Is someone still reading this book?
Have a belated Happy New Year to all.
Author's Note: Cussing. Profanities. A very long chapter. Fluff.
This will be the last of Mikey's POV.
I TOOK Emma out on her birthday.
Since we could only celebrate this special occasion once a year, I planned to treat her to her favorite cafe shop at Dogenzaka. I was even reluctant to decline Y/N when she asked me to accompany her somewhere today during our last phone call just to spend the day with my younger sister.
"So, how are things between you and Y/N?" Emma asked intriguingly once the waitress left after we told her our orders.
I shrugged my shoulders languidly at her question. "We're doing good."
Emma jutted her lips into a pout and looked rather disgruntled with my brief response. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "I was actually expecting a different answer."
"I mean there is nothing interesting to talk about."
"Of course, there is! You should thank me for giving Y/N a little push, otherwise, you might still courting her up until now," she said matter-of-factly. "C'mon, Mikey. At least, tell me something about you two! I'm all ears!"
Emma was now looking at me expectantly with sparkling eyes, making me resign at her eagerness and could only blow a soft sigh. That was when I started to tell her some stories about our relationship. "Y/N and I would go out on dates. But we spend most of our time hanging out together after school hours."
My sister was nodding her head while listening attentively. "The two of you are so cute. This is the first time I've seen you take a liking to a girl, Mikey. It was always the other way around."
I quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, you think so?"
She giggled amusingly. "Yeah! You always give those lovestruck girls the cold shoulder whenever they try to confess their feelings for you."
"I just don't want to keep their hopes up," I answered defensively.
She snapped her fingers. "That's exactly my point! So, what makes Y/N different from them? What did you like about her?"
"You and Ken-chin both asked the same question. And just like I said, Y/N is Y/N. She's incomparable. I like her for who she is."
A cheeky grin tugged her polished lips. "You're really smitten by her, aren't you? Aw, my big bro's in love!" she teased.
"Shut it, Emma. You should be worrying about yourself with Ken-chin," I countered in jest and smirked whimsically. "I know you like him."
Emma was taken aback and her cheeks turned pink. "T-that's...! H-how...?" she stuttered and couldn't find the right words to refute. Who said I couldn't play nice merely because she was my sister?
Just as she was about to make a comeback, the waitress returned to our table carrying a tray. Sneaking a glance at the waitress, I imagined Y/N serving us our orders and couldn't restrain myself from smiling inwardly. It would be nice if Y/N was here to celebrate Emma's birthday together.
"Your orders are now complete. Please enjoy your desserts!♡" the waitress told us in a sugary voice and then, walked off to attend to another awaiting customer.
"This looks so delicious!" Emma exclaimed jovially, her face beaming. Her attention was now fixated on the dessert before her and took a picture of it with her phone. Shortly after, she scooped a spoonful of her vanilla sundae and brought it directly into my mouth, feeding me. "Say 'ah'~!♡"
The sweetness of the dessert left a satisfying aftertaste on my palate. "Yummy!"
Emma chuckled. "Right? You see, I still know what you like," she chirped.
My mini-date with my sister was, however, soon interrupted by Hina-chan's sudden appearance who seemed to have misunderstood the two of us about something. And little by little, more people came over to us including Ken-chin and Y/N. I even noticed Takemitchy crying in large tears as if he was suffering from impending doom and groveling on his feet, confusing me with his actions. I still had no idea what the fuss was all about not until Ken-chin teased me about taking out my younger sister for a birthday treat did everyone share this funny look on their faces.
Ken-chin then put a pink fluffy teddy bear on top of Emma's head that he got from the claw machine back at the arcade and greeted her with a happy birthday. He then took his leave just as quickly as he arrived. Y/N also remembered to give Emma her gift which was a pair of cute earrings. This caused Emma to be extremely touched and was really appreciative of their presents. Seeing my sister overjoyed made me happy for her as well.
It was almost twilight when I came by Y/N's workplace after I walked Emma back home. I waited for her in front of the cafe just like our usual routine until she was done with her shift.
The two of us walked together down the road clasping each other's hands and having our little chitchat. It was mostly about the events from earlier and how happy Emma was while accepting their birthday gifts. The cold breeze of Winter swept through us. At the corner of my eye, I saw Y/N's petite body shiver and move an inch closer to me for warmth. I thought of putting our laced hands into my front pocket to provide a bit of heat for the both of us.
"Will this do?"
"Mm, yeah. It's warm."
We continued our previous conversation until our topic led to Ken-chin. Y/N kept mentioning him in a rather fleeting tone and I couldn't help but grimace. An inexplicable spurt of jealousy rose through my heart and bore a sudden feeling of possessiveness toward her. It was the same odd sensation I had every time she was talking nonstop about other boys like Takemitchy, and also Baji.
