kazuya immediately began to worry that he had gone too far and was about to open his mouth to apologize when she continued,

" But , really, thank you . I ... I think I needed to hear that" .

She got up , smiled just a bit and said ,

" Let's head back " .

Chizuru stared at Kazuya's back as they walked back to their apartment. He was in front and she followed him slowly. She placed her hand on her chest and felt her heart pounding away . She could practically hear the sound at this point. She continued staring at him, unaware of her surroundings, focusing only on him , lost in her thoughts about him .

" Why ? " , she wondered.

" Why does he keep doing this ? Why does he commit himself, his time and his money to me without a second thought ? Why does he always... "

Chizuru felt that heartbeat increase all the more.

" That's strange " , she thought to herself.

"Wasn't I angry before? So angry and frustrated? But now that's gone . Now I feel light and free , but also a bit nervous and excited . I feel ... happy again . How does he do it ? This isn't the first time. Again and again, he realizes when I'm struggling with something and he takes my pain and sadness away .He ends my suffering. He's always done it for me . Since the day we met.

And it's not just that.

Why do I hate seeing him with other girls ? Why do I feel so happy when he makes time for me ? Why do I enjoy myself so much when it's just the two of us ? Why do I find myself flustered around him ? Why do I worry about how I look when he sees me ? Why do I feel ecstatic when he compliments me ? Why do I catch myself thinking about him when he's not with me ? Why do I wish he was with me more ? Why do I need him so much ? Why ... "

Chizuru caught a glance of herself in a shop window. Her face was bright red , her mouth was slightly open and she was fixed on him .

" Why do I look like that? " , she wondered before realizing that it was because of him .

" Him ? Why him ? " , she asked herself and was surprised to receive an answer from deep within herself.

" Because I'm drowning in him . In my feelings for him" .

She clutched her chest when she heard that answer.

" What feelings ? I don't... not like that. He's my client and my neighbor. I guess you could call him my friend . But that's it " .

" Is that really it ? "

Chizuru felt like she was being pulled into something. Something intangible. Something she couldn't touch or see or smell or hear , but something that was very real .

It felt paradoxical even to her but she felt like her soul was speaking to her. But that wasn't the paradoxical part. It felt like her soul was telling her something that she didn't know . But at the same time , something that she very much knew . Something she had always known .

A thousand images suddenly flooded her mind . A thousand images of him . She saw on his face happiness , joy , pain , tears , sadness , determination, comfort , support , peace, gratitude and a thousand other expressions .

She saw him in different memories next .Memories that were engraved into her mind . Him standing outside the station as she saw him for the first time, his face as he yelled at her at the aquarium , his body pressed tightly into hers at the hospital , holding his hand a thousand different times , him lying on that island unmoving after rescuing her, him jumping in front of her, out of nowhere on Christmas Eve , him being moved to tears at her present, him standing on their landing and telling her that he wanted her, him promising to support her dream , several secret conversations on their balcony in the dead of night, him telling her that the real her was his ideal girlfriend, him pressed into her body again on the floor of his apartment, his face as he learnt about her family and asked to stay by her side forever, his embarrassment on their uniform date ,his warmth as they embraced each other, him learning about her deadline and then vowing to make the movie, him contentedly eating her omurice, him moving heaven and earth , forgoing food and sleep to make her dream a reality , his face the day Grandma died , his comfort the day she cried into his chest , his declaration that she was his perfect girlfriend, him standing on the parking lot of their apartment and declaring his feelings and a thousand other memories.

And at the end of it , she saw that simple , comforting smile on his face as he called out to her,a thousand different times, in that uniquely special way of his,

" Mizuhara " .

And then Chizuru realized what she had already known

" I'm drowning in him " , she repeated to herself.

Chizuru felt a peace suddenly wash over her. She glanced at her surroundings and realized that they had reached their apartment. In fact they were now climbing up the stairs .

A smile as bright as the sun , shone on her face as she finally accepted that which she had denied and refused. Time stood still , freezing her in that beautiful moment , behind him.

" All this time " , she thought to herself.

" All this time , I've been completely , uncontrollably, unstoppably hopelessly , utterly, desperately ...

In love with him " .

For the first time , Chizuru let go of that emotion that she chained up for so long and she felt it flooding her.

" I'm powerless " , she accepted .

" I couldn't stop this if I wanted to.

And I don't. I don't ever want it to stop . I don't ever want to not feel like this . I don't ever want to pretend otherwise. I don't ever want to look him and not think about how much I love him.

I love him with all my heart and soul ".

Authors Note : My favorite chapter so far and because of that I ended up working through last night to finish it . That's why this chapter comes a day earlier. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did .

Next time : In light of her realization, Chizuru feels the need to make a major decision.