デカセクト

Chapter 34

The sound of Little Niragi yelling at Nijiro woke up Shouko. She was surprised to see Nijiro sleeping beside the couch, clearly remembering that he went up to her room.

"Hey, darling." She called out to her kitten, instantly shushing the little guy.

"Yes?" Nijiro sat up in an instant, startling her and Little Niragi.

"That creeped the hell out of me." She muttered, bh petting her kitten to calm him.

Nijiro chuckled before getting up right after her. He had no idea how he got there but he was glad that his drunk self actually had the guts to sleep there again.

"What's for breakfast, babe?" He asked, standing way too close to her.

It wasn't really a surprise that Shouko completely ignored him. The girl gave her kitten cat food before washing her hands and opening the fridge. She got out a lot of things that he assumed were their breakfast and prepared them on the kitchen counter.

"Let me help." Nijiro said and once again, he was ignored.

Shouko moved around the kitchen like he wasn't even there. Finally, when she was standing in front of the stove waiting for the food to get cooked, he decided to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her.

"Alright, stop! You have to stop!" Shouko yelled, finally having enough of his antics.

"Why? What's wrong?" Nijiro asked, his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong? You're really asking me that?" Shouko couldn't help but scoff. "You have a girlfriend, Nijiro!"

"What are you talking about? What girlfriend?" Nijiro was now just as frustrated as her. He didn't recall asking anyone to be his girlfriend.

"Oh, stop playing dumb!" Shouko rolled her eyes before turning off the stove and walking to the other side to get away from him.

"Shouko, I don't have a girlfriend! You haven't even told me you liked me yet!"

"Why am I involved in this? We're talking about your girlfriend!"

"You're the only one I wanna ask to be my girlfriend, isn't that obvious?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I have known that before or after you blocked me?"

Nijiro froze and couldn't say anything else to her after that. With a scoff, she pushed him away and began placing the food on dishes before setting up the table.

Even as they ate, Nijiro could still feel tension. He wanted to say a lot of things to her but fear always stopped him before he could. There was just something about her that changed after that night and he didn't know if it was a good thing or not.

Shouko cleaned the table and washed the plates while Nijiro stood at the side still contemplating on whether or not to strike up a conversation again. Obviously, he didn't want to irritate her more.

When she was done washing the dishes, she started walking and Nijiro followed every step she took. Shouko stopped right in front of the bathroom and without a warning, she turned around to face him.

"What? Are you gonna follow me all the way inside?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Nijiro's cheeks turned red and he instantly shook his head. He didn't even know she was heading for the bathroom as he had thought she was going to her room.

"Go home, Nijiro." She told him, her voice cold and distant.

Before she could go inside, Nijiro pulled her to him and placed a hand on the door to keep it closed. He leaned down to her neck and laid his head there, his breath fanning her skin.

"I am home." He breathed out, feeling her shiver slightly.

"Don't make me hate you." Shouko whispered. She was afraid that her heart might waver if he continued.

"That girl...Suzu..." He muttered. "..she isn't my girlfriend."

"That's not what she told Dori and I." Shouko replied in an instant.

The name she mentioned made his chest sting a little but he didn't want to focus on that, he wanted to clear up this misunderstanding they had.

"I never asked her to be my girlfriend, Shouko. I just asked her to hang out because...b-because...I was trying to forget you." He admitted, thinking that everything will be better then.

"You should have went on with it then. Go on, forget me. I was doing just fine without you, Nijiro. You don't have to feel like you have to come back." Shouko said before turning around to push him away.

"I'm sorry, okay? I promise I'll be better this time. I'm sorry for leaving, Shouko."

"You don't need to apologize, Nijiro. What are you even apologizing for? You're a free man, you can do whatever you want." Shouko smiled softly.

That smile slowly killed him inside. He could never fake a smile like that while he was hurting. It made him think that she wasn't even actually acting.

"But I don't want to be a free man, Shouko. Bound me, chain me, do whatever you want with me...just let me stay." He whispered, feeling himself weaken inside.

"We'll see..." Shouko muttered before turning around to go inside the bathroom.

Nijiro was left there, stunned. He didn't know what she meant by that but he knew there was still hope. Though everything seems fine now, doubt still clouded his mind. Shouldn't he be mad at her too?

But that was the problem, he couldn't stay mad at her. And he just wishes that she would feel the same thing for him.

Due to the fact that he didn't really have any clothes there, he decided to go back to his place. He wanted to take a shower too, of course.

Knowing that their parents were good friends made him feel a whole lot better. But it seemed like Shouko doesn't really get along with her parents well.

That day, they were going to have a barbecue at his father's place. Nijiro hoped that by the end of the day, everything between him and her will go back to the way it was before.

For the mean time, he didn't want their parents to know what's going on between them. They had to make it seem like they didn't know each other before that dinner.

Even though her parents already voiced out their opinions about him, he still wanted to win them over. Shouko probably didn't care about her parents' opinions but he did.

Once they reconcile, he was going to make it known to them that he fancies her. By then, they will probably give their full support. After all, their parents already made it known they wanted the two together.

"Ah, you're here!" Nijiro's father exclaimed as soon as he stepped inside the backyard.

Nijiro decided to go there right after getting dressed. Shouko was probably still getting ready as she was not there with her parents.

"Mori, is it alright if my son picks up Shouko? That way, she won't have to take a cab." His father said to Shouko's parents.

Nijiro glanced over at them nervously and watched them nod to his father. Then, his father placed both hands on his shoulders to grab his attention.

"Be nice to their daughter, okay? She could very well be your future wife." His father whispered and gave him a wink before patting his back. Nijiro just chuckled and shook his head at his father.

If only you knew...