CHAPTER 27: TROUBLE AHEAD

«See you tomorrow, Aoshi. Good night,» Ayane says, as she always does whenever they part ways after walking home from university — each heading back to their own place.

«S-Sure... see you tomorrow, Ayane. Good night to you too,» Aoshi replies hesitantly, caught off guard by how overly cheerful she’s been with him lately.

Ever since I told her that my thing with Eliss is basically just for show — and more importantly, temporary, set to end in less than two months — Ayane’s gotten really close to me. Even more than before. We’re best friends, so it shouldn’t be weird that she’s happy when we hang out... and yet, whenever Eliss or Takuma are around, she goes back to being the same Ayane as always — warm, but with boundaries. But when we’re alone...Just yesterday afternoon, an old lady stopped us to say we looked like such a lovely couple, and that we reminded her of herself and her husband when they were young. Do we really look like that from the outside? Everything points to the idea that Ayane might actually like me — it’d be the logical conclusion... but also the most ridiculous one. If that were true, after all these years, she’s had plenty of time to show it. She knows full well how hopeless I am with girls, and that I’d never make a move unless I was one hundred percent sure she liked me too. And yet... nothing. Not even the faintest sign of interest.

Aoshi lifts his gaze to the pale sunset peeking through the tall, abandoned buildings of the old industrial district he always crosses on his way home, and lets out a long sigh — the kind of sigh that belongs to someone stuck in a situation where every step could make things worse, and who has no idea which direction to take.

Even if she had given me some hint... what would I have done? I care about Ayane so much, but does that cross into the kind of love a man feels for his girlfriend, or is it still just deep friendship? Aaaah... and what the hell do I even know about what love’s supposed to feel like? It’s not like I’m some expert who can tell the difference between affection for a friend and love for a girl! The only thing I’m sure of is this: knowing Ayane as well as I do — better than anyone else — if we did end up dating somehow, there’s a good chance it’d last forever. Yeah... that kind of future, the idea of growing up, living, and growing old together — that’s something I could never have with Eliss.

But anyway, I’m probably just overthinking things as usual.If someone forced me to bet my life on a yes or no to the question "Does Ayane like you?" ...I’d bet it all on no.

A vibration in Aoshi’s pocket — a message.It’s from Eliss.

[My sweet Aoshi, since we always eat the same things for dinner, I thought I’d make you something different tonight.I read online that the best cuisine in this world is considered to be from a place called Italy, so after work I stopped by a bookstore, bought a recipe book, and made this for you.It’s called lasagna, and if I may say so myself, it smells absolutely divine.I can’t wait to see your face when you taste it. See you soon, my love ♥]

Aoshi pauses for a moment and smiles faintly at the message — it even comes with a photo of the lasagna Eliss made, one that looks like it came straight out of a high-end Italian restaurant.

It’s honestly hard not to fall in love when someone at home thinks of you and takes care of you like this... I wonder if Ayane would ever do the same.

[Wow, that looks amazing. Great job! I’ll be home in a few minutes — go ahead and set the table and warm up dinner. See you soon.]

He types quickly, tapping the screen with stiff, mechanical precision — a rather formal and distant reply that doesn’t reflect what he truly wants to say.In his heart, he’d wanted to write something much more romantic... but he decides against it, not wanting to make things even more complicated.

He doesn’t even have time to put his phone back in his pocket before it vibrates again — another message from Eliss.

Once more, Aoshi freezes, staring blankly at the screen — but this time, for a completely different reason.

A selfie of Eliss, wearing nothing but a cooking apron — and only the apron — sitting on the table with her legs slightly parted, her expression sultry and inviting.The picture is taken from a high angle, just enough to stop short of showing the kind of view that would’ve made Aoshi collapse on the spot.Attached to it is a short caption: If you’re hungry tonight, lasagna isn’t the only thing on the menu ❤️.

Aoshi swallows instantly — he puts his phone back in his pocket without even replying and starts walking faster, fast enough to impress even an Olympic racewalking champion.

I-I’m only walking this fast to make sure no one I pass on the street notices the very obvious effects that photo had on me — it’s not because I’m dying to see Eliss in that super sexy outfit! Well, maybe that too — but mainly it’s so I don’t get seen walking around with the cannon pointing forward like a battleship. They’d definitely take me for a pervert!

But when Aoshi is about halfway through the huge, desolate abandoned industrial area...

«Hey, where are you rushing off to, Aoshi Toya?» a male voice hisses — it sounds anything but friendly.

A voice that, at first, Aoshi can’t put a face to — but it becomes clear soon enough when he turns toward where it came from and sees a boy stepping out of the shadows of one of the side streets along his path. It’s Renji Kurotani, Miori’s boyfriend.

«I-I’m just heading home. I stayed at the university longer than usual because I have an important exam coming up, and I’d like to get back before it gets dark,» Aoshi replies, his voice trembling as he tries to hide the fear and unease that Renji’s mere presence causes him — the result of the intense workouts and long hours at the gym Miori forces him into ever since they started dating.

A presence far more imposing and solid than the scrawny Aoshi. But what scares Aoshi most of all is knowing for certain that Renji lives on the opposite side of Ueda — meaning this encounter is anything but a coincidence.

Renji had been waiting for him.