A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Ten: Part One

Alright, so the plot continues from the end of Chapter Nine! If you forgot, hop back over there and check.

^_^ HAAAAAAPPY READING!

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“I—I—um—my—I—I—“ was what staggered out of my mouth as I gazed into the pair of familiar mauve eyes.

He simply stared back at me without any hint of expression.

“W-We don’t have any firefly dishes,” I stuttered, feeling my cheeks nervously begin to flush.

“Oh? But I would have thought a restaurant that you’d work in would have such a dish. It is what you suggested to the outdoor security officer, isn’t it?”

I peered towards the floor of the restaurant. “How did you find the café?”

“I took the beltway, of course. You took the beltway too, didn’t you?”

I rapidly stumbled backwards in bewilderment. “How did you know that?!”

“You made a phone call,” the boy suggested, placing his arms onto the table top. “I saw you outside by the gates. You were stomping the guts out of yourself.”

My eyes immediately widened. The blonde boy had been in the limousine and he had caught my every move.

I squeezed my eyes shut and lowered my head towards the floor. “I’m sorry!”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“You told me I couldn’t work at the café, but I went anyway,” I recited, anxiously lifting my head towards his expressionless eyes. “I promised that I would come back to the estate after today’s shift.”

He bored his gaze towards mine. After a few long seconds, he inched his gaze away.

“I believe you,” he gently confirmed, letting the dim fluorescents of the opposite side of the window catch his attention. “And you’re wrong. Megane said those things. I didn’t suggest anything.”

I paused, eying the boy with my bemusement fading away. The thoughts of the past flew into my mind.

It wasn’t the boy’s choice to force me into transferring schools or whether or not to be able to work at the café. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t notice his lack of words towards any of the things I had to change except for my living environment.

“You didn’t choose for me to attend Seika Academy?”

“Nope.”

“Or if I was allowed to work at the café?”

“Nope.” The boy rapidly turned a sharp, emotionless gaze towards me. “The only decision I’ve made about you is that you stay with me so I can pay back my debt.”

I was mistakenly hating this boy for things he didn’t choose.

I lowered my gaze away from the blonde boy and towards the polished floors of the restaurant. For the past few days, I’ve been hating this guy for something he didn’t do. And he never protested for himself. He had remained absolutely quiet, and he never mentioned anything to me.

Guilt fell into my stomach and I clutched onto it with a groan.

“Hanabusa-kun!” a voice immediately chimed from behind me. I twirled my head over my shoulders and glanced at Mikan’s surprised appearance as she glided towards us.

The boy gently lifted his head towards Mikan in a robotic motion. He uttered nothing but silence in response.

“Mikan, you two know each other?”