-NAKIRI ALICE -

AUGUST 31

Alice had been furiously texting, reclined in her favorite chaise in the grand foyer for the better part of the hour, and was beginning to be over it. She sipped from her teacup and returned to her conversation.

You can use your words, yk?

What?

Ugh. Say something substantial, Ryō. I'm starting to lose interest in this convo.

Alice, your attitude is really starting to piss me off.
Alice?

Oh?
Is that so?
 So what are you going to do about it?

What do you want me to say then?
Huh?
That I'm happy you've sent your guard dog of a cousin to bite off Megumi's head?

He was shouting at Alice— she could hear his angry voice in her head. Something he never directed toward her. She lifted her phone to her mouth. The audio recording dinged. "Excuse me? Who do you think you're shouting at, Ryō? Don't forget that your duplicitous actions are the reason why we're here. So I don't think you should blame me for this or Erina for doing her job. Like, how fucking dare you? And don't even bother sending an audio message in response because I can already hear your tone, and I don't like it. So you better fix your tone before speaking to me!" She groaned and threw her phone onto a plush cushion. Why did boys have to be so dumb? All she wanted him to say was that he'd made a mistake and took it too far with Megumi. Alice didn't know why he decided to cape for Megumi instead, but it was a foolish choice. She leaned forward and grabbed her phone.

It's the fact that she came running after you that really annoys me.
Right in my face.
Why would she be so bold, Ryō?
 It's her fav thing to do huh?

Idk! I didnt ask her to do that

And yet…

?

She felt so comfortable and confident to do it.
It almost felt like you two are already a couple
Did I miss the announcement or smth?

We're not

And that is not ok.

We're not a couple Miss Alice.
What I gotta do to make you believe me?
Just called you
Please pick up
Miss Alice
Alice.
ALICE!

Alice could not stop rolling her eyes at her phone screen, incessantly lighting up when her father walked out from the mansion's east wing and approached his daughter from behind.

"Alice, my steamed dumpling, are you ready for our date this evening?" Alice turned her head and found her father gushing at her. He would've looked silly in his usual tailored suit, sharp hair, glasses, and shiny shoes if he weren't always like this.

"Daddy, do you think we can reschedule? I don't think I'm feeling up for dressing up tonight," she pouted. Soe closed the distance between them in a blink and knelt at her feet, caressing her cheek.

"Oh, no, pumpkin! What's wrong? Are you sick?" He asked, scanning her features and checking her forehead's temperature with a hard-pressed kiss. This is what Alice was used to; since birth, the doting adoration of the men in her life was like the air she breathed. She hugged her father's neck, ignoring the endless buzzing vibrating the chaise.

"Honey? You're not answering the phone, and it's Ryō calling. Is something wrong?"

Alice pulled away and side-eyed her device. Sure enough, Ryō was still spamming her. She sent his incoming call to voicemail and laid her head on her father's shoulder.

"No…yes…ugh, I don't even know anymore, Daddy."

"Honey, you know you can always talk to me. About anything, baby. Now, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just…" She sighed, "Boys are dumb."

Soe lifted her head with the crook of his finger and surveyed his only child's long face. "Tell me about it," he softly replied. "But not this one, so let me take you out to make you feel better." He pinched her cheek.

"Ow, Daddy! Okay, okay!"

Soe kissed her cheek. "Good! I can't wait!" He sang as he walked out the front doors. He poked his head back in. "Haru will be ready at seven, so please be ready at seven, sweet pea. Dress your best because I have a surprise!"

Alice nodded like the spoiled child she was. She loved her father's surprises, and their daddy-daughter dates were some of her favorite core memories. She chuckled that she almost declined spending time with her best man over a dumb boy.

Ryō, leave me alone. I'm going on a date and need to get ready.
STOP CALLING ME!
What do you mean you're going on a date? With who, Miss Alice?
Miss Alice
Who are you going on a date with
Hello?
I believe you mean with WHOM

Is this the fkn time for a grammar lesson?!
Who is it?
Tell me
It better not be that wimpy caddy from the golf course
I'll break that btch boy in half
Who is it?
The new security guard?
It's him, isn't it
DAMMIT ALICE PICK UP THE PHONE

Oh calm down. I'm going out with my father. Happy?

You did that on purpose
To piss me off. You like making me jealous
Fine. Whatever.
But don't be a hypocrite and get mad at me when your jealous too

*You're

WTF ALICE

-8-

-KUROKIBA RYŌ-

AUGUST 31

Ryō cracked lobster shells with bare hands as if they had sinned against him. It had been a long and hard summer, and throwing himself into his cooking was the only thing keeping him sane. And the only healthy way to get out his anger. He'd already punctured five boxing bags in the Nakiri gym and was warned by Alice's father, Nakiri Soe, not to damage another one. Still, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Alice was hiding something from him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew her well enough to figure that out. Why did Alice look like she was making the walk of shame? Where was she coming from? He beat the lobster heads with a mallet until they turned to powder. He was still grinding to dust when he heard the confident clicking of heels entering the kitchen.

"Hey," Alice softly said, but Ryō was feeling petty. "You're still up." He ground harder, ignoring her. Alice slowly approached his cooking station. The table was covered in seafood innards, and fresh vegetables were soaking in the industrial sink. She walked to the large pot boiling on the burner and turned to him. "Mmm…it smells good in here. Whatcha makin'?" Ryō knew what that pleasant tone meant, but he refused to budge. He turned from the mortar and pestle and began drowning the kale leaves in the sink.

