Chapter 3: Jealousy
Akira Takebayashi
"So. How did we do?" Yotsuba asked curiously with a big smile. "Me and Itsuki studied together last night so we probably scored higher than the rest huh?" she said as she made a face at the other girls.
"Itsuki and I" I said correcting her under my breath.
"Huh?" she said confused.
"It's nothing" I said brushing her off. "Ok ladies, we gotta talk" I said as I stood up and started passing out the graded practice quizzes.
"Oh man, how bad was it?" Ichika asked concerned.
"Bad. Like really bad. Like how did you make it past middle school bad" I said as all the girls moaned in disapproval.
"well that's what you're here for right? You're gonna help us" Nino said with a smile.
"Of course she is, she's the number one student in all of Tokyo! Plus, it doesn't hurt that she's our tutor AND our best friend" Yotsuba said ecstatically as she hugged me.
"Who got the highest grade?" Miku said interrupting yotsuba as she looked over at the other girls tests.
"Ichika got the highest score, followed by you, Nino, Itsuki, then yotsuba" I said as I patted yotsuba's head as she started pretend crying on my shoulder.
"Nice! I never thought I'd be so proud of a 38" Ichika said laughing
"Damn it. So close" Miku said annoyed as she threw her test down with a 36 on it.
"at least you guys got 30's" Nino said angrily as she held up her test with a 26 on it.
Itsuki and Yotsuba had the worst grades at 22 and 18. But they were the most enthusiastic about learning. Regardless I have my work cut out with all of them.
"Ok so obviously these were just practice quizzes but they really gave me a good look at what you guys know and where you each need improvement" I said with a reassuring smile. "Surprisingly, each of you actually did pretty good in different subjects. Ichika in math, Nino in English, Miku in history, Yotsuba in Japanese, and Itsuki in science. If we add up all your scores from the subject's you guys did well in, we get a decent score. Now that we know what we're lacking, it'll be easier to dial in on who needs what".
They all smiled. No reason to kick them while they were already down. Me telling them how dumb they are won't do anything but hurt their feelings. They know where they stand academically, my job is to be their tutor and help them anyway I can.
"So, does that mean we're done for the day? I'm starving!" Itsuki said as she rubbed her belly.
"Me too!" Yotsuba screamed as she play fainted to the floor acting like a casualty of war.
"Wanna grab some food? I know a spot that has the best sandwiches" I say laughing as I help Yotsuba off the floor.
"I totally would but I have to get ready for my scene tonight but bring me back something!" Ichika said as she started cleaning the table.
"Or we could go food shopping and I can cook for us here?" Nino said confidently.
"Yeah! Nino is the best! You have to try her chicken stir fry!" Yotsuba said as she hugged Nino.
"Sounds delicious! I don't really have anything in the fridge, so we'll have to go shopping. Who's going? There's a city line grocery store a couple blocks away" I say as I grab my purse.
"I'll stay and start getting the rice and desert ready, but I'll write down everything I need" Nino said as she started writing down her shopping list.
"I'll go too!" Itsuki said as she got her shoes on.
"pass" Miku muttered as she went to the living room and started playing her switch.
"don't mind her she's just playing her little game" Ichika said to me sympathetically when she saw the look of disappointment cross my face.
Yotsuba, Itsuki, and I made our way to the city line grocery store. We didn't bother getting a cab or anything since it was only 2 blocks away and the weather was nice out. That nice spring air. Sun still out. A perfect day to go out with friends.
"so what did you guys think of today? I didn't want to drown you guys with information, but i hope the test review was helpful at least" I said as we approached the crosswalk.
"It was great girl, I already feel 100 times smarter" Yotsuba said as she attached to my arm.
"Yeah, normally my brain feels like it's gonna explode when I finish studying but I actually feel pretty good today even though I bombed that test" Itsuki said with a sigh.
I hooked her arm with my free hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "You guys are gonna do great, I'll make sure of it" I said as we approached the supermarket.
"Ok so Nino needs chicken breast, onions, carrots, and recess cups? Her secret ingredient is recess cups?" Yotsuba asked confused.
