“And this is my house,” said Kai as he pointed out the foyer of his home. It was just a run-of-the-mill two-story building in a run-of-the-mill suburb, but to Kotobuki, it was...
“Q-Quite the magnificent home.” Kai almost pitied how nervously she gave her unnecessary courtesies. In an even more unnecessary gesture, she handed him a paper bag with a gift box of sweets inside as she shakingly said, “Please accept my meager tribute...”
“No, like, what’re you givin’ this to me for? My mom’s inside, give it to her.” Kai couldn’t resist blurting that out at Kotobuki’s typical social anxiety. His polite tone couldn’t keep up.
“Y-Y-Y-Y-Your mother? Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What if she thinks I’m u-u-u-unbecoming of you?!”
“Chill, you’re not trying to introduce yourself as her daughter-in-law.” Kai’s mom wasn’t the type to size up anyone that harshly to begin with. “If anything, my family’ll go to the other extreme and get too chummy for their own good. Apologies in advance for that.”
“Th-Th-That’s, er, a tad intimidating in its own way,” choked Kotobuki as her eyes began to water.
This newbie was lacking in every area of human communication. And yet, she’d start acting like a smug brat the moment she got used to someone. Yep, she was cute.
It was the day after Kotobuki suggested the three of them should hang out. Kai started scheduling it with Jun over LINE the moment he got home from work the previous night.
“Hey, Kotobuki said she wanted us all to hang out together soon.”
“FR?”
“FR.”
Jun responded to Kai’s short confirmation with a sticker of Fumino Furuhashi looking up and saying, “I’ll hold you to that!” It was late and Kai was tired from work, so he gave a random reply with a sticker of Popuko waving her arm and shouting, “FOO~!”
“Anyway, Jun, when are you free?”
“Tomorrow!”
“That soon?!”
Kai’s instant statement of surprise was followed by a custom message sticker of Gan Ning (courtesy name Xingba) attacking a fortress while shouting, “I am the first to smooch!”
C’mon, thought Kai, don’t make historical warriors say stuff like that...
“Can you please take this seriously?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t stop my overflowing joy.”
“I’m starting to fear for Kotobuki’s safety so let’s pretend I never asked.”
Kai sent his message with a stone face and got a sticker of Umaru throwing a tantrum and shouting “I don’t wanna!” in return.
“Can you please be serious?”
“Can you please learn to take a joke?”
A joke, she says. Kai was curious if she’d be able to handle a video call. You know, to prove she wasn’t making any unladylike chortles.
“Okay, jokes aside, tomorrow’s way too soon. Can you at least wait until the weekend?”
“I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow I want tomorrow.”
“Don’t go all yandere on me!”
“I was simply expressing the depths of my love through the medium of text.”
“Well the text you wrote reads like a horror novel, so you might be in too deep.”
“Anyway, I want tomorrow! I can’t wait!”
Kai was amazed that she was this obsessed with cute girls. He sighed, then responded, “Got it. If Kotobuki agrees, anyway.”
Jun responded with a custom message sticker of Zhang Fei (courtesy name Yide) saying “Why, I’m thankful! Ever so thankful!” with a sinister smile. Once again, Kai thought ancient warriors deserved a bit more respect, but he sent Jun’s answer to Kotobuki anyway. He didn’t expect her to agree to tomorrow, but surprisingly, she gave the okay.
“Hooraaaaaaaay!!!!!”
Kai could just imagine the happy dance Jun was doing as she sent that message.
Kai concluded his evening by getting his homework done, taking a bath, brushing his teeth, and reading the newly published volume six of 29 to JK, but Jun bombarded him with messages the whole time. For the rest of the night, new questions popped up like “What should I wear?” or “Does Hotey like ice cream? Would she like it if I brought her some?” or “What brand should I get her?”
And they kept coming! Not that Kai even had any answers to give her!
“You sound like it’s the night before a date,” said Kai to his smartphone. As his eyelids began to fall heavy, he pointed out to the device in his hands that “Well, it ain’t one.”
Of course, he left every message Jun sent on read.
Anyway, that was what led to today. Kai met Kotobuki after school at the closest station to his house, Watarai, and showed her the way to his home. They both came straight from school, so Kai was still in his Asagi High uniform while Kotobuki was in her Ginga High uniform.
“Really though, Kotobuki,” said Kai as he led her into the foyer. “Don’t feel like you have to hold back. Treat my home like you would your own.”
Honestly, even the gift box Kotobuki brought was a bit much. She didn’t need to overthink it and go that far. Maybe her family was just really straitlaced, or maybe the gift box was what Kotobuki felt she needed to put her mind at ease, to lower the hurdle of entering the front door of a friend’s house ever so slightly. Kai didn’t press the issue, though.
“I’m home!” announced Kai to his family. “And I brought a friend!”
“Good heavens,” gasped his mom as she peeked out of the kitchen. “You brought home another cute friend?”
“I told you all just this morning that I was bringing a girl from work over!”
“But, but, I didn’t think she’d be this cute! Not when Jun’s already a miracle wasted on you!”
“I’m pretty sure that’s an insult to both me and Kotobuki. What kind of girl did you expect her to be?”
“I figured it had to be a girl who looked just like you...”
“How does everyone come up with the same idea around here? Is that seriously how you imagine my friends?!”
“I at least wouldn’t imagine a girl this cute to be your friend!”
“You know, there are probably some things you shouldn’t say to your own kid’s face!”
She could at least stop repeating “cute” so often. It was making Kotobuki turn pale and mutter, “I must strive for cuteness... I must live up to his mother’s hopes...” to herself like it was some sort of mantra.
“Let us go to my room,” suggested Kai. He hurried the debilitatingly shy Kotobuki up the stairs to protect her from any further influence from his eccentric mother. Once they entered the ten-square-foot bedroom and Kai closed the door, Kotobuki placed a hand to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. To Kai, it seemed like the opposite order of reactions a girl would typically have when entering a boy’s room for the first time.
Guess that just goes to show how comfortable she feels around me, he concluded. Kai gave the tip of his nose a nervous scratch. Him and Kotobuki were finally starting to loosen up, when suddenly...
“Hey Ashie, did you seriously bring home another mega-cutie?!
“Gaaaaaah Sis I’m begging you, please learn to knock!”
Kai fought back against his sister, Serena, who suddenly appeared by swinging the door open.
“Omigosh, she really is a cutie! What’s she doing with you?”
“Sis...I told you that unlike Jun, Kotobuki’s a sensitive girl, right? I told you not to be super annoying, right?!” Kai pushed his sister into the hall to protect his debilitatingly shy friend from her.