Forty minutes went by, and everybody was finishing up for the day.
"All right, nice work everyone," Lady Hime announced.
Kuroki was sitting down, zoning out in his chair.
"Yo, shorty."
Satsuki's call snapped him back.
"Oh… ah." He got up from the chair, picking up his bag. "Is it time to go?" he asked.
"Yup," she replied.
"Heeey~ let me walk out with you guys."
Shiroyama unexpectedly appeared right behind Satsuki.
(Ugh… he's still here.)
Kuroki made an annoyed face.
"Oh, sure," Satsuki happily accepted.
Kuroki was death-staring Shiroyama.
"Heh." Shiroyama noticed Kuroki's stare and smiled back, which only annoyed Kuroki more.
"All right, let's go," Satsuki said.
"O-oh, okay," Kuroki replied.
—
As they stepped outside the building, the sun was already setting. While they walked, Satsuki suddenly noticed something.
"Ahhh, damn, I forgot my bag," she said in frustration.
"Are you serious?" Kuroki looked at her with an unsurprised face. Shiroyama quietly giggled in the back.
"You guys wait here, okay?"
She ran back into the building, hurrying to get her bag.
(Ah damn it, I'm stuck with this bastard.)
(Why did she forget her bag?)
(God, I don't wanna be here… I just want to leave.)
"Satsuki is a funny girl," Shiroyama said unexpectedly, catching Kuroki's attention.
"Oh… ah, yeah, she is," Kuroki awkwardly agreed.
"So how long have you guys known each other?" Shiroyama asked.
"Like eight or nine years," Kuroki replied.
"Ohhhh~ is that so?" Shiroyama smiled.
(What's wrong with this guy? Why is he trying to make small talk with me?)
Kuroki couldn't help but question Shiroyama's true intentions.
"Can you answer me this question, please?" Shiroyama asked.
"Mmm? What is it?" Kuroki replied.
"Do you like Satsuki?"
A strong gust of wind blew past both of them. Shiroyama's face turned serious, and Kuroki stood there, baffled by the question.
"Ha… what do you mean?" he replied nervously.
"You know what I mean."
His face didn't change, still holding a cold demeanor.
"Umm… no, I don't. I mean, as a friend, yeah, I do like her," Kuroki answered.
"Friends… is that so?"
Not a single emotion appeared on Shiroyama's face—just a blank expression.
(What is with this guy? This is making me uncomfortable… Satsuki, hurry up.)
"You know… I like Satsuki," Shiroyama said.
"I-I see," Kuroki replied awkwardly.
Deep down, Kuroki felt emotions he had never experienced before. When Shiroyama said that, his stomach sank.
(Why is this feeling back?)
"You probably haven't noticed this yet," Shiroyama said, "but I think Satsuki likes you."
Another unexpected turn—something Kuroki never imagined hearing.
(Satsuki… likes… me?)
"Huh?! What the hell are you talking about?" Kuroki snapped.
"What makes you think that's true?!"
"Oh, it's easy," Shiroyama said.
"Why do you think everybody at her workplace knows you?"
The question made Kuroki think back to all the times people recognized him, even though he had never been there before.
(H-He's right…)
(All of them knew me.)
"She likes talking about you a lot," Shiroyama continued.
"Huh?" Kuroki was in disbelief.
"Every time she comes down here, she always yaps about you."
"When she does, her face is filled with joy."
"Her face is filled with love."
Kuroki couldn't fully understand what he was hearing. A mix of emotions rushed through him.
And Shiroyama continued.
"I tried asking her out on dates multiple times, but it always ended with the same answer."
"W-what is it?" Kuroki asked nervously.
"'Sorry, Kuroki is waiting for me,' she says… every single time."
Kuroki listened silently.
"And I kept asking myself—who is this guy she's in love with? Was he better than me? More successful than me?"
"Until today, when I finally found out who it was."
"It's nothing much," Shiroyama said with a small smirk.
"Huh?!"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"
"Heh… I'm saying you're nothing special." He smirked again.
"I thought my rival would be some kind of Hercules, but I was disappointed."
Kuroki glared at him in anger.
"Oh? Did I piss somebody off? Haha… sorry~"
Shiroyama's snarky attitude only fueled Kuroki's rage.
"What the fuck is your problem?! Do you have something against me?!"
"Heh… I guess I do," Shiroyama said.
"Have you ever wondered why Satsuki still hangs out with you?"
The question froze Kuroki in place.
"I'll take that silence as a yes… heh. What a shame."
"Such a perfect woman being wasted on a lowly guy."
Kuroki clenched his fists so tightly his hands trembled.
"Heh, don't worry. I'm done teasing you," Shiroyama said.
"And don't worry—I give up on her." He shrugged.
"Take this as motivation, Ichinose."
"You already know how much attention she attracts—especially from guys."
He continued.
"You'd better recognize your feelings quickly before somebody else takes her from you."
"Will you shut the—"
"Kuroki!"
Satsuki ran back toward them.
"Sorry I took too long. Mmm? What's going on?"
"Nothing," Shiroyama answered.
"Your buddy and I just finished our conversation."
He put an arm around Kuroki and smiled.
"Y-yeah," Kuroki agreed.
Shiroyama leaned in and whispered, "You'd better prepare yourself, Kuroki."
Kuroki side-eyed him.
"Well, I'm off."
Shiroyama said his farewell.
"Okay, bye Taku," Satsuki waved as he walked back to his car.
Kuroki stared blankly—no emotion, just dazed.
"Is something wrong?" Satsuki asked.
"Oh… no, it's nothing. Come on, let's go," Kuroki said, snapping back.
—
After getting off at the train station, they walked down their street.
"All right, see you, Kuroki," Satsuki waved.
"Yeah," he replied.
Kuroki walked home without saying another word.
He opened the door, stepping past a drunken woman snoring on the floor, and went to his room.
He dropped his belongings and laid down on his bed, letting out a deep sigh.
"What the hell was today?"
He was exhausted, yet Shiroyama's words echoed in his mind.
"What the hell does he know?"
"He knows nothing about me or her."
He remembered the warning about other guys taking her away.
"What does he know?"
"Achoo~"
"Ah… shit."