"No dummy. She just wants chocolate" Itsuki said as she bonked her head gently. "Me and Akira will get the vegetables. Go get a pack of chicken and meet us at the register"
"Ma'am yes ma'am!" Yotsuba said laughing as she saluted and ran to the meat aisle.
"She's always in such a good mood, I love her" I said laughing.
"Yeah, that's our yotsuba. She's our little bundle of sunshine" Itsuki said with a big smile.
Normally I'd be very careful of someone in such a good mood all the time, but Yotsuba makes me feel so comfortable. Nothing about her makes me feel warry or cautious, just being around her makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She's like a happy puppy that always wants to play. I can't help but just want to love her back. She really is a breath of fresh air compared to what I'm used to. Fuutarou is obviously a clown behind closed doors, but to the public he's a pretty intimidating person at first glance. If only they knew he was a softy with a big heart just like Yotsuba.
Now that I think about it, the girls haven't asked me anything about last night. I'm sure they all want to, but they're so well-mannered they probably think it's rude to ask me about something that seemed so personal unless I bring it up first.
"Hey Itsuki" I said as she looked up from bagging up the carrots. "About last night..."
"Yeah, last night was pretty intense" she said softly. "Who was that if you don't mind me asking?"
"His name is Fuutarou. We've been friends since we were kids. I promise you he's never done this before. I hope he didn't scare you guys, I'd love for you all to actually meet him" I said. Hopefully I can do some damage control and try to salvage his reputation. "how much did you guys even hear?"
"Enough to know we weren't supposed to be there" Itsuki said with a sympathetic smile.
"If it makes it any better, that was the first time I heard any of that too. He never speaks about his mom, so last night was really surprising for me too" I said as I bagged up the onions we needed.
"Oh ok. We all thought he was your boyfriend or something. You guys looked so close, so we just assumed..." Itsuki began saying before I cut her off.
"Us? Together? We get that a lot, but we're actually just friends" I say looking down. The disappointment in my voice was blatantly obvious.
Itsuki just smiled as she looked at me. Like she's known me for years and knew all my little secrets but didn't want to embarrass me. I'm such a pathetic liar that even a girl I've known for less than 48 hours knows when I'm full of shit.
We start making our way to the register when we see Yotsuba waving at us, a shopping bag in her free hand having already paid for her tasked items.
"Damn it, I forgot to grab us drinks. The only thing i have over at the house is tea. I'll go grab us some sodas. Anything in particular?" I ask
"Oh orange!" Yotsuba blurts out while Itsuki nods in approval.
"ok great be right back" I say as speed walk to the soda aisle.
13, 14, and 15. I find my soda and start rushing for the registers when I turn the corner and run into a brick wall and right on my butt. That brick wall had a name.
"Takke? Oh shit I'm so sorry, here let me help you up" Fuutarou said as he reached down and picked me up effortlessly.
"it's ok" I say as he picks up the 2 liter off the ground and hands it to me. "Is everything ok? Uncle looked really upset when he picked you up this morning"
A small smile crept onto his face. His golden eyes locked onto mine. His face says one thing, but those eyes say another. Say something. say anything.
"Everything's fine Takke" he said. His tone was cold. He doesn't want to talk to me. Like bumping into me made his shitty day worse. "I'm actually in a hurry so I gotta go. I'll see you Monday"
He started walking away. I wasn't done. I don't want him to feel this way with me. I was the person he wanted last night but today I'm not good enough? No, I refuse. Our friendship was built on being there for each other. I don't care how hard he pushes me away I'm not letting him go, not after all the progress we made last night.
I run up behind him and wrap my arms around him. My face buried in his back. His shoulder blades just above my head. He smells like his cologne and sweat. He tenses up at first but I can feel him realizing what's happening as his muscles begin to relax. He didn't move. He didn't say anything. He just stood there with me attached to him. I wanted to say something but once again I'm useless. I don't know what to say. I feel like whatever I say is just going to be the wrong thing.
He finally turned around but instead of saying something to me his eyes shot open as he locked eyes with Yotsuba and Itsuki who were standing at the end of the aisle peaking over at us nervously. Their eyes shot open when they realized they were discovered and scattered away.
"Momo?" he said under his breath.
"Who's Momo?" I ask suspiciously.
