The Ultimates

Eight

While we were all still hanging out, I quickly changed the subject so we were all teasing Makoto about his crush on Kyoko. At least with them we all knew that the two would eventually date. Once she returned home from boarding school, the two would confess. It was exciting since all of us had been waiting for the two to admit they liked each other since we were kids. If there was anything we were all absolutely sure about, it was that Makoto and Kyoko loved each other more than anyone else in the world, even if they were both too shy to admit their feelings.

When Ibuki's set ended, we all offered to help her band back up their van. While we all did love her bandmates, it was mainly Ibuki we came to see. She was our best friend, and we wanted to support her dreams.

Only Kazuichi, Chiaki, and I were left with Ibuki after everyone headed home. Sakura and Aoi had to open their gym early in the morning, and Makoto and Komaru had to meet their curfew. My parents trusted me whenever I was out with any of my friends, so as long as I kept them updated on my whereabouts and what was happening, they didn't care what time I came home. They trusted me to remain safe.

"I'm so glad you were all able to come to my show tonight!" Ibuki squealed. "I think that was our best show yet."

"It was one of my favorites," Kazuichi replied, hugging her.

"You guys all did great," Chiaki smiled.

"You'll have to let us know the next time you guys are performing somewhere we can actually come watch," I chuckled.

"Of course, of course. You guys just have to be sure to bring more people."

"You should bring Nagito next time," Kazuichi suggested.

"I'd love to meet him, too," Chiaki added.

"Ooh! Who's Nagito?" Ibuki teased. "Is he your boyfriend? Did you finally get a boyfriend at your new preppy school?"

"He's not my boyfriend, but..." I exhaled, "I do have a crush on him."

"I knew it!" Kazuichi shouted.

"Why didn't you tell the others?" Chiaki questioned.

"Because Makoto is always teasing me over it, and I know that the moment I admit it, it's just going to get worse. I don't want to risk it ruining my friendship with him," I explained. "I've only known him two weeks now. That's not long enough for a crush to not ruin a friendship. I need to solidify it more before he ever finds out. If I even tell him."

"You absolutely should, dude!" Ibuki exclaimed. "If you have feelings for someone, you should tell them those feelings. You'll regret it if you never do."

"She's right," Kazuichi nodded. "You should tell him."

"I am not telling him anything!" I groaned. "It's just a crush right now, anyway."

"The fact you're obsessing over how it's a crush and how you don't want it to ruin your friendship with Nagito proves that you have more than just a crush on him," Chiaki insisted. Patting my back, she smiled encouragingly. "It's okay if you do, Hajime. There's nothing wrong with liking him."

I sighed. "I know." I did. That didn't mean that my crush on him wouldn't ruin our friendship. I didn't want to risk losing him as my friend. Unless I knew it was okay to tell him how I felt, I wasn't comfortable with telling him anything. "It's important that I get to know him better though before I tell him anything. For all I know, he could be some sort of psycho, and if he thinks I like him when I no longer do, it could end poorly for me."

"Now you're just overthinking it," Ibuki scoffed, crossing her arms. "No matter what, if you like this guy, you should tell him. It doesn't have to be now, but at some point, you should. Otherwise, you will regret it the rest of your life."

"I know, I know," I chuckled.

"We've got your back, man," Kazuichi claimed, placing his hand on my shoulder. "We'll be your cheerleaders this time."

I laughed.

"It's true. We totally will be," Ibuki cheered.

"Yo, Ibuki, we're heading out," her drummer called out.

"I'll see you guys later." She hugged the three of us. "Thanks again for coming tonight!"

As the three of us walked to Kazuichi's car, Chiaki said, "You know, what if you invited him to come hang out with us sometime."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I want to meet this guy," Kazuichi quickly agreed.

"We need to put him up to the best friend test. If he passes, we give you our full blessing to like him," Chiaki chuckled. "Plus, it might help you if you had a second opinion."

"True. You are good at telling whether or not people have good intentions."

"So, do you only talk to him in class, or have you stalked him to the café?" Kazuichi asked as he unlocked his car. I blushed. "You can be honest with us. We're not going to judge you."

"No matter what I say?"

Chiaki and Kazuichi looked at each other before glancing back at me. "No matter what."

"I...kinda work at the café now, too."

"Really? You're a server there now?"

"No. I'm an Ultimate."

"You mean...you're a host?"

"Yeah."

Both Kazuichi and Chiaki refrained from giggling, but it was very obvious they wanted to. "You said you wouldn't judge me."

"We're not. It's cute," Chiaki assured me. "Do you get a lot of customers?"

"I've actually been shadowing Makoto. So all of his clients are currently mine as well."

"Aww, that's so cute," she giggled.

"With how close the two of you are, do you act like a gay couple for all your clients to fan over?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "We don't do fan service like that."

"Like that," he snickered, prompting Chiaki to giggle harder.

"You guys," I groaned.

"We're really not judging you, Hajime," Kazuichi stated. "If you like it enough to agree to being a host, we're not going to judge you for it. I bet you look absolutely adorable when you're at work, being all gentlemanly to your clients."

"I really want to see you in action," Chiaki said. "I looked up more about hosts and host clubs, and apparently it's like being the clients boyfriend by being charismatic and fulfilling a specific date fantasy. You are totally a lot of girls' type. So is Makoto."

"He's definitely Kirigiri's type," Kazuichi laughed.

"If you and Nagito were to start dating, would he then become a host, too, and fulfill the boy on boy fantasy experience?"

Blushing, I looked out the window and grumbled, "I wouldn't hate that." Kazuichi and Chiaki finally started cackling, and I couldn't help but join them, despite being completely honest.

Vote, comment, and share!