2006, January

Inoue Mao was currently at a cafe' with her friend, Yamada Yu. Mao and Yu became friends after they both became a guest at a show in 2003 and after Yu had admitted to being a huge fan of Mao in Kids War Zaken Na Yo, they exchanged contact numbers and quickly became close friends. As years of their friendship passed and after she started doing Hana Yori Dango, Mao wanted to play Cupid with Yu and Oguri Shun, seeing that they would make a lovely couple based on their personalities and physical appearance, but she thought that that would have to wait, given that Yu seems like she'd rather spend her days working and hanging out with her friends rather than get herself a boyfriend.

Mao's phone suddenly chimed, signaling that she received a message. She flipped her phone open to see that she got a message from Matsumoto Jun. 

What's Up?

She started typing in a reply before pausing and deciding against it. She shut her phone close and placed it inside her bag, shaking her head. 

"What's wrong?" Yu asked, seeing that Mao looked a little off after looking at her phone.

"Nothing. I just got a text from Matsumoto-san." 

"Matsumoto-san? Matsumoto Jun-san? ARASHI? Domyoji Tsukasa?!" Yu exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes." Mao laughed, seeing how Yu's eyes enlarged at the mention of Jun. 

"He sent you a message? Are you guys together?? Are the rumours true?!" Yu interrogated.

"No! We're just friends." Mao said, putting up her hands a little trying to calm down her friend who was obviously over excited. 

"Did you reply? Seems like you didn't." Yu said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, he just said What's Up? how am I supposed to reply to that?" Mao said.

"Um...by saying what you're currently doing?" Yu said, making a face that screamed Obviously, Mao!

"I'm weird with small talks, you know that." Mao frowned. 

"Everything starts will small talks." Yu said as she took a bite of her cake. "Why aren't you replying to him, really?" 

Mao shrugged. "I think we're a little weird." 

"Weird? Weird how?" Yu asked.

"Well, you know how we became friends over the course of the drama shooting and I felt like I did become close to him along with the other guys but with Jun it just seems different." 

"Different how?" Yu pressed on. 

"Well, with the other guys at the shoot, like with Shota, Shun and Tsuyoshi we're close as well but we have this understanding that we're all really just close friends. But with Jun it seems that line is a little blurred. He somewhat sneaks in little flirtatious comments and actions when we're together and sometimes I respond to that too, but I'm not sure what that really meant for him. I just find myself a little confused." Mao said, a little embarassed with the last part of her rant. 

"You like him." Yu stated, as if she was just saying something as simple as the coffee she was having was good.

"WHAT?!" Mao exclaimed, standing abruptly in the process. After realizing what she had done, Mao looked around to see everyone staring at them. Mao and Yu have been coming to this specific cafe' for years so the staff and some of the other cafe' regulars were used to seeing one of Japan's top model, and one of the Japan's highly sought actress hanging out there, but Mao and Yu always kept to themselves as to not attract any more unwanted attention, but this time, with Mao's sudden burst of action everyone's eyes were glued to them. Mao shyly said her apologies to everyone, accompanied with a bow before slowly returning to her seat, face flushed in embarrassment.

"What the heck are you talking about? I don't like him." Mao whispered to Yu. Yu was just drinking her coffee and eating her cake as if she didn't just shook Mao with her previous words. 

"Well, it doesn't take a genius to piece things together. You just said it yourself, you're confused with how Matsumoto-san acts around you and that you feel like the lines of friendship is blurred between the two of you." Yu said, as a matter of factly. "I'm willing to bet my life's savings that he likes you too." 

"Stop it, that's not true. Sure, I am a little confused but that doesn't mean anything. And why did you even think he likes me? That's so far-reaching, Yu." Mao argued. 

"I've guested with Matsumoto-san and other ARASHI members at tv shows, he's so detached when the cameras are not rolling. I mean, ofcourse he's polite and proper to everyone but anyone with eyes can see that he acts different around you than with everybody else. Everyobody else, meaning the other actresses and female celebrities he interacts with." Yu explained. 