Or perhaps, it was a sense of fear.
It was my fear of losing Y/N to another boy that I did not forbear from questioning her true feelings for me. What if she happened to fall in love with someone else instead of me? This inane probability made me feel aggrieved and lose my sense of rationale with that sheer thought.
And I did not like it at all. I am Sano Manjiro, the Invincible Mikey. I should fear nothing. Yet with this girl, I felt vulnerable and all my defenses to lower. Y/N was my bottom line. She was the weakness I had to safeguard with everything in my power. She was all that mattered to me.
For me, she was my life.
I attempted to confront Y/N and openly tell her my discomfort about her mentioning other males. I wanted her to just look at me and be the only boy she would fall in love with. No one else. I might sound selfish, but it cannot be helped. Love could make you feel greedy, after all.
And anyone who dared to get in between us, I'll see to it he will be put in his rightful place.
Be it my friends. My enemies. Or the ones I favored.
I'll make Y/N stay by my side forever. She was mine to possess only. She belonged to me. And I do not share what was supposed to be mine.
I was tagging along with Ken-chin to look for some spare parts at a bike shop after one of our usual Toman meetings when I suddenly received a phone call from Y/N's good friend, Keiko-chan, using her number. My expression gradually turned gloomy as I continued to listen from the other end of the line.
"Alright, I'll be there in a moment," I replied blankly and soon hung up the call.
"Who's that? Your girlfriend?" Ken-chin inquired when he was already done buying the necessary components for his motorbike he named Zephyr.
I thrust my phone back into my pocket and pulled out my bike keys. "Yeah. Sorry, Ken-chin. I need to go."
"It's fine. Tell Y/N I said hi."
I merely hummed as I spun around and hurriedly strode my way toward my bobber. Then, I sped off to the place where Y/N's friend had spoken of during our phone call. Once I arrived at the karaoke bar, I barged into one of the rented rooms without minding the people inside and instantly laid my darkened gaze on Y/N. I did not bat an eye at the others and only had my undivided attention on my drunken girlfriend.
Y/N looked back at me with droopy eyelids and a flushed face. This girl was clearly intoxicated, making me frown. Scooping her body into my arms, we stepped out of the karaoke box and onto my motorbike. I chose not to drive her back home, but, to bring her to my place instead for her own safety and try to think of a way to make her sober up.
Unfortunately, neither Emma nor I had the slightest idea how to look after a drunken person that we sought for Ken-chin's help. While waiting for him to come over to our house, I piggybacked Y/N to my bedroom and placed her gently on the sofa. I turned around and was about to walk over to the closet to get some fresh pajamas for her to wear for the night when Y/N seized my wrist, preventing me from leaving.
Once I told her the reason, she began to strip off her uniform, much to my astonishment, and hastily stopped her from undressing further. Emma would surely kill me if she happened to see us in this kind of situation and might misinterpret it with something else. Although Y/N's intoxicated state and her boldness were quite tempting, I did not want to take advantage of her vulnerability and regret things later. I might as well shoot myself in the foot.
But what surprised me the most was how Y/N cried her feelings out to me with tears pooling in her beautiful (e/c) orbs.
"Your words the other day have given me some thought. To be honest, I'm still confused whether I like you or not. I don't want to be a hypocrite and take your feelings for granted. But I'm willing to try, Mikey. I really do. If I ever fall in love with someone, I want it to be you. Please be patient and wait for me, okay?" I was slightly taken aback by the look in her misty eyes and added in full honestly, "Don't think I'm not as selfish as you are. Because I am. I don't want you to grow tired of waiting for my answer."
Her sincere and slurred words made my heart leap with great bliss. I did not want to have my hopes up, but, I couldn't stop myself from smiling like a damn fool. There was this saying: "A drunken person is always true to their feelings".
If what Y/N said was true, then, I had to try even harder from now on until I successfully made her fall for me and finally see me as a lover.
Just a little more patience, Manjiro.
Y/N eventually fell asleep after I put her on my bed and tucked her under the blanket. I leaned over and kissed her on the lips which still had a lingering bitter taste of beer.
"I love you so much, Y/N," I muttered affectionately in a soft whisper as I caressed her dampened cheek gingerly. Y/N stirred a little against my touch but did not wake up. I drew myself back when there was a knock on the door and heard both Ken-chin and Emma's voices from outside.
