Chapter 8: Getting to Know Each Other
Jiro speed walks through the now mostly empty school grounds of Kuoh Academy, hoping Irina was still at the front gate. When he makes it to the front entrance of the building, to his relief, he sees Irina waiting at the front gate as promised. Irina frequently looks at the clock on her cell phone, waiting impatiently for Jiro to arrive.
"Hey, I hope you didn't wait long," Jiro said, smiling as he made his way towards her while waving. Irina had her arms crossed with a small pout on her face, from waiting impatiently.
"You're late! What took you so long?!" Irina asked in annoyance. "Sorry, sorry, I had some things to take care of before leaving, but I'm here now, ain't I?" Jiro said, sheepishly.
"That's not an excuse! I had to wait here alone like an idiot." Irina said in irritation until she saw some students whispering while looking at them with a questioning look. "Hey, why are they looking at us that way?" Irina asked in confusion.
Jiro looked around and smirked. "They're probably weirded out that the pretty new girl was waiting for the notorious gang leader, but don't pay them any mind. Let's have fun." Jiro said, smiling, looking back towards Irina.
The compliment of being a "pretty new girl" comes to her, catching him off guard, but she tries to act like it doesn't make her so happy to hear that. "Right, it's stupid to pay attention to what nosy people think. Let's go." Irina said, taking him by the arm and starting to walk towards the cafe.
"Yeah, let's." Jiro said, walking up beside her. After feeling her touch on his arm, Jiro swore he sensed holy power from her. 'Huh, this feeling. That cross on her neck aside, that holy power I'm feeling. Could she be a...? Well, if she is, she's good at concealing it.' Jiro thought to himself as they walked.
"Oh, right. I don't think I told you my name yet. It's Irina," she said, looking over to him. Jiro's eyes widened slightly upon hearing that name.
'Irina?! No way it couldn't be. This has to be some kind of coincidence.' Jiro thought, looking at her, his mind almost racing.
Irina looked at him in confusion. "Hm, what's wrong? And aren't you going to tell me your name?" Irina asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, I'm fine. That's a nice name. As for my name...well, just call me 'J' for now." Jiro said nervously, almost unsure.
Irina took note of his nervousness and became suspicious. "Why can't you tell me your name?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Um, personal reasons, and I think you should get to know me better before you can know the name of someone you hardly know." Jiro said, smiling nervously.
Irina looked at him, contemplating his reasoning, before simply going along with it. "Hmph, fine, but I expect to know later on, got that, J?" Irina said, glaring at him while pouting slightly.
Jiro chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I got it. Anyway, we're here." Jiro said, pointing in front of him to a nice-looking cafe, and they went inside.
"Wow, I've never been here before. It looks nice," Irina said, looking around to see several people inside enjoying their drinks or chatting together. Jiro smirked at her reaction.
"Well, I think the place looks nice. You're gonna love what they serve here, especially the dessert." Jiro said, glancing over at her while smiling. She jolted and looked up at him in anticipation, but pretended not to be excited.
"Is that supposed to get me excited? Let's find a place to sit down." Irina said, crossing her arms and looking at him with a sly smile.
They go to sit down at an empty table. Jiro then orders her a strawberry cake and milk. Irina looks at the cake the waiter brought with eyes that almost shine with excitement.
"Wow... It looks so delicious! Strawberry cake is my favorite!" Irina said in excitement as she took her spoon and took a first bite. Her face expressed a look of pure happiness as she relished the flavor of the cake.
"H-Hey... It's really good. I need to come here more often." Irina said while cruising in ecstasy. Jiro smirked again in amusement.
"I told you that you'd love the dessert here. I'll take you here anytime." Jiro said while looking at her in recognition. 'She even loves strawberry cake...could she actually be...?' Jiro thought to himself.
Irina takes another bite, then looks at the boy in front of her, pouting at the last sentence. "Don't think that bribing me with treats will make me change my mind about you, punk boy," Irina says, crossing her arms and sticking out her tongue.
Jiro smirked in amusement once again. "It isn't bribery, plus that expression looks way too cute." Jiro said, smiling, making her blush.
Irina couldn't hold back the blush on her cheeks when he complimented her so casually. "S-shut up, just let me eat my cake in peace!" Irina said, trying to hide her embarrassment by stuffing another spoonful of cake into her mouth.
Jiro laughed at her flustered look, while in his mind he connected the dots. 'Her looks, and aura, her name, her tsundere-like attitude, her love for strawberry cake, there's no doubt about it...'
Jiro stops laughing and looks at her while smiling. "Anyway, you were wondering why I dress like this, right?" Jiro asked, still smiling.
Noticing the change of subject, Irina continues her interrogation. "Yes, I want to know more about your fashion choices. If there is one thing that is not appropriate about you, it's the way you dress." Irina said, pointing at his outfit with the spoon.
Jiro closes his eyes in contemplation. "Well, to be honest, I'm really not the type to care about what others say or think of me. I know who I am and don't define myself based on other people's opinions. They can either like me or dislike me; it's their choice." Jiro said, surprising her.
Irina listened to his answer; she couldn't believe her ears. "Wow, what a philosophical answer. I didn't think you'd say something like that. You're a very interesting person, despite your appearance," Irina said, looking at him with a curious gaze and giving him a small nod while smiling.
