"Hey , Kazuya-kun ,isn't Chizuru looking really beautiful today ? "
Kazuya felt his left eyebrow twitch as he asked ,
"Huh ? "
Kawanaka Yoko and Shinbo Yuuki smiled at him almost cunningly as they asked again,
"Isn't Chizuru really beautiful today ? "
This time the nervous tremor ran through his entire body .
It was definitely not how he'd expected to be greeted right after he'd walked up to them .
Of course Chizuru and he had split up at the gate and arrived to this circle separately.
Kibe and Kuri weren't here yet .
But yet this question had come his way .
"They don't know, they can't know ", he repeated to himself, ignoring his gut telling him that he was clutching at straws .
He glanced desperately at the bespectacled girl just behind them ,clutching her bag, partially hidden by the shadow of the building .
But even though the sun's glare masked her eyes from him , Kazuya knew that Ichinose Chizuru was staring at him .
Oddly though she didn't seem to be panicking, just flustered .
"So they don't know ? ", he guessed .
"So I should just answer casually then , something polite but not too obvious "
He opened his mouth to do just that but then Kawanaka suddenly pulled Chizuru a step forward.
And his mouth fell open .
His mind immediately forgot whatever he was thinking.
Because in that moment , Ichinose Chizuru looked extraordinarily beautiful, she seemed near mythical, as her beauty shimmered and sparkled , almost as she were a mirage that would disappear if he were to get closer .
"Huh ? ", a barely coherent thought poked it's way past the haze in his mind .
"What's going on ?
Chizuru is ...
I know that she's beautiful, no the most beautiful... but even I can't figure out ... why ... suddenly ...
But ... I was with her till a few minutes ago ".
The simultaneous laughs from Kawanaka and Shinbo shattered through his fog . Kazuya blinked a few times and regained some semblance of coherence just in time for him to hear Shinbo tell Chizuru,
"See , Chizuru, I told you so . Even Kazuya-kun is speechless "
"That's right ", Kawanaka added .
"And he has a girlfriend, so it'll take some doing to get that sort of reaction from him ".
"Calm down , you two ", Chizuru hurriedly told them .
"It's nothing like that , I'm sure Kazuya...kun is just being nice ".
The glare through the corner of her eyes finally broke Kazuya completely out of his stupor .
He could almost feel her poking his chest, firmly telling him ,
"Get a hold of yourself, dummy "
"No, no ", Kazuya hurriedly interrupted
"I was just thinking ... uh ... trying to find out what you both were talking about ... because I thought Chi... Ichinose looks very ... uh ... normal ... like she always does ".
"Ehhhhh ... ", the disappointed girls reacted .
Kazuya patted himself on the back , quite pleased with his quick thinking.
Till he glanced at Chizuru.
And then he saw her right eyebrow raised threateningly, quite clearly asking him ,
"Really ? "
Kazuya played back what he had just said and then realized,
"Damn it ! I overcompensated ".
Desperate to salvage the situation, Kazuya cleared his throat and continued ,
"And of course what I meant is that ,Ichinose looks good ... like she always do " .
"Told you so , Chizuru ", a triumphant Kawanaka pointed out ,
"Even Loyal Boyfriend-san here , admitted that much "
"Geez ,you guys ,knock it off . Kazuya-kun is always polite ", Chizuru repeated,but Kazuya could see the slightest twitching on her cheeks which told him that she was holding back a smile
"Okay success ", he sighed internally .
Shinbo however continued,
"No , Chizuru. He's just downplaying it and giving a diplomatic answer , that's how he stays a loyal Boyfriend-San ".
Kawanaka added ,
"Its probably because he's always polite that he gets to be loyal Boyfriend-san .
"Eh, it feels like you two turning on me now ", Kazuya complained.
"That's because your reaction wasn't good enough ", Shinbo scolded him .
Even as he pacified the girls(or at least tried to ), Kazuya couldn't help glancing repeatedly at his girlfriend.
"This makes no sense ",he thought to himself.
"But it's totally like ... Chizuru's glowing ".
"Hey guys ".
The loud booming voice came from just behind Kazuya who turned instinctively but honestly didn't need to , to know who it was .
Kibe . And Kuri .
Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief as they exchanged greetings.
"Finally, I can change the subject ", he thought.
Or rather barely thought as Kawanaka went in for round two .
"Hey guys, don't you think Chizuru is looking especially good today ? "
Kuri and Kibe glanced at Chizuru, then the glance fixated into a stare and before they knew the stare had lasted for more than a few hypnotic moments before Kazuya punched them out of the trance following which they proceeded to stammer and sputter but undoubtedly agree with Kawanaka .
"There's your proof Chizuru ", Shinbo repeated, despite Chizuru's protests.
Kawanaka then glanced cunningly at the guys and then back to Chizuru before slowly speaking,
"It's alright, Chizuru. We know why you're so embarrassed to admit it " .
"Huh ? ", Kazuya wondered , confused.
