Chapter 19

Ren watched the sisters bicker, unsure if he should speak. He would've preferred it to be Misaki's choice to go with him, but anything to keep her safe.

"Fine, geez." Misaki covered her face and yelled into her hands. Blackmailer. Emi, you're a dangerous one. "But you can't just bring me over to stay for a bit without talking to Shun about it." It's his house, too. I wouldn't want people randomly staying at my house.

"You think he'll have a problem?" Ren raised an eyebrow and pulled his phone out. "Hey, bro. We think Misaki is being stalked, so she needs a place to stay for a few days. Why am I bothering to ask?" Ren glanced at Misaki. "Yup, she insisted. Okay." Ren hung up. "He said it's fine."

"Okay..." This can't end well, right?

"Pack up your essentials, and we can go now."

"Fine." Misaki sighed and headed to her bedroom. What counts as essentials? Am I seriously doing this? How can I live there? Even if it's only for a short while, it's still around those charming men.

"Oh, I should probably head home." Emi looked at her watch and grumbled about wanting to stay longer.

"Where do you live? I can drop you off."

Emi's eyes sparkled. "I'd love that, but it's a long drive."

"How about I drop you off at the train station?"

"O-okay." Emi giggled and poked her fingers together. "Say, how about a picture?"

"Sure, but how about we don't take it in the bathroom?"

"Good idea." Emi readied her phone as they headed back to the living room to take the picture in front of a music poster.

"Here, I have longer arms." Ren took her phone. "And smile." He took a picture. "There you go. Oh, and take this, just in case." Ren handed her a card with his phone number on it. "I'm hoping I can trust you with this."

"Yes, sir." Emi saluted. She kissed the card and put it in her pocket. "Only for me, and I promise not to spam you with calls, no matter how much I may want to. For emergencies, for Misaki—"

"If you need someone to talk to, I'll listen; it's just hard with the timing. Don't take my not answering as anything other than I'm probably busy with work and turned it off. You can always leave a text, and I'll get back to you when I can."

"Seriously?"

Ren nodded, smirking. "We're friends now, right?"

"Friend hug!" Emi lunged at him.

"Oh!" He jumped slightly, but wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't do this when other people are around."

Emi smiled as she backed off. "Means I can when it's just us!"

"I didn't... Never mind." Ren sighed.

"Hey, can I meet Shun, too? Or is that asking too much?"

"If I drop Misa off at my house first, then I guess so. Might not want to greet him like that, though."

"Oh," Emi pouted, wishing she could complete her wish of hugging both of them.

"I meant I should introduce you first. A stranger hugging him wouldn't end well." Ren thought about their security nearby, outside.

"Wait, so a hug isn't out of the question?!" Emi's face lit up.

"Emi, please don't bother Ren," Misaki said as she came out of her bedroom with two bags and her disguise on. "I'm sorry about her." Who knows what she might ask for?

"I wasn't bothering him." Emi puffed her cheeks out. "We were having a friendly conversation. And wanting to meet the other half of Hayase isn't too much, right?"

"Right," Ren answered right away, putting his disguise back on as he wondered how Shun would take it. "I'll take these." Ren took her bags.

"T-thanks," Misaki said. He doesn't really need to do that.

"Oh, I should get all my shopping bags before we go." Emi picked up her plushies and rushed into Misaki's bedroom. "Hold out in the bag for a little while." She kissed each plush before putting them in and grabbed all her bags. "Ready!"

Ren held his hand out for her bags.

"Always such a gentleman." Emi swooned as she handed her bags over. "Can I have one of you? Guys in my grade all seem to be idiots without an ounce of class. What about Shun? He's single."

"He's also too old for you," Ren said as he adjusted his grip.

"Too old? No way!"

"How about you check back when you're no longer a teenager?"

"Oh, right... I guess you have a point." Emi sighed, pouting.

"Emi," Misaki hissed. "Hold back more, please."

