The rooftop breeze passed through strongly but Meisa enjoyed it nonetheless, everything was quiet now that Wits was closed for the night. She looked at her phone, a message from Maki informing her that her battery died and that she wouldn’t be coming home tonight She would’ve been worried if not for Maki telling her that everything was going to be alright. Footsteps from the stair case suddenly came before she could put her phone back into her pocket. It was Mirai.

“Oh, hi Meisa-nee.” The young woman said. She grabbed one more chair from the sides before placing it right beside Meisa then sitting down with a rather tired sigh.

“Oh, did Maki already inform you where she is?” Meisa questioned.

This got Mirai’s attention for she sat up straight, clearly worried. “Eh? Did she contact you already? Where is she? Has Tomo-nii already kept her hostage? It’s already 9:30!” The young woman’s mouth could be compared to a mad gun, firing bullets a minute.

“Calm down Mirai-chan.” Meisa smiled softly, patting Mirai’s back. “I have no idea if she is still with Tomohisa but she did tell me that she was alright and she wouldn’t be sleeping here tonight.”

“What!?” Mirai gasped. Meisa hoped they didn’t wake the neighbors up with all their yelling. “Where would she be sleeping?! She never does impromptu things like this!” Still grumbling, Mirai pushed herself up from the chair, agitated. Meisa on the other hand stayed calmly in her seat, bemusedly watching her friend’s younger sister.

“You’re so cute Mirai, worrying about your older sister.”

Still huffing, Mirai faced Meisa, arms crossed in-front of her chest. “It’s just that she didn’t say anything when she knows we always worry about each other…”

“I’m sure she’ll be alright, daijoubou.” Meisa assured, gesturing for Mirai to sit back once again.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

When Maki woke up, it was dark. She could feel someone breathing against the back of her neck and an arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Then she remembered what happened just a few hours ago. If there was more light in the room, one could see that she was blushing real hard. Apparently, the man beside her was also waking up. She turned slowly as Tomohisa reached and opened his bedside lamp and saw on the clock that it was 2 in the morning. There was a large smile in his face and she couldn’t help but smile back bashfully.

“My headache’s gone…” Tomohisa said. He moved closer before softly kissing Maki. The latter smiled against his lips but her smile slowly faltered. She remembered they still needed to talk about this. Sensing the air, Tomohisa sat up, leaning on the headboard, still facing Maki as he held her hand. “I know what you’re thinking… and Maki… I miss you, I really miss you, I want you back.” He sighed, intently looking at her.

Maki mimicked his position, and it brought Tomohisa some comfort as she reached over and rested her head on his bare, muscular chest. She could feel how he breathed deeply probably anxiously waiting for her answer. When her thoughts were no longer jumbled, she looked to him and him to her.

“I miss you too. And I believe we can work this out. Let’s start again ne?” She smiled then moved upward to kiss him with all the passion in her body.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

When Erika woke up the next day, she was expecting to hear cooking already going on inside the kitchen. This morning nothing of the sort happened. Weird.

She pushed the covers away, allowing them to pool on the floor before she slowly sat up from bed. She learned the hard way that sitting up too fast could cause you to see stars. Yawning, she scratched her eyes and stretched her arms above her head and then headed to the direction of the kitchen. Where could Maki be?

“Ah, ohayo Erika-nee.” Mirai greeted, almost scaring Erika. Apparently the youngest of the residents there was already preparing breakfast. Erika just didn’t see her since she was getting something from the cabinets below.

“Ohayo Mirai.” Erika greeted back once she got herself intact from the surprise. She looked around for a minute as she slowly sat down on one of the counter stools, watching Mirai preparing their breakfast.

“Ne, where’s Maki? Isn’t she usually the one who wakes up first?”

“Oh you didn’t know.” Mirai stated, still busily preparing, now heating up the frying pan. She turned to Erika for a minute. “She didn’t come home last night…” she said with a hint of exasperation in her voice. Erika’s eyes widened slightly but then they turned to worry. “Didn’t come home last night? Then where’d she sleep?!”

Mirai turned back to the pan with a slight shrug. “I think at Tomo-nii’s place…”

“EH!? HER EX-BOYFRIEND’S PLACE!?!?!”

“Oi what’s with all the screaming?” Meisa’s voice echoed from the corridors until she showed herself, a look of annoyance on her pretty face.

“Erika-nee didn’t know Maki-nee didn’t come home last night.” Mirai said off-handedly. She was too busy concentrating on the sunny-side up she was cooking. Smirking, Meisa defeatedly proceeded to sit beside Erika, knowing she could no longer go back to sleep.

“Don’t worry about her Erika-nee.” Meisa reassured.

