CHAPTER 24

 

 Mia was already done showering and putting dry clothes on so she went out of the bathroom already. She found nobody else inside the bedroom except for Keito, who was sitting on the middle bed.

 

 “Why were you crying earlier?” he asked.

 

 “Nandemonai…” Mia replied.

 

 “If it’s nothing, you won’t cry over it.” Keito said as he stood up and put his hand on Mia’s shoulder. “You know you can talk to me about it.”

 

 Getting convinced, Mia told him about what she had seen earlier. She also told him that she honestly didn’t know why she cried.

 

 “Arigatou, Keito, for being my confidant.” Mia said.

 

 “Answer me honestly, Mia… what do you think about Kota-nii?” Keito asked.

 

 “Eh??”

 

 “Just answer me. How do you feel about him?”

 

 “Well, he’s kind of a leader.”

 

 “Hikaru?”

 

 “A joker.”

  

 “Chinen?”

 

 “Well, he’s older than I am but I think of him as a younger brother.”

 

 “How about me?” Keito asked with seriousness in his eyes.

 

 “An older brother. One whom I can confide with.” Mia honestly answered.

 

 Keito had expected that answer from Mia, but he was still surprised that she answered immediately.

 

 “Yuto?” he lastly asked.

 

  Mia lowered her head. “I…I don’t know.”

 

 At this, Keito knew what Mia’s feelings are already. “You like him don’t you? That’s why you cried earlier. You could’ve just told me. Why are you making me figure it out myself?”

 

 “L-like him?” Mia whispered to herself, apparently that got stuck in her mind. At that very moment, everything made sense to her. Being around with Keito most of the time wasn’t the main reason why she had moved on from Justin. Yuto is. Ever since he announced that Kayla was his girlfriend, Mia’s attention was turned towards him already. She thought about him everyday…

 

 “Oi you two, let’s go karaoke-ing.” Yamada said through a small opening in the door. “We’re done assembling.”

 

 Mia went out of the room, leaving Keito alone.

 

 Keito knew that he got lost in the ‘competition’ already. He had already found out that Mia likes Yuto, and that that guy is the real reason why Mia managed to move on from Justin. He felt like crying but he didn’t want to so he tried to control his tears… and he managed to.

 

 He pounded his chest really hard as he was on his way to the middle unit.

 

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Half an hour later…

 

 “Mia-chan? You haven’t spoken since earlier. Why?” Chinen the ever so sensitive guy asked as he looked worriedly at the girl who sat right next to him.

 

 “Ne… ne… Mia-chan, why don’t you sing the next song?” Hikaru suggested. “We still haven’t heard you sing ever.”

 

 “Oi, be sensitive.” Keito said as he nudged Hikaru.

 

 “Gomen.” Hikaru pouted.

 

 “Ah, ano. Daijobou desu.” Mia said as she managed to smile.

 

 “Hontou?! Then you’re singing? Here… here’s the microphone. Play!” Hikaru said, not giving the poor girl a chance to disagree.

 

 Mia took the mic. Utada Hikaru’s ‘First Love’ started playing. Thank goodness Mia knew this song. If not, well, she doesn’t know how to read in kanji…

 

 She started to sing.

 

 Saigo no kisu wa tabako no flavor ga a

Nigakute setsunai kaori…

 

 She’s got a voice, all the guys thought. Each one of them felt the song that Mia was singing.

 

 Mia wasn’t nervous at all. She memorized the song already so she hardly paid attention on her singing. Her thoughts wandered.

 

 She thought about that day when she met Yuto and Keito in the bookstore, the fun she shared with them, and the unforgettable faces the JUMPs have when they’re eating Jollibee’s fried chicken. She remembered the day when there had a ruckus in the mall,… Yuto grabbing her hand. She remembered him when they strolled along inside the market, the way he talked to her, how he played during the intramurals, the day that he announced that Kayla’s his girlfriend, and of course… the kiss she saw earlier.

 

 “Mia?” Takaki said. No answer. She kept on singing the chorus as if she hasn’t heard anything.

 

 Takaki stood up and shook Mia by the shoulders. “Oi, Mia!”

 

 “Ha? Nande?” she asked as she put down the microphone.

 

 “What ‘nande’?’ Takaki said, “You’re crying!”

 

 “Eh??” Mia said as she touched her cheek. She looked at her fingers and there were tears.

 

 “Mia, daijobou desu ka?” Yuto asked as he sprouted from behind the couch and put his hand on Mia’s shoulder.

 

As she looked at the guy, more tears ran down her cheeks. She wiped them but they kept on flowing.

 

 “Gomen. Daijobou desu. I need to go home now. Sumimasen.” She said as she grabbed her bag and left the unit.

 

                                          CHAPTER END

 

 Promoting my first oneshot: http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/210844/call-me-maybe-comedy-fluff-heysayjump-romance-yamadaryosuke