Romantic Killer But I Made It Gay

Part 49

"I'm really sorry to bother you." Arisa daintily sets down her purse and settles down on the couch next to Kazuki. "Tsukasa stayed with you for an entire month. It must've been a lot to deal with, huh?"

"N-No, not at all." I smile. She's got the completely wrong idea. Not only is it my fault he had to stay with me, but I can't imagine my life without him now. "He's been a huge help. Don't worry about it."

"Really?" She taps a puffed out cheek with her perfect finger. "Mom and I have been wanting to meet you, but it's been really chaotic with Tsukasa breaking his phone."

I wince, then try to hide it. That happens to be my fault too, after all. "I see. I bet that's been stressful. I'm sorry."

She laughs lightly, batting a hand at me. "Oh, silly, it's not your fault at all!"

Well...

I jump to my feet, feeling my heart pound with the stress of lying. "Why don't I get us something to drink? I'm pretty sure we've got some iced tea in the fridge."

"Not in the fridge, but we have boxed ones." Kazuki gets to his feet as well, following me to the kitchen.

"Please, don't trouble yourself," Arisa calls worriedly.

"It's no trouble, really." I smile forcefully at her. Since all of this is my fault, I feel like I need to repay her in some way, even if it's small enough for no one to notice.

"Mori, what happened at the station?" Kazuki wonders as we start fixing up the drinks. "I've never seen you get violent enough to hit someone, especially not with a book."

The ice clinks as I scoop it into the cup. "Some old guy grabbed me and demanded I pay for ruining his day."

"Really?" He doesn't sound necessarily worried, which bothers me a little bit.

"That's when your sister stepped in, though. She was so cool—he was way stronger than me, but she had him down in seconds."

"That's kinda a low bar, isn't it?" he asks sarcastically, taking the glass from me and filling it with light brown tea.

"Hey! I'm not that weak!" I yelp, insulted.

"Why don't we ask Hayami's mom, then?" His face quirks into a smile.

"I knew you were listening in," I grumble, filling the next cup with a little more vigor than necessary.

"Still, I'm glad you're okay."

"I got pretty mad though," I laugh, remembering the fight. "I said: "I hope whatever ugly dog you have pees in your mouth tonight" and—"

"Pfft—" He covers his mouth with a hand, setting down the glass of tea. "You—You hope what now? What kind of insult is that?"

I feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment and a hint of something else. He's really cute when he laughs—well, even cuter than normal.

"He looked like a dog person, okay? And not the Pocchi kind."

"It's just—" He looks up at me, smiling openly. "I can totally imagine you saying that."

I laugh, joining his grin. "Tell me I'm not the type to say things like that."

"Come on, we should bring these back." He gestures to the three filled drinks and I load them onto the tray and carry them into the living room, Kazuki following me.

"Thanks for waiting." I set down a coaster for each of us, then pass out drinks. Absent-mindedly, I wonder aloud, "Why do you live on your own, Kazuki?" When I glance up to their surprised expressions I quickly realize my mistake and cry, "It's okay! Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."