The coffee machine's noise had interrupted the awkward silence in the kitchen.
This morning, Masaru was once again in a bad mood. I now know that his mood depends on his appetite for getting a girlfriend. He stood right next to us, leaning the front of his body against the wall.
Name: Akashi Masaru
Attributes: is a monkey
Current relationship status: single, in love.
…
"So, how is everything going on with your love?"
After some time, I decided to ask him. Maybe he'll get excited again talking about her. Anyway, I just couldn't look at him in this state.
"All's bad…" — he responded, not even trying to move his face from the wall.
"How bad is all's bad?" — Furuya suddenly got interested. He even half-turned his face to us.
"It's… complicated…"
It wouldn't be that complicated if you'd explain to us everything like a normal human!
Suddenly, someone's face appeared in my mind.
Eh… never mind, Saru, I forgot something important. The thing we are talking to is simply not that easy itself, indeed.
peep-peep-peep
The coffee was ready. Ogawa took the cup and now fully turned back to Masaru
"You haven't confessed yet, right?"
"… No, I had not…"
It's been a month already, but I can't blame him for that. Love is not a race, you need your time to gain confidence – I nodded internally
Ogawa took a sip — "didn't know Masaru was a coward."
"H-hey! It's not like that. S-say, senior Kazuya."
cough, cough
"Saru is right. It has nothing to do with cowardliness."
Both of them looked astonished at me, probably because no one would think I'd support Masaru. Well, they had the point. If someone had told me before that once, I would have done so…
Ogawa stared at his coffee for a while. Suddenly, his face became clearer, letting us know that the Four-glasses reached some conclusions. He looked straight at me:
"So, Fukuhara is also in love with someone?"
Did your cup tell you this? What are you? A coffee-fortune-teller?! Or are you really skilled in telepathy?!
I felt how my face slightly turned red and looked away.
"He~?! Is it the truth, senior? Who is it?"
However, Masaru's face also became brighter. He turned to us, also looking straight at my face.
I intended to ignore them both, but after a few moments, Akashi crossed his arms and assumed:
"The only woman we saw was that gorilla technician, can it be her?"
Masaru, who are you to talk about gorillas?! The Redhead does not even look like a gorilla!
I raised my hand — "No, it's definitely not her."
"Ha! But there is indeed one, then? Who is she? Come on, senior, you can trust us!"
The Monkey tried to do his best, definitely. He looked at me with such a knowing smile, as if we were already in the same boat.
"She… she also works at the recruiting center…"
"What does she look like, what's her name? Is she beautiful? Is she cute? What does she…"
"I won't say anything else." — I stopped a cascade of questions raining down on me.
Sorry, Saru, it's for your safety. If after I described you Tachibana, you would say something like "huh, you fell in love with her too?" — you'll stop breathing right now, right here. The Angel asked me not to do anything criminal, didn't she?
sip
Masaru turned his head and saw Ogawa peacefully sipping his coffee — "Is it good?" — he asked him.
"Yes"
"I thought so, definitely not like my life."
***
After our short love conversation, we came back to our workplace. Nothing unusual today again. That arrogant and selfish bastard, Ruo hasn't shown up yet. I guess he only knows how to act and talk big, nothing more.
**
Although, one unusual thing really did happen today… our trio went to the cafeteria during the lunch break. Ogawa was still lazy and sometimes refused to come with us. This time Masaru convinced him because there was a coffee pudding as a dessert on the menu. All of us took the first menu, katsudon with salad and white miso soup. Simple, but delicious.
It was the moment, when out of the blue, Masaru became anxious and started to tremble.
"What's wrong?" — I asked him, trying to understand what in the world was happening to him.
"Sh-she i-is there" — Masaru responded and shook his head to the right side of him.
I looked in that direction and saw Tachibana. My inner self started to burn in rage. Ideally, I'd slap this monkey's head with my serving board! Akashi Masaru, you are not… You are the… Ghaaar…
Calm down, Fukuhara Kazuya! Violence is not a solution! It's only natural that her divine beauty seduced him! It's not his fault, it's her beauty's fault!
However, if you, you circus monkey, try to steal my angel, you'll face a demon worse than Yamazaki!
Feeling like both parts of my soul started a bloodbath somewhere inside me, I completely cut off any attention to the outer world.
"Kazuya…"
I turned my head to the left and answered Ogawa — "What?"
It scared the hell out of him. Probably my face resembled enough anger and rage of my soul to look like a demon at this exact moment. I urgently had to calm down.
"Did you want something?"
"Y-yes… Are you going to eat your pudding?"
Ah, the pudding…
"No, you can have it."
I reached the pudding to Furuya, and he nodded in gratitude. I felt how Masaru was pulling me by my shirt.
"S-senior. I decided. I'll invite her to a date."
Anger and rage took control over me again.
"Do it" — I said with a cold voice.
But Masaru had no confidence.
One minute had passed, 5, 10, 20… It was time to go back to work. We stood up, took our boards and walked to put it back. And now, we were about to exit the cafeteria, but it seems fate is joking with us.
We found Tachibana right in front of us. I looked into her beautiful eyes and greeted her with a short bow. She greeted me with a bow back as well. Even her elegance is beautiful. Ah! The Angel! The only joy I have in this life!
"H-hi!" — Masaru greeted her with a trembled voice, but got no response back.
