Let's Kill This Love
[We hit 100,000 words and there's 10 chapters to go? Wow, I can't believe we're almost at the end. But for now, let's take a small break from Furuya and Miyuki (bc Miyuki is honestly stressing me tf out lmao) and focus on some other characters, shall we? And the chapter title is definitely not a Blackpink reference, I promi—y'all said stop lying? Fasho]
--
One Week Later
Kuramochi opens the door to Kataoka's office.
"I heard you wanted to see me," he says, bowing, "What's the matter?"
Rei smiles as she ushers him inside, "No need to look so anxious. You're not in trouble. I just wanted to give you something."
Kuramochi raises a brow as she rummages through her purse and pulls out two fifty-dollar bills, "What's this for?"
"I was reading through the group chat and saw what you were raising money for. It was such a heartwarming cause, so I decided to pitch in. This is all that remains, right?"
"Yeah, but this is entirely too much from you…"
"Consider the second fifty a contribution from Coach Kataoka."
Seeing that Rei's intentions are sincere, Kuramochi accepts the money with both hands and bows repeatedly, almost giving himself whiplash.
"Thank you so much!" he says, "I'll never forget this!" 'Finally! I can buy it.'
--
Haruichi jumps in his seat as the classroom door slams open and Kuramochi runs to his desk.
"You scared me," he sighs, putting a hand on his chest, "Warn me next time when you do that, okay?"
"My bad," Kuramochi apologizes, grinning toothily, "but, look. Are you free after this class?"
"Yes. Why?"
He reveals the wads of cash in his bag and the pink-haired teen stares in amazement.
"You have enough money now?"
"You betcha! Meet me in my room after class so we can go buy it together."
"Together?"
"You two are brothers; I'd assume you know his tastes."
Haruichi nods in agreement and Kuramochi leaves the room, dancing away.
'Aniki is so lucky,' he thinks fondly.
--
Kagayaki Jewelers
"How may I help you two today?" the saleswoman asks.
Kuramochi and Haruichi are at Kagayaki Jewelers, a jewelry shop at the mall not too far from Seido.
The adults moseying about give them strange looks, wondering why a pair of teenagers are at an upscale store during school hours, but the duo pays them no mind.
They're here on a mission.
"I was wondering if you had any moissanite engagement rings," Kuramochi says, walking up to the saleswoman's counter.
"Moissanite?" Haruichi parrots questioningly, "You're not thinking of getting a diamond?"
The shortstop waves his hand in front of his face frantically, a negative, "Oh, hell no! Ryo-san would absolutely slaughter me if I got him a diamond. He wouldn't want me spending that much money on him, although he totally deserves it. If it was possible, I'd buy him the whole store…then he'd burn it down saying that I'm overcompensating."
"That definitely sounds like my brother," Haruichi laughs.
Ryosuke was an undemanding person. Whether it concerned clothes, electronics, food, or even shampoo, he seldom fretted over price and quality. They were of trivial importance to him, but his ideology only solidified when he first started dating Kuramochi.
"Because you're a broke boy, I'll settle with the thought that counts," is what he once said and it struck like an arrow in Kuramochi's poor heart, twisting and digging deeper whenever he was playfully insulted.
"What price range are we looking at, boys?" the saleswoman asks.
"Under six hundred dollars," Kuramochi responds.
Around a month ago, he had messaged the team group chat, saying that he was buying a ring for Ryosuke and already had two hundred dollars saved up. The team, the overbearing yet supportive bunch of them, zealously encouraged his cause and scrounged up whatever they could for their love-drunk shortstop.
It was still debatable if Jun had bullied some younger students into coughing up their cash or not, but no one dared question his methods. They were steadily approaching their goal, and thanks to Rei's unprecedented contribution, it was achieved.
The saleswoman carefully places several sets of rings on top of her glass display counter.
"These are on sale, but rest assured that they are still top quality," she states, "Please, have a gander."
She gestures to Haruichi, but he shakes his head.
"O-Oh, it's not for me," he stammers, "He's the one picking it out. He just brought me along because I'm his boyfriend's brother."
