Kazuya scowled at the road as he walked back home, unable to get Mami's words out of his brain , unable to shake the fear and guilt that had been pulled from within him.
" Honestly, Mami-chan didn't tell me anything new " , he admitted to himself.
" Those thoughts were always on the back of my mind " .
He kicked a crushed can on the street as he walked, before resolving to himself ,
" No matter what happens, no matter what I give up , I can't let Mizuhara get hurt because of me " .
He was still wracked with guilt as he thought back to what Mami had said.
" I'm lucky that Mami-chan is looking out for me . If she hadn't said anything, I would have gone on without considering Mizuhara. Just like I didn't consider Mami-chan back then . Just like always, I only do what's best for me " .
He remembered how Grandma and Ruka-chan had turned up the previous day and how immediately Mizuhara had thrown herself into action
" It's so pathetic of me to make her keep this up " , he thought to himself bitterly.
" I'm the one who told her to take a break and get her mojo back .And at the same time I get her to do all this for me . I can't keep doing this. Especially because of the difficult time, she's going through with her acting. And she's still recovering from losing Sayuri-san. I can't expect her to carry my weight around as well . Just because she's been nice to me , I can't keep taking advantage of her " .
As he saw his apartment building a few feet from him, he resolved to himself ,
" I've got to give her some space , at least for a little while . As long as I'm not around herself, she'll be able to enjoy herself freely " .
The resolve had barely been made when he spotted Chizuru climbing the stairs. She also saw him and waved at him, which Kazuya hesitatingly returned.
" Just say hi and move on " , he told himself firmly, as he felt a strong desire to spend some more time with her .
He climbed the stairs too and when he had caught up with her, she greeted him and then continued,
" Just back from Uni ? "
" Um , yeah . Got caught up taking with the guys . You ? "
" I had a free afternoon " , she replied and then added ,
" I'm going out later with Yoko and Yuuki actually "
" Oh , that's nice " , he replied politely, trying to end the conversation without being rude .
He noticed her suddenly glancing away , slightly turning her face , almost like she was trying to work up the courage for something.
" No way " , he dismissed the idea
" Mizuhara doesn't need to work up courage . She's as brave and confident as it gets .
He had barely finished thinking that when she suddenly blurted out ,
" Hey want a cup of tea or something? "
" Huh ? "
" I mean , I'm free now and if you are too , then ... And of course this is me making sure you don't go binge on soda . And uh ... I still owe you from the time at the batting cage. "
Kazuya stared incredulously at her .
" Did she just ... ask me to her apartment ? By herself? No reason or anything? "
An image popped into Kazuya's head . The two of them sitting at her table , drinking tea, laughing and talking together.
He wanted to. So much. With all his heart he wanted to say yes .
Then his resolve steeled itself . He knew he couldn't fall to temptation.
" This is for her sake " , he told himself before gathering up all his determination and answering,
" Uh , I'm really sorry but I can't. I have a shift at work now . So ... uh .. sorry . And thanks for the offer " .
If he didn't know better he would have sworn he saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
" Oh , no problem at all " , she assured him .
Kazuya turned towards his apartment suddenly before saying,
"See you later " .
She nodded and replied the same as he entered the apartment.
Inside Kazuya stood silently. It had hurt him lying to her like that but he knew it had to be done . He quickly changed his clothes and headed out before he could lose his control.
Chizuru heard the sound of his footsteps on the stairs and so peeked her head out and watched him leave the building and set off on his way .
Now that he couldn't see her, her eyebrows were scrunched up in disappointment.
Somehow she had worked up the nerve to causally invite him to her apartment. She hadn't planned it. It had just sort of ... burst out of her .
She sighed and said out aloud ,
" Can't do anything about his job. But this was the first time he's ever turned me down " .
Then she smiled a bit and told herself,
" Still it was a step forward asking him like that. Maybe next time it'll be easier . Let's keep moving forward " .
The next day, Chizuru hurried home from Uni . Her class had run late and she wanted to get back to the apartment before she missed him .
