It's Kazunari, not Kazuya - Part 4
Nino went to work with Jun the next day and they were the last to arrive. Truthfully, he was surprised to see Ohno would come before him. And, the boss had already started working. Wow!
“It is not surprising,” Jun whispered to him. “If he likes the job, Ohno-san is actually quite committed. And, maybe that stupid girlfriend is still ignoring him. So, he has time to focus on work. Or, it could be because of…”
Jun trailed off with a teasing look. Nino rolled his eyes. He knew what the look meant. Yesterday, Jun had explained to him what dating meant. Apparently, what he did with Ohno yesterday was what most people did when they went on a date. So, his friend had been teasing him, saying that Ohno might like him. That’s ridiculous, Nino countered. Didn’t Jun see how badly Ohno had treated him so far?
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," chided Nino, which made his friend laugh.
"What stupid thing?" Asked Aiba suddenly. Nino almost cursed for not realizing that someone else had joined the secret conversation he had with Jun.
“Nothing, Aiba-san,” Answered Nino. “Jun told me to eat a mapo tofu ice-cream. But, there is no such thing, right?”
Aiba shook his head. “But, I can try to make it if you want. Everything will be better with mapo tofu,”
Nino’s jaws dropped, not expecting the conversation would go this way. And he hated to see the smirk on Jun’s face.
“No need to try anything, Aiba-chan,” said Jun. “We weren’t talking about Mapo tofu. Instead, I have an interesting theory but Nino said it is stupid,”
“Eh? What theory? Tell me please!"
"Okay," Jun easily agreed. "I think Ohno-san…"
"JUN-KUN!" Nino shouted at the top of his lungs as an attempt to stop Jun from telling Aiba about his absurd theory. However, the plan backfired. Thanks to the noise he made, he had now caught the attention of both Sakurai and Ohno. Both of them halted the work they were doing and approached him.
“Kazuya!” Ohno bellowed. “Why are you screaming?”
“Is everything okay, Ninomiya-san?” Asked Sakurai gently, completely different from his other boss. Nino liked the tone used by Sakurai. Wouldn’t it be better if Ohno could speak to him like this?
“I ask you a question, Kazuya,” Ohno rebuked when Nino stayed silent. “Is it hard for you to answer me?”
Okay, this was weird. The word uttered by Ohno may sound harsh but… did Ohno sound slightly gentle than yesterday? Or it was just his feeling, Nino thought. Well, he shouldn’t be thinking about that for now. Not when Ohno was still waiting for his response.
“I’m sorry,” He bowed at the two of them. “I didn’t mean to shout,”
“I don’t mind about the shout,” said Sho. He looked at Nino with concern. “But, are you sure, everything is okay?” Asked Sho again. He then gave his attention to Jun. “Matsumoto-san, what happened? Why did Ninomiya-san shout your name?”
Jun shook his head. “Nothing serious, Sakurai-san. We’re just fooling around. I apologize for the trouble,”
“It’s time to work, not to fool around,” said Ohno sternly. And, all three of them only lowered their heads. It was their fault so why bother to deny it? But, admittedly, it was embarrassing to be reprimanded like this.
“They are not kids, Satoshi. You don’t have to scold them like that,” said Sho. “Okay, if there’s no problem, all three of you can get back to work,”
Nino, Jun and Aiba responded with a nod. But, when they were about to head back to their places, Ohno suddenly pulled Nino closer and then showed his hand. Nino scratched his head. He didn’t understand what the gesture meant.
“Do you need anything, Ohno-san?” He asked. But, the man rolled his eyes.
"Did you forget, Kazuya?" Asked Ohno, not bother to hide his annoyance. But, did he sound excited at the same time? Man, his boss is so strange. "The money you owe me for dinner last night,"
Ah…
Nino hit his head for forgetting about the money. This was Jun's fault. If he didn't talk about his stupid theory yesterday, perhaps Nino would not forget to ask if he had some money to spare so that he could pay Ohno for his portion last night.
“Satoshi, what are you doing?” Asked Sakurai as he watched both of them curiously. “Why are you asking for money from Ninomiya-san? And, how many times do I have to correct you? It's Kazunari, not Kazuya,”
“Whatever,” Ohno stuck his tongue out at Sakurai. “I want to call him Kazuya. It’s just the combination of his name. Kazu from Kazunari and Ya from Ninomiya. So, technically, I’m not wrong,”
What followed next was an awkward silence. Everyone had the same dumbfounded expression, trying to make sense of the reasoning from Ohno.
“Still, he didn’t like it if you called his name wrongly,” said Sakurai, being the first one who recovered from the shock. “Don’t you notice the way he flinched whenever you called him Kazuya? So, please call him Ninomiya just like everyone else,”
“Fine,” Ohno pouted. He sounded like a sulking child. “I will not call him Kazuya anymore. But, I will not call him Ninomiya like everyone else. I will call him Kazunari,”
“You are not that close to call…”
“It’s okay, Sakurai-san,” Nino chipped in, deciding to put an end to the trivial argument. “I’m fine with it,”
“Are you sure?” Sakurai asked for confirmation followed by a nod from Nino. To be honest, he liked the way Ohno called him Kazunari earlier.