"it's no one. I'm sorry Takke. Listen I really have to go, but it was really nice seeing you" and just like that he was gone. Once again, I failed because I froze up and didn't know how to talk. I'm so fucking pathetic.
I walk back over to the register with my head down as I see the girls waiting for me. I don't say anything as I scan the soda and pay for it. We start walking out together and cross the parking lot without speaking. I can I feel a single tear rolling down my cheek. Yotsuba see's and wipes my tear and attaches herself to my arm, placing her head on my shoulder. Itsuki notices and takes my shopping bag and attaches herself to my other arm. I feel a big smile creep its way onto my face, a feeling that still feels foreign when it's under this context. Having friends is nice. "Thanks guys"
Bashira Takebayashi
"What are you doing here?" I say as Fuutarou walks passed me with a couple shopping bags in his hands.
"Your uncle called me telling me to come here right away. Any idea what he wants?" He asked as he put his bags down and reaches out his hand to dap me up.
"Nah you know he doesn't tell me shit like that. What's up with all the drinks?" I say nodding over at the shopping bags overflowing with Gatorades and beer. "Hell of a combo".
"gotta restock the mini fridge at Hideo's and his picky ass only drinks 1 type of beer and 1 type of Gatorade" he says as we both start laughing.
"I'll go grab him" I say as I start making my way to his office down the hall. What the fuck does my uncle want with Fuutarou anyway? He hates him. It's probably going to be a shitty errand or something like cleaning the yard. Even though I always overhear the captains and my uncle talking bad about him, I've never actually seen him do anything that would be seen as dishonorable.
"Excuse me uncle" I say as I knock on his open office door and bow. My uncle peaks up from his laptop nodding at me to speak. "Fuutarou is here for you sir. He said you called him over?"
"Uesugi! Get your ass in here!" Uncle screams out as I hear Fuutarou's hurried steps down the hallway.
"Good evening sir. You called me over?" Fuutarou said as he gave a deep bow.
"Yeah, took you long enough" he scowled as he closed his laptop. "Bashira here is going to accompany you on your next round of pickups. I want you to introduce him to all of our business partners as my nephew".
I couldn't hide the surprised look on my face. He never mentioned this to me before. What is this all about?
"Sir. With all due respect, some of these pickups don't go as planned. I would hate to see Bashira get hurt when…" Fuutarou began to say before he was interrupted.
"Well, if you do your fucking job right and use that training I hear so much about, there won't be a problem, right?" Uncle said as he stood up and got in his face. His eyes locked on Fuu's. "Or do you think so little of my nephew that his presence would be a hindrance to you? Are you calling him a liability? Because if that's the case, that would mean Bashira has been slacking in his training and would need additional 4am classes before school. Classes that Hideo would not be fond of providing. So, it looks like on top of taking Bashira with you on pickups, you are now going to be his instructor every morning before you pick up my daughter to get him up to your... 'high standards'. Is that alright with you Mr. Uesugi? Or do I have to ask your handler for permission?" uncle said with a dominant tone. His nose was millimeters away from Fuu's. Neither one of them blinking. Fuu is standing there not moving a muscle, shoulders back, chin up, showing no fear. Is Fuutarou really challenging uncle right now?
"Not a problem at all sir. It would be fun spending the mornings training with my friend just like you and Hideo did back in the day. Right Bash?" Fuu said as he smiled over at me.
"Good. Now get out. Training starts Monday" Uncle said as he turned around and sat back down at his desk.
With a proper bow and no words Fuutarou started making his way towards the door and I followed him to see him out.
"Damn it Fuu you made me forget why I called you here" uncle said as we came back into the office. "Give this to Hideo" he said with a growl as he threw a big padded envelope to Fuu.
"what's in..." I began to say as Fuu quickly cut me off.
"yes sir, not a problem" Fuu said cutting me off as he took the large envelope and left the office again.
"bro, NEVER ask what's in the package" Fuu whispered to me in the hallway as we passed some of the guys having lunch in the kitchen. "If they wanted us to know they would tell us". He wasn't scolding me; he was teaching me. This wasn't something you learn in a book, this was culture. Even though he's still new to all this he's been in for a couple years at this point. He knows a thing or two. Hideo probably showed him how to act around the guys.
"I'm sorry Fuu, I really had no idea he was going to say any of that" I said as he began to put his shoes on.