She glanced at her watch as she walked as fast as possible . There was still time. Surely he wouldn't have a shift today . And if he was going out with his friends, it would be later.
She rounded the corner , now sprinting the last few meters and soon had the building in sights and was about to continue towards it when she spotted a familiar ribboned high schooler, waving impatiently from the parking lot .
As disappointment and sadness began to set in she looked towards their apartments to see Kazuya dressed up and heading downwards. Clearly the two were going on a date together .
Chizuru silently hid herself until they were a fair distance away and then watched as the two walked away, the younger girl throwing herself on him . Feeling contrasting waves of anger , jealousy and sadness, Chizuru silently walked to her empty apartment .
The third day , Chizuru sat impatiently in her apartment. Today she hadn't even gone to Uni . She had bunked the entire day stubbornly waiting for whatever time he got back . She was feeling desperate now and was determined to get him to herself using whatever excuse she needed to .
Finally she heard his footsteps and dashed out of her apartment. Without even bothering to greet him, she began,
" I really need your help with.. "
Before she could get her lie out , Kazuya interrupted her. Apologetically , he spoke ,with a sad little smile ,
" I'm really sorry Mizuhara but I'm uh ... going out with Ruka-chan in a bit " .
" Ruka-chan? " , she asked incredulously after a few shocked moments of silence
" Yeah " , he repeated.
Chizuru swallowed a bit and asked seemingly casually
" That's strange. I thought I saw you with her yesterday " .
" Yeah , you did " , he admitted.
" Back to back dates is unusual, but she's still upset over Sunday . So ... "
" Yeah , yeah I get it . It's fine " , she hurriedly replied .
The two stood in awkward silence for a few minutes before Kazuya spoke again,
" Um ... Ruka-chan will be here soon . And if she sees us talking like this , she'll get mad again and start yelling at you . So ... I should probably go in "
" Yeah , see you later " , Chizuru quickly replied, with a forced smile watching as he left her alone once again .
For a while she just stood staring at the door , shocked, stunned, infuriated and saddened all at once .
Then she slowly walked back to her apartment , locking the door behind her and sinking to the floor .
She felt miserable as she just sat on the floor , feeling that heavy burden of loneliness that she hated .
" I had forgotten " , she realized after some time.
" This is how it usually is . We hang out , maybe he rents me , we talk a bit outside the rentals and then for some time we don't really see each other. It changed only because of the movie and the crowdfunding and stuff . And then the last few weeks I just... went with the flow , I guess . But this is normal .
It's probably difficult this time because I know my feelings now. I guess I just ... miss him . "
But Chizuru felt a wave of uneasiness and ... fear
Fear that it wasn't just normal. Fear that it was something much worse .
"He's not avoiding me , is he? " , she wondered .
She dismissed the idea immediately.
" No he's not mad at me or anything. I haven't done anything to him " .
Her mind took her back to Sunday , the day she had last played the perfect girlfriend role .
She felt a ball of fear growing in her chest
" Is he mad about that? Did I cross the line ? Did I do too much ? "
The image of Ruka flashed through her mind .
" Is he upset about how I treated Ruka-chan? Because I acted like we're close , because we came to the apartment together, did I mess up things with Ruka-chan? "
Chizuru was quite once again for some time before asking herself,
" But Ruka-chan is just a trial right? He's told me many times that he doesn't have feelings for her and that he doesn't think of her as his girlfriend. So he shouldn't... he shouldn't... but ...
But honestly, I don't know " , she admitted .
" I don't know how he actually feels about her. She's beautiful and smart and funny and I'm sure he enjoys his time with her.
I don't know if he's happier with me or with her.
He seems so happy when he's with me. But ... it's not like I've seen them out on a date together. I have no idea how happy he is when it's the two of them together.
And when it's all three of us together, he's deferred to me when Grandma or someone else is also there . But when it's just us three , he's always with her. He picked her cooking over mine. The time when we came back from Madarao he left me alone and sat with her the whole ride back .
So ... I don't know .
Maybe he's mad at me for how I acted the other day . And he's spending time with Ruka-chan instead . Maybe he is ... avoiding me " .
