I felt a jolt of surprise and my breath caught in my throat.
I've been found out!
If Kota-san knew how often Kurosawa-san came over, or that we had gotten closer over the past few weeks, I would never hear the end of it. Therefore, I had to try on a new profession: acting.
"Don't speak nonsense. Why would I wait for him? Today is not a meeting day with my editor." I tried to keep my voice steady and my expression calm. Yes, very natural indeed.
"Hmm, alright. If you say so." Kota-san eventually decided to be merciful and spare me. He turned towards the bag and fished out a box of cookies. "I received these from a client on my way here. Let's eat them!" he said excitedly.
"You know I don't like sweets." I decided to burst his bubble. Though the cookies looked delicious, I never had a sweet tooth.
"But I like them." He ignored me and shoved an entire cookie in his mouth. After he finally swallowed it, Kota-san glanced around and asked pointedly. "Where is Fukuharu? I don't see him around."
"He knew you were coming so he hid himself." I lied without batting an eye.
"How cold! Both cat and owner are so mean to me. Why is that?"
"Because we dislike you profoundly." I decided to continue to pour cold water over his head.
"Tsk, and here I am calling you friend."
"No one asked you for that."
During our banter, Kota-san had advanced towards the living room. He took a seat at the table, continuing to munch on his cookies.
"Want some tea with those?" I asked, heading towards the kitchen.
"Ooh, first you allowed me entry in your sanctuary, now you are offering me tea. I feel like I am being spoiled by you today. Thank you Keita-chan~~~!"
"Haven't I told you to stop with that creepy tone?" I grumbled.
When we both had a teacup in hand, we settled down on the sofa.
"So, what's the purpose of your visit? Wasn't there a meeting at the company today?" I asked, taking a small sip of tea.
"Oh, how do you know about that?" Kota-san asked, this time without any of his former playfulness.
"Kurosawa-san called me last night and told me about it." I replied calmly.
"As I thought. You two have gotten quite close." Kota-san smiled, a tiny spark of amusement flashing in his eyes. It made even his glasses glitter. "I am glad to know that. He is a good kid."
"Stop talking like you're an old man." I paused, then glanced at him from above the cup. "How come you left so early? Wasn't the meeting supposed to continue until the evening?"
"I skipped it." Kota-san grinned. "I asked my assistant to go and take notes. If anything happens, they can call me."
"It sure is good to be the president's second son." I retorted, scrunching up my face.
Ah, yes. I forgot to mention that this guy sitting on my sofa, eating cookies like a preschooler is Suzumori Publishing president's second son. He might have gotten his job easier than others, but it was undeniable that he was very good at it.
Being smart, handsome and charismatic, also made his way up the chain smooth. His father was satisfied with his progress inside the company, and even the older directors approved of his results. Therefore, him skipping on a meeting with the entire editorial department came across as a surprise.
"You're staring at me with that lofty look of yours. I am sure you are thinking how irresponsible of me to be skipping such an important meeting, right?" Kota-san hummed.
"Right on the spot! Don't tell me you are beginning to hear people's thoughts as well." I gasped sarcastically and feigned shock.
"No, I think I will leave that troublesome ability to you. Hearing what my former girlfriends think of me… now that is a scary thought." Kota-san said, wolfing down another cookie.
I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh. That was indeed the Kota-san I knew.
From the first moment I brought myself to tell him about this ability of mine, he had never once stopped teasing me about it. But the way he did it was always able to make me feel better, like it didn't really matter. He made me feel confident that regardless of what strange powers I might have, I am still myself.
No one else had ever done that for me. Well, at least not until recently. Now there was one more person whom I confessed this dark secret to and he accepted it. Kurosawa-san was slowly beginning to be another special being in my life after Fukuharu and Kota-san. And yes, the cat comes first.
"So, Kota-san, you decided to skip work and come over to kill time?" I asked after several minutes.
"I only said I skipped the meeting, not that I didn't go to work." Kota-san retorted, placing the cup down on the table. "I went to have a meeting with the representative of the company who is going to finance the upcoming movie."
I was stunned for a moment. I had almost forgotten that a movie was about to be made based on one of my books.
"Is that so? And, how did it go?"
"It went rather well. They were open to discuss the details about the copyrights and we agreed on almost everything. If one of their last requests is granted, then we can set a date next week to sign the contract."
I nodded in approval. If things were moving so quickly then it must mean that the terms and conditions were agreed upon by both parties. Since I trusted Kota-san, I didn't want to ask any further.
"That's good. Seems like they are a serious company." I could only say.
"Yes, they are. But there is something more I need to tell you." Kota-san said, leaning forward with a serious expression on his face.
"Oh? What is it?" I asked in bemusement.
"They asked for you to take part in the early stages of the planning." Kota-san replied bluntly, without beating around the bush.
"Eeeh?! What does that even mean?" I asked, being even more confused.
What early stages? What do I have to do with anything the company that finances the movie decides?