It's Kazunari, not Kazuya - Part 3
Mei-chan didn’t join them for dinner.
Apparently, she was still angry at Ohno so she didn’t answer his call. As a result, Nino was alone with Ohno during the dinner. And it was awkward.
“I want to eat with Mei-chan,” Ohno grumbled. “How did I end up with you for dinner?”
“I can go if you don’t want me here,” Nino decided. He was about to stand up and leave. But, Ohno stopped him.
“Stay!” His boss ordered. “It will be more humiliating to eat here alone with this setting,”
Nino let out a sigh. This boss was so confusing for him. Ohno complained about him being here but when he wanted to leave, Ohno didn’t allow him to do so. So, what should he do? And, truthfully, he didn’t like this place. The whole atmosphere made him uncomfortable. The light was too dimmed and accompanied by slow music. It’s too solemn, in his opinion. As Nino looked around the restaurant, he realized that the other customers came as a couple and they were the only male couple.
“Sir…” A young woman came to their table and approached Ohno. She had a basket full of flowers and chocolates. Nino had seen her going around each table, offering the things that she brought to the man who ended up giving them to the lady. Hmm, wouldn’t it be easier if she offered them directly to the lady, then? Why must she involve the man in this? Weird! This place is so weird!
“Hello,” Ohno greeted her cheerfully with a charming smile. “How can I help you?”
This was the first time Nino saw him being nice. During the meeting with Honda-san earlier, his smile was forced. This time, however, Ohno genuinely smiled at the woman. Ah, if only he would smile like that to Nino too…
“I’m just wondering…” The young woman pointed at her basket. “Would you like to buy a box of chocolate for your partner?”
“Ah! We’re…”
Nino had to swallow what he wanted to say when Ohno glared at him. It was a signal that he should remain silent.
“Sure, why not!” Ohno said, handing out a few notes to the woman. She, in return, put a box of chocolate on the table and thanked Ohno. When she was about to leave, Ohno stopped her and asked.
“How about the flower?”
“You want it?” The woman asked for confirmation.
Ohno nodded his head. “Yes, my partner loves the flower. He is quite feminine,”
The woman smiled and then gave a flower to Ohno. His boss gave him a smirk before handing it to him. Nino was unsure if he should take the flower but the way Ohno looked at him made it impossible to refuse. So, he shyly took the flower from Ohno.
"Thank you," he said, hoping he wasn't blushing.
"You are beautiful, sir," the woman said. "Truthfully, I am jealous of your flawless skin,"
Nino didn't know how to respond so he thanked the woman. She excused herself, leaving him alone with Ohno again. Other men might be offended to be described as beautiful or feminine. But, not Nino. He often heard people say that about him so he didn't mind.
"Beautiful?" Ohno scoffed, bringing him back to the awkward situation he had with his boss. "She is just being nice. You are so pale. Why would anyone want skin like yours? The woman should see Mei-chan. She is more beautiful than you,"
Nino chose not to say anything. Instead, he focused on the pasta in front of him. Honestly, he didn't like the dish but it was the only thing he knew on the menu because Jun often made it.
"Why are you playing with your food?" Ohno said. Nino had to take his eyes off the dish to look at his boss. He tilted his head, almost surprised to see a look of concern in those eyes. But, it was gone in a second so perhaps it was just his imagination. Why would Ohno worry about him?
"You better finish it quickly. I want to get out of here as soon as possible," Ohno continued when he didn't say anything. Nino responded with a nod.
"You can take the flower, Kazuya," said Ohno, once again saying his name wrongly. Nino had lost count of how many times he did it so, at this point, he just chose to ignore it. "I will keep the chocolate and give it to Mei-chan. I'm going to her house later. Hopefully, she will talk to me,"
"Do you want me to go with you?" Asked Nino, remembering that's the reason he was stuck in the restaurant in the first place. "... so that I can explain to her what happened today,"
"No need," Ohno said and Nino sighed in relief. "Just eat quickly,"
So, Nino did as he was told, forcing the dish down his throat. He finished the meal before Ohno, who seemed to savour each bite. Nino fought the urge to roll his eyes as he watched Ohno. The boss wanted him to be quick but surprisingly, Ohno did the opposite. In fact, when the waiter asked if they wanted dessert, he didn’t hesitate to order. He even asked Nino to do the same. Urgh, so much for wanting to leave the restaurant early.
“Eating a dessert is a must, Kazuya,” remarked Ohno with a smirk. Seemed like he knew what Nino was thinking about.
The waiter came soon after with two slices of chocolate cakes for them. As Nino wasn’t fond of sweet things, he simply ordered the same thing as Ohno. The waiter also brought along their bill and in response, Ohno handed his credit card to the man.
“Kazuya, when he gives the receipt later, you calculate how much you owe me, okay? Then, pay me tomorrow if you don’t have the cash right now,”
Nino dropped the spoon that he was holding, ignoring the noise that he made. What did Ohno mean? He had to pay for his dinner? This must be a joke, right?
“I’m sorry… what did you say?”
“Calculate how much your meal costs and then pay me,” clarified Ohno, saying the same thing as he thought.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course! What? Do you expect me to treat you for dinner?”
“But…” Ah, Nino didn’t know what to say. Why didn’t Ohno tell him about this sooner? If he knew, he won’t order the dessert. Maybe, he would just order the cheapest appetizer as it was perhaps the only dish he could afford. “I don’t have money to pay,”
“Awh, that’s too bad,” Ohno said, sounding sarcastic. “I accept other forms of payment too. Maybe you can pay me using your body,”
“Huh?” This was getting weirder. In the place he was from, paying with a body meant… urgh, it was too mortifying to think about it.