"Which is precisely why I need your opinion, Kominato," Kuramochi reasons, pushing him closer to the rings, "I only did my research on how to pronounce moissanite. Other than that, I haven't got a damn clue about what to do or what I'm staring at."
Haruichi agrees, and they spend a tense ten minutes scrutinizing the assortment before them, comparing sizes, shapes, colors, and prices as if they were prime jewelry connoisseurs.
"I think the one on the far left is nice," Haruichi says after exhausting his brain, "It's not too flashy, so Aniki might like it."
The saleswoman nods and slips the ring out of its box. With her gloved hands, she holds it up to their faces, turning it so the lights in the shop can reflect off of it.
"This is a mix of both moissanite and diamond," she says, rehearsed and structured, "It's 1.25 carats, with 1 carat of round moissanite in the center and 0.25 carat of diamonds on the sides. We have others in rose and yellow gold, but this white one is the only ring in your desired price range. Is that alright?"
Kuramochi strokes his imaginary beard, pensive. The ring is four-hundred and twenty dollars, a good chunk below his budget, which should have sold him immediately, but no. He needed more swaying.
"Can I hold it?" he asks.
"Sure."
The saleswoman transfers the ring over to him and he, like it was second nature, takes Haruichi's hand and slides it onto his finger.
The hairs on Haruichi's neck stand, electrified and bewildered. His cheeks are flush, the same shade as his hair, maybe even darker.
"Wh-Wh-What are you doing, Kuramochi-senpai?!" he sputters, fidgeting uncontrollably, "People are going to get the wrong idea! Take it off!"
"Relax, relax," Kuramochi says dismissively, "I just wanted to see if it fits. You and Ryo-san are practically copy and paste in terms of build, so I'm using you as a model. Well, does it fit? Can you bend your fingers freely?"
Still in a daze, Haruichi flexes his digits. He doesn't have any complaints, so their arduous trial is complete.
Kuramochi slips the ring off and returns it to the saleswoman, who puts it back in the box and wraps it up for purchase. He hands her his card, having transferred his liquid cash into his bank account, and the payment is confirmed.
"Have a nice day and congratulations," she says with a smile, "I hope everything goes smoothly."
"Thanks!" Kuramochi performs a quick bow.
He and Haruichi head for the store's exit, and the latter stops in his tracks as he notices another display.
"Look," he says, pointing, "They're giving out free flowers and…oh. I didn't realize the—"
"—condoms!" Kuramochi finishes his sentence.
He scurries over to the display and glances both ways before stuffing some in the pocket of his hoodie.
"I'm gonna be needing these a lot more than flowers tonight, if ya know what I mean! Hyahaha!"
"Gross!" Haruichi exclaims, "I don't want to hear you talk about my brother like that."
"Don't be afraid of nature, young one!"
--
Seated at a family restaurant, they enjoy a meal to celebrate phase one of their plan. Rather, Kuramochi is scarfing down his cheeseburger, partly due to hunger and partly due to nerves.
"Slow down or else you'll choke," Haruichi advises after eating a fry, "Ending up in the hospital and not being able to propose will have made this all for nothing."
"Y-You're right." Kuramochi pours more water into his glass and gulps it down, then pounds his chest a few times to dislodge the mass of chewed-up burger meat. He sighs in relief as he feels it travel down.
"That wouldn't have been good," he says, "but, man, am I freaking out. I thought I'd be zooming through this process without breaking a sweat, but, nah. I'm far from that."
"What made you want to propose to Aniki? You've been dating for just two years, right?"
"Yeah," Kuramochi concurs, voice gentle as he rubs the back of his neck, "Sounds like I'm rushing, but I'm so certain about it. Like, crazy levels of certain. I love your brother, Kominato. He has a sharp tongue and violates the ever-living shit out of me, but he's an amazing partner. Romantically and in bed."
Haruichi groans in exasperation.
"Anyway," the green-haired teen continues, "I don't see a future with anyone else. I'm only seventeen and others would assume I'm being too near-sighted and impatient, but this is what I want. Being with him for the rest of my life would be almost as terrific as reaching Koshien."
