Chase The Truth

Chapter 28: Souzai Daigaku

Begin!

~Normal POV

7/24 - Sunday

Yu met up with Rise outside the tofu shop today. He did promise to show her around. And since this was a day off from school, he could do exactly that. It's not like they had anything better to do while waiting for a news update, or another rainy night. Of course, Rise accepted his offer happily. They started their loose definition of sight seeing at Souzai Daigaku, the steak skewer place. She all but dragged him here eagerly for the first spot she wanted to visit. He paid for both of their meals. (While happily ignoring Rise's protests to let her pay for her own.)

"Ugh... I can't take another bite. My stomach's full..." She whined. "But that really hit the spot! I've been wanting to come here."

"Tired of being surrounded by tofu all day?" Yu said, playfully.

"Maybe a tiny bit..." Rise laughed a little. "I like tofu, though. It'd be pretty bad if I didn't. It's just a little embarrassing to show up here alone."

"So you don't eat out?"

"Nope! If someone snapped a photo of me doing that, I'd hear from my agency. The last time I ate out was at a festival when I was still a little kid."

Yu stared at her in surprise. "That's a long time..."

"Mhmm. Back then it was just me and my family... It was fun." Rise had a nostalgic smile on her face.

"Sounds nice."

Rise stood and looked at the stand once more before giggling a little. "To tell you the truth, I've wanted to do this since I was a child..." Her smile turned into a small frown. "My parents were actually pretty strict. I didn't really have many friends."

Yu gave her a look of concern. Of course the first thought that dropped into his head was, "At least they were around..." But he wouldn't dare say such a thing aloud. He didn't want to sound like he was making this more about himself, or worrying her with his problems. He had family here. That was enough.

"Though I guess it couldn't be helped," She continued. "Since I hardly ever showed up for school."

She quickly shook her head and changed the subject. "Er, enough talk about that! What a depressing subject, huh? Let's talk about something fun. After all, I don't want to waste the time we have together!"

Yu smiled. "Aww, my time would never be wasted with you."

This made her smile again. "It's so great that I came to this town and met you..."

It really was great, she thought. He saved her life. And he was awfully good-looking. During her time spent cooped up in her room, recovering from her kidnapping, all she could think about was this handsome guy. (There was also the little fact that it could have had something to do with not having anything else to do at the time but to sit around and think.) It took her a while to admit to herself that it was really because she liked him more than originally intended. Even the first time she saw him in the tofu shop she was stunned at how attractive he was. He seemed quiet and very sweet. Hence why she asked to spend time with him like this. A rather bold and obvious excuse to get to know him better. But that's just how she was. She liked being honest in her approach with guys. And in her opinion, flirting was fun; too fun to pass up.

"You think I'm special?" He asked curiously, unsure if he believed her.

"Yes, I'm serious!" She replied, adamantly, ruining any chance at sounding important by giggling too. "Let's see..." She cast around for something to ask him about before settling on the most obvious choice. "Why don't I start by asking what kind of girl you like?"