Specks of Light

Part Four. Chapter 2: Trouble

As the end of the day approached, Yuu felt more and more anxious. He had completed a good part of all the backgrounds and details Yoshino had left for him to do and they would be working just for one more hour. Chiaki looked very tired and being honest, Yuu felt extremely tired too. He had had to draw, ink and direct the other assistants the whole day and while this was normal for him, this chapter of Yoshino's manga was particularly long and they had had to work rather fast. He had also been thinking about Nozomi's request and he was turning more and more anxious by the minute. As soon as he finished the last piece he needed to work on, he stood up "I'll be right back" he excused himself and headed out of the drawing room.

He was feeling very uneasy and while he didn't want it to be noticed, there was a limit to how much he could act now that he had finished his work and needed to wait for Chiaki to draw more pages. Knowing that there was only one way for him to calm down, he headed to Chiaki's bedroom and close the door behind him. Picking up his cellphone, he marked Ijuuin's number deeply hoping Kyo was at a place with wifi access. Normally, they would exchange one or two texts during the day, but today he hadn't heard from him so it was possible that Ijuuin couldn't be reached. 

Yuu walk around the big bed Yoshino had as the lingering beeping sound of the call killed his hopes of reaching Ijuuin at the moment. He was about to drop the call when the phone was answered ["Hello?"] a female voice answered making Yuu automatically shocked. ["Is this Ijuuin Kyo's phone?"] he asked deeply hoping to have made a mistake ["It is. He just went away for a minute. Hold on please"] the female voice said sounding a little upset. Yuu stood perplexed looking out the window, slowly feeling his hands getting cold. He had called Ijuuin for a solution and instead, he had found more trouble. After a minute, finally a familiar voice reached his ear ["Hello? This is Ijuuin Kyo"]. Yuu's mind was completely blank so he remained quiet not really knowing what to say ["Hello?"] Kyo insisted making Yuu fall back to reality.

"Se- sensei" Yuu spoke, his voice clearly reflecting his unsteady current state. ["Yanase- kun! Are you alright?"] Kyo immediately asked "I just haven't heard from you today" Yuu told him trying to sound more composed than what he really was. ["Oh, I am sorry. I have been busy all day"] sensei answered with a very relaxed tone. "That's- that's fine! I am glad you're fine then, I gotta go" Yuu said feeling like he would not be able to maintain a normal conversation with Ijuuin today. ["Wait! Yanase- kun!"] Kyo said just when Yuu was about to hang up "Yes?" he said getting the phone back to his ear ["The girl who just answered your call, she is Usami- sensei's cousin. She drove me around Paris today. She had my phone because I was paying the bill, there is no reason for you to worry"]. Once again, Ijuuin had hit the nail on the head "I am not worried, sensei. I really have to go" he lied feeling the hole in his stomach getting bigger. ["Yanase- kun, really.."] Kyo started but Yuu really didn't want to hear any more. 

There was only one way to end this conversation "Sensei! I really have to go. Sorry for having bothered you, I just wanted to know if you were okay. I am working at Chiaki's house, so I have to hang up" Yuu said knowing that the fact that he was Yoshino's home would make Ijuuin doubt ["I see! Well, I will call you later then, work hard please"] he sensei saying through the phone. Just like he had predicted, Kyo didn't sound as confident as he had when they started to talk "Thank you and have fun" Yuu said and quickly pressed the red button to end the call.

His plan had totally backfired and now he was more worried than what he initially was. Not that he believed Ijuuin was being unfaithful...or at least he didn't completely believed so, but Karuoko- san was a heavy headed character that had put Ijuuin in a bad place before and she could do the same this time. Plus Yuu really wasn't a fan of Ijuuin being around people related to Usami- sensei or Misaki- kun apart from strict work matters. He sat down on the bed with his phone between his hands, he knew that Ijuuin leaving him for a month and half would be complicated...but for sure, he hadn't expected for it to be this hard.

