It was Sunday at a food court filled with shoppers and their families. Kai, aka Ash Nakamura, was settled into his seat at a tiny plastic table as he engaged in a jovial one-on-one chat. His conversation partner was a girl one year younger than him who was a newbie at his job.
She was also, to be frank, beautiful. Her expression often defaulted to a bratty smile, which was elevated to having an almost devilish allure by the preposterously perfect proportions of her face. And yet, she still had a regal elegance to her, maybe due to the straight, black hair that extended to her hips. It had a lovely sheen that was plain for all to see, as though an artisan had poured their soul into polishing each strand day and night. And her name was Kotobuki Hotei.
Kai watched her poshly pinch the tip of her straw as though it were the fancy beverage of a hipster cafe instead of a cheap paper cup filled with grapefruit juice. Somehow, he didn’t find the sight obnoxious; if anything, he found it picture-perfect.
“You sure know how to make that drink look tasty,” Kai teased with a chuckle.
“I take it that you wish to have a sip?”
Far from showing irritation, Kotobuki gave a clear response in the strange, listless tone she had made her own. She had only started working three months ago, so she was still a beginner unaccustomed to the polite speech needed for customer service jobs.
She pushed the tip of her straw at Kai with a smug look on her face, a display of confidence not shared by the rest of her body language. Kai followed his coworker’s example and shifted to the same listless tone before replying.
“I’m afraid I must refrain. It’s merely grapefruit juice, correct?”
“Oh, this is no ‘mere’ juice. This is grapefruit juice that has been blessed by the lips of a beauty. What greater treasure can you imagine?”
“You don’t mean to suggest it enhances the flavor, do you?”
“Perhaps you should give it a try to find out?”
“Even though it would result in what many call an ‘indirect kiss’?”
“This is a roundabout way of stating that I would like an indirect kiss. Please don’t ask me to say that up front; it’d be far too embarrassing.”
“Have you always been hiding such a prurient personality?”
“What you call ‘hiding’ is what I prefer to call ‘being ladylike.’”
“All in the eyes of the beholder, I see.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I think my razor-sharp wit deserves some commendation,” said Kotobuki as she beamed with obnoxious pride. Sure, she wore that cute expression unfairly well, but Kai couldn’t bring himself to hate her either way.
“Since I’m the one who requested this first date of ours,” Kotobuki continued, “I figured I should endeavor to play up the romantic atmosphere. Was the stimulation a tad strong for one as juvenile as yourself?”
She sighed and patronizingly shrugged her shoulders as though she were the adult of the pair. It was clear from her eyes that she was looking down on her date. Until...
“Well, if you insist, I’ll take you up on your indirect kiss.”
“Whafgaughuh?!”
Kai casually tilted his neck forward to sip from her straw, but Kotobuki yelped and pulled back in a panic. The air of superiority she had a moment ago vanished with the wind as she flushed beet red down to her neck.
“Oh? Whatever might be the matter, Kotobuki?”
“N-Nakamura, you bully.”
“Was it not you who requested the indirect kiss?”
“You’re a bully.”
Kai continued to lean forward towards her straw, so Kotobuki frantically shuffled the cup left and right in her hands to evade his advances.
Did she really not expect me to call her bluff? thought Kai. The fool. Those tricks might have worked on me in middle school, but my willpower has been steeled by the past year of casual physical contact with my girl friend!
“Why do you run, Kotobuki? Allow me to savor the straw that’s been graced by your lovely lips. Quickly now!”
“N-Nakamura, you’re a pervert. Your phrasing is simply depraved.”
“I’m merely moved by your earnest efforts and wish to cooperate in playing up the romantic atmosphere.”
“Who would ever call this remotely romantic?!”
Kai had only teased her on a whim, but Kotobuki blushed the whole time as she aggressively argued back.
The truth was that Kotobuki had the mental stability of a wet paper bag. Sure, she could be obnoxious, but her frequent feigning of maturity and trash talking were just desperate attempts to maintain her composure. She probably thought she was doing a good job at hiding it, but too bad! Kai could see right through her. No matter how snooty her grin or snide her advice, he just had to chuckle. He couldn’t hate her; in fact, it just made her cuter.
“Oooooh,” whined Kotobuki as she finally retracted her hands and hid her cup behind her back.
“You don’t gotta go that far,” chortled Kai as he slipped back into his typical tone to poke fun at her.
Meanwhile, Kotobuki strained to hide the guilty look on her face. She looked up at Kai with a glare and said, “This is necessary to defend my chastity. I’m fighting with all my might.”
“Your chastity, you say.”
Kai couldn’t help but chuckle at that one. And she says I’m the juvenile one, he thought, unable to bear the irony. But it made him realize that Kotobuki really was an innocent little girl; her immunity to the opposite sex wasn’t nearly as strong as she boasted. There was a range of jokes and puns that were sure to be fine, but...
I’d better be careful not to cross the line, Kai told himself. It was a reminder that he had to take special care in minding his manners; his experience with women wasn’t vast enough to let him do so without effort.