Chizuru found tears running down her cheeks as she contemplated that horrible reality where Kazuya didn't want to see her. She was nearly overcome with misery.
" I hate it . I hate .. this . I hate feeling like this ", she whispered softly through her tears.
Then his voice broke through her mind.
" You're my perfect girlfriend.
For the longest time I've been in love ... "
She froze on the spot for a second before a smile broke out , ending the tears.
" That's right. I can't give up now. He said that to me . To me . Not to her. I don't know what or why he's doing what he's doing , but I can't give up . I have to keep at it. My turn will come again".
The rest of the week passed without Kazuya and Chizuru exchanging much more than greetings, despite Chizuru's best efforts.
And soon it was Sunday evening .
Kazuya walked slowly, headed back towards his apartment . He was tired and completely worn out . He had ended up taking Ruka out for three dates that week. Add to that five shifts at work, three more of which were with Ruka and Kazuya was left completely exhausted .
But that wasn't the only thing bothering him .
His gut tightened as he thought about Mizuhara . Repeatedly, again and again, each time he had seen , he had lied to her . And each time he did , he was filled with guilt . Each time he saw her again, he felt that irresistible urge , that tempting desire, well up inside him . That desire that told him to forget his worries and stop lying to her
But his iron will had managed to hold out, despite his internal conflict.
" I don't know how much longer I can hold myself back " , he thought to himself , as he walked past the bus stop that signified he was only a few minutes from his apartment " .
Kazuya had just begun to imagine collapsing onto his warm comforting bed when something caught his eye. Or rather someone .
" No way " , he muttered , as she took his breath away , as always.
" What kind of luck is this ? "
He watched as Mizuhara disembarked from the bus . She was dressed rather casually by her standards. Jeans , a top and a jacket . Her hair wasn't tied up and she didn't have her glasses either.
" She's not dressed for a date . So maybe a casual hang with her friends? " , he deduced .
Then he focused on her face . It was unusual. She was smiling, but she had a weird dreamy , glazed expression. As she got off the bus , she stumbled slightly before regaining her balance .
" What's up with her? " , he wondered before an image of her flashed in his mind.
An image of her drunk.
He panicked and stared to worry,
"Don't tell me she's been out drinking? It's way too early for that . But wait, is this what she does every Sunday? "
Kazuya gritted his teeth in frustration.
" I know I decided to leave her alone. But if she is drunk , I can't do that . I have to make sure she gets back safely " .
He swallowed nervously and walked up to her .
She noticed him as he approached and waved at him .
Kazuya waved back and started ,
"Hey , were you out somewhere? "
" Yeah , I was with some friends and now I'm headed back ", she replied with a smile.
" You must have had a good time , huh ? "
" Oh, I did . It was really fun " .
" Yep , drinks with your friends sound fun " ,Kazuya told her trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Eh ? Drinks ? No we didn't. It's way to early for that . We're not like you guys " .
Kazuya immediately felt relieved as the worry flushed out of him .
He stood silent for a few seconds before he realized he was doing exactly what he had promised he wasn't going to .
" I can't keep doing this " , he reminded himself.
"She'll always be nice to me and talk to me even in public like this. But I have to make sure that she doesn't get hurt " .
Kazuya pretended to check the time on his phone before telling Mizuhara,
" Oh looks like I'm late . I'll have to go . See you " .
He quickly turned around, and started walking away , back in the direction he came from , ignoring how much he hated what he was doing.
Chizuru stood in place , staring at him, in shock.
" He's doing it again. This whole week he's done it . This proves that I was right . It isn't an accident or a coincidence. He was headed back to the apartment too . I saw him coming from the other side. Now he saw me going back too and he turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
He's doing it on purpose. He's avoiding me ... because he wants to " .
In that moment , Chizuru was overwhelmed . She felt like a thousand glass shards were scraping her chest, drawing pain with every breath .Her knees buckled slightly and she felt crushed by the weight of sadness.
She felt defeated.
" Get me out of here " , she screamed, in her mind.