Irina then looks at him intensely, studying his face. "I noticed that your features are different from those of a typical Japanese person. Where are your roots? If you don't mind me asking?" she asked, looking at him intensely.
Irina then got a good look at his eyes and noticed their unique red color. 'H-his eyes. Where have I...seen them before?' Irina thought to herself, looking at his eyes in recognition.
Jiro's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by her question. "Oh, I am Japanese. I'm just…different from other people," Jiro said thoughtfully.
Irina's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's not an answer, you know? But, I won't pry. Everyone has their own secrets, just...don't forget that I can read you like an open book. Try not to lie when you talk to me. You're a pretty bad liar, I noticed that immediately." Irina said, pointing again at his face with the spoon. Jiro responded, saying, "Noticed what?"
"You may look stoic a lot of the time, but you have a very expressive face, which is a good thing, but that also means it's very easy to read what you think. You can't fool me with your 'tough guy' act if you understand what I mean." Irina said matter-of-factly.
Jiro looked at her for a second, and then spoke up. "Well, I don't always try to act like a 'tough guy', you know." Jiro said, making Irina's eyes narrow again.
"Oh really? Then why do you make others avoid you, and make them look at you with such a fearful look?" Irina said as she ate another spoonful of cake and gave him a challenging look.
"Well, to be honest, I just don't feel like dealing with other people. Plus, there's something about me that…repels others…It's complicated." Jiro said thoughtfully.
Irina raised an eyebrow, curious and intrigued by his answer. "Oh, and what would that thing be? You only made me more curious." Irina said, eating another bite before looking at him again.
"Well...let's just say...my aura," Jiro said, making her eyes widen slightly. She then composed herself and swallowed the cake in her mouth.
"Your aura? Don't tell me you believe in some paranormal, supernatural stuff like that," Irina said, shaking her head and chuckling.
Jiro smirks again. "Well, look who's talking… little angel," Jiro said with a knowing grin.
Irina blushes violently at the nickname. She thought she was being subtle, but he managed to figure it out in no time. She tries to remain in control.
"Why you...! That's... That's different! God is the highest being!" Irina said, trying to justify her beliefs.
Jiro chuckled at her reaction. "Heh, heh, I know he is, but that's not what I meant...I know you're an angel," Jiro said with another knowing grin.
Irina's eyes widened in surprise and shock at his remark. "Wait... How did you know what I am? How do you know angels even exist?! Is that what your aura can do? Are you some kind of wizard? Or worse, a devil?" Irina asked, starting to bombard him with questions, her voice alarmed and slightly scared.
Jiro chuckled again. "Heh, heh, relax, I'm not a wizard. And no, I'm especially not a devil." Jiro said reassuringly, making her calm down a bit, but she still remained concerned.
"Then how... How did you know I'm an angel? Are you sure you're not part of an enemy group, like a hunter of some kind? This power of yours, this aura you were talking about. If it allows you to see that I am an angel, you must certainly have more supernatural powers. What kind of being are you?" Irina said, continuing her questioning, wanting to understand the truth, her gaze now penetrating, without taking her eyes off him for a second.
Jiro looks around for a second, and then back at her. "Not here. There are too many people around. Let's go to the park, and I'll show you. After you finish your cake, there's also something I want to talk to you about." Jiro said in a low tone, almost whispering, to which Irina responds, saying, "...Alright".
After a few minutes, Irina eats the last bit of the cake and drinks the milk before getting up and getting ready to follow him. She has a look of anticipation and somewhat reassurance that he wanted to go to a more private place before revealing his secret. Jiro pays for the food, and they leave the cafe.
Jiro and Irina walked to the park in relative silence. By this time, the sun had already set completely, leaving it dark outside. They entered the park, walking along the concrete path, and entered a certain, empty playground. Irina looked around in confusion, feeling a strong sense of familiarity with the place.
Jiro then stopped and turned to her. "Alright, this should be a good place to tell you everything," Jiro said, making Irina look at him in anticipation. "Well, I'm listening," Irina said, listening intently.
Jiro looked at her for a second before speaking. "...But first, I have two questions. Tell me...you said your name was "Irina," right? Would your last name happen to be..."Shidou"? Jiro asked, making her look at him in surprise since she didn't recall telling him her last name.
"Y-yes, it is. H-how did you...?" Irina said, trailing off at the end. Jiro looked at her, his eyes wide, slightly shocked by her confirmation. "...And were you born in Japan...and then moved here, and grew up in this town for a few years until the 3rd grade?" Jiro asked, shocking Irina even further.
"Y-yeah, that's correct. H-how do you know...s-so much about me...w-who are you?" Irina said, feeling slightly uneasy, but feeling that strong sense of recognition return to her as she looked at him.
Jiro looked at her with wide eyes for a few seconds upon hearing her answer. He felt himself welling up as tears began to form in his eyes. He then suddenly ran up to her, pulling her into a tight hug as tears streamed down his face.
Irina was caught off guard by his gesture, and hearing him start crying, she became concerned. "H-hey, w-what are you doing? W-why are you crying?" Irina said, almost freaking out.
Jiro's arms tightened around her as he kept crying. "Irina. It's you. It's really you. I've missed you so much.
To be continued
Give it up for tsundere Irina everyone ;) Anyway next chapter might be my favorite so far so look forward to it. See you then :)