"That's because we're friends. As I've said we became close friends during the drama shoot. Ofcourse he acts different when he's with friends compared to when he's with other people he only does a tv show guesting with." Mao rolled her eyes. 

"And circling back to what you said, your lines of friendship are blurred." Yu raised her eyebrows at her friend who was looking at her as if Yu had grown two more extra heads. 

"Anyway, going back to the original point of this conversation, go and text him a reply." Yu urged, seeing as Mao was not saying anything. 

Mao sighed. "He's probably busy. I don't want to bother him with my text."

"How would you know he's busy?" Yu smirked.

"He mentioned it when he greeted me Happy New Year. He said he has a schedule on January 18 at 5pm." Mao checked her watch and almost shoved her wrist to her friend. "And today is January 18, 4:45pm" 

Yu shrugged. "Whatever, you're just scared to talk to him because you know you're going to be more confused about your feelings than you already are." 

"Shut up." Mao said, glaring at her friend. 

"When are you seeing him again, anyways?" Yu inquired. 

"I don't know. The read-through for Hana Yori Dango Returns is scheduled for March." Mao answered.

"You know, you can invite him to your late birthday party celebration next week." Yu suggested.

"I'm not inviting him. And it's not an actual birthday party, I'm basically just going to go out and hang out with friends. It's not even anything big" Mao said.

"Why are you not inviting Matsumoto-san?" Yu asked.

Mao looked annoyed before answering. "He didn't greet me on my actual birthday so I don't see the point in inviting someone who doesn't even know when my birthday is. So much for being friends." 

"Aha! So that's the main reason you're not replying to him." Yu exclaimed, as if she just hit the jackpot. "You're sulking because he didn't greet you on your birthday!" 

"No! That's not it at all! I don't care if he didn't greet me last January 9. I'm not bothered by that at all!" Mao exclaimed.

"You are so full of contradictories, Mao." Yu rolled her eyes at her friend. 

"Whatever, I'm not inviting him, and besides it's kind of like a girls only night out." Mao said with finality.

Yu rolled her eyes at Mao once again, but decided to change the subject to something that doesn't agitate her friend. "Have you decided where you're going to celebrate?" 

"Yeah, I kind of want to go to WOMB." Mao said, sipping her coffee and feeling relief at the subject change.

"WOMB? As in the night club?" Yu asked. Mao nodded.

"Are you even allowed inside?" Yu snickered. Mao turned 19 this year, but seeing as she plays the role of 16 year old high school girls she really wonders if the bouncers at WOMB will let Mao enter the club. 

 "Hey! I'm 19* now. I'm officially allowed to party and drink." Mao grinned. 

"Ah, youth." Yu sighed jokingly.

"You're only 22, you're not that old." Mao said to her.

"You say that now, and then one day, we won't notice it but the years have passed in a blur and we're all getting wrinkles." Yu said.

"You're so dramatic." Mao laughed.

"Who else will be there?" Yu asked.

"You, Me, Megumi and Aki. Just us four. You know I don't have a lot of very close female friends that's involved in this industry. " Mao was pertaining to Sato Megumi, the actress who played Sanjo Sakurako and Nishihara Aki, who played Matsuoka Yuki, both of whom she became very close friends with when they did Hana Yori Dango. Yu had also become very close with Megumi and Aki since Mao was always with Yu whenever she hung out with the other two girls. The 4 of them had grown very close over time. 

"Yey! So WOMB it is on the 28th?" Yu asked, confirming her friend's late birthday plans. 

"Yes!" Mao exclaimed excitedly. "I can't wait to spend time with you guys, and also finally drink out in the open."

The two girls laughed. 

 

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Chapter 3! Enjoy!

*I know Japan's legal drinking age is 20 years old, but for the sake of this story, I made it 19 years old. 

Thank you for reading!

-W