"it's all good man. I don't mind. I've been slacking in my training recently anyway. Gotta step it up to make up for the time off, and extra sessions with you is just a blessing in disguise" he said as he smiled and reached out his fist for a pound.
Why is he being so nice to me? We've only ever said hi and bye to each other and that one time we talked about which car was nicer between hideo's GTR and uncles MK4 supra. If anything i thought i would be on his shit list since my uncle treats him like dog shit. Now that i think about it, i don't think I've ever seen this guy in a bad mood. He really is just like his Mentor. Maybe that's the reason Hideo picked him? Maybe he saw himself in him?
I return the pound and say goodbye. Almost instantaneously I hear my uncle call me from his office.
"Yes uncle" I say as I run back into his office.
"You just stood there like a coward and let that man belittle you in front of me, where the fuck are your balls? You should've punched him right in his mouth for disrespecting you! This man stood here and called you weak. Called you a liability. And what did you do? Fucking nothing. Pathetic" uncle said yelling down to me as he towers over me. "Once again you disappoint me with your weakness, just like your fucking mother".
I can feel myself start to shake. I'm frozen in place. I want to stand tall like Fuu did but I can't. I can already feel my back starting to hunch over on its own. My eyes begin to water as they look away to avoid eye contact. I thought this feeling would go away over time. I thought I'd be used to Having this mother fucker treat me like dog shit every day by now, but instead here I am. Terrified. My uncle is horrifying. A massive man whose appearance alone demands respect standing at 6 foot 3 and easily over 300 pounds. A man with a granite chin and fists the size of cinder blocks.
"Please uncle forgive me. I wasn't aware that his remarks about me were said to insult me" I said stuttering. He's inches away from me. His big belly is practically on me.
"you're weak. I knew I should've picked someone else. Get out of my sight" uncle said as he turned around and went back to his desk.
I make my way back to my room and close the door gently behind me. He wasn't always this bad. Akira used to calm him down when he would go off on me, but ever since she moved out there's no one here to tell him he's being a fucking asshole. I do everything he says. He's supposed to be my mentor, but he hasn't taught me shit. Fuu has Hideo giving him private lessons and then wonders why he's a better fighter than me. We go to the range and has the audacity to wonder why I can't shoot as good as him when they go shooting every week and the first time I even picked up a gun was when we all went to the range last month. Every time I see Fuutarou with Hideo I wish it was me instead.
Hideo Sasaki
"Hands up! Hands up damn it! Fuck Fuu, put your fist near your chin. Yoshin if he drops his hand again drop his ass stop being nice!" I scream out while Fuu and Yoshin spar their 3rd round this morning. It's not like him to make such rookie mistakes. He clearly has a lot on his mind but that's no excuse for mediocrity.
Fuu throws a big overhand right, Yoshin dodges, Fuu throws a heavy left hook, once again Yoshin ducks under it causing Fuu to almost fall over. He's trying to take his head off with these shots. "FUCKING RELAX WE'RE JUST SPARRING, GET YOUR TIMING DOWN, MANAGE THE DISTANCE" I say as Fuu ignores me and throws a sloppy spinning heel kick. BOOM. The sound Fuutarou made as he slammed against the floor after being dropped by a counter left hook.
"See. Thats what you get. Pick your fucking hands up Fuu! Take 5 Yoshin" I say as I climb into the ring tossing him a towel. With a nod he exits the ring and starts jumping rope. "what are you doing kid? That kick was disgusting. Even if you drop your hands, your head movement should at least pick up the slack. Bob and weave. You know this"
"I'm sorry Hideo, my head just isn't in the game" Fuu said breathing heavily with his head down.
"A mind in rage defeats an..." I begin to say before getting cut off.
"clear mind defeats an army. Yeah, yeah I know" Fuu said mockingly as he fought his way to his feet. "I'll be better. I promise" he said with a deceptive smile.
He's not fooling anyone. There's so much pain behind that mask he puts on. I can see right through him. It took me almost a whole year before i got him to open up about his home life and his mother and even then i still don't think i know all the details. But you can't force these things. It has to come naturally. All I can do is be there for him.
