Chapter 40: Chapter 40 - The Girl Without Makeup

Kuro Kurogane was in a bad part of town. A rich part of town. He could tell the moment that he entered the lobby of Mina Fujikawa’s apartment building. Everything was expensive. This place was too expensive! It had marble floors, subdued lighting, and maybe more furniture than his future would ever be worth. Kuro looked around with his mouth hanging open.

"Your building has nicer lights than my entire house."

"It isn’t like my family uses their money to make up for how messed up they are," Mina said while she pressed the button for the elevator.

"Sounds like you’ve rehearsed that one.

"I did!"

The elevator doors opened without a sound and for just a split second Kuro saw Mina’s smile fade again almost immediately turning back into a normal smile.

"Let’s keep going, Kuro-kun."

The actual apartment was huge.

Modern, beautiful, and cold.

The first thing Kuro felt was cold with his lack of sound (No bleating TV, or family conversations to fill the room). This completely contrasted with the chaos of his house—Akari yelling, and Aoi quietly judging everyone.

The apartment felt empty.Mina casually kicked off her shoes as she entered.

"Welcome to the Fujikawa family depression zone."

"Wow, you are super casual with some hard-core stuff."

"Because therapy costs a lot of money."

Kuro sighed quietly; it was typical of her.

That said, there was definitely something off about her today. At school, Mina naturally filled every room with sound, but in this apartment, her voice was somehow quieter.

Less fake.

More authentic.

"Stay put." Mina said, walking down the hall into her bedroom to change.

"Sure."

Kuro sat uncomfortably on the couch as soft raindrops hit the windows.

The quietness felt odd.

Weighty.

Then out of nowhere the phone buzzed.

Akari : Where you at?

Aoi:You’re late coming in.

Kuro looked at the texts.

Caution.

Kuro: Rain problem

Akari: Not good enough reason.

Aoi: Get home safe.

Such an innocent text.

Yet Kuro felt guilty somehow.

That was irrational.

Maybe.

After several minutes of silence.

Too much.

Kuro heard a loud noise from the hall.

"Oww."

Mina’s voice.

Kuro blinked.

"Are you okay?"

"Nope."

Not at all.

Kuro instinctively turned towards the hall.

Bad call.

As soon as Mina opened her bedroom door

Kuro’s brain quit working for seconds.

Not for ecchi reasons.

Mostly not.

But for another reason Mina had completely changed.

No make-up. Hair not done. No sparkle.

Just a Big hoodie, loose shorts & blonde hair hanging down naturally.

That was the dangerous part about Mina.

She looked so.

Cute not like school Mina.So natural .So at home.So real.

Mina stood still too after seeing Kuro’s expression.

Awkward silence.

After a moment she flushed with embarrassment.

"What are you looking at?"

His brain had crashed and rebooted in clip art mode.

"I see something... new on you."

Nice response.

Truly a general level of communication.

She picked up a nearby pillow and threw it at this face.

"Don’t say it like that!"

He barely caught it.

"Violent."

"You are not meant to be seeing the version of me."

"What version of you?"

"This? "

Dramatic gesture toward herself while being more freaked.

L

"Home version of me."

Kuro blinked.

"You look normal."

Total fail.

Mina stared at him, noyt saying anything.

She then pointed to him like she was feloniously mad.

"See, that, and that, and that casual straightforwardness, is dangerous."

"I literally just answered the question."

"Exactly!"

Right after, her head was buried in her big hooded sweater.

"I hate this."

Kuro looked baffled.

"Why?"

Mina plucked her head up weakly.

"Because homeschool Mina is cool, confident, and super hot."

"You are."

"Stop saying things like that! So." "Direct."

Kuro blinked.

"You’re acting weird."

Mina instantly pointed at him like she was guilty.

"You made me feel that way."

"How?"

"You looked at me like I was so cute."

The air was quiet.

Kuro was rigidly frozen.

Because he really was.

Mina, no makeup, wasn’t fair so cute, and the big hooded sweater only made it more emotionally hazardous.

He immediately looked away.

"You still have an annoying personality."

Mina gasped so dramatically.

The moment was filled with joy when she smirked slightly for the second time.

"Still..."

Her voice had become softer: "You really don’t think I look weird?"

Kuro once again looked toward her, noticing the relaxed hair at the same time he noticed the nervous expression typically disguised behind a lighthearted tease.

He answered her truthfully.

"No."

There was silence for a moment before Mina sat down beside him on the couch, close together so their shoulders nearly touched.

She was not teasing him; simply quiet.

The rain falling outside created soothing music in the apartment, and the lights from the city reflected off many windows surrounding them.

In this moment, Kuro realized that up until now he had only been aware of the loud gyaru that everyone saw at their school, and that this much quieter version of Mina Fujikawa probably represented her true self underneath everything else.

Then, very quietly and almost shyly, Mina whispered:

"Don’t get used to this side of me, okay?"

Kuro looked at Mina silently.

Mina returned the look with a short, weak smile.

It seemed much smaller than usual:

"Only special guests will see this version of me."

For some unknown reason, those six words caused Kuro’s heart to feel a warmness he had never felt before.