Shibo mirrored the same cunning , almost sadistic smile as she told Chizuru,
"It's obvious, you know . Every woman knows that you glow afterwards ".
"Afterwards ? ", a puzzled Chizuru asked .
"Yep , yep ", Kawanaka agreed .
"After all ,it's supposed to improve blood circulation and reduce stress and stuff ".
"That's why you're glowing aren't you ? ", Shinbo asked .
Suddenly a lifetime of knowledge accumulated during his teenage years flashed through Kazuya's mind as the pieces of the puzzle clicked in Kazuya's mind and finally he understood what the girls had been building up to .
"Hey isn't time for our classes? ", Kazuya declared loudly before grabbing Kibe and Kuri and dragging them away , as quickly as possible.
"I know I can't stop those two idiots from asking her ", Kazuya admitted to himself.
"But I can at least make sure these two idiots don't hear it ".
He was almost out of earshot when he faintly heard a familiar yelp .
He could almost picture how furiously red Chizuru had turned .
He could almost hear her stammering , as she tried to deny it .
"All the best , Chizuru ", he thought to himself as he pulled the guys further away .
"I did not ", Chizuru repeated for the umpteenth time , having drawn on all her talent as an actress to maintain a largely stoic poker face, after a few minutes of complete melt down .
"Come on , Chizuru, we're your friends, you can tell us " .
"I didn't sleep with anyone ", she repeated again
Her mind provided her with the next line to say , from the usual script she followed in these situations.
But her voice softened and even she could tell that the conviction in her voice had faded , as she told them ,
"I don't even have a boyfriend ".
Yoko and Yuuki sighed dramatically together, almost like it was rehearsed,before shaking their heads and telling her ,
"Poor thing ".
"I'm not ... ", Chizuru began indignantly but Yoko interrupted,
"So do you want some tips in seduction? ".
"No, please ", a hassled Chizuru pleaded .
"Dude , hold up a bit " .
Ignoring Kuri , Kazuya continued to drag them along till Kibe smacked him .
Finally he let them go and they immediately began to complain ,
"Man , things were just starting to get good back there ", Kibe began .
"What do you mean good ? ", Kazuya asked a little too loudly , a failed attempt at oblivious innocence.
"Well , I don't know exactly but the girls were totally building up to something ", Kuri insisted.
"And anyway, Ichinose looked super hot today ", Kibe pointed out .
"That's just your imagination ", Kazuya assured them , way too enthusiastically.
"What's going on with you anyway ? ", Kuri asked .
"Huh , nothing ", Kazuya answered.
Kibe frowned as he spoke,
"Kuri's right . You're way too energetic and loud . And you have a stupid dopey look on your face that makes me want to punch you for some reason " .
"Try it and see ", Kazuya thought but trying to maintain the peace he replied, with a forced smile
"Ha ha , knock it off " .
"Eh ? ", both of them reacted .
"That was way too suspicious ", Kuri commented.
"Normally you'd threaten to punch Kibe and then ...".
Kibe suddenly clicked his fingers and interrupted Kuri ,
"I got it " .
He then pointed an accusatory finger at Kazuya before telling him ,
"You totally got it on with Chizuru-San last night".
Immediately Kazuya found himself victim of exactly what he had (correctly) guessed Chizuru would be of as well .
I didn't... we didn't... do anything... ",a flustered Kazuya tried to respond but to fail as both Kibe and Kuri laughed at him .
Then a serious expression came over Kibe as he swore ,
"Lucky bastard ! " .
Kuri continued to laugh while Kibe now descended into misery.
Kazuya decided to exercise his patience and so let them both regain their senses before they continued towards their classes .
"So ... did Shinbo and Kawanaka... ", Kazuya's voice trailed off as he asked her .
Chizuru flinched but after a couple of seconds she muttered ,
"Yes ".
They were on their way back after classes , having taken a bus and now walking for the last couple of miles .
"And then... ", Kazuya prodded gently .
"It was so embarrassing, they caught me so easily ", she exploded .
"I denied it and then they gave up on it but it was still so embrassing ".
"I'm sure it wasn't... ", Kazuya began but she cut in viciously,
"Then why did you run away? "
"Uh ... that ... ", Kazuya stammered before admitting,
"Okay , it was embarrassing ".
"At least you took Kibe-kun and Kuri-kun with you ,so it wasn't that bad ", she reflected .
She frowned at him unhappily and so Kazuya decided to change the subject , albeit to another volatile topic , his job
Kazuya's boss had called him with the news that he would be expected to work a shift in the evening , another unplanned shift .
"Another shift ? ", a disappointed Chizuru repeated after he told her .
"I'm sorry ", Kazuya told her , genuinely feeling guilty.
"It's not your fault ", she reminded him before proceeding to viciously crush her can of tea and throwing it in the bin .
"Eh ... are you sure ", a wary Kazuya asked , tentatively.
"Yes ", she replied.
"But your boss better hope that he never runs into me ".