"Alright fine. Listen, Yoshin is reading you like a Dr Seuss book. You gotta give him a couple feints. Mix it up a little. Throw some leg kicks, threaten a takedown. Even if you don't actually want to take him down, get him thinking. Let's go Yoshin, get back in there" I say as i climb back out the ring and Yoshin gets back in.
The rest of our training session was a little better but Fuu still had to serve his punishment so me and Yoshin followed behind him in the car as he ran 10 miles. When it was all over the sun was just coming up. Yoshin bowed and said good bye as he went to hit the showers in the school and I went over to Fuu to give him some water and a towel.
"way to finish strong kid. What you got planned today?" I say watching him gasp for air.
"I... Have... A pick... up" he struggled to say as he chugged his water.
"You never told me how the last one went. I heard you stepped in the pit?" I ask concerned. Goro is one of our suppliers and Fuu does low level pickups every once in a while when we need something small for whatever reason. He's also the big boss over at the underground fighting pits. Basically human cock fighting where big bets are made. I told Fuu he shouldn't be fighting there of all places, plenty of legal tournaments he could enter all over Tokyo, but for some reason the only time he wants to fight outside of training and his duties it's at Goro's.
"I went 3-0 against a bunch of drunk scrubs before Goro offered me 3 times the payout if I went against all 3 of them again at the same time. Seemed easy enough so I took It" Fuutarou said nonchalantly as he finished his water and started making his way inside.
"how'd you do?" I ask. I'm not surprised he won; I'm not even surprised he accepted the fight to begin with. Fighting multiple opponents at the same time was one of the first things I taught him when we began training all those years ago. I wanted to make sure he never had to go through his initiation all over again.
"They all bum rushed when the fight started and got the drop on me because I couldn't manage distance. But once I was on the ground I snapped one of the guys ankles with a quick heel hook, after that the other two were pretty easy to finish" Fuu said nonchalantly as he started packing his duffle bag with his wet clothes.
"Your jiu jitsu has come a long way. Let's focus on stand up this week" I say as Fuutarou smiles at the compliment I give him.
"Sounds good, I'm actually training Bash this week so I'll be able to do both" he replied.
"Training bash? Since when?" I ask
"Since Akio thought I disrespected Bash's fighting skills when I said I didn't think it was good idea to take him with me on pick-ups" Fuu said with an attitude.
"It's not your place to worry about anything Akio tells you to do, your job is to do as your told" I say as an annoyed look crosses his face. "Relax, relax, I'll talk to him" I say. I keep forgetting that Fuu is still only 17. He acts so mature for his age that i have to keep reminding myself that he still has so much to learn. "What else? It's Saturday, why don't you go out with Akira? It'll give you a chance to properly apologize".
"Ugh, I can't face her alone man, I saw her when I went to get your pansy ass drinks and I could barely say 2 words to her" Fuutarou said embarrassed.
"The only pansy here is the man who's too scared to talk to a girl" I reply as he rolls his eyes laughing. "Listen, if you can't be around her alone why don't you throw a small party and invite her. Maybe a little liquid courage will help you find your balls so you can talk to a girl" I say as we both start laughing together.
"Not a bad idea actually, I'll take care of it tonight, you have my word" Fuu said as he smiled and threw his duffle bag over his shoulder.
"Good man, now get the fuck out my house, pawn stars is on" I say as I pull back the handle on my lazy boy kicking my feet up as this stupid show begins consuming the rest of my afternoon.
Miku Nakano
"Ugh Nino that was delicious, can I have another plate" Itsuki moaned as she rubbed her belly.
"Um wasn't that your 3rd plate?" I say as we all start laughing causing her to pout.
We've had so much fun here at Akira's. It's really like she's one of us. She's as happy as Yotsuba and quick witted like Ichika. She even has Itsuki's appetite. Even though she doesn't have anything in common with Nino and I, that doesn't really bother us. Nino being ok with her is really surprising since she doesn't take kindly to strangers. Once we finished eating, we studied again for about an hour before ichika had to leave for her audition. After her manager picked her up, we all started talking about what we should do for the rest of the night.
We all came up with different ideas. Nino wanted to go to the mall, Itsuki wanted to go to a hibachi restaurant, Yotsuba wanted to go to an indoor soccer place, and I wanted to go to a manga cafe.
