“Why are you dressed up nicely like that? Isn't it kinda pointless?”
Everyone in the Tamakoma Branch's living room goes silent.
Hyuse crosses his arms. “We're just going to visit a few stores, after all. Nothing important.”
Kura's heart drops to her stomach. It hurts so much. Even with only those words she already wants to cry. Aah, she's weak. She hates how weak she is.
But she forces a smile and nods along. “You're right.”
“H-hyuse-kun!” Usami steps in and pulls Hyuse away. She turns to Kura with a panicked face. “Sorry, Kura-chan, he doesn't mean that!”
“No no! It's fine!”
They really will just be going to check out some stores that sell mechanical parts and an all-you-can-eat buffet that Mikan recommended to her the other day. And she's just going with Hyuse because he wants to check out the stores in question. The whole buffet thing is just a cherry on top of their plan. Nothing important. Nothing special. Nothing to be excited about.
Why did she decide to wear a fancier dress and put on more makeup than usual anyway? Nothing is going on between them. She touches her cheek. All of these… What is it for?
Konami follows Usami's move and stops eating her dinner just to scold the horned neighbor.
“Hyuse! Apologize to Kura, now!”
But he doesn't budge. “Why should I apologize? I only told her the truth.”
Kura holds her chest. He's right. He's right. She keeps telling herself. But the feeling in her stomach is getting stronger and she just wants to puke it all out. With a soft voice, Kura starts talking.
“Excuse me, Usami-san, I'm going to the toilet.”
“Eh? Kura! Wait up!”
But she ignores Konami's protest and walks away in a hurry. Her footsteps are the loudest thing in the building.
Seeing Kura, Karasuma puts his plate away and slowly stands up. Reiji glances at the black-haired guy who's now staring woefully at Kura's back. It's clear what he wants to do.
“Are you going to follow her?”
Karasuma nods. He then walks away, leaving Reiji sighing while the members of Tamakoma-2 sitting around the table with him are chatting among themselves.
“Hyuse doesn't really understand, huh,” Yuma mumbles as he continues eating his food.
“Mm, I don't think he knows,” says Osamu. He glances at Hyuse who is still standing with his usual neutral face.
Chika drops her head. Kura must be feeling awful right now. “I hope Kura-san is alright…”
Meanwhile, Hyuse is annoyed with Konami who's looking angry at him, and Usami who keeps glancing in the direction of the toilet in worry.
“What is it with you two? I didn't say anything wrong.”
“But you hurt her feelings, Hyuse-kun,” says Usami, “you see, she dresses up nicely because she's looking forward to spending time together with you and wants to look her best.”
“Yeah! Kura thinks going out with you is something special!” Konami pipes in.
Special? With him? And that's why she's wearing that dress that looks elegant, the opposite of her usual cool formal squad uniform?
“Why would it be special?”
“Stupid!” Konami bonks him. Hyuse doesn't react much. “What do you think that is, huh? That means Kura thinks of you highly!”
Usami nods. “And I can't say for certain but I think Kura-chan has feelings for you.”
Hyuse looks dumbfounded. “Feelings?”
Feelings? What constitutes these 'feelings'? Does the quaintness he feels when he's with her count as 'feelings'? What about the thrill when he gets to see her fighting? Do those constitute 'feelings'?
“Duh.” Konami rolls her eyes. “She likes you, dumbo.”
Like…? As in the romantic feeling? Does Kura like him?
“Konami! Ssh!” Usami puts her index finger in front of her lips and gestures to Konami to shut up. Konami huffs before shutting up.
Turning back to Hyuse, Usami starts speaking again. “My point is if you don't like her thinking of you as more than friends you need to tell her gently. Kura-chan is reasonable. She'll definitely see you as a friend again.”
“That… hm,” Hyuse mumbles. This is hard. He needs to think about everything first.
Meanwhile, Kura walks out of the toilet and sits down, laying her head on the wall. Her mind is just clearer now, fortunately.
“Why am I crying over something like this…” Kura sighs, tearing the tissue on her hand apart. “I hate myself. I shouldn't be allowed to have emotions.”
Suddenly, footsteps echo down the hallway and a masculine voice calls out to her.
“Kura-senpai.”
“K-kyousuke-kun? What is it?” Kura wipes the last signs of her tears away and turns to Karasuma.
Karasuma pauses for a second, noticing her slightly red eyes. He then walks towards her. “Are you okay? You just took off running like that…”
“Not really,” says Kura. “I feel dumb.”
“Please don't be so harsh on yourself, senpai. Hyuse-kun just still isn't accustomed to our world and culture.”
Kura stands up, putting the shreds of tissue in her pocket. “I guess I shouldn't be, but I just don't know how to feel! Because not even deep down, I know he's right! I know I shouldn't be making such a big deal over eating some buffet and checking out a few stores. It's something I do with Akari all the time, damn it! My dumb self just had to think it'll be special if I go with Hyuse-kun.”
Karasuma stops in front of Kura. He doesn't like seeing her in tears. He doesn't like her being sad over Hyuse. He doesn't like seeing her heart being broken like that.
