Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ This is Not My Life ❯ Are you ready for the fallout? ( Chapter 15 )

“Are you ready for the fallout?”

 

--Ken--

 

I've been banned from my own house.

 

I don't think that's legal. You can't ban someone from their own house, right? My name is on the lease! I could just go to the police and….

 

…Get capped by whichever Kritiker agent is probably keeping tabs on me. No cops. And no lease. Ken Hidaka's name isn't on anything. Except a cemetery plot.

 

Crap, I'm homeless.

 

Okay, I'm being overdramatic. I'm pretty sure so long as I clear out for a few hours Omi will cool down and let me in for the night. I think. I'm not as confident in my assessments of Omi's behavior as I used to be. For example, a few weeks ago it would have taken a heinous indiscretion to merit my current predicament. Today however, I'm fairly certain that my state of banishment is due to the fact that I forgot to put the carton of milk back in the fridge after breakfast.  

 

No joke.

 

Well anyway. I don't need to stick around. I have things to do! Lots and lots of things that don't involve Omi or the Koneko. Yep! Things like…soccer. And….

 

…Soccer.

 

…and….

 

Um.

 

I'm not even really in the mood to play soccer today.

 

This sucks.

 

I start to slump against the outside of the flower shop in frustration, until sticking my hand in my pocket leads to the discovery of a crumpled business card. It's been there for a week at least, simply awaiting the fate of getting tossed in the trash when I finally do my laundry. It is now proving fortuitous that I'm fairly lazy when it comes to washing my clothes.

 

On the back of the business card, in bubbly pink handwriting, is a phone number.

 

Score.

 

While it's certainly not uncommon for me to get hit on by girls on the job, it is unusual that I receive any attention from one who is close to my age, interesting, or even remotely dateable. And while I'm still not certain that the older sibling of one of my soccer students will necessarily fall into that last category, she certainly stands a fighting chance compared to those insipid fangirls. Perhaps I will call up Hideyo's sister and take her up on her invitation for coffee after all.

 

If things go really well, maybe it won't even matter if Omi doesn't intend to let me back in tonight.

 

….

 

So. Ken Hidaka has a date.

 

It's unfortunate that I'm locked out of the house. I haven't bothered to go out with a girl since I stood up…I mean, since Yuriko left. It's actually a rather significant event. But I look like a total slob. When I got up this morning I most certainly did not dress myself with female interaction in mind. I don't think I even bothered to look in the mirror when I combed my hair this morning.

 

If I weren't locked out of the house, I could get myself properly snazzed up, and this date wouldn't quite feel like such a joke.

 

But if I weren't locked out of the house, I wouldn't have felt compelled to go on a date in the first place. I would be at home, enjoying the things that involve not being locked out; like playing video games with Omi. Or even non-video games with Omi. It's been a long time since Omi beat me at chess. I wonder why we haven't….

 

Oh, right. Aya threw out our chess set after that mission. That's kinda a bummer.

 

“Ken san?”

 

Eh?

 

“Ken san?”

 

Oh. Crap. She's talking to me. And I totally zoned out there for a moment. I haven't a clue what she's been saying…. I take a large gulp of my coffee to stall for time. Crap, I can't even remember her name….

 

Omi…no! I can't believe my mind inserted that just now, I must be really desperate for video games today….

 

Um, Omi-ah-Ami-ah…Aki! That's right her name is Aki chan.

 

“Yes, Aki chan?” Big Smile. Maybe whatever she's asking is unrelated to the conversation and she won't notice that I wasn't paying attention.

 

“I think this coffee shop has the best blends in all of Tokyo! Don't you, Ken san?”

 

She's still talking about the coffee? Now I remember why I stopped listening. Omi and Yohji can do that whole `small talk' thing. Ken Hidaka is seriously lacking in that department. Alas, I put myself in this situation, so I nod in agreement.

 

“Absolutely, Aki chan.”

 

She lights up at my concurrence, and I feel bad that she's obviously more into this date than I am. She's a cute girl, lots of guys would be jealous of me right now. She's got sandy blond hair, like Yuriko (I'm starting to notice that I really go for that color, though damned if I know why.) But she's really girly, unlike the aforementioned.

 

Dates with Yuriko were great. I could just be myself (um, the self that excluded nighttime excursions, obviously.) There was none of this small talk drivel, I could talk about my favorite things to do, and life ambitions.

 

I definitely can't see myself discussing `life ambitions' with Aki chan here. Ugh, I think her answers would be along the lines of, “To open the best pastry shop in all of Tokyo!” or, “To find a boyfriend and get married!” Thanks, but no thanks; I'll spare myself that conversation.

 

So how come there aren't more girls like Yuriko around? She can't be the only one who likes motorcycles or just isn't so girly.