Her feet took a step forward. And then another one . And then a few more. But not towards her apartment. Instead they moved towards him .
She was soon right behind him and she clamped her hand on his shoulder and pulled him back forcefully.
She didn't say anything at first. She just stared at him with a blank expression on her face, watching the shock grow on his .
" Mizuhara... what... why ... " , he began to stammer before she cut him off
" Are you mad at me about something? "
" Huh ? No. I'm not... "
" Did I do something to you ? "
" N... No... you didn't. But ... " .
Chizuru felt a smile grow on her face ,but it wasn't like any smile she was used to . She could feel the pain concealed behind it with every breath .
She asked in a chilling tone , she didn't know she possessed ,
" So ... why are you avoiding me ? "
Kazuya opened his mouth and then closed it immediately, caught unawares by that question.
" I'm.. n ..not " he managed to get out before she continued,
" You're not? Okay then help me understand.
So you're not mad at me. I didn't do anything to upset you . But ... you see me headed back and then you turn around and go back the way you came from? "
Kazuya was silent for a few seconds unable to answer before stammering out ,
" N...no it wasn't like that . I .. "
" Please stop lying " .
Even Kazuya could no longer ignore the cold anger in her voice now and was silenced by it .
"So this entire week , you've been avoiding me. And you refuse to tell me why . Or even admit it .
So what I can conclude from that is , you don't want me hanging around you right? "
" No , no " , Kazuya's voice burst out of him .
" That's not at all what I want. I ... "
Chizuru continued unperturbed,
"I get it .You probably feel like you're betraying Ruka-chan when you're around me . You're too polite to tell me directly. But don't worry I got the message . I'll stay clear of you from now on " .
Chizuru pushed past him and took off , walking as fast as she could, trying her best to get away from him , before she started crying.
For a while she felt numb as she kept on walking in no particular direction . The amount of pain she was feeling at that moment was too much for her. And so she walked and walked until finally her words and actions hit her like a sledgehammer.
She stumbled for a few seconds before continuing to walk.
" What have I just done ? " , she asked herself horrified .
" Why did I do that ? Why did I treat him so badly ? Why was I so cold to him ? "
She knew exactly why and her heart reminded her of that gently.
She had been hurt and she had lashed out in return .
But it was worse than just lashing out, she soon realized.
"I basically ended our relationship " .
A few stray tears , that she had been holding in for a while now , fell from her eyes as her fear grew .
"This is the end . I've pushed him away and into Ruka-chan' hands . I didn't even give him a chance to explain himself. There must have been a reason. But now it's too late . I've chased him off now . "
Against her will , she began sniffling. Those tears slowly grew in intensity and she was just about to fully descend into tear when suddenly the busy streets of Japan quitened for a second and Chizuru heard the sound of a very familiar pair of footsteps.
" It's not his . That's just me being delusional " , she told herself, ignoring the conclusion her mind was jumping to .
Then she heard a cough . A nervous , short cough. One she had heard several times before and was unmistakable.
It was his .
She glanced back for a fraction of a second and her heart leapt and screamed with joy .
He was there . A few feet away . Shame , regret and guilt etched on his face . Hands in his pockets as he stared at the ground.
But he was there .
Chizuru nearly wept with relief and joy .
Kazuya walked slowly behind her with uncertainty.
" I don't even know what I'm doing " , he admitted to himself .
"I've really gone and done it this time . Mizuhara's beyond mad , she's furious. And she's right to be . I was wrong. I shouldn't have treated her like that.
He sighed and said to himself,
" I just hope she forgives me " .
Kazuya for the first time since the bus stop, raised his head and looked at her . She was still walking but a bit slower and he noticed that she was glancing back at him every few seconds .
" Well at least she's not telling me to get lost" , he reflected.
He continued to walk behind her until they came to a more secluded and quiet area and then Kazuya decided that he should say something.
" Um , Mizuhara? " , he called out to her delicately.
After a few seconds , without turning back or stopping, she asked ,softly
" Yeah ? "
Kazuya heaved a sigh of relief . The anger had faded from her voice and it had become much softer .
