Unfamiliar Territory (Chizuru Ichinose x Reader)

(29) And So, The Balance Shifts

Y/n's POV:

The next day, I meet Ichinose at the cafe, ready to get to the bottom of whatever is on her mind. We sit in the same places we had last time. I go to ask how she's been but after looking at how serious she is, I chicken out. I guess we should get right to the point then... I say internally as I wait for her to begin. She finishes sipping some of the smoothie she had ordered, and then, it begins:

Chizuru: "One of your friends, Mami rented me yesterday. I believe that this happened because of your mistake..." She says as I look down, getting ready to apologize once again but she doesn't give me the chance.

"Don't bother apologizing again. Like I said, I forgive you." She says coolly.

"She obviously didn't understand that you're just a friend, but rather one of my clients. The way she went on, even if you yourself cleared it up with her, she'd think it was me 'manipulating you'  or something like that." 

I nod, agreeing, before chiming in:

Y/n: "I see. Me being 'friends' with Mami is a bit of an overstatement to be honest. She's someone I'm afraid I could never trust, due to things she's done to others in the past, but I won't get into that. We'll just have to be careful around her I guess." I say, not really seeing any other option.

Chizuru: "That's a given. Anyway, there was something in particular that she said to me, and I believe it holds some truth, but to see if my hunch is correct, I need to ask you something: Am I holding you back from connecting with others?" She asks, causing me to shake a little, in surprise to such an unexpected question.

Y/n: "W-Well that's an easy question. The answer is no. I don't want lots and lots of friends, otherwise I wouldn't have any time for myself. Please, never think you're holding me back in any wa-" I say, as she cuts across me.

Chizuru: "That's not what I mean. I know you didn't want a girlfriend when we first met, but who knows if that would've changed if we didn't cross paths. All the time you've spent with me could be spend going elsewhere and finding the right person for yourself." She exclaims seriously. Despite the manner of how she says it, the fact that we're having this conversation at all shows that she cares. Only a good friend would do this.

She's honestly a great girl, thinking about how she's impacted the lives of others even after they mess up... I thought, moving to refute her worries:

Y/n: "Honestly, this should be the last thing for you to worry about, but you still do, you're truly an amazing friend, Ichinose. To answer your question properly, no. You've not held me back one bit. If I wanted a girlfriend at any point, I'd go looking. Our friendship would have no impact on that whatsoever. Besides, I don't need to go looking for love, I'm perfectly satisfied being with you!" I say, smiling, hoping that she would calm down.

Wait, why is her face getting red? I thought, beginning to panic. Wondering if I said something wrong, I repeat what I just said in my head... oh god why!? Why did I say that at the end!?!? I could've just left it at 'Our friendship would have no impact on that whatsoever' but no, I had to be difficult and come up with something like that!

She looks directly into my eyes as I also start blushing, only blinking when necessary. Her face in a familiar neutral, guarded position.

Chizuru: "Wh-What do you mean?" She asks, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

After mentally scolding myself ten-fold, I set things straight, telling her what I really meant:

Y/n: "I-I mean I'm n-not looking for someone like that in my life at the moment. I-I only need friends, that's all." I say, struggling not to stutter.