"Good thing leafy greens love cold water," she teased, slinking beside him in her tulle ballerina dress. Ryō drew a long, seething breath and moved around her to his chopping station. He pulled out his chopping knife and blacked out, coming to the second he finished chopping down two pounds of kale into tiny pieces.

"So, my date with Daddy was marvelous, thanks for asking..." Alice started following every move he made. "He took me shopping, of course. We went to Hermés, Prada, Chloe, and Gucci and had a delicious dinner at Gucci Osteria Tokyo. I know! He finally took me to Gucci Osteria Tokyo! Then we went on a private late-night boat ride on Sumida-gawa, and we talked about-"

"Alice, I'm working here!" The ice in his voice shut her up instantly—a rare surprise. His words were sharper than he meant, but he really couldn't be bothered to care. He was emotionally exhausted by their back and forth, so he continued focusing on chopping the onions, carrots, and celery stalks that lay before him.

"I slept with Akira."

The words whistled his ears like a sonic boom. He slowly dropped his knife and gripped the edge of the counter. The metal moaned under his force.

"You what?" Ryō wouldn't stop clenching his fists. His knuckles whitened his skin. Alice sighed and repeated herself, but he saw and heard nothing. His head was spinning, and his vision blurred.

"It wasn't supposed to be something, but-"

"You fucked my best friend?" He bit out.

"He was mine, too…once," she said defensively.

"What the fuck, Alice?! He's my best friend now!"

"I know, I know, but it wasn't anything, I promise!"

He heard nothing. "So, you were projecting this whole time?"

"What? No! I-"

"You were gaslighting this morning!"

"I…don't think that's how you use that word-"

"Oh, knock it off, Alice! How could you do this to me? To Hisako!"

"She already knows." Ryō's shoulders slumped in disbelief that Alice could so casually say that and keep talking. "And we weren't trying to, but after sharing a bottle of champagne in his room during the Shiomi Seminar's investors' party…"

"Wait," he said. His steely voice pierced through the tension in the air. Alice froze at once. Her eyes widened as he stared at her. "Wait." He could feel the blood boiling in his veins. His heart started beating entirely too fast. "What? The investors' party…last week?" Alice looked away. "S-s-so, you saw me sleeping on the couch?" She hung her head and nodded. Ryō's eyes were suddenly stinging him. He rubbed his chest as he felt his lungs tighten like the wind had just been squeezed out of them.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard!" He roared, ripping off his apron.

"Ryō, no! Wait!" She reached for his bandanna, but he swatted her hand away.

"Don't touch me."

"Ryō, please. Listen. We can talk about-"

"Oh, now you wanna talk? Now that you have a guilty conscience? No, fuck that, Miss Alice. I'm outta here." His ears were still ringing. He covered the pot, turned off the burner, and stormed out of the Nakiri test kitchen.

He made it to his bedroom door before he looked back. She hadn't followed him. She Hadn't run after or even called out to him after he left. Of course she hadn't.

"Figures," he spat under his breath as he wiped his eyes. It didn't matter anyway; he had a jaw to smash in. He slammed his door shut, missing Alice turning the corner towards his bedroom.

-8-

Five minutes later, Ryō stormed out of his bedroom and nearly crashed into Alice.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ryō, look, I want to apologize…"

"I'm good." He slid her to the side and marched down the hallway.

"W-w-where are you going?" Alice whispered loudly behind him. "It's almost three in the morning. Ryō, don't leave! L-Let's talk this through. Daddy really gave me some perspective, and I-I…" He kept walking, but against his better judgment, and because he picked up on the quiver in her voice, Ryō looked over his shoulder and saw the face that could drown a thousand men at sea.

He stopped. She approached him. Put her hands on his shoulders and whispered in his ear, "Please?"

Ryō would be lying if he said he fought hard to say no to her, but Alice's scarlet eyes seemed to glow in the dark, and when they locked in on him, they penetrated his heart. He exhaled and grabbed her hand. She tried to interlock their fingers, but he maintained his cupped grip.

"C'mon," he gruffed.

As he led her past her bedroom and back to his, he thought about how much drama the girl in tow brought to his life. How much anxiety and stress he felt when they fought. When things between them were good, they were so good…but when things were bad, Ryō suffered in silence. But his life revolved around that girl. He owed her family his life—he owed her for his lifestyle. Since he was six, he never imagined a future without Nakiri Alice. Megumi flashed in his mind as he turned his doorknob. The door slowly swung open, and he silently led her into the dark space, closing the door as she walked toward the bed bench, sensually pulling off one article of clothing at a time.

How could he start now?

a/n: to all the Kurokibalice ship stans, see? i have not forgotten them! and i hope you enjoyed the scenic route back to their storyline as much as i am happy to finally be at this part of their story. they aren't our main love interests, but they started it all, so it was important to me that i made their relationship as fleshed out as Sorina's in the process. is there another relationship you'd like to be a fly on the wall for? leave me a comment or review and let me know! lastly, if you've made it this far, thank you for reading! there's much more delicious drama to devour! also, be sure to check out my other Sorina love story told solely from Soma's perspective, Twin Flame!

-You're Welcome!-

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