• Suki Nakamura •
"I'm still a man."
A loud knock on the door abruptly broke the charged moment. I pushed Hiroto away with a stern look before striding over to answer the door. As it swung open, I found a boy standing there, his shaggy hair partially concealed by a blue bandana.
"Good afternoon," he greeted cheerfully, his eyes sparkling with warmth.
I offered a polite bow and waited for him to speak. "We're going to be doing repairs in the upstairs room," he explained, his smile still in place. "Just wanted to give you a heads-up that it might take the whole day. Hope it's not too much of an inconvenience."
"I don't mind," I replied, my expression unchanged.
"Great, thanks!" He seemed slightly awkward but maintained his bright smile. With an air of confidence, he continued, "You know, you're really pretty, miss."
I couldn't help but scoff, arching an eyebrow at his compliment. "Is that all?"
Hiroto's voice suddenly appeared from behind me. "Who's at the door?"
"Some kid," I answered.
"Oh!" The surprise on the boy's face was evident. "Amamiya?"
"You've got quite a reputation," I remarked to Hiroto, my eyes briefly scanning him as he seemed to swell with a touch of pride. He stepped closer to get a look at the boy.
"Oya High," Hiroto said with a nod. "What brings you here?"
"Oh, I'm not in Oya High anymore." The boy's grin widened as he produced a hard hat. "I've joined the workforce. Talk to Todoroki... or maybe it's Fujio? Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore. Is she your girlfriend?"
Hiroto's response was predictably curt. "Why do you care, kid?" I couldn't blame anyone for assuming our relationship was more than it actually was, but the constant mistaken assumptions were becoming tiresome.
The boy didn't seem deterred. "She's really pretty," he mused, flashing me a friendly smile. "I'm Murayama."
"Why should she care?" Hiroto retorted.
"Because I do." I playfully elbowed him before extending my hand to shake Murayama's. "I'm Suki."
"I should get going before my boss hunts me down," he said, giving a casual wave. "See you around, lovebirds!"
I closed the door, feeling infected by his smile, "What a cute boy."
"That cute boy can take a hundred hits." Hiroto commented, "Nothing compared to me though, but he's pretty determined."
I walked into the room and suddenly realized something, "What are you still doing here?"
"Huh?"
"You brought the fruits Masaki told you to bring." I place a hand on my hip, "What are you still doing here?"
His face looked flushed as he also realized, "You think I wanted to stay? I'm just checking out the place, idiot."
I rolled my eyes, "Well, as you can see, it's not on fire."
He didn't reply and just picked up his jacket, "Whatever, keep your doors locked."
"Wait," I followed him to the door, he stood there waiting for me to say something. I cleared my throat, feeling a bit awkward. "I suppose you're not one for clubbing, are you?"
Hiroto simply shrugged, his gaze distant, and his words sparse. "It's not my scene," he reiterated, as though emphasizing that clubbing was far from his usual interests.
I was undeterred. "You won't know until you try. Come on, Hiroto, just this once. It'll be fun."
He sighed, perhaps growing tired of my persistence, or maybe there was another reason he was hesitating. "Fine, we can go. But just this once."
I felt happy and excited as I got ready for the night. Going clubbing with Hiroto was something new, and I was curious to see a side of him that he rarely showed.