Chapter 50: Chapter 50 - Stay A Little Longer

Kuro Kurogane’s phone rang at 11 PM.

It wasn’t a text, it was a call.

It was an alarming call, in fact, because almost nobody calls him and for some reason, Mina Fujikawa never calls him directly.

He glanced down at his phone and saw that it was Mina.

With his heart racing, he picked up the phone and said, "Hello."

There was an incredibly long pause.

Then finally I heard,

"Hey Kuro-kun."

She sounded different.

Kuro sat straight up and said, "What’s wrong?"

Then another long pause where Kuro waited for a response.

Then Mina said "Could you come over?"

That was a very simple statement, but it sounded so lonely to Kuro that his heart started to hurt.

"Now?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, no teasing, no joke, just the truth.

"I will be right there," he said, even though he wasn’t really thinking at the moment.

Twenty minutes later, Kuro found himself in front of the Fujikawa apartment building again, breathing the cold night air.

There is no sound in the city at this late hour.

There are no lights on in any other apartments except one warm and small light on the top floor of Mina’s apartment building.

For some reason, that light made Kuro feel pain in his chest.

Just as Kuro was ready to knock on the door of Mina’s apartment, she opened the door before he could.

Mina was wearing an oversized hoodie, she was wearing shorts, she had messy hair, and she was wearing no makeup and had tired eyes.

This was not the Gyaru act he expected to see.

This was just Mina.

She stared at Kuro for several seconds without saying anything.

He stepped aside and supported himself against the wall.

"You actually did come," said Mina to Kuro. Kuro responded, "You called me, right?"

Mina softened after Kuro’s simple answer.

The apartment felt emptier tonight than it has ever before.

It also felt too quiet. Kuro quickly noticed the absence of his housemates all of whom were gone.

"Nobody’s home?"

Mina shook her head "Business trip.Party.Whatever."

She shrugged her shoulders weakly "Didn’t really care to listen."

Mina slowly walked toward the living room, hugging a pillow to herself.

She appeared a little smaller than normal. Kuro followed behind her quietly. Something felt emotionally thin tonight.

Mina dramatically flopped down on the couch which was a big change.

"I hate this house sometimes," she said to Kuro.

He sat close to her but without her close to him.

Then he asked quietly "Bad day?"

Mina lightly chuckled and said "Have you ever felt like everyone in your life has already determined how they want you to be?"

Kuro would look at her.

Mina would be looking up at the ceiling: "My mum wants a perfect daughter," she said.

"My dad wants a practical daughter," she said, "My brother wants an emotionally disconnected business plan for a robot," she finished.

As Kuro looked at her she slowly turned her head and said: "I don’t ever have to pretend around you."

Again, Kuro’s chest tightened.

That statement just sounded more intimate than any confession and yet.

The rain had begun to pick up again.

As silence settled naturally around them, the city’s lights beautifully reflected in the apartment’s windows.

Unlike the previous occasions, however, Mina did not fill the silence with noise as she sat next to him leisurely.

Then, out of nowhere, she said, "Kuro-kun."

Kuro said, "What?"

Mina slightly hesitated. That alone was unusual and dangerous.

Then she finally got the courage to ask, "What do you think about me?" His response to that question was a critical hit a direct one.

Kuro froze at that moment. The way Mina asked him this question sounded simple, but it wasn’t simple for Kuro anymore the nights of talking late into the night, the walks to and from the convenience store, the times when Kuro witnessed her cry, and lastly how Kuro viewed her true self before him.

As she sat there looking towards him, Kuro could see she was waiting for him to answer and she was seriously nervous. Then he heard something that frightened him.

Kuro no longer viewed Mina as "just fun." He would have never thought that before.

After taking a second, he answered honestly and cautiously, "You’re loud."

Without missing a beat, Mina response was, "How sweet of you.".

"You like to tease too much," Mina said.

"Wow!" He simply responded.

"But," Kuro turned to look at Mina directly and said, "you’re also kind. You can tell when someone is being left out."

Having said this, Kuro realize she makes people laugh and keeps her feelings hidden when she is hurting.

At this moment, as he spoke, Kuro knew every word he expressed would hit Mina much harder than any type of flirty comment. Kuro intended his honesty towards her to mean something.

Then Kuro concluded with, "You just make it easy for me to be around you."

Once the words were spoken, Mina was left feeling trembling.

This frightened her more than anything else.

But it also excited her more than anything else.

She wanted to be comfortable to him and natural with him. She wanted to be the kind of person that he would want to be next to without any pressure.

After a long pause, Mina looked down at her lap and made a quiet laugh, but it wasn’t a strong laugh.

"That’s not fair."

"What’s not fair?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"You say things that make people like you more."

Kuro blinked.

" I’m just being honest."

"That’s what’s dangerous."

Then, once again, they were both enveloped in silence.

Silence that used to bother Mina long before Kuro met her.

Several minutes later, Mina turned and shifted closer beside Kuro.

Not to tease or to seduce him, but just to be beside him.

Their shoulders touched, but neither moved.

Then, in a barely audible whisper, almost like she was scared, Mina said:

"I’m tired of pretending all the time."

Kuro turned and looked at her in silence.

Then Mina added, softly.

"At school, I’m fun Mina. At home, I’m useless Mina. With my family, I’m perfect Mina."

After finishing those observations, Mina looked directly into Kuro’s eyes.

"But with you? You just let me be me."

Kuro’s heart was hurting from hearing the sincerity in her voice and emotionally open heart.

Then all of the sudden he had a revelation.

Mina wasn’t looking for attention from him tonight.

" Will you remain next to me, even if I am not pretending anymore? "

Kuro sincerely answered.

"I prefer this version of you."

Mina looked at him like he had shattered something in her.

And then all at once she clutched his shirt tightly, burying her face into his chest.

Kuro stopped, in his tracks.

Hot breath. Tight hold. Rapid heartbeat.

"Mina?"

Her voice was small, soft.

"If I stop being the ’fun girl’"

She squeezed slightly tighter and inched her face closer to his heart.

"Will you visit me again?"

And at that very moment Kuro knew he already had an answer to that question.

Because despite all of the circumstances he had come out of his house tonight, without any reservations.

Because hearing her voice was a sound that he could not ignore.

Because seeing her smile brought him joy.

Because at some point in time, "Mina Fujikawa" became part of him.

Kuro placed his hand on her head, gently and sincerely answered "Yes."

After that, when Mina exhaled again, her breath was slowed.

For a few still moments Mina could only sigh against Kuro in silence.

And just as suddenly Mina smiled.

Mina spoke very quietly:

" That’s not good."

"Why not?"

"Because I’ve fallen for you, Kuro-kun, and I’m really very much in love with you."

Qualifying silence surrounded the two of them.

A gentle rain fell outside. The warmth of the light inside. The amplitude of their heartbeats was so close it caused them both to experience great pain.

Finally Kuro-Kun also realized how dangerous it was to be with Mina-chan .

It was almost going to become an addiction having her near him.