“Ewww, what are you thinking about, Kazuya?” Ohno suddenly said. His cheeks turned red. But, whether it was from rage or shyness, Nino had no idea. “I don’t mean it to be like that. I have Mei-chan! Why would I do it with you?”
“Then, what do you mean?”
“You can be my servant,” explained Ohno. “You just have to cook for me and clean my house,”
“What?”
“How thick are you, Kazuya?” From his tone, Nino could see the boss was annoyed. “Why do I have to repeat everything that I said?”
“But…”
“It’s easy. If you don’t want to be my servant, pay me. You have until tomorrow to decide,” said Ohno. Okay, even though Ohno had treated him badly since their first meeting, this was the first time Nino felt the strong urge to strangle the man. But, why would he strangle the man when he could simply use a spell on the man. Perhaps, something to humiliate the man… hmm, what could it be?
“What are you thinking about, Kazuya? Finish your cake quickly!” said Ohno as Nino thought of what to do as revenge. Hmm, Nino changed his mind. He wasn’t as petty as Ohno. For now, let’s just take a deep breath.
"See you tomorrow, Ohno-san," Nino bowed at the man. They were standing in front of the restaurant, ready to go their own way. However, Ohno pulled him closer before Nino could take a step away from the man.
"Where are you going, Kazuya?" Asked Ohno.
Nino sighed. "It's Kazunari, Ohno-san. Not Kazuya. How many times do I have to correct you?"
Yes, he wanted to ignore it. But, sometimes, it's unbearable to hear Ohno called him wrongly.
"As I've told you, I will call you whatever I want," said Ohno. Well, his boss was too stubborn. He didn't know what to do about it.
"Can I go home now, Ohno-san? I'm tired,"
"Of course! But, how are you going to get home?"
"By train, obviously," answered Nino. Truthfully, he didn't know the route yet. But, Jun said, it could easily be solved if he referred to the handphone that Jun had bought for him.
"That's too dangerous!" Exclaimed Ohno. "Come, I will send you home. My driver is already here,"
"Oh, thanks. But, do I have to pay…"
"No! It's free of charge. It's my responsibility to make sure you get home safely,"
Oh, this wasn't what he expected. But, it was refreshing to see another side of Ohno. He didn't think his boss would treat him nicely like this.
Before Nino could say anything, Ohno already dragged him to the parking lot. The same car that brought them to the restaurant was waiting for them. The driver, who is a man in his forties, bowed and then opened the door for them. Nino was, once again, dragged to get into the car.
"Where are we going, sir?" The driver asked once he had settled down.
"Tell him your address, Kazuya," ordered Ohno.
So, he did as he was told. And, the old man started driving to the destination.
"Isn't that Matsujun's house?" His boss asked him. Nino answered with a nod.
"You live with him?" Ohno raised his eyebrow. And, once again, Nino nodded his head.
"Oh…"
What followed next was silence. Nino didn't dare to say anything for fear that what he said would annoy his boss. He simply enjoyed the beautiful view of this place until Ohno suddenly yelled in excitement like a small child. And, Nino couldn't stop staring at his boss because he looked so cute.
"Stop the car!"
The boss ordered. And, the driver did as he was told without any objections. Ohno opened the door and dragged Nino with him for the third time. He brought Nino to an ice-cream parlour and the lady at the counter greeted them as they entered. Nino started looking around the shop, noticing five other customers. Three of them were sitting as they ate their ice-creams while another two were lining up.
"Let's eat ice-cream," suggested Ohno. "This time, it's my treat!"
"Hmm, okay…" Nino frowned. Once again, he was confused by what his boss did. Didn't Ohno want to be quick because he wanted to meet his girlfriend? But, his action seemed to be the opposite of what he said.
"Hurry up and choose!" His boss urged. "If not, you have to pay,"
Nino flinched, thinking of how much he would owe Ohno if the man didn't pay for his ice-cream. He pushed the thoughts about his boss' weird behaviour and focused on what was offered to him.
"You are late, Nino," Asked Jun when Nino arrived home. "Where did you go?"
Nino glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost 10 PM. Wow, no wonder he was tired. He was out with Ohno for almost 3 hours.
"I went out with Ohno-san," he answered, sitting down on the couch.
"I know that," said Jun. "But, why did it take so long? Thought you just went there to help him coax his good-for-nothing girlfriend,"
"She didn't show up," explained Nino. "So, I have dinner with Ohno-san. On the way home, we ate ice-cream,"
Jun blinked his eyes rapidly. He seemed to have a hard time believing what Nino told him.
"You and Ohno-san had dinner together?"
Nino nodded his head.
"Then, you ate ice-cream with him?"
Another nod. Geez, why did Jun repeat what he said? Was it so difficult to believe?
"What's with the flower?" Asked Jun, pointing at the flower from Ohno that he put in his pocket.
"This?" Nino asked for confirmation followed by a nod from Jun. "It's from Ohno-san,"
Jun's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Nino didn't understand why his friend made that kind of expression.
"Oh my…" Jun said, finally able to recollect himself. "Nino, did you go on a date with Ohno-san?"
A/N: So, do you think Nino and Ohno went on a date without Nino realizing it was a date? Do you think Ohno really invite Mei-chan for the dinner or it was just a ploy to make Nino go out with him? Any opinions about this will be welcomed.
Ohno is still treating Nino badly so whether he likes Nino or not... hmm, let's wait until the next part, ne?
Anyway, sorry for not updating Cupid yet. I'm still trying to figure out things. For now, I hope you will enjoy this fic first. Let me know what you think of it, okay? It will be very much appreciated :)