"But that's no fun, and he said we're friends."

"You unleashed her, didn't you?" Misaki glared at Ren.

"Wait, what? What'd I do?" Ren asked, confusion written on his face.

"Let's go before I change my mind." Misaki ushered them out of her apartment.

Outside, Ren unlocked his clunker car for them and put their things in the trunk. He stopped for a moment to look around, scanning the area for anyone suspicious, and hopped into the driver's seat.

"No offence, but I totally didn't expect your car to be... like this," Emi said from the back seat as she poked at a hole in the cushion.

"I got it recently to travel incognito. Don't worry; I'll deck out the inside soon enough, but the outside will stay as is," Ren said as he drove off.

"Hmm... Recently, as in after your reconnection with Misa-nee? Did you get this to keep her safe out of the spotlight? How sweet!" Emi squealed, clapping.

Of course, Emi would go down that road. She's not technically wrong, though. Misaki bit her lip and gazed out the window. He's definitely been going out of his way for me this entire time. How am I going to keep my distance while we're living in the same house?! She gripped her hands in her lap.

"You okay?" Ren asked, noticing the tension. "You'll be safe at my place. And if you spot the guy on the way there, be sure to point him out."

"I know I'll be safe there." For some reason, I have no doubt about that.

Emi giggled in the back, watching them. "Like being front row to a drama," she mumbled to herself.

He stopped at a red light and pulled his mask off. "Ugh, I hate these things."

"They do help, though," Misaki said, leaning away so he wouldn't snatch hers again.

"To a point, sure, but I find they end up being suffocating." He took a deep breath. "It sucks when you don't have anywhere you can breathe freely."

Emi gripped the corners of the front seats, leaning forward. "Please tell me this isn't your way of saying you want to go underground like my sister. I would be devastated. Millions alongside me."

Ren chuckled and shook his head, driving off on the green light. "No, I'm not going to do that. I'm hoping I never do. What I actually want is to go on a date with a beautiful woman without worrying for their safety and privacy." He glanced at Misaki.

She looked away, red up to her ears as she thought about going to Kaouri Kafe with him.

"Oh my gosh! You've been out on a date already, haven't you?" Emi asked, noticing Misaki's physical response to him.

"No," Misaki said right away, despite thinking about all the time she spent choosing a dress at first.

"Yes," Ren said at the same time.

"Wait, the photo you were worried about before... was that of your date?" Emi asked.

"Yes," Ren said again, but Misaki kept quiet.

Please stop answering her questions. Misaki sank into her seat, pulling her hat down.

"I guess they did get a dating rumour right for once, though they don't know who you are yet."

"And I'm hoping to keep it that way," Misaki mumbled. "Wait!" She sat up straight. "I can't do this. What if someone takes a picture of me at your house?!" I won't have my mask on all the time to hide if I'm living there!

"Calm down, Misa. We're friends, so it's reasonable that you'd be there."

"Are you sure about that? People are bound to speculate."

"Take slow, deep breaths." Ren controlled his breathing, hoping Misaki would do the same.

"Look at it this way, Misa-nee, you can stay at home with a stalker around, or be safe at Ren's place with a chance of being seen, or go home with me and be away from your work."

"The first one isn't an option," Ren said.

"So, do you want to go home with me?" Emi asked.

It'd be nice to see Mom and Dad, but... She glanced at Ren. We have work to do. "No..."

"Continue with the plan it is."

Misaki's eyes landed on a man in a hoodie at the same bus stop from yesterday, and she sat up straight as they passed by. A chill ran down her spine, and she froze. I swear he looked straight at me, but these windows are tinted...

"Misa?" Ren called out to her.

"It's him."

"Dammit." Ren kept going, but glanced in the mirror to see a guy in a hoodie. He debated on driving past his street, but if he was already using that bus stop, he knew the connection, so he headed home. "Welcome to Chez Hayase."