"Amane-san!"
"Ahmed! Thank goodness it is you!"
"Yea, hehe!" He let a soft laughter of relief. "Am so happy!"
A smile of stimidity and confusion swept across Amane's face.
"Will we just be hanging our phones to the ears?"
"Ah! AHah! Yes, right! Am coming! Please wait!"
Ahmed took his bucket bag with enthusiasm, smiling ear to ear. like suddenly, did the fatigue twitch away from his body.
Face to face, Ahmed couldn't beat his shyness. Each time he wanted to lift up his head and look at her, it felt like a vigorous magnet was pulling his face down again.
Thus, Amane tilted her head and bowed down to meet his gaze.
"What is it, Ahmed?" Asked with a teasing tone.
"I... Uhm..." He grabbed his neck and quickly lifted his head. His blushing cheeks left Amane in atonement. "You look pretty today!"
"Really?!" Her eyes unconsciously trembled away to escape his gaze. She could feel her face heat up.
She cleared her throat.
"Do you mean I'm not pretty on ordinary days?"
"Not at all! I've always thought that Amane-san looks pretty even without makeup!"
"Is that so?"
"Yep! It's just now, I felt like your face regained its colours. When you smiled at me back then. It wasn't like your troubled face. Because sometimes, Amane-san looked troubled with something."
"Does it?" Asked Amane with her face starting to give up to the veils of sadness. "Yeah, maybe because I'm tired."
She forced a smile.
Without thinking, Ahmed bent his knees to meet her height and held her head with both hands. You could hear their clapping on her cheeks. Then, he responded with a puffy face:
"It is okay, Amane-san! Am with you! Whatever it is, you can tell me. Even if you need help with anything, call me! You are really hard working, but please don't overwork yourself."
Looking how his genuinely sparkling green eyes have captured hers, Amane felt that she was caught off guard.
A cold breeze pierced through her bones. Giving her the shiver. Like she just woke up from a daydream.
She shook her head, chasing away the silly thoughts. Trust? Help? What does she know about having faith in people and getting ease of mind?!
It took her a considerable moment to swallow the painful grief stabbing her throat whole.
<
She slided her palm to her mouth. A long sigh escaped her lips through her fingers.
Then she drew a blunt, cold smile on her face.
"So we met. Now, if you may excuse me, I need to go get a hold of my work."
As she took a step to depart, Ahmed rushed to take her arm. Terrified indeed.
"W, wait! Is it that am distracting you that much from your work? can't you take a little break?"
"Yes, you are. And no, I can't. I'm getting serious here. So if you may_"
"No, I may not!" Exclaimed Ahmed, depressed, in a completely low supposedly-yelling voice."
"How so?" Displeased.
"I, uh..." Ahmed swallowed his saliva, trying to find words. "...Made lunch. A... and rented a nearby ocean-view room for the next 5 hours. So please, if you don't mind_. No! Please accept my invitation! It won't take you 30 minutes. No, even not 20 minutes!"
Looking at His panicked face, Amane felt bad about what she said.
"Ahmed, it's... it's okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I just got haunted by some negative thoughts.
Ahmed relaxed his fist around her arm. He bent his head down. The clouds above revealed how much his face darkened in disappointment.
He stayed silent all along.
"I... I am sorry Ahmed, I can't go_"
~grown~
Her stomach gurgled, turning her face red in embarrassment.
"It's okay, Amane-san. I bet you were busy preparing yourself that you couldn't get to eat."
Speechless, Amane nodded hesitantly. cat was already out of the bag.
"I, I cooked a little meal. It may be simple, but I still want to share it with you."
"You cooked it yourself?"
"Yes!" Nodded. "So trust me! You'll like it!"
Hearing that, Amane felt even more burdened with guilt for rejecting his hard work trying to hold a pleasant meeting.
"Yes, please! Thanks for having me!"
Only then, Ahmed's face welcomed light again, reviving The Sparkle within his eyes anew.
"Yes! Then, please follow me to the jet!"
"What?!"
"Haha! Yeah, don't worry! It's over here, just~ in near!"
Ahmed grinned loud yet joyfully. Letting finally escape a cheerful giggle on Amane's face, brightening it whole.
*****
"That was hell of 2 hours! I feel my back going numb!"