 

The only thing I have in common with Aki chan here is the fact that her younger brother plays soccer. And I don't really have that in common with her, I have it in common with her brother. Ha, maybe the one I should really be on a date with is….

 

Oh. No. I. Didn't.

 

I. Did. Not. Just have a thought like that about one of my students. Oh god, Ew. WrongwrongwrongEWrong! I am clearly going insane from the lack of interesting conversation here (or possibly the lack of video games.) It is going to require at least a gallon of bleach before I'll even be able to look at myself in a mirror again. Maybe a couple buckets of rubbing alcohol on top of that…ohmygod, student.

 

There is also the glaring fact that Hideyo is a guy. But, in comparison to the tremendous creepiness of underage student, that just doesn't bother me as much as I'd expect it to.

 

I really ought to end this date. Aki chan doesn't deserve to be sitting here with someone thinking such perverse thoughts.

 

I open my mouth to excuse myself, but am cut off by “Ken san! Let's go dancing!”

 

What?

 

….

 

Okay, someone please explain to me how my attempt to extract myself from discussing coffee landed me in a club.

 

I'm not dressed for a club. I wasn't even dressed for a café. I'm wearing jeans and a soccer jersey. And it's not even my nice soccer jersey! I'm wearing the old ratty one that I only put on if I don't intend to leave the house (which, at the time of dressing myself, I hadn't.)

 

I tried to point out to Aki chan that I was not dressed appropriately to continue our date, but she countered with, “clubs are dark, no one even sees your clothes!”

 

Aki chan is proving trickier than I gave her credit for.

 

I feel awkward. Clubs are so not my scene. Why would I choose to be in a dark crowded place when I could be somewhere open and sunny instead?

 

Not that I can't appreciate going to a club every once in a while. I've actually been to this one before. We had a mission here once. It was one of the more enjoyable missions, actually, I found it fairly amusing to see Aya and Omi get dressed up for it. Omi has this white leather jacket, you see, that he thinks looks really slick. He only wears it when he really wants to make an impression. Unfortunately, I don't think he's ever making quite the impression that he wants to be making. The rest of us are in agreement that his jacket is godawful, but none of us have had the heart to clue him in. He wouldn't be Omi without his atrocious fashion sense.

 

Aki chan is bouncing around me like a rabbit on steroids. At least I'm not the only one who can't dance.

 

“Isn't this fun, Ken san?” She chirps.

 

I nod in agreement. Maybe in the dark no one can see the lie.

 

How is it that I could find a place like this enjoyable on a mission, but not on a date with a cute girl?

 

I suppose the company really does make a difference.

 

Okay, so I'd rather be hanging out with a couple of guys that I routinely kill people with, than nice, innocent Aki chan. I'm feeling more perverse by the minute. Why did I put myself in this position again? Aside from that obvious bit about Omi banishing me, of course. Ah, that's right, the hair. Besides from being my favorite color, it's short for a girl. I guess I held onto her number because she looks like the sporty type, I was hoping she shared her brother's interest in soccer. That assessment is proving to be a definite no. Although, in her defense again, she has a really nice smile. It's got a very…familiar quality to it, if that doesn't sound too strange.

 

“I LOVE this song!” She is currently shrieking at me.

 

I'm not sure if a response is expected of me. I don't know the song. A noncommittal shrug should be adequate.

 

The next song though…. The next song I remember clearly as having played during that mission. It's one I'd never particularly liked; until that night and watching Omi dance to it. I remember being jealous that he could shrug off all the awkwardness that always clings to me and be so…unself-conscious.

 

It's not that he was a good dancer, he just got so into it. There was really no other description for it than friggin' adorable. Not that I'd ever say that where he could hear it. I think my foot would probably get stomped.

 

Why am I still thinking about missions and Omi? I need to pay attention to Aki chan.

 

Aki chan. Cute, sweet Aki chan with the friendly smile that kinda reminds me of someone I can't place.

 

Aki chan with the hair I really like that also looks kinda familiar for some reason.

 

Aki chan who actually looks quite a lot like….

 

Oh. No. I. REALLY. Didn't.

 

I do a double take as realization hits my stomach like a bolt of ice.

 

She doesn't does she?

 

Yep, she kinda does.

 

More than kinda.

 

Okay, I think it's time for me to hyperventilate and then go knock myself unconscious so that I don't have to deal with the realization I am currently realizing.

 

I didn't hang on to Aki chan's number because of her vague connection to soccer. I saved it because of her vague resemblance to Omi.

 

Omi, whom my mind has been straying back to for the entire span of this date.

 

Omi, whom I was kinda ticked off at when I got the stupid idea of going on a date in the first place.

 

Omi, whom I have been paying way too much attention to lately and was probably completely justified in kicking me out this morning.

 

I think it goes without saying that subconsciously, a juvenile hope of making someone just a little bit jealous played into my bad judgments today.

 

It's really official. Ken Hidaka is going to Hell.