Chapter 3 “The start of something new”

The next morning...

Misaki was on her way to school when she saw Inoo standing at the intersection where they departed.

Inoo looked at her direction, smiled and started waving.

“Ohayoo Cupid chan!”

“Ohayoo Inoo kun. Were you waiting for me this whole time?”

Inoo checked his time and said, “I’ve been waiting for a few minutes actually. If it’s okay, I wanted to walk with you seeing that our way meets at this exact intersection.”

Misaki’s face began to redden, “Oh... Well... That’s okay. Anyway, it’s nice to have someone to walk with to school.”
“That’s great! So from this day onwards, I will wait for you here.”

A couple of minutes later, Misaki and Inoo reached the entrance of Misaki’s classroom.

“So I guess this is where I’ll say “see you later,” Misaki stated.

 “I see. My classroom’s straight ahead so I’ll be going. See you later then.”

Just as Inoo was about to walk away, he remembered something.

“By the way, Cupid chan, can I have your number?”

“My number? What for?”

“So I can send you a message to ask if there are any updates or meetings about the club.”

“Oh okay...”

Inoo gave her his phone; Misaki entered her number and handed it back to Inoo.

“Thank you very much! So what name do you want me to enter? Cupid chan? Oh I know, I’ll use Misaki chan. Is that okay?”

Misaki’s face blushed again, “It’s been a while since someone’s called me by my real name again.”

“Eh, really? But I guess that’s because ever since you’ve started helping people that they’ve been calling you with nicknames instead of your real name. Then, if you like, I can call you Misaki chan instead of Cupid chan,” Inoo asked.

“Mm... That’s okay,” Misaki refused.

“M-i-s-a-k-i c-h-a-n,” Inoo entered on his phone. “You may be this school’s cupid but it can’t change the fact that you’re still you Misaki chan.”

Misaki was about to say something but unfortunately, the bell had just rung so Inoo waved at her and ran off.

By the time she reached her desk, Haruka and the others excitedly teased, “Ayee! Cupid chan, who’s the guy you were just with?”

“You even gave him your number,” said Rein.

“You looked so lovey dovey just then,” added Yuki.

Her face flushed and she panicked, “N... No one... He’s a new member of the club.”

“Does a new member of the club have to talk and smile so sweetly with you like that?” Haruka questioned.

Misaki shook her head nervously, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Oh look, sensei is here. It’s time to start class.”

After class ended...

“Misaki chan!” Inoo called out her name just as he saw her walk out of their classroom.

“Eh, it looks like your lovey dovey is here to pick you up,” mentioned Haruka.

Misaki ignored her and approached Inoo, “Is your class over Inoo kun?”

Inoo nodded.

“Cupid chan, aren’t you going to introduce us to him?” whispered Yuki.

“I forgot. Inoo kun these are my friends. Their names are Yuki, Haruka and Rein. They helped me establish the club.”

“Hi! Nice to meet you Inoo kun. So what is your relationship with Ms. Valentine? Are you going to ask her out because we saw you get her number a while ago.” inquired Haruka.

“Could it be that you’re Mr. Valentine? Cupid chan, how come you never told us about him?” Yuki nagged Misaki.

“Eh? What are you talking about?” Inoo questioned.

“They’re talking about you being so sweet and jolly towards our Cupid chan. Not to mention, calling her Misaki chan.” Rein interrupted as she joined the conversation.

“You’re right Rein chan. It’s been a while since I heard someone call Cupid chan with her real name,” mentioned Haruka.

Just as the three girls were about to corner Inoo with their questions...

“Wait a second. I don’t know what you are thinking of but I’m just a new member of the club. My name is Inoo Kei from class 4B. Misaki chan...”

Rein pointed her finger at him and said, “There you go again, mentioning her name.”

Inoo slapped her finger away and defended, “What’s the problem with me calling her that? You’re her friends and yet you call her with the nicknames that people call her. You may call her Cupid chan when you’re in the club but at least call her by her name when you’re outside. Misaki chan is Misaki chan. Cupid chan is Misaki chan. I acknowledge her has Cupid chan but since she told me that it’s been a while since someone had called her by her name so I decided to call her Misaki chan instead of Cupid chan. And by the way, to answer all your questions, I asked for her number for the purpose of asking for updates about the club. I am not Mr Valentine but I am the new pianist of the club. And no, I’m not acting all sweet and jolly. I simply just can’t help but be happy because I am able to help Misaki chan with her club.”

Inoo breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly after his long statement.

The three girls got caught up with his statement that they were still taking in what he had just said.

“Oh well, it’s time for us to go home. See you tomorrow!” Misaki told her friends as she dragged Inoo away with her.

Silence fell upon Misaki and Inoo while they walked home.

“I’m sorry if I said those things to your friends Misaki chan,” Inoo apologized breaking up the silence.

“It’s okay. No need to apologize. I’m sure they’ll understand what you meant soon enough. Anyway, thank you for your kind words Inoo kun.”

Inoo scratched his head as he said, “There’s really no need to thank me.”

They reached the intersection and there, they separated.

That evening...

The three girls were chatting with each other through the internet.

Haruka: “Hi guys! What’s up? Are you home yet?”