"I'm sure he already does ", Kazuya muttered earning himself a sharp glare
"How about we go have a nice lunch now ? ", Kazuya tried to placate Chizuru .
"We can't, I have an acting class right after this. I just have enough time to grab a quick bite and change " .
Chizuru frowned at the road for a few minutes before Kazuya noticed her cheeks getting slightly pink.
Soflty and clearly embrassed , she asked him ,
"Hey , am I really... you know ... looking nice today " .
"You are ", he replied in a heartbeat.
"You're literally glowing right now ".
Those delicate yet strong cheeks flared bright red as Chizuru sighed with a combination of happiness and embarrassment
She then turned to him , poked his cheek and told him ,
"You better get back as soon as possible . "
"I will ", he assured her.
"And tell your boss what I think of his shift schedule " .
"I won't " .
A few hours later ,
A tired Chizuru trudged up the stairs after her acting classes ,only stopping to frown at Kazuya's door, before going inside her apartment.
She changed out of her clothes as quickly as possible, not even bothering to remove her contact lenses or tie up her hair before lying down on her bed, stretching gingerly as she reclined .
She grabbed her phone and began flipping through it , as usual, going first to her messages , opening a certain someone's chat window and staring at it , trying to force a message to appear from him out of thin air , before going to the album that exclusively held pictures of him on it .
She sulked as she flipped through his photos , disappointed with his absence.
She then frowned at her emails, she'd already read her recent one which was the primary cause of her renewed disappointment, because it meant that she had a packed weekend as well .
The email was ultimately good news for their future but it still irritated her in the short term .
"We'll plan something special for next weekend then ", she decided out loud .
"That stupid boss of his owes him anyway ".
Her lips curved into a smile as she checked the time ,
"He should be just about leaving ", she guessed .
She shifted slightly on the bed and somehow inexplicably Chizuru suddenly could feel Kazuya's scent around her .
Since last night , she had changed the sheets and gone through 2 rounds of make-up and perfume in that very room around that very bed ,but just for an instant, it smelt like him .
And then it vanished .
The frown returned to Chizuru's face as she got up .
She then grabbed her phone and marched out of her apartment and straight into Kazuya's, whose door was unlocked as usual .
She plopped herself down on his mattress, conveniently placed in relation to the TV and charging ports , with snacks barely an arms length away .
Chizuru flipped through the channels before picking a movie , opened a packet of chips and a can of grape soda before reclining slowly against his mattress and pillows , her moody frown giving way to her sparkling smile as she kicked up his scent around her .
She was barely fifteen minutes into the movie when the doorbell rang .
"He's back already ? ",Chizuru before she jumped up and ran to the door .
As her hand enclosed the doorknob, turning it open , she speculated for a split second ,
"Why would Kazuya knock on his own door ? "
She was too late to stop herself and so as the door opened , Chizuru's delighted smile gave way to horror and then panic before her acting skills helped her regain a politely surprised smile ,
"Oh , it's been a long time, you two ", she managed to say without skipping a beat .
The two young men stared back at her, Kibe with genuine surprise , but Kuri with bewildered shock .
"H...Hi .. Chizuru-san ", Kibe manged to say .
"Don't just stand there , come on in ", she invited them while wishing she could do just the opposite.
Kazuya stared at his phone in the locker room of the Karaoke bar , as he was getting ready to leave .
"That's strange ", he thought to himself.
"No message from Chizuru? She usually sends at least a couple by now ".
He sighed as he closed his locker .
"Probably for the best , she's not going to be happy with the shifts the Boss sprung on me for the weekend ", he reflected.
"Hopefully she watched a nice movie or something ".
He was on his way out when another swarm of customers came in overwhelming the already stretched thin staff .
Watching the high schooler at the reception counter , who had just started there a month ago , struggle to deal with them , Kazuya decided to help him , against his better judgment.
Although he was happy to be helped, Kenji seemed nervous about Kazuya's presence and was a bit too eager for him to leave .
This same sentiment was echoed by his boss when he saw that Kazuya still hadn't left.
Kazuya was glad to do just that and so he got out of there as quickly as he could.
"It's weird though ", Kazuya pondered .
"Now that I think about , everyone here's been acting funny around me for a couple of weeks .
And that's about when The Boss started giving me these weird shifts ".
He tried to figure it out but gave up eventually choosing to focus on the free time that he would get .
He was gleefully counting all the days off he had in reserve when Kazuya felt a weight drop in his gut , a wave of nervousness that froze him on the spot but at the same time ,oddly compelled him to turn around
Unsure but drawn in , Kazuya turned around and faced the Karaoke Bar once again.
And then his smile faded and his eyes widened in shock .
"So that's it ... ", he realized.
"That explains everything ".
A/N : The awkward happenings of the morning after continues before Kibe and Kuri stumble upon Chizuru in Kazuya's apartment and Kazuya finally realizes why things have been off at work lately .
Next time : Kibe And Kuri want to catch up .