“What if that Tomohisa does something bad to her you know?” Erika said worriedly, looking from Mirai then to Meisa. The other two looked at each other first then shook their heads.

“Maki can give him a sock on the groin if that happens then.” Meisa replied before standing once again now to make her coffee.

It was suddenly that they heard the back door from downstairs opening. “What was that?” Erika asked, holding on to the edge of her sear and the bar counter. Meisa stilled on her position, holding the coffe mug tight while Mirai got ready, holding a large frying pan. The footsteps came closer, who could it be at this time? It was too early! Mirai positioned herself by the stairs while Erika and Meisa went close behind her. There was a shadow looming… a man. A few more steps came and when Mirai could see the man’s head she moved and yelled.

“Ahh!”

“Ahhh!”

Then she stopped, before she could whack the man, she realized who it was and who was behind the man, following closely. “Tomo-nii?! Nee-chan?!”

“Please don’t hit me with that frying pan!” Tomohisa said cautiously, his hands held up right in-front of him. Maki stepped forward, placing Tomohisa behind her. “Yes please, he gets delirious when he hits his head.”

“At least you’re home safe Maki-chan!” Erika cheered, hugging Maki tight. “Did this guy hostage you?” She said pulling away and glaring at Tomohisa. The man might be taller than her but she didn’t care.

“Iie iie.” Maki said chuckling. “I was too busy taking care of him… yesterday a kid suddenly hit his head with a ball and he had a mild concussion.”

Mirai’s eyes widened before she smiled sheepishly, hiding the frying pan behind her bag. She would’ve added more pain to Tomohisa if she did end up hitting him on the head. Once everything was seemingly okay, Tomohisa relaxed and allowed his hands to fall back onto his sides before breathing in.

“Jaa, arigato Tomo-nii for bringing back my sister…” Mirai said, bowing her head.

“Ou… no big deal.” Tomohisa smiled softly.

“Ne Tomo why don’t you stay and eat breakfast while I get dressed.” Maki said. She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Before she could fully reach her room though, Erika stopped her by the corridor.

“Ne Maki-chan! So are you and Tomohisa back together?” There were no hesitations in Erika as she looked excitedly and expectantly at Maki. It was a minute before a small blush crawled unto Maki’s cheeks and she nodded her head.

“KYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

At the kitchen, Meisa almost dropped the cup of coffee she was drinking while Mirai and Tomohisa snapped their heads to the corridor, surprised from the loud noise of Erika’s “Moe” moment.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

Erika smiled as she watched Maki and Tomohisa by the veranda, talking to each other with that look of love evident both in their eyes.  She sighed. When would I share that with someone? Pouting she sat by the counter, her chin on her palm. She didn’t have work that day so she guessed she’d be staying with Maki and probably Tomohisa (Mirai already headed off for school).

“I’m off ja ne!” Meisa bid them goodbye, sporting a y looking sleeveless shirt and tight jeans bounding downstairs.

“Bye Mei-tan!” Maki greeted just as she and Tomohisa returned from the veranda while Erika waved softly even though Meisa could no longer see them.

“Jaa, time to open up Wits.” Maki clapped her hands together. She tied her hair into a neat ponytail, turning to face Tomohisa. “Ne, so are you heading on home?”

Both she and Erika were surprised when Tomohisa shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m going to spend the day here.” Basketball practice for the Meiji varsity wasn’t until 3 in the afternoon so he knew he could hang around.

“I won’t be able to entertain you, I have work.” Maki said almost pouting as she rubbed Tomohisa’s left arm.

The man shrugged his shoulders then gave a small smile. “I’ll be alright…” he said then kissed Maki’s forehead.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…”

Maki and Tomohisa both turned at the voice and saw a happy looking Erika watching them with hearts in her eyes. But the latter suddenly straightened up when she realized Maki and Tomohisa were looking at her. Smiling sheepishly, she waved them off. “Oh don’t mind me… I’ll just be skipping merrily away then.”

She was already at the stair leading downstairs, still skipping when she stopped just at the foot. Apparently Kazuya was there and he had just witnessed the whole thing. For a minute Erika blinked her eyes, not sure what to do. Then she reddened before stuttering out. “Y-you didn’t see that did you?”

“Sadly…. I did.” Kazuya answered. At first he was keeping a straight face, but he couldn’t hold the shaking of his cheeks and just had to laugh out loud.

“Ha ha ha ha…” Erika mocked, trying to save what was left of her dignity before approaching the man. “Why are you here anyways? It’s too early in the morning!”

“Eh? Early?” Kazuya mocked then showed his wristwatch to Erika. “Do you call 9:50 so early in the morning?”

Erika was at a lost. It was that late already?! She didn’t even realize! Apparently their voices were too loud since that brought Maki and Tomohisa coming down from the stairs.

