Kotone’s Resolve and Ambition

Kotone was already there when I arrived, perched on the low wall by the vending machines like she owned the afternoon, nails tapping against her smartphone.

When she saw me, her grin came easy.

“Took you long enough,” she teased, lifting her chin. “I was this close to charging you a late fee.”

“I’m on time.” I tried to answer, but my throat felt like it’d been scraped raw.

Kotone had the playful energy of enjoying poking at people, until she noticed me properly.

“…Whoa.” Kotone’s eyes raked over me, stripping away my stoic front in a single second. “What’s with the funeral aura?”

“I’m fine.”

“Liar,” she countered instantly, hopping down from the wall. She stepped close, not in crowding me, but close enough that I could smell her delicate candy scent that always seemed to follow her. “You’re doing that thing where you pretend you’re okay so nobody makes you talk.”

“I do that?”

“Yeah. You used to do it constantly! Well? Did something happen?”

“I hurt someone.”

“Like Tora-Senpai’s crew or like… heartbreak-type damage?”

“The second.”

“Oof. That’s a tough flavor.”

“It was someone important.”

Kotone studied me for a beat longer, then made a decision with her body, gesturing toward the bench nearby like she’d already taken responsibility for the next five minutes of my life.

“Sit,” she said.

It wasn’t a request. I let her steer me, and she popped onto the bench like it was her living room couch, and patted the spot beside her with that same casual authority.

“Okay. Start from the part you can say out loud.”

“Someone confessed to me.”

“A confession. Look at you, living in a shoujo manga.”

“It didn’t feel like one.”

Her smile thinned, becoming thoughtful. “Yeah… confessions aren’t cute to handle when they’re real.” She leaned in. “So, what’d you do?”

“I told the truth.”

“Which was?”

“I couldn’t return her feelings, at least in a way I’d actually enjoy.”

“Okay,” she absorbed the information with a slow nod. “So she cried. It’s less about you being some ‘bad boy’ and more about ache crashing the party uninvited. That sucks,” she stated plainly. “For both of you.”

I wasn’t used to her being this direct without a joke attached. It made the moment feel sincerer. Kotone bumped my leg with hers. “Hey. Eyes.”

I met her gaze.

“You came anyway,” she observed. “So either you really wanted to see me…” She paused, eyes flicking over my face like she was assessing my damage. “…or you’re punishing yourself by staying busy.”

I didn’t answer fast enough.

“Mmm. Thought so. Do you like her?”

“I care about her.”

“Is that all you’re gonna give me, chef-boy?”

“I had feelings,” I admitted.

“Okay.” Kotone nodded like she’d expected that, like she’d already built a plan around it. “…And you came to me right after? Was I the first name that came to your lips, or just the one stuck behind your teeth?”

I couldn’t look away from her eyes. “Does it matter?”

“It matters if I’m the girl who makes you turn down others. Ah, thought so. You think I’m sexy? Or are you emotionally compromised and using the first girl who knows how to get you started?”

“I care about you,” I acknowledged, but the words felt too meager for the heat rising in my chest.

“Still not answering the question,” she sang. “You came to me because I don’t ask for perfect. I’ve already seen you messy. When we’re breaking apart inside, we let each other close enough to burn.”

“Maybe.”

“‘Maybe.’ Is that all you’re gonna give me, babe? Okay. Here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re not gonna run from this. And you’re not gonna use me like I’m a distraction. You want me? Then admit it. Otherwise, I’m walking.”

“I do,” I claimed. The fire I’d shown Yui narrowed, now aiming a white-hot heat directly at her. My composure settled into the heavy, dangerous stillness of a man who knows exactly what he wants.

“Mmmmn. That’s what I wanted to hear. You gonna take me seriously now? You gonna stop being a coward and tell me how many times you’ve dreamed about me against my kitchen island?”

“Too many.”

“Say it.”

“I want you.”

“God, you’re dramatic. Again. I have too.”

“That’s too bad. I wasn’t planning to use you like you’re a distraction.”

“No, no waaay!” She gasped in indignation.

“Enough with this. I find your questioning highly inappropriate. But I understand. One often becomes desperate in my presence.”

“You wouldn’t use me as an escape hatch from your guilt,” she said, brusque.

“I wasn’t planning to. I do things real, and properly.”

“And you’re not gonna use her confession as another chain around your neck. You already carry enough like you’re trying to impress a god that doesn’t exist.”

“You’re surprisingly wise right now.”

Kotone’s countenance relaxed, then she recovered with a huff like she was mad she’d shown tenderness at all. “Don’t spread it around. It’ll ruin my trademark.” She stood, dusting off her skirt, and held out her hand as an offer, an invitation to move forward one step at a time. “Come on. Let’s walk. You can tell me as much as you can. And if you can’t, you can just be here.”

I took her hand, feeling hers with easy confidence, and she pulled me up like it was the most natural thing in the world. I didn’t let go. I laced my fingers through hers, pulling her just a fraction closer to my side than she expected.

“Good,” she squeezed my hand, her eyes glowing with a mix of triumph and a hunger she didn’t bother to hide. “Now. First order of business: you’re buying me a drink, and I get one free night coupon.”

“Blackmail?”

“Emotional labor isn’t free.”

I scoffed, but it came out softer than it should have.

“Second order of business,” Kotone added, glancing at me sideways as I paced to the vending machine, still holding her hand, “you’re gonna stop carrying this like you’re the only person allowed to hurt. Yui-chii will get back up faster than you can imagine. Terrifyingly so.”

“You know Yui better than I do?”

“As a girl,” she smirked, “I know enough.”

I passed her the cold soda.

“Also… I’m ready,” she committed.

“Tonight’s the night?”

“The pre-Golden Week panel interview is tomorrow. The agency we’ve started setting up in the background has gone smoothly. If I get cut off, my tour doesn’t get canceled.”

“Don’t let it escalate. If the air turns wrong, you leave.”

“Bossy.”

“I’ll be on my scooter. Right outside the exit. You won’t have to look for me.”

“Fantastic. I’ll show you how to arrive early!”