"What do you want to do Akira?" Yotsuba said cheerfully as she sat next to her.
"i-I'm invited?.." she stuttered as she began to blush.
"Um duh, why wouldn't you be? You're literally sitting here with us making plans" Nino scoffed giving off a little smirk.
Akira looked so embarrassed for not knowing she was invited. It's like she never made plans with friends or something.
"So where do you wanna go?" Itsuki asked as she munched on a pocky stick.
"Um I don't know. I don't usually go out" Akira said with an awkward laugh.
"What do you mean? Don't you go out with friends to the mall or movies?" Itsuki said with a concerned tone.
"To tell you guys the truth, I don't really have friends" Akira said with her head down. "My only friend before I met you all was Fuutarou".
The energy practically got sucked out of the room as we all came to the realization that she wasn't lying. She really had no other friends beside this Fuutarou guy. But that just begs the question why is HE the only friend she has. A guy who looks like some criminal. A drunk. I just don't get it.
"Well now you have 6 friends. Thats 6 times the amount of friends you had before! See your math teaching skills are already working on me!" Yotsuba screamed as she hugged the life out of Akira.
"Yeah, and we're way cooler than that fuutarou guy anyway" Nino said with her little evil smile.
"What would you guys do on a random Saturday like this?" I ask trying to get more out of her about this Fuutarou character.
"Well... Normally we'd just stay here and watch a movie and order take out when he was on duty..." Akira began saying before she realized what she said.
"On duty? Like a body guard?" Nino said with a confused look on her face.
"n-no it's not like that, I-I just meant h-he's always calling himself my body guard so he always says he's on duty when we hang out haha" Akira stuttered as she began to awkwardly laugh.
"And you guys really aren't dating? Guys shouldn't show up unannounced to a girl's house" I ask as Nino sucks her teeth and agrees. Yotsuba and Itsuki are weirdly quiet but it's probably because they already asked when they were out earlier.
"No s-seriously guys he's just a friend. Last night was just really rough for him because it was the anniversary of his mother's death, he was just having a really bad day so that's why he came over here so late" said with a sad voice just as her phone began to ring. "Sorry guys I gotta take this" she said and she sped walked upstairs suspiciously.
"you guys have to back off and stop asking about that guy" Itsuki said as she scrunched her face in disapproval.
"w-whaa!" Nino stammered. "we're just curious, right Miku?" Nino said crossing her arms.
"Do you think he'll come over tonight?" I said off topic.
"Damn it Miku, focus" Itsuki said rolling her eyes. "Seriously, no more Fuutarou talk" she said giving us both a serious stare which only made Itsuki look funny.
Just as Nino was about to reply with some form of an attitude Akira came back into the living room.
"Umm do you guys want to go to a party?" Akira said awkwardly.
"A party?! Ahhhh yes! That sounds like fun!" Yotsuba said as she jumped up.
"Ahh, now we're talking!" Nino shouted.
"Oh, a party? Yeah, that sounds fun. Why not?" Itsuki chimed in.
Ugh, why a party of all things. We could've gone literally anywhere else, and the girl with no friends brings up a party.
"You better not be a party pooper Miku" Nino said as she made a face at me.
"I didn't even say anything" I said returning the scowl.
"Whose party is it anyway?" Nino asked.
"Well, Fuutarou called and said he was having a party at his house and invited everyone from school, so maybe it'll be a good chance for you to meet some new people without it being so formal" Akira said hoping Fuutarou's name didn't change their mind, which it didn't because all the girls ran to Akira's bathroom to freshen up and help Akira pick an outfit.
I sat downstairs and played my switch. I don't really wear makeup. I don't even like dying my hair. They all have these crazy colors, I don't want to stick out, but amongst my sisters I'm still the only one that sticks out since I don't wear the cute clothes or wear the pretty make up. Nino calls me bland and boring, and she's right... I am those things.
