デカセクト

Chapter 5

"You must be mistaken." Shouko laughed nervously. She wasn't sure if she was excited to see the one and only Yamazaki Kento or if it was something else she was feeling.

Kento tilted his head at her and tried to think of something to say. "Can you help me out? I'm kind of a little lost..."

Lost? How could he be lost in a place he basically lived in most of his life?

Shouko was rather impressed that he made up such a lame excuse for whatever ulterior motive he had. But thinking that it might be fun, she decided to pretend like she believed him and went along with it.

"Well, where are you headed? I could write down the directions for you." Shouko told him. She could see the little changes in his expression that he didn't expect what she said, like he was hoping she had said something else.

"Oh..you don't have to write it down, you can just come with me if you're not in a hurry?" The way he said it made it seem so casual yet it gave her strange vibes.

Though he was a widely-known actor, he was still a stranger to Shouko. But looking at him now, she couldn't imagine him doing anything bad to her. In the end, Shouko agreed and got in the passenger seat.

Kento grinned at her and closed the window before driving. He was, of course, lying about getting a little lost. Seeing her walking down the street all alone urged him to drive up to her. The girl looked awfully familiar and when he passed an internet café, he finally remembered who she was.

"So, where are you headed? You haven't said anything about it since I got in." Shouko laughed, once again, nervously. She wasn't that comfortable getting in a car with a stranger but she felt it would be rude to assume he was up to something even though he clearly was.

"Ah, right! Where's the nearest ice cream shop here?" Kento glanced at her, catching a glimpse of the twinkle in her eyes. That's when his suspicions were confirmed.

"Uh...I think it's only two blocks away from here, turn right at the next intersection." She directed.

Shouko could feel his eyes on her like every two seconds but she pretended not to notice. It was obvious to Kento that the girl looked uncomfortable and she was only pretending not to know of his gaze on her. It made him chuckle to himself.

Finally, they arrived at the ice cream shop. Kento stopped the car and got out. Shouko had trouble with her seatbelt and by the time he opened the door for her, it was still stuck. As a precaution, she always used seatbelts but she was regretting that now.

"Let me do it." Kento muttered before reaching over to the side. It took a few seconds, probably fifteen or so, to get it to unlock.

"Thanks." Shouko chuckled, her nerves a little steady now.

But she couldn't say the same about her heart that was pounding so loud that she feared he would hear it at such proximity.

When she got out of the car, she could finally breathe a little better. His scent nearly suffocated her-in a good way.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kento called out to her when she suddenly started walking away. He chuckled as she turned around, all dazed and confused.

"H-Huh?" Shouko stared at him wide-eyed.

"I was thinking, maybe we could get ice cream? I mean, we're already here." Kento shrugged and turned to the ice cream shop.

"O-Oh...I don't know..." Shouko looked down, not sure if she should take him up on his offer.

The truth was that she actually wanted to get herself ice cream but she didn't want to go inside with him still being there.

"Come on, think of it as a payment for helping me find this place." Kento smiled and tilted his head. He looked so adorable that she couldn't help but nod at his words.

Shouko wanted to curse herself for being too weak. She didn't want him to think she was a crazed fan but she didn't want to seem rude either. As they walked up to the counter, Kento didn't even ask her what she wanted.

However, she was surprised when he knew her favorite. It wasn't just about the flavor-no, he knew the toppings and add-ons she preferred as well.

"For the lady, a double chocolate with extra fudge, chocolate chips, and marshmallows." Kento then paid for their ice cream and turned to the girl beside him who looked completely shocked.

"I'm sorry but how did you know...?" She asked as she tried to rack her brain for the answer herself but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of a single reason.

"Let's just say we met a long, long time ago." Kento smirked.

Shouko wanted to ask him more but their ice cream cups got finished at that moment. They both thanked the one behind the counter before taking a seat on the only unoccupied seats there.

"You seriously don't remember me?" Kento asked with a chuckle. He didn't think he changed that much but it might not be the case for her.

"I'm sorry, I've only seen you on screens." Shouko smiled sheepishly. She didn't know he was just kidding around with her since he really doesn't look like anyone she knew before.

"That's okay." He told her with a smile. "I remember you, though."

Shouko didn't know what to say or what to ask first. There were too many questions going around her head that she couldn't focus on a single one. As they sat there and ate their ice creams, she could still feel his gaze on her every once in a while. She wasn't as uncomfortable before, given that they were now in a public place.

"I don't normally ask this to people but do you want to come with me on set?" Kento asked and chuckled when she abruptly stopped eating to face him in an instant.

In her eyes, he could see that she was thrilled at the thought of going with him but there was also a cloud of hesitation. He understood that and was even impressed that she didn't accept his offer in an instant.

"I'm not taking no for an answer." He added with a small laugh.

"What? But..." Shouko trailed off, getting lost in her thoughts again.

"I've been gone for an hour and the director is probably losing his mind trying to find me right now." Kento went on, making her feel even worse. He knew she wouldn't say no if he kept going on. "But if you really don't want to, I can just stay here with you."

"You should go." She urged him but he only tilted his head at her as if he was waiting for her to say something else.

"Well? Will you go with me?" He asked and this time, he knew her answer to that question already.

"Yes, I'll go with you." Shouko reluctantly replied.

The smile he gave her sent a chill down her spine. She didn't know if it was a good decision to go with him but at that time, she didn't want to think of the consequences.

Shouko wanted to see him, to be near him. Hell, she wanted to talk to him if it was possible. His name, face and smile completely filled her head. As they got to the car, all she could think about was him.

Dori Sakurada