She knows, right? She knows that he likes her, but she still...
“Senpai, I think you look beautiful.”
Kura looks up and stares at Karasuma's golden eyes.
“The dress suits you nicely. I really like the pendant in the middle of your collar and the flower motif on your skirt makes you more elegant.”
“K-kyousuke-kun…”
“I think your eyeshadow compliments your eyes. I know you said your eyes look dull, but they never are. They're the brightest gray I've ever seen.” He takes another step forward and the back of his right hand fingers brushes Kura's burning cheek, pushing her hair back. “You're stunning, senpai.”
Kura can't say anything. Every time she wants to, she chokes on her words. Her mind is getting fried and tears begin swelling again. Why would he say something like that?
”...t-that's cruel, Kyousuke-kun,” she finally manages to whisper, “telling lies like that… that's really cruel. You're getting my hopes up,” she finishes with a weak laugh.
“But I'm not lying.”
Karasuma closes their distance even more. With a few steps, he backs Kura up against the wall and leans down, putting his forehead on her. Kura can feel his warmth as he closes his eyes and sighs.
“I never lie when it comes to you.”
Kura's heart stops. Tears that have already swelled start falling off one by one, some dripping down to Karasuma's hand. But he still doesn't budge.
Her mind is empty. Her body heat is skyrocketing. She truly doesn't know what to do. What should she say? What should she do? And why is it that of all things in this world, feelings and how to handle them are the hardest ones to learn for her?
She takes a deep breath.
“Kyousuke, I…”
Before she can say anything, a force pulls on her arm and suddenly, her face is up on someone's chest. That person is holding her close with only one arm wrapped around her shoulder. Kura can't see anything clearly, but this familiar sweet vanilla fragrance...
“Torimaru.”
It's Hyuse?
“Hyuse-kun,” says Karasuma. “What are you doing here?”
“The right question is what did you just try to do?” His tone becomes sharper. Is Hyuse angry? What's happening?
“Hyuse-kun?” She tries speaking, but he just holds her even closer.
“Kura and I still have a date to go to. So leave us.”
Date? Kura starts panicking. He's calling it a date? And now, of all time?!
“I see,” Karasuma's voice is flat, but Kura knows how many emotions he keeps bottled under them. “Well then, enjoy your date.”
The black-haired A rank stays true to his word and starts walking away, leaving Kura in Hyuse's embrace.
Though, for a second, Karasuma stops walking and talks to her again.
“Kura-senpai, please remember everything I just said.”
“M-mhm, sure.”
Then he continues, his footsteps echo disappears after what feels like a thousand years to her.
“Hyuse-kun, can you let me go?”
“Ah, sorry.” Hyuse lets go of Kura's body and she dashes back a few steps. She then takes a few deep breaths to clear her head. She manages to get out on time. If she's just a few more seconds in his arms, she'll get intoxicated by his fragrance...
“So can we go now?”
Kura snaps back to reality. “Um, sorry?”
He put his hands inside of his jacket pocket. “Our date. We gotta go before the stores close.”
There it is again. The date word.
A taste of guilt fills her mouth every time Hyuse calls it that. The guilt from remembering what Karasuma just said to her a few minutes ago, and the guilt from letting him just walk away.
Besides, why is Hyuse calling it a date so suddenly? She knows he has a strong feeling for responsibility, so maybe it's because he's thinking about her?
“Hyuse-kun,” says Kura, “please don't worry about me. You were right and I did just blow our nights out into a,” she makes air quotes, “date,” she says. “If you're uncomfortable going out with me, you can just turn me down—”
“No. No one put me up to this. I have thought about everything and now I understand. You're looking forward to our time together. You enjoy my company. That's why you wear that fancy clothes.”
Kura is struck for a second. Did Usami and Konami tell him something? Why did Hyuse suddenly become… warm? Or is this just a deeper layer of him?
“And I do, too.”
He reaches for her hand and puts it on his. His hold on her hand is gentle, caring. “I was confused why you're looking and acting differently from usual when it comes to me. But now I know why.”
Leaning down, Hyuse hugs her. He lays her head on the crook of her neck, causing her body to shiver with each breath he takes. Hyuse is cold, unlike Karasuma. But his cold goes well with her warmth, creating an equilibrium that she hoped would last forever.
“I'll get ready for our date,” his voice is soft, a whisper in her ear, “just wait for me in the living room.”
As soon as Hyuse lets go and walk away, Kura is left alone.
After a minute of taking deep breaths, she starts pondering what just happened within the span of the past thirty minutes. Her mind processes then break down everything, and Kura wants to break down along with her thoughts. Sure her mind can keep up, her heart can't!
Both Hyuse and Karasuma have feelings for her. She puts her hand over her chest and exhales. She already knows about Karasuma, but Hyuse is news to her. So what should she do?
And now what she has in her hand is… brewing trouble. Kura clenches her first and sighs. At times like this, she can only hope she's as good at feeling as she's with Triggers.