Chapter 113

Gakupo.

"You were so amazing!" Luka hugged me tightly as we walked out of the school and towards my car.

"I'm not even singing," I smiled, "The kids are the amazing ones."

"But the way you play the instruments a-and the synthesizer...," she took my hand and beamed. My heart would explode if she got any cuter.

"Thanks," I answered. We stopped by her car and she unlocked the door.

"So I guess you're going home now," she whispered. I nodded, my hands in my pockets.

"We've both got work to do," I said. She nodded.

"Right, I've got to mark today's quizzes...," she looked up at me and slowly tucked a strand of my hair behind one ear. She seemed spellbound, entranced by me. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel the same way.

"It was fun yesterday, wasn't it?" I asked. She nodded.

"I want to spend more time with you," her words were so simple and blunt that they made me fall even more in love with her. I wanted to pick her up and spin her around and around, to hear her laugh.

Instead, I settled for a simple kiss on her cheek. It was just as simple and innocent as her words.

"So do I," I whispered, smiling at the girl. She was blushing, glancing down at her car.

"Soon, then?" She asked. I nodded.

"Soon," I said, "See you, Luka."

"Right...Gakupo," she nodded and got into the vehicle. I closed the door and watched as she drove away.

I had seen her drive off so many times for so many months before this, and every time, her appearance made my heart race. Now, she was driving away again, and while she still made me feverish, it was different. She liked me, she liked me a lot, and I still loved her.

Haku.

The day ended so quickly, I thought to myself as I walked out of school. I was really very happy that I got to keep my job. Obviously, Dell didn't need to offer the money or the 'free dinner;' I would've stayed anyway. I just didn't want to make him happy, because he put Oliver, the other students, and me through so much trouble.

I had already sent the money to my brother, along with an email that explained that I wasn't losing my job, after all. He was happy. I was happy. And judging by Oliver's reaction this morning, he was happy. When the rest of the class trickled in, one by one, they were surprised. I got a big 'hooray, you get to stay' and then we started the lesson.

"Haku!" A voice from behind pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Principal Dell running after me, silver hair bobbing up and down.

"Yes?" I frowned. He stopped in front of me, out of breath.

"L-Look, I know you're not going to use that...that post-it I gave you yesterday, so...," he couldn't look me straight in the eye as he spoke. It was very unprofessional, but then, so was giving me a secret bonus and a free dinner.

"So...?" I tugged at the straps of my bag, thinking back to what Luka had said during lunch. That probably wasn't why he was here. He probably just wanted the free dinner back, because he had a busy schedule or something.

"So please have dinner with me tonight!" He burst out. I gaped at him, taking a step back, making sure that I wasn't going to fall this time. Dell's face was redder than a strawberry.

"Actually...," I began. He finally looked me in the eye. Maybe he thought I was going to turn his offer down. Well, technically, I was, "I can't do that."

His expression changed immediately. He looked distressed and disappointed, and still very tired. "W-Well, if..."

"See, I can't take you up on that because...I was actually planning on redeeming that 'free dinner' offer," I smirked. His eyes widened and he smiled. He actually looked kind of cute, as weird as it seemed. This guy was going to fire me and then he let me keep my job. Now he was asking me out to dinner. Are all principals this strange?

"You scared me!" He chuckled. I nodded.

"How does eight sound?" I smiled meekly. He nodded furiously.

"As long as it's 'yes,' anytime's fine!" He said. I laughed. We decided to meet up at the school at eight.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Maybe next time," I said.

That got him even more excited.

Kaito.

We got off and Miku's place and the two Jeremys unloaded the stuff into the house. They put the ice creams in the freezer and the sauces, toppings, cookies and other such things in the kitchen. Miku and I headed upstairs and changed into fresh clothes.

"Here," she handed a dark blue t-shirt and black pants to me, "It'll look cute on you."

I nodded and took the clothes. They were from the ones that Miku had asked Jeremy the Second to buy for me.

I opened Miku's closet and rummaged through a few things, finally pulling out a long blue shirt and loose short pants.

"Here," I smiled, giving them to her, "They look cute and comfy!"

She giggled and nodded. I closed the closet and we both turned so that our backs were facing each other. Then, we swiftly changed. After changing my pants, I pulled the shirt on and waited for Miku, still facing the other way.

"I'm done!" She said after a few seconds, "You done?"

"I'm done," I replied. We both turned and grinned. The thing I loved about this was how much we trusted each other, that we wouldn't turn and peek. It made me feel like I had Miku's trust more than any other person would, and while it sounds like something I ought to know, on account of having known her since we were both kids, it still meant a lot more when it happened.

"See, I told you!" She poked me in the stomach and for a second I thought I was actually getting fat, "You look perfect!"

"And you look adorable!" I laughed, "As usual!"

"Exactly!" She smiled, "Tell me something I don't know, Kaito!"

I frowned. "Really?"

"Of course not!" She swatted my arm and pulled me out of the room, "Come on! Jeremy made pasta!"

I smiled wistfully, the pasta making me think back to when we were younger. Miku and I sat down in the dining room beside each other, and Jeremy the Second walked in soon after with plates and forks for both of us.

"Leek pasta," Miku smiled, prodding a piece of leek with her fork. I grinned and took a bite.

"Remember, Miku?" I began. She chewed and looked at me.

"What?"

"When we were younger, I used to come over to your home for food and stuff," I swallowed my bite. Jeremy walked in with glasses and a jug of water.

"Yeah," Miku nodded, "And you'd just knock and knock on the door every day till I finally let you in!"

"There was a snowstorm one of those days!"

"Yeah, it was Saturday and you had forgotten your coat at school the day before!"

"I was freezing!" I exclaimed. She laughed warmly.

"And when I finally opened the door, you looked like a snowman!"

"I did?"

"You did! And then we had to toss you into the bathtub and turn on the hot water!"

"Oh, now I remember! It was scalding hot! Wait, remember how we had a sleepover a few days after?"

She nodded quickly. "You were scared of the stories I was telling. There's no such thing as ghosts, I kept telling you!"

"Yeah, but when I fell asleep, you pulled a sheet over yourself and scared the life out of me!"

Miku laughed, nearly choking on her bite. "I shouldn't have done that, because you got so scared that you wet the bed!"

"Hey, I wouldn't do that again!"

"I know, I know...," she smirked. We were hardly eating our food, but really, it was the food that brought back so many memories.

"Remember how I'd come to your home for dinner sometimes, and there'd always be at least one thing involving leeks?" I asked and Miku nodded, "That's what this pasta reminds me of."

"We always finished off with ice cream for dessert, too, remember?" She pointed out, "Just like today...but it's so different."

"We were friends back then," I said softly, "And...we're still friends, Miku."

She met my eyes and nodded, leaning towards me. "Kaito, I swear...I never thought I'd be happier with you now than I was before, but it's true. I thought it could never be better than having such a great friend, but...you proved me wrong."

"I can't believe we've come so far," I whispered, "Hard to believe there was once a day when we fought over our toy rattles..."

"If you remember, I always won," Miku crossed her arms and offered a wry smile, "And we used to play on the swings and in the sandbox..."

"You scraped your knee, remember?" I tapped Miku's nose gently, "I ran to get your mom."

Miku beamed. "You were crying more than I was!"

We continued to talk and laugh, and the pasta had gotten cold, but we ate it anyway. Once we were done, Jeremy brought the ice cream supplies into the dining room and set it out on the table, along with bowls and spoons.

I always loved being with Miku, but at that moment, making a huge ice cream while talking and having fun with her, thinking back to our childhood...it couldn't get any better than that, or so I thought.