" I'm really really sorry . I didn't mean to . I didn't think it would ... " , he began before stopping.
" No , that's just an excuse " , he admitted .
" I'm really sorry " .
She finally stopped in her tracks and turned around. She stared at him for a while , before asking ,
" But there is a reason right? You're not the kind of person who would do something like that without a reason . "
Kazuya looked away before replying ,
"I bumped into Mami-chan on Monday . And we had a uh ... talk" .
" Mami-san ? " , Mizuhara asked a little anger returning before asking further,
" What did she say ? "
" Nothing we didn't know . She told me she's working with Grandma. And like you guessed , she knows we're still seeing each other. But she wasn't mad or anything. She said that she wasn't going to spill the beans about us . Then she warned me to be careful around Grandma and reminded me that I should make sure that you don't get pulled into the mess that I've created " .
" Then what happened ? " .
" I was ... thinking over things. And I realized that we've been taking a lot of risks lately . And that if Grandma found out the truth about us , it wouldn't be just me , you would also end up getting.. hurt . If she found out we've been lying all this time , your life would also get ruined .
It's not like how it was in the beginning, when we started . You and Grandma have a relationship now and I know that you value it .
It's not fair to make you take the punishment for the choices I've made
So ...I thought that if I left you alone for some time. It would be better for you . Less risks. Less chance of getting caught in an unexplainable situation. You would be able to relax as well without having to worry about me messing up your life " .
Chizuru was silent as she absorbed everything he said and then after thinking for some more time, she began, with that familiar unflinching firmness
"I'm going to ask you some questions and I want you to reply honestly . Understand? "
Kazuya was a little confused but nodded .
" When my Grandma caught the two of us together at the hospital, who told her that we were a couple ? "
"What ? That ... that was ages ago. And that doesn't... "
Chizuru suddenly marched towards him till she was only a few inches away from him and locked eyes with him . Kazuya knew what she was doing. Leaving absolutely no way for him to avoid the question.
Kazuya stared deeply into those hazelnut brown eyes that could be so firm and scary while concealing her innate kindness and generosity.
He sighed and replied softly ,
" You " .
" When your Grandma came over to the apartment, who came over with a casserole of food even though it wasn't a rental ? "
Kazuya understood what she was trying to tell him but continued answering,
" You ".
" Who pretended to be your girlfriend at the beach even though you didn't ask me ? "
" You " .
" At the hot springs resort , when you asked to keep renting me , who agreed? "
" You " .
" When you found about my career and asked if you could support me , who ... "
" I get it " , Kazuya's voice broke out , more than a little frustrated .
" I get what you're trying to say . That you made those choices. But that's not true . That's not the whole story , I put you in an impossible situation each time . I ... "
" But I had a choice "
Her commanding voice cut him off and continued
" Each and every time I had the choice of saying no . But I never did . And now I'm as responsible as you are . I'm complicit in the deception. I've both kept it up and benefited from it . So don't try to say that I'm not equally responsible " .
They were both silent for some time before Chizuru continued ,
" A couple of times now , you've told me that you'll protect me but this is what you meant right ? That when the time came you'll take the fall for me . You probably were going to tell Grandma that you forced me into the whole thing. That was your plan for when they found us out " .
Kazuya matched her determination and replied,
" That's how it should be . I started this after all " .
Chizuru smiled a bit ,suddenly, making Kazuya recoil slightly , before she asked ,
" Do you remember what you told me when my Grandma got really sick ? "
In this context Kazuya guessed correctly what she meant and replied,
" I told you to tell her the truth. That we weren't dating ".
She smiled a little broader and replied,
" Almost right .
You actually started pulling me to her hospital room and then you told me
" Let's tell her the truth " .
Both of us . Not just me.
Even though I was the one who lied to Grandma , you were willing to stand in front of her and apologize .
And that's how it should be .
Neither of us taking the blame by ourselves ."
Chizuru took another small step forward before telling him ,
" When the day comes that Grandma knows the truth,
Both us will stand in front of her .
Both of us will bow our heads.