We all get in the back of the Lexus SUV as Akira tells the driver to take her to Hideo's. Is that his last name or something? The girls and Akira are all buzzing about how much fun we're about to have tonight. Nino is asking if any cute boys are going to be there and Itsuki is asking if they're going to have food there like the fat girl she is. They're all so excited. We haven't done much of anything since we moved. And even before that we were on lockdown for our shitty grades at our last school so I can see why the girls were so happy to finally be out, but I don't share the same enthusiasm. Partys aren't really my thing. I'd rather just sit on a big comfy couch with a warm blanket and a warlord documentary. I really don't want to be the reason my sisters don't go out and enjoy themselves because if I said I didn't want to go they would've stayed home with me, even Nino. She would've made a fuss about it but she would never force me to do something that made me uncomfortable.
We pull up and before we even get out of the car, we hear music bumping from outside. Akira tells the driver to wait outside and we all get out.
"Hideo's Martial Arts Academy?" I ask as I see the name on the window glass downstairs.
"Yeah, my uncle owns this building and this is his academy" Akira says. "Fuutarou lives on the 2nd floor, c'mon!" she said as she grabs me and Nino and brings us up the stairs.
Akira pushed passed some of the people that were standing by outside and a couple big intimidating guys that were standing by the door gave her a nod as she just smiled and walked us passed them. Who is this girl?
We go up the stairs and Akira just opens the door without knocking and we're hit by marijuana smoke and music. The apartment was one giant open concept room with tall ceilings and exposed brick giving it a real industrial look. People were sitting on the couch smoking out of a bong and a bunch of people were on the dance floor dancing to the music being played by a Dj who was set up in the corner. Out on the balcony was some people playing beer pong and flip cup. This was my first real party and holy fuck, I don't think I can handle this.
"Oh. My. God. Akira where the fuck did you bring us?!" Nino shouted over the music with a massive smile on her face.
"Uhm I'm s-sorry. We don't have to stay we can leave if you guys are uncomf.." she began to say before Nino "interrupted her.
"No this is amazing!" you should've told me sooner you were a party girl!" Nino shouted as she started moving her hips to the music.
"I don't know Nino, I think they're smoking pot" Yotsuba said trying to keep it quiet as if anyone in this room could hear us over the music.
"Oh stop being like Miku and come dance with me!" Nino said as she pulled Yotsuba to the dance floor as her face completely changed as they both start dancing. She knew better than to pull me. She knows this isn't my thing whatsoever but she didn't need to remind us.
"Where's your friend?" Itsuki asked.
"I don't know he should be somewhere around here. Wanna help me look for him?" Akira said as Itsuki nodded.
"You guys go ahead I'm gonna get some fresh air, this smoke is killing me" I say as I put on my headphones.
"Ok but please don't go far Miku, I don't want us getting too separated" Itsuki said like a protective parent.
"This apartment isn't THAT big Itsuki I'll be just fine" I replied rolling my eyes. And just like that I was alone.
I went out on the balcony and awkwardly moved around people who were making out by the door. They were having a beer pong competition so there was no room to stand let alone sit away from people so I settled for the stair case leading up to the apartment. Even though it was still obnoxiously loud, the muffled sound in the staircase was much more bearable.
I look down at my phone and see its about 9. I figured they'd be all danced out by like 11 and there's no food there so Itsuki is gonna be complaining soon. Hopefully we can use that as an excuse to leave.
Yotsuba and Nino are probably having the time of their lives right now out there dancing. They were always the center of attention at every school dance but we've never been to a party, let alone anywhere like this. I'm surprised they're not as nervous as me and Itsuki right now.
I start laughing at the thought of Ichika being so disappointed that she missed a night out like this. She's always out doing something related to her acting job that a night out like this is probably normal to her. I do miss her though, I hate when we're not all together.
I sit down on the top step and put my purse right next to me. Might as well get some levels in on Sengoku Showdown. I go to pull out my switch from my bag and it gets caught up on the zipper and falls down the stair case all the way to the bottom. God damn it this is my 3rd switch this year. Daddy's gonna kill me if I break another one. Ugh.
I get up and start making my way downstairs, praying every single step that the screen isn't cracked. I get to the bottom of the stairs and reach down to pick it up as another hand picks it up first.
"HEY THAT'S MINE!" I begin to yell as I look up in shock. It's him.
"Momo?"
"Umm w-what are yo..." I begin saying before he cut me off.
