Coming from their concert's venue, AAA arrived at the Avex Building late in the evening. Chiaki and Shuta decided to cook and eat late dinner at the girl's apartment since they had nowhere to eat as all the restaurants were already closed. Rain started pouring heavily. Chiaki decided to let Shuta stay at her place for the night. They were deciding where Shuta will sleep.
"I'll be fine on the sofa. Really." He repeated. "Or... if you're really concerned about my comfort, I won't mind sleeping with you on your bed. If that's fine with you." He suddenly said seriously, looking at her straight in the eyes.
Chiaki's eyes widened as her face turned red. "Eh?!"
"Hahahaha!" He laughed hard. "It's a joke, Chiaki! A joke! Don't worry I won't do it. Hahahaha! I wish I could have taken a photo of your face!" He couldn't help himself from jumping on his seat due to too much laughter. Chiaki pouted her lips.
"That's mean..." She said.
"Hahaha. Sorry. Really, I'm sorry." He tried to dry the tears from his eyes because of too much laughter. "I just wanted to make you laugh because you worry too much. Sorry, ne?" He added. Chiaki was just silent. Her face was serious.
"Oi Chiaki. I said I'm sorry." He repeated.
"Um... You know what, actually I agree with you. We can have that arrangement." She said.
"Eh?" Shuta asked, confused.
"I mean, I'm fine with it. Us... sleeping together... on my bed." She said shyly.
"Eh?!" Shuta's heart fluttered and his face turned red. He couldn't explain what he's feeling inside him. "Oi, oi, Chiaki, are you serious?!" He stared at his friend, not knowing how to answer. But Chiaki was just silent.
"Oi Chiaki, are you sure it's oka-"
"Gotcha!" Chiaki shouted. "Hahahaha!" She rose from her seat and started to transfer the soiled plates to the sink.
"Eh?!" Shuta thought. "Oi what was that?!" He exclaimed, frustrated. Chiaki went back to the dining table.
"Hahahaha. I just want to have my revenge." She said playfully as she pinched Shuta's cheeks. "I can't believe you'd fall for it." She continued to laugh, getting the remaining plates and transferring them to the sink.
"It's not funny, you know?!" He blushed. "I really thought she meant it! Argh! She really caught me off guard!" He thought to himself.
"Of course I know. You just did the same thing to me two minutes ago!" She opened the faucet to start washing the dishes.
"Hmp. Whatever." He said as he rose from his seat and went to her. "So, what can I do to help?" He asked, trying to change the topic. His face was still blushing.
"Hm. You can wipe the table using the clean cloth over there." She pointed at the cloth above the oven. When Shuta looked at his side to see where Chiaki was pointing at, the girl hurriedly positioned her hand with the sponge, an inch away from the boy's face. Shuta turned his head to face Chiaki again but was shocked to hit the sponge with his nose.
"Ah!" He exclaimed. A froth of soap was left on his nose. He wiped it with his hand.
"Oh! Hahahaha. My bad." Chiaki teased.
"Hey! Stop making fun of me! Give me that sponge!" He shouted with a red face, trying to steal the sponge from his friend. Chiaki moved her hand behind her, assured that the boy would not dare to reach for it while he's standing in front of her.
But unconsciously, Shuta moved closer to Chiaki, which surprised her and made her step backwards to keep him from reaching the sponge behind her. She stopped stepping, after being blocked by the fridge at her back.
"Uh oh." Chiaki whispered.
"Ha! You can't get away now." He said with a smirk on his lips, as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He slid his hands on her arms downwards. But as his hands were sliding, he moved closer to her in order to reach the sponge on her hands that were still behind her. When he finally got hold of the sponge, Shuta suddenly realized how close his face was to Chiaki's. His heart beat faster as his face turned red. Their eyes met each other's. His hands were still holding hers with the sponge. Shuta's somehow like embracing the girl at that moment.
"Iya! What am I doing?! What shall I do now?!!" He thought as he suddenly felt a temptation to kiss her. Chiaki was just staring at him, blushing as well. His staring eyes suddenly moved its gaze to the lips in front of him. Then he looked back at her eyes. He made a huge gulp.
"C-Chiaki..." He whispered.
"Oi! Control yourself!" He ordered as he realized he's now slowly moving his head towards Chiaki's. They didn't lose their gazes at each other. Shuta slowly closed his eyes when he's almost about to kiss her. But before he finally pressed his lips on hers, he suddenly turned his head on the side.
