Are you the one that loves me? (Yōu x MC)

Chapter 23

"It's been a while since we've come to Tokyo right Chika-chan?" Yōu grinned as the group stepped outside of the airport. "And to think we'll finally get to watch a Muse concert!" she turned to Sumio, "I guess you are useful for some things." 

"'I guess you are useful for something.'" he mimicked. "No gratefulness or anything."

As the others skipped ahead, Kotori stayed back with Sumio. "That your girlfriend?"

"No." he shook his head, "I'd never date anyone like her!"

"That's exactly what I told myself when I met that guy over there." she pointed at Takashi. "But hey, I guess you could just stay single forever."

"She has to like me first, before we start dating." I pointed out.

"Does she not?"

"Nope."

"I think otherwise." she smiled. 

"Why would she even like someone like me? I'm not remarkable in any way."

"Do you want her to like you?" Kotori teased.

"It wouldn't be the end of the world." he admitted.

"Does my little cousin have a crush?" her side loop perked up in excitement.

"Shut up." 

"Eh? Well, back to what you were saying, you don't have to be remarkable. You don't have to be the most talented person in the world for someone to like you. Look at Takashi." she nodded at the young man who was in the middle of a snowball fight with Chika.

"How did you even fall for someone like that?" her cousin asked quizzically. 

"To be honest, I don't even know." she laughed. "But he was just always there for me. Which yes, did get annoying, but definitely worth it."

"So what you're saying is, to always be there for the person I like?"

"That's exactly what I said, yes." 

"I don't know... I think she only sees me as her guy best friend. That's literally what she calls me." he groaned.

"I thought you said didn't care about her in the first place?"

"Shut the hell up." he activated tsundere mode. "All I'm saying is how am I supposed to become more than best friends, if she puts me in the best friend zone?"

"That, I can't help you with. But Takashi can. Cause guess who put him in the best friend zone at the beginning?" 

"You?"

"Exactly. But hey, I mean you two look like you're on the right track. I might become an Aunt sooner than I thought." 

"Kotori..." he sighed. 

"Look at you blushing." she pinched his cheek. "My little baby cousin is growing up so fast."

He pulled away, "Look at my cousin turning into a Grandma by the second. Make sure you use plenty of protection."

"Loser." she tried to hit him.

"Stupid." he blocked her hand.

"Are you two coming or what?" Takashi called to them.

The group arrived at Muse's recording studio a little while after. There were the other members in the flesh, waiting for them.

The leader, Honoka greeted them happily. Umi, had to restrain her from getting too excited, and the rest of the group sweat dropped.

As they all introduced themselves, Honoka, Umi, Hanayo, Rin, Maki, Nico, Eli, and Nozomi, Yōu and others stood in a daze.

Sumio couldn't care less. He acted as if he wasn't surrounded by the most popular idol group in Japan.

The Muse girls, however, swooned over him. Rustling his hair, hugging him, poking at him. "How's our little cute Sumio?" 

"I can't believe baby Sumio is old enough to attend a Muse concert by himself." Eli smiled as she stood his hair straight up.

"He's all grown up!" Honoka looked like she'd faint.

"Baby Sumio?" his group of friends laughed.

"Knock it off will you?" Sumio sighed, "I haven't seen you guys' in a while and I was hoping you would've at least matured a tiny bit." 

"Those are some big words that you just stated." Nico said, "Are you sure you understood your own sentence?"

"Do I need to break it down for you?" Maki teased.

"Sumio's known the girls since Muse started. He's always been like everyone's little brother. And so that's how we treat him." Kotori explained to the others. 

They nodded, they wouldn't dare look at Sumio in the eye. Otherwise they would be met by the daggers shooting from Sumio's eyes. 

"Well, we better get going, we have sound check in a little bit." Honoka waved. "See you guys at the concert!"

"I'll walk you guys to the hotel." Takashi guided them.

"They're all so nice." Chika said in a happy daze.

"They're deceiving you." Sumio said, "Once you drop your guard around them, they'll become monsters."

"Someone's still salty from earlier." Yōu commented.

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Ah yes... young love..." Tsuki grinned, Riko's ears perked up hearing this, causing Yōu to glare at her cousin.

"You know how Riko feels!" Yōu scolded Tsuki in their hotel room.

"I also know how you feel." She replied calmly.

"And that's the problem. Every time I'm with him I feel like I'm betraying Riko!"

"So what are you going to do?" Tsuki eyed her.

Yōu took a deep breath.

"I'm going to lose my feelings for him."

"I'm going to confess my feelings for her."

Sumio Kobayashi sat in his room eating with Kotori.

"There you go!" She clapped his back. "Obviously she'll say yes!"

"I really hope you're right..." he said.

"There's no doubt in my mind." She gave him a thumbs up. "So when will you do it?"

"At our next basketball game. When we I beat him."

Kotori stared at her tense cousin, "Um... who exactly?"

"This guy named Shoji." He explained the entire story.

"I see... wouldn't that be sweet? It sounds so cliché it might even work!" She laughed. "So when's the big game?"

"A day from tomorrow."

"So you're gonna watch the concert tonight, get on a flight back home and play the next day?"

"It does sound like that doesn't it?"

She patted his head, "I believe in you." She said standing up. "I've gotta go to the venue now, the concert is in an hour and a half, don't miss it!"

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted.

Later that night, Sumio, Yōu, Tsuki, Riko, and Chika all witnessed the Muse concert.

Enjoying their time together, however... only one thing was on both Sumio and Yōu's minds.

And unfortunately, this time they were different things.

One was getting ready to ask the other out... while the other... was getting to reject the other...

Yo! How many days has it been?

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! Alright see ya, I'm out.

Be safe! Mask up! Don't be stupid!

-Kazuya