The morning came. Y/N and Ken-chin both stayed over for breakfast. And just as I suspected, Y/N had no memory of what happened yesterday. Her face turned red as a tomato as Emma, Ken-chin, and I told her almost everything and felt incredibly ashamed of her actions. Luckily, Grandpa left for the countryside at dawn and never had the chance to see Y/N. It would be troublesome if he was aware of Y/N's presence in our house who came home drunk last night.
After having our breakfast in the dining room, the three of us went to the living room, leaving Emma alone to take care of the dishes. While Ken-chin and I were busy talking about Takemitchy and his encounter with the Black Dragons, we were both startled by the sound of a broken mug and whipped our heads in Y/N's direction. Seeing her hand injured with the shattered mug filled me with worry.
I was also a bit surprised by her questionable strength. Ken-chin, too. How could a skinny girl like her have the ability to break a mug by just using her bare hand? I always thought Y/N was strong. But, I did not know she was this strong.
I let Y/N stay in our place for one more day after Emma treated her wounded hand. I could tell from the look in her eyes and the way she spoke that she obviously did not want to go back to her empty household just yet. We played board games and then, had a movie marathon inside my room with only the two of us since both Emma and Ken-chin had their own agendas for the day. We either laughed, cuddled, or were simply making out on the sofa just like we did earlier on the bed without paying much attention to the movie itself.
Days had passed. Our ongoing dispute against the Black Dragon's 10th generation quickly ended in a truce through Mitsuya's bargain. With a lot of things going around in our gang and Mitsuya getting involved with the Taiju siblings, I became more occupied than usual and my quality time with my girlfriend lessened. Y/N, too, was the same with her Student Council duties and her part-time work at Grandma Chiyo's cafe shop.
The only time we had for each other at the most was during the weekends. The two of us went out on a date and had a fun time together at the Gaming Center. I also had Y/N invited to spend Christmas Eve with me knowing none of her family would be there to celebrate the supposed to be special occasion with her. She seemed ecstatic with the invitation and it brought a favorable smile to my face. I assumed for a second she would turn down my invitation and prefer to be alone this Christmas.
I guessed she earnestly just wanted to celebrate the holiday with someone. And I as hell am more than willing to give that to her.
"What? A gift?" Ken-chin questioned with a raised eyebrow. "For Y/N?"
I nodded. "Yeah." I had Ken-chin accompany me to the Shopping District to help me choose a suitable gift for my girlfriend. He was someone I could trust in this particular matter aside from tinkering with motorbikes. Ken-chin lived most of his entire life surrounded by women at the brothel, thus, he knew exactly how to make a way to a girl's heart.
For example, Emma.
"What do you think a girl likes, Ken-chin?"
He scratched his forehead, bemused. "Shouldn't you be asking Emma for that?"
"I don't trust Emma in keeping a secret. She has a big mouth and might accidentally spill the beans about my gift to Y/N. It will only ruin the surprise."
Ken-chin shrugged. "Fair enough." He roamed his eyes around the shops inside the mall and pointed his chin at the gift store. "How 'bout we try over there first? I think most of the girls are very fond of plushies."
Thinking about how much Emma liked the pink teddy bear that Ken-chin gifted to her made me agree quite immediately. "Hm. Alright. Let's go."
We walked inside the said shop and looked at the available stuffed toys on display, only to step out a few minutes later. I found nothing that would fit Y/N's taste at all. "I don't think Y/N likes any of those cute plushies," I said thoughtfully, given her feisty attitude and mature thinking.
Y/N was more of a realist. She would rather focus on the practicality of things she could benefit from instead of wasting her breath over some insignificant shenanigans. She was never interested in cute or girlie stuff and probably made an exception with the bunny I gave her during our last date at the theme park months ago.
Ken-chin shot me a scrutinizing gaze. "Why do I get the feeling you already know your girl the best? Do you even seriously need my help?"
"If I know, I wouldn't have to ask you at all," I grumbled.
He chuckled. "Fine, fine, lover boy." He spared a quick glance at the jewelry store adjacent to the gift shop before looking at me again. "Why don't we look for something else? Like jewelry of some sort? There could be a pair of earrings or necklace that Y/N might like."
I stopped in my tracks. Raising a hand on my chin, I pondered.
Wait, a necklace?
Why haven't I thought about it?
"HEY, MIKEY! Don't leave just yet!"
Emma's deafening voice echoed across the entire household while I busied myself tying my shoelace at the entryway.
Today was Christmas Eve.
It would be a lie if I said I wasn't looking forward to this occasion. I'll be staying at Y/N's place tonight just as we agreed upon beforehand and spend the holiday together. Although I had been at her house countless times before, I was still enthusiastic to be with her every single time. Standing up from the floor, I caught sight of my younger sister dashing toward me. She was carrying a large paper bag with her before handing it over to me.