"This is wrong." He thought. He was breathing heavily. He could also hear Chiaki's deep breaths. "Argh, what shall I do now?" He thought. He then grabbed the sponge from Chiaki's hands.
"Ah finally, I got it!" He exclaimed as he moved his body away, trying to make the previously awkward situation look like nothing to him. "Hahahaha. You lost." He forced himself to laugh. He noticed that Chiaki was just silent.
"Argh, I have to keep this atmosphere from being awkward." He thought. He then pressed the sponge on the girl's nose to lighten up the situation.
"Iya!" Chiaki exclaimed surprisingly. She wiped the foam that was left on her nose.
"Hahaha! My bad. I just want to have my payback." He then quickly turned around and headed to the sink. He started washing the dishes.
"That's unfair." She said, pouting her lips. "You cornered me."
"Hahaha. Whatever. It's part of the strategy." He said while continuing his business. He's still somewhat feeling awkward with the situation. Chiaki then grabbed the cloth above the oven and wiped the table. Both of them were just silent as they did their chores. They were embarrassed to start any conversation after what had happened. Chiaki finished earlier than Shuta so she started walking towards the bathroom.
"Shu-chan, I'll just wash and have your clothes dried." She said. Shuta nodded his head.
"Thanks." He said. After washing the dishes, he went to the living room and sat on the sofa while waiting for Chiaki to finish in the bathroom. It took a while before she was done.
"What's taking her so long?" Shuta thought as his eyes started to feel heavy. He positioned himself comfortably on the sofa by leaning his body on the arm rest. His eyes then slowly closed without him noticing. A few minutes later, Chiaki went out of the bathroom.
"Shu-chan?" She asked. There was no response. She walked to the living room and found him there, sleeping. She sat beside him and stared at his sleeping face. The moment when she was "cornered" by the boy earlier flashed back into her mind. Her face then turned red.
"You made my heart flutter once again, Shu-chan..." She whispered while smiling, as her hand started to caress his hair. Shuta suddenly turned his body to a small angle.
"Iya!" She said surprisingly as she suddenly rose from her seat. She nervously waited for the boy to open his eyes, but he didn't. It seemed that he moved his body just to reposition it for comfort. Chiaki then went to her bedroom to get a pillow and blanket.
After a few minutes, she returned to the living room with the things on her hands. She spread the blanket on Shuta's body. She tried her best not to wake him up as she placed the pillow below his head. Her one hand was holding the pillow while the other was lifting his head carefully. She couldn't help herself from being distracted with the closeness of their faces once again. She was also having a hard time lifting Shuta's head.
"Ah, he's heavy..." She murmured, still trying to be careful. But disturbed by the movements on his head, Shuta slowly opened his eyes.
"What's happenin- Ah!" He exclaimed surprisingly when he saw Chiaki in front of him. His face turned red. "W-what are you doing?!" Surprised, too, with his reaction, Chiaki suddenly moved away.
"Ah, I'm sorry Shu-chan! I-I was just placing a pillow under your head!" Chiaki explained, blushing.
"O-oh is that so? Hm..." He said, then paused. "I thought you were trying to kiss me." He whispered. Chiaki's face suddenly turned red.
"Eh?! What did you say?!" She exclaimed.
"Hahahaha! I'm just joking." Shuta laughed. "Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't notice I fell asleep while you were in the bathroom."
"No, it's okay. It's late already anyway, and today was a very tiring day. We should really be sleeping now." Chiaki responded. Shuta nodded his head.
"You're right." He said.
"Good night, Shu-chan." Chiaki said while smiling then she stood up.
"Ah, wait!" Shuta suddenly held her arm as he stood up, too.
"Eh? Why, Shu-chan?" The girl asked, surprised.
"Iya!" He exclaimed, not prepared on what to say. He released her arm. "Ah! How should I tell her?" He thought.
"Um... Actually I-I just thought about this one," He started to speak up, still searching for the right words to say. Chiaki was just silent, waiting for him.
"I-I know I have no right to tell you this, but..." He paused, trying to hide his nervousness. "I just want you to promise me something..."
"Eh?" Chiaki responded, confused. Shuta's face flushed.
"Iya! Um... How should I say this..." He mumbled. He then looked at Chiaki seriously.
"Chiaki, I hope you won't mind, but... promise me that you won't bring any guy alone here again." He then looked away, still blushing. "Of course, including me. After tonight, I-I won't return here with you, alone."
"Eh?" Chiaki was surprised with what she heard. A blush formed on her cheeks. "Why?"
