CHAPTER 424: PARTNER

After having a big meal, we sat down on the couch and turned on the television to see if there was something to watch. There were many reruns of old shows and some new ones that I wasn’t too interested in. Other than that, the news was the same as always and honestly didn’t really interest me. I prefer reading my news to watching it on television.

I looked beside me as Ai had her head resting on my shoulder and was getting comfortable holding onto me. She has been pretty clingy today, but I am not really surprised by that change in her. I am quite happy that our feelings were mutual.

"There is nothing to watch," I said, flipping through all the same channels over and over. "If only we could stream shows on it."

"But we can," Ai said, looking all confused at me. I stared at her and shared the same confused expression she had. Wait, we can stream stuff on this thing, and I am just finding out? Well, I didn’t really fiddle around with it much since most of my entertainment comes from just watching the person next to me. What’s on the television doesn’t usually matter.

"Huh? Since when?" I rightfully so said in a surprised voice. How long have you kept this secret from me? Ai proceeded to take the remote out of my hands and changed the input from HDMI to smart television, and an entire operating system opened up with a bunch of streaming platforms. "What do you want to watch then?"

"Hmmm, I’m thinking about some old comedies," she voiced her opinion, and I nodded in agreement. Honestly, that sounds like a great time.

"Sure, sounds great. Got a favourite?" I asked.

"Oh! This one is really good!" Ai said, hovering over an old Hollywood movie from the early two thousand. It starred quite a famous actor, too, in the genre.

"I haven’t seen this one, though," I said, rubbing the back of my head, and Ai’s head snapped to look at me. She looked actually offended by what I just said, but I could also see the excitement in her eyes.

"You haven’t seen this?" she said loudly. "All these years of your lives and you have not watched this movie?"

"Well...I didn’t watch too many English movies during the time it was airing, and after when I did, I gravitated to more action-based movies." I tried to plead for my innocence. "I know about the movie, heard about it a lot of times, but never got around to watching it."

"Well, that changes today!" Ai announces and gets her head off my shoulder. Next thing I knew, I had her hand around my neck and leaning against me. Yeah, she is not going to let go of me until we finish this movie. "Just you wait, Kazu-kun, you are about to experience the epitome of comedy."

RING

Right as Ai said that, the doorbell chimed across the apartment, and Ai’s eyes turned dark. She looked at the door with so much malice that I started praying for the person on the other side of the door. May god give me enough luck and power to stop her from taking your life.

"Ai..." I softly muttered her name, placing my hand on her shoulder. "It’s okay, we will end up watching this movie today, okay?"

"No, I want to watch it now. And that asshole at the door is interrupting my time with Kazu-kun. Unforgivable, they must be punished for the sins they committed," she said in a low voice.

RING

RING

"Oh, and now they have the audacity to be impatient and ring again? Today is not their lucky day," she said as anger started building up in her. Oh no, this is bad. I have to do something.

RING

RING

RING

"Oh, they are going to get it now!" she shouted and leaped out of the couch at the door. Wait, I know this pattern of ringing. Oh no, not again.

"Ai wait, that is- "

Before I could continue, Ai threw open the door and jumped at the person on the other end, only for that person to duck and look at her with a confused look. "What is with you and wanting to attack me? I didn’t even say anything to Kazuki this time."

"Natsumi-san, what are you doing here at this time?" I asked, quickly getting off the couch and running out, standing between the two. On seeing Natsumi-san, Ai’s expression changed from anger to timidness, and she quickly stood behind me. "What brings you here at this time?"

"I came here to collect your weapons since you two idiots don’t know how to follow a simple order," she said, rubbing her head and starting to walk into the apartment. "Pardon the intrusion."

I looked behind me, seeing Ai still holding onto me. She had a guilty expression on her face and kept looking at Natsumi-san. Aaah, it’s for yesterday. To be honest, a lot happened in one day, and there is so much to even recollect properly.

"You’re going to apologize?" I asked her and she nodded her head.

"She is someone important to Kazu-kun and...as much as I am not the happiest about it, I still need to keep a good relationship with her," she explained, and I was surprised by the response. I thought she would have a bit of anger still about yesterday, but no, she immediately wanted to apologize to her.

"Thank you, Ai," I said, smiling at her, and she looked at me still with the guilty expression on her face, but was able to softly smile back at me.

"So how long do you plan on flirting outside? Seriously, leave you two alone anywhere and you just start," she said while sighing and rubbing her forehead. "I feel so single looking at you two."

"Don’t worry, Natsumi-san, you’ll also find someone perfect for you," I said and walked into the apartment with Ai. "Just have to keep looking, you know."

"It’s been a very long time since I have been looking," she replied.

"I know."

"Do you want to get beaten up?" she said, cracking her knuckles.

"Please no."

This is how, now I am sitting in front of a confused-looking Natsumi-san next to a fidgeting Ai. She kept staring at her with the same guilty expression on her face. Natsumi-san stayed patient, just waiting for Ai to speak, but it does look like she is losing it with how she was tapping her feet.

She let out a sigh and stood up, and we did too. She picked up her chair and walked over, putting it next to Ai’s. Then she sat down and indicated to both of us to sit down. As we did, she put her arm around Ai’s shoulder, making her jump in her place.

"Look, I am not the greatest at waiting for people to talk when they are comfortable, so if you have something to say to me, just do. I am Kazuki’s guardian after all, so treat me like an older sister," she said with a little smile on my face. "It’s about yesterday, right? Don’t think too deeply about it. I had a full report of what happened to both of you in the last mission, so I can’t blame you, honestly, for how you reacted. You must be very scared."

"I-" Ai was left speechless as she stared at Natsumi-san. She may come off as someone very blunt and brash, but when it matters, nobody is better at putting people at ease than Natsumi-san. If that doesn’t work, she can always use her fists to put them to rest.

"Though I will still say how you reacted in that moment wasn’t the most appropriate one. You need to understand the difference between people who genuinely care about that idiot over there and those who don’t. I know you want to protect him, but you are not he only one who feels that way," she continued. "This idiot has many people, including you, by his side who will do anything in their power to get him out of this issue he has found himself in."

"Natsumi-san..." Ai said and looked down. I could see her lips shake before she could say anything. "Still, I am sorry. You are someone very important to Kazu-kun, and I acted only on emotions and jumped at you. That was completely inappropriate of me. Please forgive me."

"I never took any offence in the first place," Natsumi-san replied and placed her hand on her head. "I’m just worried about you two. That is all."

Ai was surprised by her action, but did not push her hand away and let her lightly pat her head. She let go and grabbed me by my shoulder and pulled me, making me bump into Ai as both of us got hugged by her together. We didn’t say anything and hugged her back. I looked at Ai, and she had a little smile on her face, holding Natsumi-san, which in turn made me smile too. It’s nice that she has started to warm up to her finally.

"And now I have a little brother and sister to take care of. Things never get easier for me, do they?" she jokingly said, and we all laughed together.

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