"Almost?"
"Almost."
They share a laugh then dig back into their meal. Kuramochi offers Haruichi a sip of his milkshake and Haruichi offers him a portion of his fries. Once they're done, they split the bill.
"I'm gonna use the bathroom real quick," Kuramochi says, getting up from his seat, "Watch our stuff."
"I'm on it."
When he's out of sight, Haruichi takes the ring box and opens it. He scoots close to the window, slides the ring onto his finger, and marvels at it glistening in the sunlight.
'Aniki is so lucky,' he thinks fondly.
--
8 PM
"Wooo!"
"Go get 'em, cheetah boy!"
"What a mad man! He's actually gonna do it!"
"It's a nice-looking ring."
"Good luck!"
"I'll save some pudding, just for you."
Kuramochi's cheeks are burning from everyone's outpour of encouragement, snickering from ear to ear.
They are standing at the entrance of Seido, sending off their soon-to-be engaged player.
"We got a cake in the cafeteria so we can celebrate when ya get back," Jun says, "That's if Masuko doesn't get his grubby hands all over it first."
Masuko's stomach growls in response.
"Furuya's mom made it specifically for this occasion, so I will stand guard of the fridge," Kawakami assures him, giving a thumbs up.
"Don't get married and start slacking off during practice!" Eijun warns, throwing jabs and hooks, "Your own moves will be used against you!"
"Piss off, Sawamura!" Kuramochi retorts, "I would still beat your ass with my eyes closed and a ring on my finger!"
"What?!"
The street light turns white, and with that, Kuramochi waves at them before running across.
He texted Ryosuke that he would be waiting outside his job once his shift was over. Living alone, the older Kominato worked at a lounge to sustain himself with the occasional handout from his parents.
After his crushing miscarriage, he refused to return to school. His mental health was clinging onto frail and thinning threads, but a year later, he had mostly recovered.
Kuramochi walks through town, his hands clammy despite the cool night air surrounding him. Tonight would shift the course of his entire life and he was jittery.
What if Ryosuke didn't like the ring and chucked it down a drain? What if he fumbled his words during the proposal and had to start over? What if he forgot the ring?
Kuramochi immediately pats his hoodie pocket and it's there, tucked in and safe. He tells himself to stop messing with his own head, regaining his composure.
'You got this, bro,' he thinks.
Rounding the corner, he's a block away from Ryosuke's job. He can see clearly through the window, so he sits on a raised concrete block garden.
Swinging his legs, he fishes out the ring box, opens it, and clenches it, strengthening his conviction.
Movement in the direction of the lounge steals his attention and he turns his head.
Through the window, he sees Ryosuke serving a drink to an older male customer. There's some light conversation by how their lips are moving, but there's something…more.
The older man's hand snakes its way to Ryosuke's ass and squeezes. It lingers.
And lingers.
And lingers.
"Are you not going to move his hand, Ryo-san?" Kuramochi asks himself, stupefied, "You don't like it when strangers touch you. He's a weirdo, right? Tell him to fuck off like you always do."
Instead of fulfilling Kuramochi's expectations, Ryosuke kisses the man on the lips. It's a kiss the shortstop knows all too well.
It means he wants more.
Five minutes pass and Kuramochi can only stare as his boyfriend and the older male exit the lounge.
The stranger opens the passenger door of his car and the pink-haired teen climbs inside. He then enters the driver's side and Ryosuke's head disappears down below as the car drives off.
"Ryo—" Kuramochi chokes out.
Not once did Ryosuke look around to see if he was in the vicinity, waiting for him. He just walked off, arm in arm with an older male, a stranger, whisked away into the night.
Eyebrows twitching, Kuramochi's world comes to a screeching halt on its axis. Any second sooner it would have fallen off, forever floating in an infinite space. His chest feels tight as if his ribs are pressing against his heart. He can't breathe, oxygen being an unwelcome substance in his lungs. He bites his lip, drawing blood.
A violent gust of cold wind sends a lone tear trickling down the side of his face, splattering onto the ring.
"He...he forgot about me..."