And both of us will apologize to her. "
Kazuya opened his mouth to protest but his words died as he looked into those hazelnut eyes that conveyed the unstoppable force that she was .
He gave the slightest most imperceptible nod .
Chizuru smiled broadly now , a little colour flushing into her cheeks.
They didn't say anything for a while , till Kazuya broke the silence ,
" I just realized that we've come a long way from our apartments " .
Chizuru turned around, taking in her surroundings and eventually came to the same conclusion.
" Well we better get back then " , she declared before starting to walk back, Kazuya just behind her.
The two of them ended up deciding to take a bus and so headed to the nearest station, after consulting their phones for directions .
They slowly started to chat about this and that as they walked, quietly falling back to old rhythms
After a while Kazuya asked ,
"By the way where did you go with your friends ?"
She beamed and replied,
" Oh we went to a massage parlor and it was amazing . I got a deep tissue massage and I haven't felt so relaxed in years " .
Kazuya suddenly started snorting in laughter which made her stare at him and ask him ,
"Why are you laughing? "
He admitted to assuming that she had been drunk and then Chizuru also joined in the laughter,
" Wait , is that why you suddenly turned up and was asking me all those questions? " , she managed to ask in between her laughs.
"Yeah " , Kazuya scratched his head in embarrassment and admitted.
After she calmed down , Kazuya noticed a serious expression come over her face until she stopped in her tracks and turned sideways to face him .
" Look , I'm really sorry too . You were just trying to look out for me . I shouldn't have said all that to you . I'm sorry " .
Kazuya immediately waved off her apology,
" No , I deserved it. I was in the wrong " , he insisted. Then he added ,
" Plus I thought we put the whole thing behind us, just now " .
" I did too " , she replied
" But I can't help feeling guilty about it " .
" Me too ", Kazuya sighed and admitted.
I guess it's fair to say that this was a ... fight ? Our first fight ? I mean we've never been this upset with each other right? ", she asked.
Kazuya nodded and spoke ,
" Yeah , I guess you're right . We've argued before but never like this. But it's no big deal . People who've known each other for a long time, fight too " .
" Like you and Kibe-kun? " , she asked.
" Yeah . The two of us usually fight at least once every few weeks. We don't normally come to blows .. but we get mad and don't talk to each for a couple of days . And then we're back to normal after that " .
" So what you're saying is its part and parcel of long relationships ? " .
" I guess " , Kazuya replied.
" But I'm no expert ", he added .
" I didn't know that " , Chizuru remarked before suddenly stretching out her right hand towards him .
" Huh ? What ? " , Kazuya recoiled .
" Let's shake on it . We're putting this behind us . Okay ? "
Kazuya hesitatingly stretched out his hand and gripped her warm , soft hand as gently as he could .
" Deal" , he spoke out aloud.
Chizuru smiled happily as the two shook hands .
The two of them stood like that for a second. Then for another. And another. Neither of them showed any desire to let go of each other's hand.
Until it dawned on both of them that they were fast approaching the point where the fact they were still holding hands would be questionable and so they both let go .
Chizuru cleared her throat as Kazuya stood there awkwardly before the two resumed on their way .
They soon reached the bus stand and sat on the bench , waiting. As they did , they spotted a line of people waiting in line behind a roped off area, on the opposite street, where a man holding a microphone was talking to a couple of high schoolers .
" What's that about " , Kazuya asked .
" Looks like an interview " , Chizuru guessed .
" Heh ? Are those guys famous ? "
"No , it's probably some kind of promotional thing where they interview the public, people who are fans of whatever they're promoting. That would explain the line of people waiting for their turn " .
Kazuya turned back towards her and remarked,
"You're really smart " .
She also turned back to him and replied quite smugly,
" Well this is my field after all " .
They both turned back to it and having nothing else to do , they decided to go closer and listen to the interviews
So they moved closer and could soon hear what the interviewer was saying,
" And continuing with the promotion of Avengers Infinity War which will hit theaters next month , we will now be asking fans of the MCU, questions to prove how knowledgeable they are of the franchise " .
The interviewer went on to ask some questions of the extremely easy variety, while Kazuya and Chizuru watched.
