During the weekend, while Kotori was lazing around at home and watching tv, she got a frantic call from Kazuki.
He seemed to be worried about many different things to do with his new kitten, which he had named Tofu because it was white and resembled a lump of tofu. He said he was getting along well with Tofu, but he was worried since there were many things he had to buy for her. Things like a bowl for food and water, and a litter box, and some toys too.
Kotori eventually agreed to go shopping with him. Though she was looking forward to staying at home and being lazy, she eventually sighed and got up to get dressed before leaving to meet Kazuki at the mall.
When she arrived, Kazuki was standing by himself a little awkwardly as a group of young girls whispered and giggled about him a few feet away.
Kotori wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable he looked, but then he noticed her and ran over to her, seemingly glad to leave those giggling girls behind.
"You're quite popular, huh?" Kotori teased him.
Kazuki blushed a bit. "You've got your own fans too, you know."
He gestured somewhere over her shoulder, and Kotori turned around only to see a group of boys freeze upon noticing her gaze and then scatter quickly.
Kotori laughed.
They went to a couple different pet stores, talking with the employees there to determine what kind of things they needed to buy for a kitten, and how to make sure to keep it clean and healthy. By the end of the day Kazuki was carrying around a big litter box, as well as two bags of cat food and two food bowls in his arms. Kotori herself was carrying a bunch of different cat toys. Kazuki intended to spoil Tofu, it seemed.
They were on their way to the foodcourt to get some lunch when Kotori noticed Mari standing by herself. She then turned her head this way and that to see if maybe she could find whoever Mari was waiting for and- there! It was Sosuke, walking towards her.
"What are you looking at?" Kazuki asked.
Kotori shushed him and dragged them both closer, making sure to hide them both behind a pillar. This way they could hear what Mari and Sosuke were talking about but not be seen by them.
"Hey! What-"
Kotori slapped a hand around Kazuki's mouth, glaring at him until he stopped making noises, and then she snuck her head around the corner of the pillar to try and catch what was happening.
Sosuke was about to walk right past Mari when something fell from Mari's bag. It seemed to be some sort of keychain. Kotori couldn't properly make it out from where she was standing.
Sosuke paused, looking at the keychain before bending down to pick it up and offering it to Mari.
"Excuse me? I think you dropped this."
Mari's eyes widened. "Oh! Thank you! I can't believe I almost lost this."
Kazuki looked to Kotori dubiously, wondering why she was spying on these two people, but her eyes were lit up strangely and Kazuki found himself strangely infected by her excitement.
Apparently the mascot on Mari's keychain was an old cartoon character that Sosuke recognised, and also seemed to like, as he then struck up a conversation with her about it. Mari said something about how the reason she liked that character was because it gave her strength when she had bad days, and a look passed over Sosuke's eyes, as if he understood exactly what she was talking about.
Kotori thought that Mari must've spoken the equivalent of a correct dialogue option, because Sosuke seemed more receptive to her suddenly.
They exchanged a few more words before Mari fumbled and dropped the keychain again. This time she bent down to pick it up at the same time as Sosuke, and somehow ended up accidentally grazing his left cheek with her lips.
Kazuki and Kotori shared an amused glance behind the pillar. Seeing something so cliche happen like that in real life felt a bit surreal.
Mari blushed a deep red and stuttered over her words before practically fleeing. Sosuke on the other hand, was left standing there, with his mouth parted open a bit in shock, and with Mari's keychain still in his hand.
What a scene.
Kotori started sniggering.
"Kotori?" Apparently Sosuke heard her. Oops. "Kotori, where are you hiding?"
Kotori and Kazuki emerged from behind the pillar. Sosuke glared at Kotori disapprovingly, but didn't seem to know what to think of Kazuki.
"Were you spying on me?" Sosuke asked.
"Um..."
Sosuke rolled his eyes. "You really haven't changed at all, have you?"
Kotori stuck her tongue out at him, which only seemed to prove his point. "At least I'm not the one flirting with a girl so blatantly out in public."
Kazuki snorted, and Sosuke glared at her again.
"I was not flirting!"
There was a light dusting of pink on Sosuke's cheeks though, which suggested quite the opposite.
Kotori smirked. "That was definitely flirting, my friend, but it's okay, I won't tell anyone."
While Kotori and Sosuke started to snark at each other, Kazuki watched them with a raised brow. From what he'd heard about Sosuke he was supposed to be the smart and serious type, an ideal student council president. But as he watched Sosuke and Kotori interact with each other, it seemed like Sosuke had a different side to him, one where he was more playful. Kazuki wondered what his fan club would think if they could see him now.
"What are you even doing here? Don't you usually just lounge around at home like the couch potato you are?"
Kotori lifted her arms, showing him the toys she had in them. "We were shopping for Tofu."
"Tofu?"
"My cat." Kazuki replied.
Sosuke looked at Kazuki properly for the first time since they came out from behind the pillar, and he seemed to assess him for a moment before he returned his eyes back to Kotori again.
Gentleman that he was, Sosuke ended up helping Kazuki carry some of the things he bought as all three of them walked to the parking lot. There was some strange tension between Sosuke and Kazuki that Kotori couldn't put her finger on, but whatever it was they still talked politely to each other, so she supposed it wasn't anything big.
Kotori and Sosuke sent Kazuki's car off with a wave. Then Kotori turned to Sosuke and grinned a little deviously.
Sosuke knew that look usually meant trouble, so he took a step back, a little wary of what she was planning.
Whatever he expected, it wasn't for Kotori to lean up onto her toes and press a quick kiss against his cheek. It was clear she was mimicking what Mari had done to him earlier in the afternoon, and was teasing him about it, but for one short moment, all Sosuke could think about was the softness of Kotori's lips on his skin, and the citrusy smell of her shampoo.
Kotori laughed at the open mouthed shock on his face for the second time that day, and said goodbye while skipping away, before he could start scolding her.
For once, however, Sosuke didn't feel like scolding her at all.