i think i can love you | miyamura x oc

before i lose you [ch. 26 - haname arc]

"Keikkun, straighten your back when you're talking to neesan." Chitose groaned, gently slapping Kei on the back (neesan means sister). "How high are you standards?" Kei muttered in defeat. But Chitose heard and shot back. "H-hey! These aren't my standards, y'know...They're neesan's! And as my boyfriend you have to obey." Chitose yelled. Kei blushed intensely and Chitose realised what she had just said. She had referred to Kei as her boyfriend instead of Haname's. "O-oh! I'm sorry, I got carried away." Chitose apologised. Kei didn't know if she was apologising for the fact that she scolded him or the fact that she had accidentally called him her boyfriend.

"Have you been practising you waltz, Keikkun?" Chitose lifted her eyebrows and smiled, standing across from him. "Yeah..." Kei said not too enthusiastically. Unlike Miyamura, Kei seemed to be more of a laid-back, carefree type who thinks that everything will go the way it is supposed without him actually doing anything. That was one thing that Chitose liked about him. He wasn't afraid to talk back to her, or scold her. While they were dancing, Chitose accidentally stepped on Kei's foot. "Yo, you're the one who is supposed to be good at this, correct?" Kei looked a bit annoyed as Chitose blushed a bit and her hair raised too. "I-I..." she was about to apologise when Kei cut her off. "Don't worry 'bout it. At least I know I'm better than you at something." Kei put on a smug look and smirked, leaning closer to Chitose's face. Chitose turned even more red and backed away. "Training is over." She groaned in annoyance as Kei sighed, relieved that training was over.

Chitose had been staying at her parent's house for two months now, along with Haname and Kei. In that time, Kei and Chitose had developed feelings for each other. But it was wrong. And both of them knew it. That night when the whole family including Kei had dinner, they all started discussing. "So, you and Kei have been together for two months now, Haname?" Fuyuko (Haname and Chitose's mother) smiled, then ate some of her soba. Haname smiled. "That's right, okaasan. Everything has been going great." Haname grasped Kei's hand, which made Kei feel an overwhelming sense of guilt, and for Chitose an overwhelming sense of jealousy. "Y-yes, I agree. I plan on taking her on a date tomorrow." Kei smiled in return, and those words stabbed Chitose like a knife. "You two lovebirds don't have too much fun, alright?" Junichiro, their father, laughed a bit, causing Haname to blush. "O-ottosan! Don't say such things!" She yelled, obviously embarrassed, as Kei rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. Chitose just sat there, thinking of what to do. She didn't want Kei to go on a date with Haname, but she wanted Haname to enjoy herself too. She deserved it.

The next day, Kei stood by the door, waiting for Haname. They were going to the beach, since Okinawa, where they lived, was a coastal area. He waited for a couple minutes, then Haname descended down the stairs,in a beautiful, white bikini along with a slitted skirt and low waisted that went down to her knees,  and a straw sunhat decorated with a yellow ribbon, tied in a bow. Her beautiful ginger hair cascaded to her waist, and it is obvious she had grown it out. Haname's feminine fingertips were decorated with yellow nail polish, matching the rest of her outfit. There was no way Chitose could compete with that. Haname was almost as beautiful as the goddess Megumi Takeshita. Haname was indeed a close second. Haname linked arms with Kei as they both smiled at each other, and they were walking out the door until something they did not expect at all happened.

Chitose came running down the stairs in a plain orange singlet with a flowy white skirt, along with her forearm length light ginger hair (that was evidently lighter than Haname's) in a quick high ponytail, panting. "Chi?" Haname turned back, tilting her head as Kei did the same. "I'm... I'm coming too!" Chitose managed to squeeze in between pants as she put her hands on her knees and raised her pointer finger. Kei looked slightly disappointed, but inside he was happy that Chitose wanted to tag along. "Yo, this is supposed to be just me and Haname." Kei dug his right hand in his pocket as Chitose looked like her feelings had been hurt. Kei realised what he had just said. "Frick... Why can't I just tell her that I'm glad she's coming with us? I'm such an idiot." He thought in his head, sighing. "Look, it's okay. You can come with us." Haname brushed Kei off and smiled warmly at Chitose, who never recovered from what Kei said.