Kazuya glanced at Chizuru and asked,
" Do these kind of promotions actually work? "
" Well ... " , she replied.
"In a way I guess . On one hand it stirs up excitement and kind of drives people into a fever pitched excitement . On the other , these are all people who would pay to watch the movie anyway . So it's questionable if there's any impact , ultimately.
But I guess as a fan you just enjoy the hype around the movie . "
"Huh ? " , Kazuya remarked.
They turned their attention back to the interviewer who stated that he was going to ask a very difficult final question , before proceeding,
" What was the name of the spear wielded by Odin ? "
Both the high school boys were clueless but Kazuya and Chizuru simultaneously muttered ,
" Gungnir" .
In perfect synchronization , they both turned to each other and asked,
" Wait , how do you know that ? " .
" I like those movies " , they answered at the same time.
They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Chizuru exploded,
"Wait , wait, wait . All this time, you've liked movies but you've never told me ? "
" Eh ? Not really . I don't watch a lot of movies. But I like these ones and I've watched every single one " , Kazuya admitted sheepishly.
"Why didn't you tell me , you idiot ? You know I'm obsessed with movies . "
"Well .. uh " , Kaz stammered out before asking Chizuru,
" Wait what about you ? You're into them as well ? "
"Yeah , of course I am " .
"What do you mean of course ? You're only into , like , classical movies and critically acclaimed movies and stuff " , he replied incredulously.
" I never said that . You just assumed it " , she insisted . Then she slowly added ,
" Well , I'll admit that most of my acting friends aren't fans of it and they like to complain about the CGI and the green screen and this and that. But I don't care . I'm totally swept up by the whole thing "
Barely pausing for breath, she suddenly asked ,
"Who's your favorite ? "
" Thor " , he replied also getting excited and swept up by her passion,
" No way . Thor's my favorite too. Okay top five movies in order .
Kazuya and Chizuru continued on the topic for quite a while .They were so absorbed in their discussion they nearly missed their bus .
They just about manged to get in and Kazuya , having sprinted the last few feet to the bus , collapsed on an empty seat .
He was promptly surprised by Mizuhara when she gestured to him to move, before sitting down next to him .
They continued talking about the movies for some more time and then a curious thing happened. Kazuya felt encouraged to ask her something. He didn't know where it came from. His desires , his gut , his heart or his soul. But without hesitating he spoke,
" Hey we should go see Infinity War when it comes out " .
" Yes , that's a great idea " , she pounced immediately.
"We'll have to wait a month for it to come out and then figure out when we're both free but let's definitely do it " .
Kazuya smiled in success and the two soon switched away from the movies and started to talk about everyday things once again and soon they were on the apartment landing, saying their goodbyes or rather "See you later" .
Kazuya walked into his apartment ,feeling much lighter and happier than when he had left. He, lay down on his mattress, and happily began reviewing the events of the day when one of the last happenings struck him and made him sit up straight.
" Wait a minute " , he began thinking, feeling a strange combination of fear and elation .
"When I asked Mizuhara about seeing the movie together, I never said anything about renting her.
A rental girlfriend doesn't set the plans , the client does .
But Mizuhara definitely made plans to go with me .
And there's no reason behind it . We're not talking about something or planning something. Nobody forced us into the situation . It didn't just happen.
We planned it . Together " .
Kazuya's panic levels went up by a few hundred as he realized what he had just done .
" Does that mean ... I asked Mizuhara out on a date ?
And did she just say ... yes ? "
A/N :Personally , this felt like the most difficult piece of writing I've ever done .A lot of effort had to be put in to capture the right balance of all the different emotions and I hope it comes across as intended .
Something I wanted to make a special note of was Kazuya talking about his friendship with Kibe. The striking part of this for me is that Kazuya is teaching Chizuru about long term relationships, something she wants , but has absolutely no clue about .
Chapter 14 will be out on Wednesday as usual
Fair warning, it's a crucial chapter .
Cheers and till next time .
Next time : An invitation from Chizuru leads to an unforgettable night for both of them .