Noise Complaint, Pt. 5

After that day, Koga and Yue didn't bring it up again. Not even a text. I almost respected it until I sat down for my first class the following Monday.

Immediately, I was met with a cold, devilish, and humored stare. Not from Chiaki, who was sitting in the front row, chatting away with her friends. Not from anyone else, who were all minding their own business.

No... It came from directly to my right — a guy who would stick his nose in anyone's business, especially mine.

"Quit looking at me, Koga..."

"And why should I do that?"

"You're making me uncomfortable."

"Yeah? Because I'm definitely the one making you uncomfortable. Not the supermodel you've got holed up in your house. Nope."

"Dude... Can you not?"

He put his hands up.

"What~? It's not like I'm name-dropping anyone."

"Still. People are gonna draw their own conclusions, just like you did the other day. It's not worth the hassle, so it's better to just leave it alone."

"I know, I know. I just can't help it. I mean, look at it from my perspective. What would you do if you walked in on me with a whole celebrity?"

"Well... First, I'd cut you off because you'd be cheating on Yue."

"O-oh..."

"And second, I'd fall dead on the spot."

"Yeah, see? Forget the first part. The second part is where I'm at right now. At least now I know why you've been so 'busy' these past few weeks." 

He leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"You sure nothing's going on?"

"Yes," I sighed. "Nothing's going on. I swear."

"Mm~ Alright. I'll believe you. For now, anyway."

Before I knew it, the day went by. I stopped by a new bakery that had just opened up right outside the campus. And now, I was unlocking the door to my apartment.

"Hey, Megumi," I called out. "I'm home."

I stepped through the hallway and found her sitting on the couch, legs tucked up, twisting slightly so she could flash me a bright smile.

"Welcome home, Shohei."

I stopped right there in the doorway. Something about hearing that—it hit different. My chest stuttered.

Why... did that feel weirdly nice?

"Hmm? What do you have there?"

"Food. From a bakery."

"For me~?"

"Thought I'd be a little nicer today. That's all."

"Yeah. Right."

She pranced over, snatching the bag from my hands. One by one, she pulled out the baked goods, sniffing each like she was trying to memorize their scent.

"Hmm... This one smells good," she said, assessing one before pulling out another. "Cheesy. Not my thing, but I'll give it a shot."

"Pfft. You look like a kid on Christmas morning."

"Food is food, regardless of age."

Then, without warning, she snatched my hand.

"Come on. You're not just gonna stand there, are you? Let's eat."

"Huh? Wait, wha—?"

She tugged me toward the dining table, still holding onto my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And I followed.

Before I realized it, I was thinking once again... how cute she was.

We sat across from each other at the small dining table, our feast of random breads laid out between us like a buffet for two. Megumi had already chosen her first victim: the egg tart.

She bit into it, and immediately, her eyes lit up. Not just sparkle, but full-on stars. Like someone had flipped a switch in her soul.

"Shohei," she said, mouth still full. "Come. Engage in flawless tastiness with me."

"I already know what it tastes like. Not my first time having an egg tart, you know."

"Still. Here."

"I'm good. I can feed—"

But she was already holding it up to me, eyes wide, smile brighter than the kitchen light.

"Nope. Open up. Come on. Just one bite."

"I said I can feed myself..."

"And yet, you haven't moved."

She leaned a little closer, waving the tart in front of my face like a cat toy.

"T-this is ridiculous..." I mumbled.

"Don't be a baby."

Reluctantly, I leaned in and took a small bite.

It was warm. Flaky. Sweet, but not too sweet. The custard melted smoothly in my mouth. I chewed slowly, surprised at how... not terrible it was.

"Well?" Megumi asked, visibly beaming.

"...Not bad."

"Not bad, huh? That's practically a five-star review coming from you."

I gave her a look, but I couldn't help the slight tug at the corner of my mouth.

"I don't usually like pastries."

"Yeah? Then why'd you buy so many?"

"I was just curious."

She grinned again and popped the rest of the tart into her mouth. I watched her chew with pure satisfaction, swinging her feet under the table.

"Don't worry, Shohei. I'll make sure to finish everything. After all, you went out of your way to do this for me."

"It's not that big of a deal. Wasn't very expensive either. Just thought we'd have some variety in case you got tired of just one kind."

"That's exactly what I mean. You were thinking about me, weren't you?"

"W-wha...?!"

I nearly stumbled back in my seat.

"I-it wasn't like that. I thought... t-thought..."

"Mhm~ Didn't you say you weren't thinking about me? By the way, 'thought' is the past tense of 'think.' Thought I'd point that out in case you didn't know."

"Tch... Whatever."

"Heh."

She winked at me, taking a bite of the ham and cheese croissant.

"But you know what they say. It's the thought that counts. And for me, Shohei... That's all I could ever ask for."

Dammit. What is this feeling in my chest?

It's not like I was magically converted into a pastry guy or anything. But, even this... this custard bread that I used to toss away after one bite... it doesn't taste as bland as I remember.

In fact, it's kind of... good? Is it really the food? Or is it—

No. No, I'm overthinking.

Still... Why did it feel like that bite stayed with me longer than it should have?

Megumi picked up another plastic wrapper.

"Ooh~ What's this one?"

"A sausage roll. Pretty good."

"Oh? I thought you didn't like pastries."

"The savory ones are a different story. There's one I tried a while ago that had some salmon in it. It was pretty good, but the bakery I went to didn't have it. Probably too new or something."

"Hey, that one sounds pretty good. Can you get that one next time?"

"What's with the switch up. I thought you were a curry bread warrior."

"What do you mean? Still craving my curry bread, you know. I'm just putting another one below it. Kind of like... a list!"

She then gasped as if reaching an epiphany.

"Wait... That's a good idea. I'm making a list."

"For what?"

"For everything I wanna do while I'm living under your roof as a useless mollusk. Oh, hmm... Mollusk..."

She began scribbling on a piece of paper.

"Are you just gonna add every food that comes to your head?!"

"Yep! That's right."

"Gosh..."

"Not to worry, Shohei. It's just a simple list. If we absolutely can't do it, then I can just cross it off. Not the end of the world."

"Just a few weeks ago, it would've been."

"Huh? What are you... Oh. Oh~ That's kind of dark, don't you think?"

"It's the truth."

I went in for the last bite of my custard bread.

Weird... On a normal day, I would've gotten through at most maybe half of that. This time, though, I finished the whole thing.

"And done!" Megumi grinned. "Wanna see it?"

"Sure."

She handed me the list, and I began reading from the top. Immediately, my brow raised without me even trying to.

"Curry bread, salmon bread, cold seafood plate, eel sushi roll... Hah. You really did put only food on this list."

"Of course."

"Whatever happened to everything you wanted to do?"

"Hmm, I thought about it, but it's not like I'm in a position to want things like that. The bare minimum will do, and by that, I mean food. Lots of food. And speaking of which, Shohei... What are you doing this upcoming weekend?"

"This weekend? I don't think I have anything planned. Why?"

"Lately, I've been thinking... Despite the freedom I have now, I haven't really been making the most of it. Thought it might be time for me to go out and stretch my legs."

"Then go ahead," I said, sipping on water. "You don't need my permission for something like that."

"Hehe~ Are you feigning ignorance? Or do you really not know what I'm trying to say?"

Megumi leaned forward across the table. She met my eyes, hopeful yet expecting, as if she knew exactly what my answer would be.

"Shohei. Spend a day with me. And bring your camera too while you're at it."

"My... camera?"

"Yep! You're in a photography class, right? Well, prepare to have your grades skyrocket."