Chapter 13: Rei's Confession

Rei bid farewell to Alexis as he departed for the party. Alexis inquired, "You're not joining us?" Rei responded, "I might show up..." while secretly thinking, "if the date ends early." After Alexis left, Rei suited up and left, locking the door behind him. He arrived at the designated meeting spot. His mom warned, "Don't bail on her again with a weak excuse." Rei sighed and reluctantly agreed, rolling his eyes. Rei's mom was on a mission to find him a partner, fearing he would turn into a lonely old man. She had been arranging blind dates for him for a year now. Rei, however, had a talent for disappearing in the middle of every date, coming up with creative excuses. But this time, a 26-year-old girl walked into the restaurant and confidently asked, "You must be Rei, right?" Rei gave a solemn nod and gestured for her to take a seat across from him. "I am Chizu," she began, "and I must confess, I am not here willingly." Rei concurred, "I feel the same way. Let's just rip off this bandaid."

They perused the menu and beckoned a waiter over. After placing their orders, they delved into conversations about their past - childhood memories, friends, love interests, and quirks. Rei confessed, "I've never truly had feelings for anyone. Despite receiving three confessions, I turned them all down. I met a young man during my part-time teaching job, and now I'm practically raising him. He's like a brother to me, even though he's 21 and works at the same company." Chizu couldn't help but laugh at Rei's expression and remarked, "Sounds like he keeps you on your toes." Rei brushed off the topic, redirecting the conversation to Chizu, "What about you? Any special someone in your life?" Chizu revealed, "My childhood crush was Koji, Shuji's brother. You know Shuji - he's your boss. I've liked Koji since we were kids, but I never had the courage to confess." Rei didn't actually have feelings for Koji, but the idea of someone else liking him made him feel like he was burning up inside. After settling the bill, they bid farewell and made a pact to shield themselves from future blind dates. Rei glanced at the clock - 9:30. The New Year's party was still in full swing, but Rei was drained. Despite the festivities, he decided to head home. As the clock struck midnight, Rei wished himself a 'Happy New Year'. Suddenly, he was startled by loud noises outside his door. "Who the heck is making a racket at this hour?" he exclaimed as he swung open the door. A warm feeling washed over him as his little brother embraced him tightly, although it wasn't quite like Alexis. Rei playfully teased him, causing Alexis to pull away. That night, exhausted from the day's events, Rei slept like a baby.

Koji, the newly appointed deputy of the company, was now in charge whenever his brother was occupied. As he surveyed the office, he couldn't help but notice that certain individual acting different lately. This person seemed to fidget nervously whenever Koji was nearby. And if anyone dared to get too close to him, they would be met with a fiery glare from Rei. Koji couldn't help but laugh at how adorable Rei looked when jealous. "I guess I can't blame you for being so cute," he mused. Lately, he found himself smiling more often thanks to Rei's occasional cuteness overload, melting away the icy demeanor he once had. Instead of shooting death glares, he started to become friendlier with those around him. Shuji couldn't believe his eyes as he witnessed the incredible transformation in his brother. It was like watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly right before his very eyes. And to top it off, Koji's newfound sociability was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. But what really caught Shuji's attention was Koji's intense gaze that seemed to follow Rei wherever he went. Oh, the drama!

Koji slyly requested his assistant to gather additional details on Rei under the guise of a routine inspection. Little did anyone know, he was actually on a mission to uncover the identity of his mysterious secret admirer! He discovered nearly everything about Rei, even the fact that there was a guy living in his apartment. His reaction? Let's just say, he jumped to some wild conclusions. Koji's heart sank as he gazed at Alexis, feeling like a massive mountain stood between him and the end goal. The words Rei spoke to Kunishima echoed in his mind, but one sentence stood out like a neon sign in a dark alley: "I love him to bits." That sentence solidified Koji's earlier suspicions, leaving him in a state of sorrow and disbelief. Confusion clouded his mind as he tried to make sense of the strange sensation in his gut, like a rollercoaster ride gone wrong. His stomach plummeted to the ground, and he couldn't fathom the reason behind it. He didn't even care for Rei, so why was he envious of Alexis, or was it envy at all, or was it something else entirely? He couldn't wrap his head around it and continued to gaze into nothingness during a meeting until Shuji snapped him out of it.

Shuji sensed trouble brewing, and swiftly concluded the meeting. "What's the matter, dude? Is it a person problem or just work stress getting to you?" he inquired, half-teasingly, to Koji. As his brother's eyes filled with genuine worry, he quickly waved it off with a nonchalant shrug. "Oh, it's nothing, just a bit of stress. It'll pass in a jiffy!" Shuji reluctantly agreed and decided to drop it, but deep down he could sense that Koji was absolutely fuming about something. He's known his brother since he was in diapers, so he can tell when something's up. But if Koji wanted his space, then he'll just have to deal with it. Koji's mind was screaming that something was off, but his heart was too busy throwing a tantrum at the sight of Alexis near Rei. Logic tried to reason with him, but his heart was too busy staging a rebellion. 

Rei's spirits lifted after his heart-to-heart with Kunishima and Alexis, but the thought of seeking love advice from his buddies was just too much for him to handle. Rei had made up his mind. He was going to let his feelings out to Koji. He rehearsed the speech a million times in his head, but when the moment finally came, he forgot everything. Koji's assistant had given him the schedule so he could catch Koji alone, but now that he was face to face with him, Rei couldn't remember a single word. Koji felt a strange sensation, like he wanted to hold Rei tight and never let go. Oh, the drama! Koji rose to his feet, took a few steps forward, but made sure to keep a safe distance between them. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he asked with a hint of edginess in his voice. It had been 8 long months of observing Rei, and now Koji couldn't contain his excitement. He secretly hoped that Rei was finally going to confess. Rei took a deep breath and asked, "So, uh, are you seeing someone right now?" He quickly changed the confession to a question, not wanting to burden Koji with his own uncertain feelings. Koji was completely caught off guard by the unexpected question, and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait, what? Why are you asking me that?" Rei hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "I'm not sure what I'm about to say, but I need to get this off my chest. Whenever I see you with someone else, I can't help but feel jealous. I don't know why, but the thought of you being with someone else drives me crazy. Maybe... maybe I have feelings for you."