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When the work session was over, Yuu walked into the drawing room again. Everyone seemed to be ready to leave, including Nozomi- chan. Maybe she had forgotten about their meeting. However, that little hope was soon broken by Nozomi approaching him "Yanase- san, is it okay if we talk now?" She asked with a very nervous expression. The drawing room was now empty. He knew Chiaki was asleep and Hatori was cooking dinner, so this didn't seem like a bad place to talk. While this hardly was a situation he looked forward to, he knew it was better to end it fast and, hopefully, smoothly.

"Sure, what do you need to tell me, Nozomi- chan?" He asked trying to display a very calm expression that didn't reveal the fact that he already knew what the girl had to say. "Yanase- san, I- I work here with you and now we also work together at Fujino- sensei's" the girl started looking firmly into Yuu's eyes. Unlike Fujino's, Nozomi's gaze didn't make him uncomfortable at all, so it was not hard to look at her "A- and I just don't consider myself strong enough to ho- hold back anymore when I see you so often" she continued with a more serious tone. 

Those definitely were big words from the innocent looking Nozomi- chan. "What do you mean?" Yuu asked her leaning against the assistants' big table. "I- I like you!! Yanase- san" Nozomi said almost desperately with her cheeks slowly turning bright red. This was exactly what Yuu had been waiting to happen, but the fact that he had anticipated it, didn't make this situation any less uncomfortable. "Y- you don't have to answer right away. I am..." the girl went on but Yanase knew he had to cut it right there. "I'd rather give you an answer now, Nozomi- chan" he said steadily. "Eh?" the girl murmured turning her face to look at the floor apparently knowing that she would be rejected. 

"Nozomi, chan. I am very flattered, thank you. But I can not respond to your feelings" he said trying to make himself clear without having to use too many words. "Yanase- san, i- is there someone else you like?" Nozomi asked nervously. "No, rather I am already seeing someone" Yuu told her "I- I'm sorry. I understand" the girl answered, sounding really disappointed. "May I ask what kind of person that someone is?" Nozomi asked shyly turning her gaze back at Yuu's face.

Yuu had not foreseen this question, and upon hearing it, his mind immediately created the image of Ijuuin- sensei. Kyo had tons of qualities and he had tons of defects and those were always complementary to Yuu's own personality. Sure, there was no doubt that sensei could upset him like no other, like it had happened with the announcement of the trip to Paris or just today when he had revealed he was out with Usami- sensei's cousin. Nevertheless, Ijuuin also had the ability to make him truly happy, always looking out for him and knowing exactly what to do and what to say whenever Yuu needed it. No matter how big their arguments were or how many problems they encountered, Kyo had made sure to let Yuu know that he would always be there to hold him tight when night came. And at the end, wasn't that what true love was about? The thought alone made his heartbeat accelerate "That someone...is the greatest love of my life" Yuu answered calmly. 

Normally, Yuu would feel embarrassed after stating something like that, however this time it had felt completely natural. "I- I see. Three weeks ago you told me you didn't have a girlfriend, so I imagine is someone you had loved for a long time" Nozomi commented trying to look strong, clearly she wanted Yuu to know why she had decided to confess now. "One could say that" Yuu replied using the same tone. His relationship with Ijuuin- sensei was almost one year old, and while Nozomi had probably meant another thing by "long time", Yuu hadn't really lied. "I- I see, I am sorry, Yanase- san. I will leave now, you may tell your partner about this, because is no good to keep secrets from your lover" the girl said with a low voice picking up her bag. "I will, but they're abroad now. So it'll have to wait" Yanase said trying to ease the uncomfortable environment "Oh alright! Have a good night, Yanase- san. Thank you for your time" Nozomi said and quickly headed out of the room. Surely, this scene must've been way worse for her than what it had been for him.

He picked his bag and headed to the living room where Chiaki was asleep on the couch "I'll see you tomorrow, Hatori" he said approaching the door "Good work, Yanase" he heard the editor answering from the kitchen. He was about to leave when his phone vibrated with a text from Ijuuin [Are you still at Yoshino- sensei's? The work day should be over by now] Yuu smiled at the words that reminded him of what he had thought when Nozomi had asked about his partner. "Always the jealous type" he sighed and left the apartment.