"Here."
I curiously took a peek inside the bag and saw a bento box. "What's in it?"
"My home-cooked dishes. Make sure you guys eat them all, okay?"
My eyes glinted. "Oh, thanks, Emma!"
"You're welcome! Just enjoy your Christmas date with her, Mikey. Don't mind me and Grandpa. You two have fun!"
"We will. Bye, Emma. Tell Grandpa I'm leaving!"
It was already nightfall when I showed up in front of my girlfriend's house and said each other's greetings. I followed Y/N toward the living room and my face glowed up at the feast before me. I did not expect Y/N to prepare this much food for just two people and then, there was also Emma's bento. Nevertheless, we started to dig in and I found Y/N's home-cooking dishes to be extra delicious. It was only sad that none of her family members was here to taste her food and see how good her cooking was. I told Y/N she would surely make a great wife.
My wife, to be exact.
She blushed at my compliment. However, she seemed not pleased to be called my wife and directly told me I should stop saying things ahead that may lead to a different outcome in the distant future.
One was marriage.
Her irrefutable words had given me some thought. I nearly forgot that Y/N was a practical thinker and everything she said usually hit the nail in the head. But it doesn't necessarily mean she was always right. As I said before, once I want something, I will definitely have it no matter what the circumstances would be.
That was how obstinate I was. I'll just have to make the order of things step by step.
And Y/N was one of them.
Yet for now, I did not want to ruin what the two of us have in the present.
I helped Y/N clean up the coffee table after we were done eating and placed the leftovers inside the fridge to have them reheated tomorrow for breakfast. While waiting for her to finish with the dishes, I saw a medium-sized Christmas gift under the table and picked it up. The name "For Mikey" was written on the small white card, making me more curious if the gift was really meant for me.
"It's my gift for you," Y/N said sheepishly as she came to sit next to me on the sofa.
I excitedly opened the present to see a handmade red muffler. The texture was soft to the touch and looked carefully well-knitted. I was beyond happy at that point and immediately wrapped the muffler around my neck. It was super warm.
"Oh, it's snowing again."
Following her gaze out of the window, I could see it was indeed snowing and invited her to go outside to have some fun in the snow. The two of us danced happily in the middle of the street under the gradual falling of the snowflakes. I then took this opportunity to give my Christmas present to Y/N. It was a heart-shaped necklace I bought at the jewelry store with my initial letter M in the center. The jewelry itself was a bit pricey since I had it customized, but for her, every penny was worth it.
Y/N gasped in surprise and was speechless for a moment. Then, she looked at me with tears flooded in her eyes. "I don't think I deserve you, Mikey," she whispered to me.
I shook my head in disagreement. "Yes, you do, Y/N. You deserve the best of me." I drew my face to peck her on the forehead and pulled her into a tight hug. Her sweet fragrance wafted through my nostrils. My favorite scent. "Because you make me happy too. I love you, Y/N."
This time, I wanted her to know my true feelings for her. Not because I simply liked her. But because I truly loved her from the bottom of my heart.
I was already anticipating hearing the same response from her again. Howbeit at this moment, it was completely different.
"I love you too, Mikey."
I froze.
Did I hear her right?
I broke our hug and slid my hands upward to grasp her firmly on the shoulders. My gaze met hers. "W-What did you say, Y/N?"
Y/N was only staring back at me in brief quietude. Her cheeks were reddened with scarlet as her mouth opened to make a repeat of her wholehearted confession. "I love you, Mikey."
My eyes went wide while trying to grasp her words. I wanted to pinch my cheek. Fuck, I'm not dreaming, right? I was waiting for this day to happen. I was waiting for my girl to love me back. And now that I'd finally won over her heart, I couldn't be any happier than this. A broad smile made its way to the corners of my lips. "Can you say that again?"
Y/N frowned and rolled her eyeballs. "No way. I'm not going to repeat it."
I pouted. "Please, Y/N?" I pleaded.
She sighed and the blush on her face deepened. "I said I lov--!"
I no longer waited for her to finish as I swiftly crashed my lips into hers and kissed her torridly. "I love you too, Y/N. I love you so much," I said blissfully after the kiss, my hands cupping her pretty face.
"Please don't hurt me," she whispered, her eyes sending me a warning look. "Or I will never forgive you if you do."
"I won't. Never."
Then, we closed our eyes and soon met each other's lips once again.
Thoughts?
I apologize for not updating this story for almost a month. I was extremely busy with a lot of things and had to focus on my health. But now, I'm back. I hope you guys like the new chapter.
The next succeeding chapters will now be either Y/N or Mikey's POV.