"I-I would like to in-invite you…"
Don't do it. Stop.
"…"
Few… I may be evil, but I'm glad he's that anxious. Good, stay like this.
"I-I have thought… We work in the same company… but don't know each other… we may work in different departments, but should know each other a bit better. So… let's all go and hang out after work…what do you think, Ms. Fujiwara…?"
Fujiwara? Who's that?
"That's a great idea" – said Tachibana excited and turned to the side – "Fujiwara also agrees with me, right, Fujiwara?"
Ugh? I slowly moved my head, trying to catch where both of them were looking at. The next moment, I felt like I saw the ghost. All this time, there was someone else with us?
The woman… Fujiwara, she looked at Tachibana and sighed.
She had a gray bob hairstyle, but wasn't old, indeed. Maybe, just for some reason, she decided that this gray color with blue notes will suit her. Instead, it only made her look like a ghost more naturally. Her pale skin also seemed too white. Fujiwara had some natural beauty. However, her appearance rather created an image of a statue, than a living being. With a white blouse with strokes and black pants, Fujiwara could create some kind of mystic atmosphere while talking to the candidate. Especially because her face was completely emotionless.
I didn't notice her because my focus was solely on The Angel… That means I was wrong? Masaru is interested in a different woman? Sorry… I was not rightfully mad at you.
Fujiwara made a silent small nod.
"See, she agrees!" — said Tachibana
I don't think she does, though…
Tachibana looked at us three, thought about something and clapped her hands – "then, can I invite someone from a different department as well?"
Saru looked at her, like she gave him a branch of hope.
"Yes-yes! Of course! The more, the merrier! We a-are the same company, aren't we?" — he nodded.
Tachibana smiled and looked at me.
"What do you think?"
I was still astonished by the fact that I had been cursing Akashi with no sole reason for that. I also simply nodded. Anyway, what could have gone wrong?
We agreed to meet after work, in that pastry shop again. Although Ogawa refused to come first, he changed his mind when we decided on the place we'd meet. He liked the coffee parfait there. Would it be possible to catch him into wolf pit with a cup of coffee, huh? I need to try something once.
***
The three of us came earlier than planned and asked for a table for six persons. Tachibana and Fujiwara were right on time. The sight of the last guest sent me shivering. It was the technician who scolded me back then.
"He~?!" — we both looked at each other with confusion. That wasn't the meeting I wanted to encounter any time soon. She also wasn't in big favor of it.
"Hello once again, Mr. Fukuhara" — Tachibana greeted me, stepping forward.
"Hi, Tachibana, please, I had asked you to call me by my first name."
The angel laughed and asked for forgiveness — "then, I wish Kazuya to call me by my first name too! Call me Kasumi."
Ah, Kasumi, Kasumi, what a wonderful name. The way she smells makes me feel drunk.
"Hm? Senior, you know each other?" — Saru was probably astonished by the fact I can be friendly with someone. Ogawa instead, thought for a bit and was about to say — "So, Kazuya lo–" — I sent him the deadliest of all my possible killing looks. He adjusted his glasses.
cough
"Though, Kazuya loves to keep everything about himself in secret, it is still unbelievable that he can make friends."
"…"
On the one hand, he definitely understood my intentions and changed the topic immediately. On the other hand, it was unbelievable that Furuya had so little conscience to say this about someone else.
"Didn't I?" — I sent him another killing look.
"Yes, senior, undoubtedly".
I'll let it slide once, but don't wait for mercy the next time.
Tachibana's face became a little sad.
"Was there something wrong with that?"
I want to fall through the ground. I want to immediately run away. That was the trap I built for myself with my hands…
"N-nothing! I possibly just forgot to tell them!"
Suddenly, someone's voice appeared from nowhere.
"It was too funny."
Fujiwara wasn't even looking at us. However, she suddenly commented on my last phrase. I did not understand the meaning of it, but Tachibana nodded with a nervous smile.
"W-well, maybe… perhaps Kazuya was right."
"Was right? Right about what?" — Saru astonishingly looked at us. However, nobody was going to answer him.
Tamayo kept silent. Despite it, I could feel her looking at my back. Menacingly.
We sat down and Tachibana started to introduce her friends to us:
"This is Fujiwara Yukiko and Ishida Tamayo, please, don't mind them, they are shy."
I don't know anything about Yukiko, but Tamayo is a dangerous weapon of mass destruction.
Fujiwara looked at her colleague with a slightly opened mouth. It doesn't seem like she agreed with you, Tachibana…
Shy… I didn't believe a word Tachibana said. It seemed that Fujiwara couldn't even feel an emotion like joy. Or any emotion at all. And even if she could, that emotionless face wouldn't convey it.
"Yo" — said Ishida, in a manner that suits her appearance. She energetically raised her hand.
"Nice to meet you both, my name is Fukuhara Kazuya" – I thought since Tachibana and I know each other, it was upon us to introduce our friends. I pointed my hand to the right and started – "this here is Ogawa Furuya, he is a coffee maniac, so if you want to speak with him, better take coffee as a bribe. To the left of me is Akashi Masaru, but you can call him monkey."
I felt how Masaru was pulling me by my shirt again, — "hold on, senior. Please don't humiliate me in front of her" — he whispered.
Furuya also pulled me by my shirt and whispered to me — "you pay for my parfait, or I tell her everything" — great, now he blackmails me.
What I got myself into…