"Nah! That's cuz you're as old as a mammoth!"
"Wow, so grateful!"
Usui grinned happily. "Haha! Nah, really! I learned a lot. For now, I guess I can survive the next exam. It didn't even feel like 2 hours. Time passes quickly."
"Thanks to your nerdy side."
"Hey! Am not a nerd. I'm just smart!"
"Well, I won't deny that, your kind of quick-witted."
"Kind of?" Annoyed. "But still, I don't get the cursor thing so well. Is it like in importing files?"
"Ah! Kid, I'm exhausted. Give me another day, and I'll teach you more."
Aoi layed her body whole on the sofa, completely giving up to gravity. Her hand swinging on the side.
Usui stood up full of energy. He looked out, bending his head above Aoi's face, locking eyes with her.
He tilted his head a little like a happy ostrich.
"Oh my God!! You scared the shit out of me!!" Jumped Aoi startled.
"What are we doing now, old lady?"
"Just get . your face away . and roll back . to sleep!" Murmured Aoi through her grinding teeth, while hands on his cheeks pushing him away.
"Nah, it's 06:30. There is a lot more to do while I'm still young." Backed off.
"You're treating me like I'm putting my next step into my grave."
"If you say so!" Teased Usui, smirking as well.
"Yeah, think whatever you want, kid."
Aoi rolled on her side, facing Usui, who gave her the questioning stare.
"Rather than that, what about the money you asked me for?"
"Ah, that? I was going to buy a new suit for me to "shine" on the "journée costumée" tomorrow, but I'm too lazy for that." Raised his arms to visualize the majestic gesture.
"What kind of shit is that?"
"I know you're so old-fashioned. And I really sympathize with you. Well, It's partially a day off, depending on the professors. But practically, we'll be honouring our favourite teachers. Then chatting and having fun showing off until a little after, I guess at 11:00. we'll attend the "ball" prepared by the school. we'll be served lunch, and then the queen and the king of the Journée will be announced at the end of all the performances that students have prepared."
"What king?"
"I mean the most breathtaking of us all. I've been announced King the previous year, Tachibana was the queen."
"Woah~, so exciting." Yelled Aoi in a lazy sarcastic tone.
"You know nothing. It's actually fun!"
"Fun my foot. Anyways, if that's the case I think it's a good idea to buy a new suit."
"Nah! Am fine, really."
"No, really. I can go with you if you want!"
Usui bowed his head down like troubled with kind of thoughts.
Then he crossed his arms and hooked his eyes to the window.
"Actually, I don't find it fine to just spend your hard earned money on something so trivial and useless. You work your ass out to get it. Yet I'll be buying an expensive shit of a suit. I don't want that."
Taken in atonement, Aoi raised one eyebrow, darted her eyes in confusion, turning her head left and right as if searching from where she heard the voice, showing in sarcasm her denial.
"Are you serious right now? Kid, am I hallucinating?"
"What? Am genuinely telling you that I don't need it, the suit." Annoyed.
"Whoa, and I thought you were the rich jerk pig type. I have to deal with a lot of my prejudice concerning you!"
"Take your time." Rolled his eyes.
Aoi showed a relaxing smirk, closing her eyes in satisfaction, while, laying her head back to the pillow.
"Listen, kid. That's good of you and all. But I'm not broke. I mean, you know, my job pays hell a lot of money, as you can see. Otherwise you won't be leaving in this house. So it's fine, I got you. You just ask."
"You're paying rental of this house?"
"Yes, though your father suggested an extraordinary discount if I accept this house. Turned out they were forcing us to sleep on the same bed."
"Haha!" Laughed Usui while clapping his hands. "I see you got scammed. Regardless, if it's a good discount, I am fine with the sleeping in the living room."
"Yeah. We'll fix that one, so bear with it for now." "Nah, I am fine, don't worry. But you still got your car, how come they confiscated mine?"
"I bought that one on my own. Thus, they can't take it from me."
"Woah, you're tough."
"Tough my ass."
As they were speaking, a piercing loud ringing cut their chat.
"Old lady, won't you change that ringtone? My ears are bleeding!"
"I'll see about that."
She then took the phone to see who was calling her. She stood up hurriedly. Her expression Darkened.
"It's father."