"Wow Momo, I love what you've done with your hair" he said as he gently moves my hair from in front of my face. "You look beautiful"
WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW! I want to tell him I have no idea what he's talking about but my voice is refusing to work. My face is red hot right now. Am I scared? No, he's not being scary right now. He's being so kind and gentle. He called me beautiful. Not Ichika. Not Nino. ME.
"So, I'm guessing that new school you were talking about was Asahima high huh? Wow what are the odds? Thats my school too!" he says with a big smile as he pulls me in for a hug. He smells so nice. Despite his body being rock solid, his hug is so gentle and soft. I don't know what came over me, but my arms wrapped around him too as my head laid into his chest. What the hell is wrong with me. This man thinks I'm someone else and here I am playing along.
"Is this yours" he says as he looks down at my switch.
"Y-yeah that's mine..." I say as my cheeks continue to give me second degree burns from how hot they are right now. I look up at him and notice how good he looks in such a simple outfit. light blue jeans and a plain white t shirt with an open red flannel top. His messy blonde hair was under a baseball cap. In other words, Boring. Like me.
"You ever play Sengoku Showdown?" he said as he turns it on. "No way! You do play!" he says as he looks up at me laughing.
I knew it. He's going to make fun of me for liking Sengoku warlords just like everyone else. I want to snatch my switch back but I'm still in shock from everything going on right now. I look up at him and just see this giant smile. No judgement in his eyes. No ulterior motive. Just a nice big smile.
"I love Sengoku Showdown. I play with my big brother all the time. Who's your favorite? Mines is Toyotomi Hid..." he began saying before I jumped up.
"HIDEYOSHI! Oh my god he's my favorite too!" I blurt out as a giant smile shoots on my face.
"From peasant to supreme ruler!" we both scream out as we yell his in-game motto and start laughing together.
"Y-you don't think it's weird that I like Sengoku warlords?" I say nervously.
"What? Of course not why would I? Me and big bro watch warlord documentaries all the time. It was his idea to have this party tonight, if it was up to me, I'd be on my couch watching 'Toyotomi's Rise To Power' on Netflix. If I had known you liked it so much, I would've taken you to the museums outside the city" he said with a bright smile.
Oh my god, he just described my perfect day and I've spoken to him for all of 5 seconds. I can't take my eyes off of him. How is it that he's not even talking to me, he's talking to someone he thinks is me, and I can't stop feeling all these butterflies. I don't want this conversation to end. Whoever Momo is, I want to be her just so I can know more about this person. He's nothing like the person who barged into Akira's home an aggressive drunken mess. This person is the polar opposite.
I look up at him and all I could do is smile. My brain is running at a million miles an hour right now and I have no idea what to say just because I don't want to ruin the moment. His golden eyes looking into mine. He's really looking at me. I've always felt like a background character. But right now, in this moment, I feel seen.
"Damn Momo, I missed you. Things have been so hectic recently, but seeing you out of nowhere like this just makes me feel so... calm" he said with a sympathetic smile as he lifted my chin and started inching closer. What is he doing? What am I doing? Why am I inching closer too? Why do I want to kiss him? Why can't I stop myself? Why don't I want to stop myself? I can't help it.
"MIKU!" Itsuki's voice cut through the air echoing in the stairwell as me and Fuutarou are Centimeters from each other's lips.
"Miku?"
A/N
Oh man I'm so sorry for the delay. I kept going back and fourth on where this was going and then i ended up scrapping an entire scene that took me days to read because i felt like it didn't fit the chapter. I'm actually gonna release that this week in a chapter 3.5 called "Goro's fight pit". But back to this chapter, I really wanted to point out a couple things. If it hasn't been obvious, Fuutarou will never get a pov chapter. He's the main interest on all people involved in this story and i want his true thought and feelings to be kept secret unless otherwise spoken directly. That in itself has proven to be a nice challenge for me to overcome when writing about him without showing you guys what he's actually thinking. I wanted to show Akira's cousin Bashira and his troubles at home as well as his jealously towards fuu. And i was so excited to finally get to write as one of my favorite quints Miku flipping her original story line. Instead of Ichika pretending to be her, Miku pretends to be Ichika accidentally. This was so fun to write and I can't wait to hear any and all feedback. good or bad. please let me know if this size chapter is too short or just right. Thank you all so much for following and liking.