Ryosuke and Rio weren't the only two who had gotten a lot closer within the first week of October. Daiki and Amu had also been hanging out every single day, enjoying walks around all of Tokyo on sunny days, and hanging out in Amu's apartment on rainy days.

Today was Amu's first official day working at Jimusho. Not only that but today was also the first day that the rest of the members of JUMP return to work. To celebrate the return of most of the team, the boys were scheduled to shoot an informational video and Amu was in charge of coordinating the outfits for this video shoot.

Thankfully, everything went according to plan and the video turned out to be a success. As the members of JUMP retreated to their lounge to get ready to leave for the day, Amu rolled the bin of clothes to the wardrobe storage room so that she could pack them back neatly onto the member's corresponding clothing racks.

“I heard from someone that they thought you did a great job today." A voice echoed from the entrance of the room.

"Is that 'someone' by any chance you, Dai-chan?" Amu smiled as Daiki approached her.

"You caught me." The latter grinned back. "But I'm seriously stunned that no one else complimented you. In my 17 years of working here, you're the best stylist I've seen."

“You're just biased!" The girl chuckled softly. "Styling for all of you at once is a bit more chaotic than I imagined. Everyone has such different personas.”

“I’m not too hard to dress. I’m fine with anything." Daiki shrugged. "I think Ryosuke might be the pickiest one out of all of us.”

“Well, that’s good to note because I have to find him an outfit for tomorrow’s briefing. It looks like he’s put on schedule to have a live virtual info session for his fans.”

"If he's still alive by then," Daiki replied, shoving his hands into his pockets before shrugging. "He hasn't really been texting me recently."

"Rio hasn't been replying often either." Amu pouted. "Maybe they're actually starting to get along?"

"Or maybe they're just really occupied with one of the fifteen puzzles I bought them."

"Ahh, your assumption seems more likely." Amu agreed, smiling at the likely probability of Ryosuke and Rio picking silly fights with each other over a tiny puzzle piece.

After hanging another piece of garment on the rack, she turned to Daiki to take a quick glance at him before shifting her gaze to his uneven collar. “Here, let me help you adjust your collar. It’s a bit crooked.” She offered, taking a step closer to him before reaching up to fix it.

The last time Daiki had been this close in proximity to the girl was when he caught the falling jar in Amu's apartment. Even now, he still struggles to maintain his coolness whenever he's this close to her.

However, in contrast to last time, this time was slightly different. Instead of backing away, he had the sudden urge to wrap his own arms around her waist and pull her closer to him. It took him everything he had to push away his instinct to embrace her.

Daiki couldn't dismiss the growing affection he developed for Amu, especially within the week that the two spent together. Despite the feelings he had for her, he wanted to make sure that he doesn't repeat any of his mistakes he made with Mayu. It wasn't time for him to confess yet, especially not when Amu still questions her own past that she had forgotten. 

He didn't mind waiting at all. Even if they haven't crossed the line of being anything more than friends, he gets to still spend his days by her side. To him, this was all he needed.

"All done!" Amu concluded before taking a step back. As soon as she reverted her gaze back to the pile of clothes, Daiki couldn't help but frown from missing her close presence. Wanting to spend more time with her, he decided to boldly throw a question her way.

"Hey Amu-chan, are you free later after work?"

The girl paused for a brief second, unexpecting the sudden question, but proceeded to nod. "I just have to stop by Rio's place to deliver Yama his outfit for tomorrow but I can do that when I get home later. Is there something you wanted to do?"

"Oh uhh- I just want to take you out for dinner- I mean, if that's okay with you! There's a small Izakaya nearby with really good food. The manager is close to all of us so he always has a large dining room reserved in the back whenever we decide to pop in." Daiki rambled. "Sorry if this all too sudden. I just thought that since you've been cooking every single day, I wanted to be the one to treat you this time. I know it's a bit strange going out to dinner as friends bu-"

"I'd love to, Dai-chan." Amu smiled softly, placing a hand on his upper arm to assure him. "I really enjoy spending time with you, regardless of any occasion."

Daiki couldn't help but smile back at Amu's answer. Just a little over a month ago, he swore off love forever. Yet today, he found himself falling back into it again. This time, with someone that had the power to make his world light up with just her presence.

--

October evenings were chilly in Tokyo but compared to the brisk temperature, Daiki and Amu felt warm inside the Izakaya. Their conversation flowed naturally and they found themselves enjoying each other's company so much that they didn't realize how much time had passed by.

Towards the end of their meal, a familiar person entered the room- surprising not just Daiki and Amu- but the person himself.

"Oh, I didn't know that you two were here." Chinen greeted them in a surprised tone. "Sorry if I'm intruding on anything."

“No, you're fine." Daiki assured the younger one, patting the empty cushion next to him. "What happened? I thought you were joining the rest of JUMP for today's reunion party?"

“Yuto and I actually decided to pass too. It didn't really feel like of a reunion without you and Ryo there." Chinen replied, taking the seat. As he sat down, his gaze immediately fell onto the glass of alcohol in front of the girl. "Eh? Amu-chan, you drink?" He asked, knowing very well that the girl couldn't handle alcohol.

"Just a little." Amu replied back. "Feel free to dig into the food. We ordered way too much haven't even touched most of it yet."

Chinen grinned. "That was my plan."

"But don't get used to the free food." Daiki protested. "Just because Ryo is out doesn't mean I'm next in line to be your walking wallet." 

"Don't worry. Yuto already has me covered."

--

Halfway into their conversation, Amu suddenly felt her head become heavy and assumed that she might've drunk a bit more than she expected. "I'm getting a bit sleepy so I'm going to the restroom to freshen up. I'll be right back." She said, stepping away from the room.

As soon as the door slid close behind her, silence quickly filled the air- a strange occurrence for the two friends that had grown up together. Not knowing what to say to each other, the two decided to take a sip of their drink at the same time. 

After Chinen placed his cup back on the table, he took a deep breath and decided to ask the question that has been lingering in his mind the entire day. After all, things couldn't possibly get any more awkward from here, can they?

"Hey, Dai-chan... Sorry if I'm being too blunt- but do you happen to like Amu?" He asked abruptly, his