The whole walk to the beach, Haname seemed pretty upset about what Kei had said to Chitose, so she talked to Chitose the whole way, with Kei silently walking behind them, kicking rocks in the process. "Why can't I just say what I'm thinking? Ugh, but it's not like I should just say, 'Hey Haname, sorry 'bout this but I have to break up with you 'cause I have feelings for your younger sister'. Gosh, why is love so hard!?" Kei thought as he dug his face into his hands, frustrated with himself.

When the three got to the beach, Chitose immediately ran to the shore. She started splashing around like a little kid, and she looked cute. And Kei knew that. He also knew he had to patch things up with Haname so he could gently break the news to her about his feelings. He walked up to Haname, who was sitting on a beach towel, watching her sister and smiling. "Hey, Haname?" Kei suddenly waved at her which made her snap out of her peaceful moment. "Yes, Kei?" She replied, not looking very enthusiastic about the conversation. "I want to say I'm sorry for what I said to Chitose earlier. I wasn't thinking straight." Kei apologised, which made Haname soften up, and she smiled at him. "Thank you and all, but you really don't need to apologise to me," Haname chuckled a bit as Kei tilted his head. "You have to apologise to Chi." She gestured towards Chitose, who was drawing love hearts in the sand. Chitose truly did have the mind of a child. Kei smiled at her warmly, and his eyes showed that he was in love. And that was the first moment that Haname realised something was up. She raised her eyebrow a little, frowning.

When Kei went over to Chitose, Haname couldn't help but notice how in love they looked. They could even be mistaken for a couple. Haname watched Kei bow in apology as Chitose hugged him, whispering something into his each which mad him laugh. Haname realised that she was never able to make Kei laugh like that. She watched them draw their initials in the sand with soggy sticks, laughing and talking. Turns out the two were too close to shore and Chitose ended up getting soaked. Haname saw Kei burst into laughter, smiling widely as Chitose blushed, quite embarrassed with her wet hair covering most of her face. Then Haname saw Kei move closer to her and brush the wet hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears. The way Kei looked at her... He had never looked at Haname that way before. And Haname now knew very well what was going on. Just watching them made her heart ache, in a way she could never express through words. Haname realised that she better tell Kei how she truly feels before she loses him forever.

When Chitose and Kei took a break, it was now sunset. Haname walked up to Kei, her fists clenched in determination. When Kei saw her standing in front of him, he tilted his head. "What's wrong, Haname?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice. They looked at each other in silence for a while until Haname gently placed her first on Kei's chest. Kei's eyes widened as Haname continued to look down. She finally looked at him, and her piercing green eyes (something that Chitose didn't have) stabbed into Kei's heart.

"Before I lose you forever," Haname began, never losing her gaze on Kei, tears building up in her eyes. "I wanted to say..." Haname took a while to finish her sentence, but Kei just waited there calmly, listening to what she had to say. Haname took a deep breath and repeat her words. "I wanted to say... I love you." She suddenly confessed. These words broke Kei's heart into shatters. Because he knew he could never return her feelings. Tears started straining down Haname's face, and she grasped Kei's forearm. "I love you, and I wanted to be the one to say it first, because I know that there is someone who loves you too, as much as me. But I... I... I wanted to at least win something." Haname's voice cracked, and Kei's eyes widened, his mind racing as Haname leaned her head against Kei's chest. Kei felt the warm tears on his body, so he knew that Haname was crying. He had a sad look on his face, and hugged Haname like he meant it as she continued to cry into him.

(A/n: Back with another Chitose, Kei, and Haname arc! I honestly love writing this love triangle. Kei has to choose between a hard-working woman and a cute girl. Personally, I would go for Haname, but who knows who Kei will choose?)