"Argh she's so dumb!" He thought. "Hm. How should I say this... Maybe it's hard for a girl like you to really understand. But Chiaki, believe me, you won't always know how a guy will treat you when the two of you are alone together. You're just lucky that it's me whom you are with tonight." He then smiled. "I won't let anyone take advantage of your dumbness." He chuckled as he pinched her nose.
"Hey... What did you say? I'm not dumb..." She pouted her lips.
"Hahahaha." Shuta laughed as he brushed her hair. "You're really cute.". He thought. "Go to sleep now." He said as he turned Chiaki's body to her bedroom door and started pushing her towards it.
"Ah, stop it, Shu-chan." She pleaded, but her body didn't have the strength to resist. Shuta stopped pushing her when they arrived in front of the door.
"Rest well. You're really tired today. Good night." He said, smiling. He then turned his back to return to the sofa.
"W-why, Shu-chan?" Chiaki suddenly spoke up.
"Eh?" Shuta said while turning his body towards his back to see her.
"Um... Why do you want to protect me that much?" She asked shyly, blushing lightly. Shuta was surprised with her question.
"H-huh? Um..." He was trying to think for an answer. His face flushed once again. "Of course because I care for you so much. Because I like you." He thought and then smiled.
"You're really silly, ne? I just don't want you to come to me crying one day, because someone hurt you." He tried his best to be careful with his answer. He then turned his head back; he's now facing away again to Chiaki.
"Stop asking me silly questions. Just go to sleep al-" His sentence was cut when he suddenly felt Chiaki's arms wrap around him. He froze in shock. His face turned as red as it can be. His heart started to beat faster.
"W-what's happening?!" He couldn't believe the situation.
"Thank you, Shu-chan." Chiaki said, blushing. "Thank you, really." She tightened her embrace and embedded her face on his back. They stayed in that position for a few moments.
"Oi Chiaki, what are you doing?! Why are you tempting me again?!" His mind was lost in focus. "Should I remove her hands on me? But she might feel rejected. Or should I hug her back?" He asked himself. He then decided to place his hands on hers, holding her.
"C-Chiaki..." He said.
Chiaki then released the hug. "I-I'm sorry, Shu-chan. Just don't mind me." She said, looking down to hide her red face. "Good night." She turned around and hurriedly went inside her room.
"G-good... night..." Shuta slowly responded, but the girl could no longer hear him because she's already inside her room. He was still in a bit shock of what happened. He returned to the sofa, fixed his pillow, and laid down.
"Chiaki... What the hell was that..." He smiled widely as he stared at the ceiling, still finding hard to believe what has just happened. He couldn't help his heart from fluttering too much. He got his pillow from his head and hugged it tight.
"Iya! Her embrace was so warm and... romantic. Ah!!!" He then closed his eyes, trying to imagine that "romantic" moment. His face turned red.
"Ah... I wonder if she likes me back, or... does she only sees and appreciates me as a friend?" He then pouted his lips and let out a sigh. "She's predictable at everything, but why is it that I really can't be certain about her feelings..." He thought. He then remembered the scenario earlier when he "cornered" her at the kitchen.
"What if I actually kissed her that time? Will she kiss back? Hm. I wonder." He thought with hopes in his heart. Something on his peripheral view then disturbed his thoughts as it shone and made a beep sound.
"Huh?" He asked, surprised. He turned his head to his side where he believed the light and sound came from. It was a phone placed on top of the table beside him. He got up from the sofa and reached for it.
"Ah, it's Chiaki's." He said. "Who will send her a mail at this hour?" He thought as he accidentally read the sender and part of the message as it was flashed on the screen for notification.
"Dr. Ken?" He continued reading. "Hi Chiaki-chan. I'm sorry for the late message, something came up at work. Anyway, how's my princess doi..."
"Eh?!" He rubbed his eyes, afraid he might have read the message wrong.
"Hi Chiaki-chan. I'm sorry for the late message, something came up at work. Anyway, how's my princess doi..." It was the same message. He read every word perfectly. He still tried to read it one last time, hoping that there would be words that he read incorrectly.
"Hi Chiaki-chan. I'm sorry for the late message, something came up at work. Anyway, how's my princess doi..." Unfortunately, nothing changed. He slowly put back the phone on the table and he sat on the sofa.
"Oi... who the hell is this Dr. Ken?! And why is he calling Chiaki princess?!" His heart became troubled.
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To be continued...
Hi everyone. What do you think of this part? I hope you enjoyed this one. Please give your comments because I really welcome it! Thank you! :)
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