“Well, if that’s what you want,” Sakurai shrugged his shoulder. “But, Satoshi, why are you asking for money from Ninomiya-san?”
“Because he owes me,” answered Ohno simply. “I paid for his dinner last night,”
“What?” said both Sakurai and Aiba in unison. Jun, on the other hand, tried to hide his smirk.
“I thought you went out with Mei-chan,” continued Sakurai.
“She didn’t show up. So, I asked Kazunari to eat with me,” explained Ohno. "I made a reservation for two people. Since he was already there, better not to waste it,"
"So you asked him to eat with you and paid for it?"
"Of course! I'm not treating…"
"But, Satoshi…" Sakurai let out an exasperated sigh. Being the spectator, Nino actually had a hard time keeping a straight face. He could see both Aiba and Jun had the same thoughts. The situation was weirdly funny. Sakurai looked like a father who had a hard time raising his rebellious son, which Ohno portrayed perfectly. "This is absurd. Ninomiya-san has just started working with us. It is too much to ask him to pay,"
"That's why…"
"Besides, you invited him to eat with you. If you can pay for Mei-chan, you can also pay for him. He helps you with your task. Your girlfriend did nothing for you,"
"You should let me explain," retorted Ohno. "I know he cannot pay. So, I want him to be my servant for a week to clean and cook for me,"
Once again, everyone was taken aback. Ohno really had a weird way of thinking.
"You have a housekeeper to do that for you," said Sakurai. As Ohno is their superior, of course, Nino, Jun and Aiba chose to stay silent and let Sakurai be the voice of reason right now. Deep in his heart, Nino was thankful to have the sensible Sakurai as his boss.
"Her food is awful," came Ohno's quick answer. Sakurai looked at him in disbelief.
"Huh? I thought you liked her cooking. You always praise her food,"
"Yeah…" Ohno scratched his head. His eyes refused to look at Sakurai. "I get bored, I guess,"
At this point, Nino didn't know if Ohno was serious or just doing this to mess with him.
"You want to bully him, right?" Said Sakurai, voicing the thought Nino had in his mind. "Why do you want him to cook for you? You don't even know if he can cook,"
"His coffee is delicious," answered Ohno, almost mumbling. Of course, it was a ridiculous answer. How could Ohno judge his cooking based on the coffee he made for the boss? This, as expected, confirmed his suspicion that Ohno wanted him to be his servant for a week so that he could bully Nino, both at the office and home.
“This is unacceptable, Satoshi,” Another sigh from Sakurai. “You cannot…”
“Why not? I’m not bullying him. I just want to…”
Ohno suddenly paused and glanced at Nino. He shook his head and then cleared his throat. “Then, what should I do about the money? Consider it as a treat?”
Sakurai didn’t answer. He simply rolled his eyes because the answer was too obvious. But, Ohno didn’t seem to agree. As this was about the money he owed Ohno, Nino decided that he should pay for it. But, not now because of the obvious reason. So, hmm… how about…
“I have an idea,” Jun suddenly said before Nino could voice out his suggestion. “How about Nino make a bento for Ohno-san this week? As someone who had tasted his cooking, I would say it is delicious,”
Jun winked at his direction when no one else was looking. Urgh, this man! But, it wasn’t a bad idea. It was better than the one he had in his mind. He thought of paying Ohno after he received his first salary. And, if possible, he wished to pay it in instalments. Jun’s idea would be troublesome but it was cheaper. So, if Ohno is okay with it, he didn’t mind.
“Can it be for two weeks?” Ohno suggested. “I don’t think one week is enough to cover the bill,”
“Sure, Ohno-san,” Nino said quickly when he saw the look on Sakurai’s face. It seemed like the boss wanted to reject the idea. “I will start bringing a bento for you from tomorrow,”
“And you should make it yourself,” Ohno warned. “I don’t want to eat if it’s from the convenience store,”
“Okay, Ohno-san,”
“Great!” Ohno said happily. “I want to eat omurice tomorrow. Ah, I cannot wait for it,”
And just like that, the boss cheerfully skipped to his room. All four of them watched him curiously, wondering why his mood suddenly changed.
“Well, that’s enough distraction for today,” Sakurai finally said, breaking the silence that followed after Ohno’s departure. “Let’s get back to work,”
Nino, Aiba and Jun nodded in agreement. As they headed back to their table, Nino noticed the teasing glint from Jun when their eyes met. But, he didn’t say anything.
It’s weird.
Nino had been working in the company for two weeks now. And today would be the last day he would make bento for his boss. So far, Ohno didn’t complain about his cooking. Well, he didn’t praise it either. The man simply ate the meal he cooked in silence during their lunch break.
And, it was always the two of them in the pantry during lunch. Everyone else went out. As Nino had to wake up early to cook for Ohno, he decided to make one for himself too.