“Ah! You’re here Kazuya! Just in time!” Maki said. She skipped down the stairs, pulling Tomohisa with her and then reached the other two. “Kazuya, I don’t think you’ve met Tomohisa before.” She turned to her recently reinstated boyfriend. “Tomo, Kazuya is one of the chefs here.”  

“Ou, hajimemae.” Kazuya smiled, holding out his hand to Tomohisa who shook it happily in return.

“Kochira koso, Tomohisa desu, Maki’s boyfriend.”

“Kyaa they’re so kawaii ne Kazuya?” Erika squeed.

Maki shook her head, turning to Tomohisa. “Ne Tomo, why don’t you help setting the tables up while I talk to Kazuya here.”

“Sure sure…”

“Jaa I’ll help too!” Erika volunteered.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

Apparently, Kazuya wouldn’t be cooking for the day. Well, he wouldn’t be cooking for Wits. Maki had given him the task to invent one main dish. Not that he wasn’t confident with being a cook, it’s just he’d rather be cooking dishes he already knew rather than inventing.

“No Maki I don--”

“Just help him!—“

“But—“

Kazuya turned at the voices just in time to see Maki shoving Erika inside the kitchen. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched Erika with her back to him before she turned around a small scowl on her face. “What was that all about?” He asked.

"Maki insisted that I help you..."

Kazuya's eyebrows furrowed at that. He moved just a bit closer since Erika seemed to think that the safest place inside the kitchen was by the door. "You know how to cook?"

"Ha! of course I do!" Erika said proudly moving closer. But to her dismay, and her poise, she knocked over a stack of pots and pans, the loud sound echoing throughout the kitchen. She closed her eyes in embarassment, slowly opening one and expecting to see Kazuya with a scowl. But it was the opposite, the man was actually smiling at her! and before she knew it, he started laughing! So much that he actually had to bend over, holding the counter for support.

“Fine…” Erika scowled. “Laugh at me instead of helping me…” She said before picking up the pots and pans. Hopefully no one outside had heard.

“I was just joking…” Kazuya said, still holding his stifles before picking up all the pots and pans left. Showing Erika a small smile he led her further into the kitchen. “I’ve known Maki only for a short while but I trust her judgment.”

From behind him, Erika rolled her eyes. Basically he told her that he’ll only let her help because Maki said so.  

“So what idea did you have in mind?” Erika asked, following Kazuya into the pantry. Kazuya wasn’t answering though, he was looking at the food in the pantry. For a moment, Erika stood there at the sides just actually staring at the man. This was  the first time she got to look at him like that and to high heaven, Kazuya looked really good. He had his hair tied into a ponytail, giving him that confident guy look. She really like his lips who was always seemingly pursed.

“Hey!”

“Huh what?” Dang it. He caught her staring.

For a moment Kazuya stared back at her then smirked before repeating what he asked. “I said, what do you think would make a better protein? Chicken or Tuna?”

“Oh…” Erika smiled before moving forward. She thought for a minute. “I think the tuna would be better…”

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

Kazuya looked away momentarily as he was chopping up the onions. He had sensitive eyes for Pete’s sake!  Before he knew it tears were already starting to drop from his eyes. He had to stop.

“Ugh!” Moving away from the chopping board, he allowed the already straying tears go from his beautiful eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Erika suddenly showed up beside him.

A little embarrassed, Kazuya kept wiping his eyes. Damn they sting. Sighing, Erika slowly pulled him to the sink, making sure he put the knife he was using down. Then she scooped up some water and gently wiped the liquid on Kazuya’s eyes.

“There… that makes it better ne?” she smiled at him.

Evidently it did get rid of the sting and Kazuya had to smile back bashfully. It was the first time he came up close with Erika like this. And this time he realized that he really liked her smile.

With him looking like that, Erika had to pull away or else he’d see that she was blushing. She cleard and smiled softly once again. “Um, let’s get started with the dish then ne?”

They were both quiet for the duration but while making the sauce, Kazuya hit a snag. “It doesn’t taste right…” He said, pushing the sauce pan away. Looking at the time, he realized that it had already been an hour. Plus, the first batch of the pasta he’d done got burnt! He wasn’t used to getting things wrong.

“Hey hey  take it easy….” Erika assured him. “Let’s take a taste then ne?” She grabbed a spoon and tasted the sauce. For a moment she considered it; tasting the different elements. “It’s good! Why don’t we just add a bit more cheese and seasoning ne?” She was already taking the cheese out of the pantry and was starting with grating while Kazuya watched. And the man just realized, he was starting to really like Erika.

================================================================================================================

AN: Hi guys! hope you enjoy the chapter! Kamerika kyaa kyaa haha! Next will be more JinMeisa :D