Chapter Song - Billie Eilish - "CHIHIRO"
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Art History
Students settled down in their chairs and listened as the professorswent through the syllabus outlining what they would be learning for the year,including midterms, field studies for assignments, and finals at the end of thesemester. After reviewing the syllabus for a few minutes, the professorreleased them early after one hour. Rengoku noticed Mitsuri placing her classpapers into a folder and closing her bag. He quickly got up with her andnervously approached her.
"Hey, Kanroji, would you like to grab some coffee or even have lunch? My brother's still in class, and I've got some time to kill," he asked, holding onto the strap of his bag.
Checking the time on her phone, she saw that she had about an hour left before he got home, so she agreed and suggested a place. "There's a café nearby where I work—they make delicious coffee and cake. Would that be okay?" she asked as they both left the classroom.
"Perfect! I'll eat anything!"
As they walked down the street to the café, they were greeted by her coworkers and quickly seated. Rengoku sat on the bench against the wall, while Mitsuri took a chair across from him. She ordered a slice of strawberry cheesecake with a hot matcha latte, and Rengoku went for a slice of double chocolate cake with a regular coffee, cream, and sugar. While the waiter took down their order, Rengoku noticed the sad expression on Mitsuri's face as she stared at her phone. He smiled at the waiter as she left, then turned his attention back to Mitsuri, waiting silently as she finished a long text.
"Is he at it again?" Rengoku asked in a serious tone. They had been friends for six years, and he knew about her situation with her boyfriend. He wasn't the kind of man who understood how to love anyone but himself, and for some reason, Mitsuri believed she'd be a terrible person if she broke his heart—never realizing he didn't truly love her.
Mitsuri gave a small smile and set her phone down. What could she say? She knew what Rengoku and many others thought about her relationship—it was a joke, a waste of time. But no one knew the full situation. This was her first time living away from her family, completely on her own. Her boyfriend had pulled her away from the lonely life she once had, and if she left him, where would she go? Her job barely covered rent and classes. Leaving him meant saying goodbye to everyone, and that scared her. She took a deep breath, resting her head on her hand as she absentmindedly traced circles on the table.
"It's only for a little while longer... I can deal with it if it means I'll have a happy future after I finish college," she said, forcing a smile.
Rengoku could see through her facade. He knew she was suffering, and it made him feel useless as her friend, unable to help. If it were up to him, he'd already have his own place and ensure that she was loved and safe in his arms. He didn't know when it started, but he'd loved her for years and knew she deserved better. He gently placed his hand over hers and smiled, letting her know she could rely on him for anything.
She smiled back, checking her phone once more before setting it aside again. "I'm not happy with him. The insults, the gaslighting, his narcissistic attitude—it's exhausting. He accuses me of things I've never done, and his words trap me. I feel like I can only go to college to see friends. I'm only allowed to have female friends, and he's convinced something happened between you and me. He just doesn't get that we're just friends!" Her eyes started to well up, but she fought back the tears.
The idea that her boyfriend believed something had happened between him and Kanroji tugged at Rengoku's pride, but he pushed it aside. Leaning back against the wall, arms crossed, he wondered what to do. He couldn't afford his own place to help her—the apartment he shared with Iguro and Sanemi was split three ways, and Iguro had the master bedroom. Trying to distract her, he thought of her cats.
"How are the little ones?" The question was enough to lift her spirits, and she lit up as she started talking about her cats. While she spoke, Rengoku sent a quick text to Iguro about his location.
"Hey, would you like to meet my roommate? He's practically my brother—we've lived together since we were kids." Checking the time, she agreed to meet him quickly.
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A/N - I just wanted to quickly say that the boyfriend in the story is this MF! Yup! Let's hate him a bit more . I still haven't thought of a name so we'll keep him as "boyfriend" for now🤣
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