Yuki: “Hi! Have you eaten your supper yet? That is because I just finished having mine.”

Rein: “Yup. I just finished as well.”

Haruka: “About what happened a while ago with Inoo kun...”

Rein: “I can’t believe that guy! He’s so annoying!”

Haruka: “No, I was talking about what he said.”

Rein: “Which part?”

Haruka: “About Cupid chan.”

Yuki: “Come to think of it, he’s actually right.”

Rein: “What? You actually agree with that guy?”

Haruka: “Yes, why?”

Rein: “I mean so what if we call her Cupid chan? We’re just used to calling her that that’s why. And she’s also used to it right? There’s no harm in that right?”

Yuki: “You have a point but when you think about it more, shouldn’t we be the first ones to call her Misaki chan and not Cupid chan or the other nicknames?”

Haruka: “She’s right. As friends, we should still call her by her real name instead of her nickname. And didn’t you hear, Inoo kun mentioned that Cupid chan told him that it’s been a while since someone called her by her name.”

Yuki: “I heard him say it as well. The truth is, I only realized that now.”

Haruka: “That’s why I was thinking; let’s start calling her with her real name again. Let’s try not to stick to habit.”

Rein: “Fine. He’s right. But still, I don’t like him. He’s annoying. Grr...”

The following day...

As usual, the two met at the intersection and walked to school together until they reached Misaki’s classroom.

There, they met Misaki’s three friends.

“Ohayoo Misaki chan!” they said in chorus.

“O... Ohayoo,” Misaki greeted with a smile.

“We thought about what you said yesterday Inoo kun and you were right. As friends, we shouldn’t be the first ones to call her nicknames. Instead, we should call her by her name,” Haruka explained.

“So thank you for making us realize that,” added Yuki.

Inoo looked at Rein expecting her to say something but she snubbed him.

“Um, you’re welcome then,” Inoo told Yuki and Haruka.

Days went by and finally everything was set.

Misaki, together with her friends and members, held a grand opening of their new club “GATES OF LOVE.”

The building was packed with couples as well as students of the school.

During the whole day, people had been going in and out of Misaki’s workplace.

It was as if she was a fortune teller and people went to her asking her to read them their fortune.

By the end of the day, Misaki walked out of her workplace looking all haggard.

She walked towards the club’s lounge and threw herself on the comfy and relaxing couch.

Haruka then signalled a person from the cooking group and after a minute, two members from the cooking group approached Misaki.

The female cook said, “Cupid chan, how are you feeling? Here, have a cup of green tea with a touch of mint.”

“In addition to that, I brought you a tray of sweets to go along with it. Feel free to choose among the cookies and cakes here,” the male cook told her.

Everyone gathered at the lounge when they saw Misaki.

“You worked quite hard today most especially that it’s the opening of our club. You deserve a good rest.” Yuki stated.

“Thank goodness tomorrow’s a Saturday. That way, you will be able to rest properly,” Rein expressed.

 “Thank you for all your hard work everyone! Because of you, today’s opening event turned out great. Since you all worked hard, I will give all of you some time off. We’ll open the club and resume normal operations next Thursday.” Misaki informed them.

A girl raised her hand and asked, “Isn’t that a bit long?”

“Is it? It will give everyone some time to relax after today’s event and this week’s and last week’s preparations.”

“Actually, we thought if we could resume normal operations on Tuesday instead of Thursday,” a guy added.

“Um, well... Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Misaki inquired.

Everyone nodded as they answered, “Yup.”
“Besides, we like it here. It feels very nice attending to couples and also those with love troubles,” a girl said.

“And as long you’re here then everything will go well and it makes things more fun,” another girl mentioned.

“Oh well, since it’s the decision of everyone then we will resume normal operations on Tuesday. Again, thank you very much for your hard work! You all deserve a good rest.”

“Okay everyone, since everything has already been cleaned and fixed, then you can now take your leave,” Yuki announced.

“See you all next week! Take care!” Misaki shouted.

“Likewise to you Cupid chan!” everyone shouted back.

Everyone had already left so there were only five people left in the building.

After finishing the food that the club members had prepared for Misaki, she returned the eating utensils to the kitchen and after a few minutes, she rejoined her friends.

They left the building and walked towards the school’s exit.

“Good night Misaki chan!” the three girls stated.

“Good night! Enjoy your weekend!” Misaki replied.

“Hey, wait a sec. Where are the two of you going?” Rein asked.

“We’re going home of course,” Inoo replied.

“I wasn’t talking to you, you four-eyed dork,” Rein answered back annoyingly.

“Actually Rein chan, our houses are on the same direction that’s why we walk home together,” Misaki explained.

“Oh is that so. Well you better not do anything weird to my friend or else you’ll be in big trouble four-eyes,” Rein warned Inoo.

“I’m not the kind of guy you think I am. Besides you should watch and shut your mouth because you’re being too noisy.”

“Huh?! What did you just...”

“Okay... Okay... That’s enough. Time for us to go Inoo kun.”

“She’s right. It’s time for us to go as well Rein chan,” convinced Haruka and Yuki as they pulled her before she would lose her temper.

(Chapter 4 Posted. It's only a matter of time until I make things even more interesting. XDDD)