Hmm… what was he thinking about? No, it wasn’t Ohno and the bento that he had been thinking about. It was something else. Ah, what was it? Something weird… ah, yes! Now, he remembered.
Ohno hadn’t talked about Mei-chan at all.
Nino recalled the first day he met Ohno. The man kept talking about his beautiful girlfriend. But, after that, he didn’t mention her at all. If he was not mistaken, the last time he talked about her was when Sakurai asked them about the dinner. Why the sudden change? Did something happen between them?
Truthfully, he had another thought about the matter. Was Mei-chan even a real person? But, she must be real, right? Why would Ohno talk about her if she didn’t exist? Besides, Jun and Sakurai also had mentioned her. So, she must be real. Unless they never met her.
“What are you thinking about, Nino-chan?”
Nino slowly took his eyes off the computer screen in front of him to look at Aiba who tilted his head. The man gave him a curious look.
“You seem to be miles away," Aiba elaborated when he didn't answer. There were only two of them and Ohno in the office right now. Sakurai went to Osaka for a business trip while Jun wasn’t feeling well so he didn’t come to work today.
“Ah, it’s nothing,” answered Nino. There was something he needed to ask but he contemplated it. The question may not be weird but…
“Aiba-chan, can I ask you something?” The curiosity got the best of him. Confirmation about this matter was what he needed to be at peace.
“Sure! What is it?”
“Hmm…” He glanced at Ohno’s room. The man was busy working so that would keep him occupied. “Do you know Mei-chan?”
“Oh! That’s Ohchan’s girlfriend,”
“Have you seen her?”
“Of course,” answered Aiba. Hearing that, Nino tried to keep a straight face. Somehow, this revelation made him sad because a part of him wished that the woman is not real. “She has been dating Ohchan for three months. She comes here almost every day but I haven’t seen her for a while. Why?”
"Nothing," he answered. "Ohno-san mentioned her a few times. But, I never see her,"
"I hope they've broken up," said Aiba. Oh, so Aiba didn't like Mei too. That wasn't a surprise. "She is… Ah… I shouldn't badmouth her but I don't like her,"
"Why?"
"I don't know. Do you think magic exists?"
Nino was taken aback by the sudden question. He didn't know how to answer. Magic indeed exists for him. But, as Jun constantly reminded him, people in this place didn't believe in magic.
"I know it sounds stupid," said Aiba. "Magic is not real. But, whenever she is around, Ohchan will be different. He will do everything she asks. No hesitation whatsoever. And it was hard to reason with him,"
"Maybe because he's in love,"
"Noooo…" Aiba shook his head. "It is different than when someone is in love. It's more like…. He had been bewitched,"
"Bewitched?" Nino mumbled the word. He had never seen someone under a love spell before because it was forbidden in his place. But, should he investigate this matter?
"Ah, yabai!" Aiba suddenly cried. "I'm late. I have to go to the bank. I will see you later, Nino-chan,"
And Aiba dashed before Nino could say anything. Well, that left him alone with Ohno in the office.
"Where did Aiba-chan go?"
Nino was startled when he heard Ohno's voice. The boss was standing at the door with his arms crossed.
"To the bank, Ohno-san," answered Nino. "Do you need anything? A cup of coffee, perhaps?"
"That would be nice," said Ohno. "Hey, today will be the last day you bring bento for me, right?"
Nino nodded.
"Hmm, I want to make curry pan tomorrow," mused Ohno. "If you are free, come to my house and we can make it together,"
"Eh?"
The woman looked at her phone. There were a few notifications. But, none came from the man she was waiting for. Frustrated because of what happened, she threw the phone away and it landed on her companion's head.
"What's wrong, Miss?" Her companion asked. He took the phone and then put it on the table near her.
“He hasn't contacted me since last week,” She grunted. The last time she met the man was two weeks ago when he was late for their date. She pretended to be angry so that the man would feel guilty. Thus, to coax her, they went to a shopping mall. But, the man didn’t pay attention at all to her. “Hey, did you do the spell properly?"
"Of course, Miss," answered her companion. "Why? Did something happen?"
She shook her head. "Leave me alone. I want to rest,"
Her companion nodded. Then, he headed to the door, leaving her alone in the room. She sighed and took the phone. No message or call from her boyfriend? This was unbelievable!
But, how could this happen? She may be an ordinary person but her companion was different. He can do things that others cannot. Knowing the secret, she had ordered him to help her get the man she wants. And, it worked perfectly. Her boyfriend was under her influence. No matter how ridiculous her wish was, her boyfriend would always do it. But, it had been more than a week…
This can’t go on any longer. She had to figure out what went wrong with the spell. So, no other choice. She would have to make the first move and meet the man tomorrow.
A/N: Hope this isn't weird. And, Mei-chan finally appeared. So, she's real because Aiba had confirmed her existence. I have a different idea in the beginning. But, after reading a few comments, another idea came to my mind. So, hopefully it will be okay.
Well, what do you think about Ohno? Is he weird? Let me know what you think of this fic, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)