Chapter 18

Daiya and Wataru have been getting closer to Yurina lately. Whether she realized it or not, Yurina had managed to become a little less guarded toward men—or, at least, these specific men—but she still had issues opening herself up, so she kept a safe distance between herself and her new male friends. However, she wondered if Shigeru was distancing himself from her. At least, it had seemed as such. They hadn't interacted much lately, save for a casual chat now and then.

One late afternoon, after class was dismissed, Daiya caught up to Yurina before she could walk home. "Hey, gorgeous. You feeling better yet?" he teased, jogging up behind her and grabbing her by the waist. He swooped her off her feet, pulling her against his chest. She gasped, taken aback by the sudden show of affection. Yurina was too surprised to complain and settled by crossing her arms defensively over her chest, shooting the grinning blonde with an indignant look.

"Oh yeah. I'm great," Yurina remarked flatly, unimpressed with his overly flirtatious behavior. To be fair, she was starting to get used to being around him, but she hadn't entirely been prepared for his surprise attack. Daiya just laughed, settling her feet back onto the concrete pavement.

"How about we hang out for a while?"

She hesitated and glanced at the clock on her phone. She didn't really want to, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to take her mind off things every now and again. Especially since finals were approaching faster than she anticipated, and her grades had already started slipping a little bit. What's another hour spent with a boy who thinks he's slick.

"Fine," she sighed in defeat, looping an arm through his. "You better treat me right."

"I plan to. Don't worry," Daiya quipped, winking at her. Yurina's grip tightened around his bicep as they began walking together. She wondered if it was even right to be walking around with him so openly when she didn't even fully know who she was getting involved with. Daiya didn't appear to mind, though. He seemed too distracted, zoning out for a bit before quickly turning to check behind them.

Yurina didn't say anything; just kept quiet and pretended not to notice how jumpy he was getting. When Daiya's eyes wandered back ahead, a sudden buzz from his pocket drew his attention away from their current path for just a second. He ignored the notification and kept walking with Yurina by his side.

"Daiya."

"Yes, angel face?" he cooed, slinging an arm around her shoulders, resting his palm gently atop the crown of her head. She huffed and stuck her nose up at his advances, trying not to blush under the attention, though the flush had already crept along her neck by this point.

"Aren't you a little nervous right now?"

"Nervous? What about?"

"Your phone was blowing up. Don't you think you should at least see who it was?" she asked skeptically, narrowing her eyes. His gaze slid to hers as they sauntered together toward their unassumed destination. Yurina tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, letting it go a little when a light nudge from him made her smile and exhale through her nose softly.

"Don't sweat it. If it's really important, they'll try again." He paused, watching how she nibbled on her lip nervously, staring at him suspiciously. After a few beats, another buzz rang through the quiet air between them, interrupting whatever conversation they may have been trying to have at that moment. Sighing deeply, Daiya rolled his eyes at himself and reached down to grab his cell phone out of his pocket. "Okay, fine. I'll check."

She nodded approvingly and averted her eyes as he unlocked the device. After scrolling through the missed notifications, his face fell slightly, and his brows furrowed. She glanced up again to check the change in mood, noticing a distinct lack of his usual bright attitude. "What? Is it bad news or something? Are you okay?" she asked, voice wavering slightly.

Daiya slipped his phone back in his pocket and gently gripped her shoulders. "How do you feel about corporate parties?"

The question threw her off, and she cocked her head to the side questionably. "Um, why?"

"Well," he said, waving a hand at her dismissively, "They're dull but easy, but I need a date, and you're the closest thing." He seemed flustered for the first time, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding her gaze. Yurina felt a warmth fill her as she considered his offer. They were friends. Kind of. It wasn't until that moment that it registered with her that Daiya thought of her as attractive or worthwhile enough to invite somewhere with him, and not someone of equal status.

"You really want me to go with you?" Yurina murmured softly, a small smile lighting up her pretty face. A look of pure relief washed over Daiya. He would've asked one of his other many hookup buddies, but she just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It may have been wrong of him to try and capitalize on this situation, but it wasn't as though she wasn't his friend. The way he saw it, the two of them had basically made their way to friend status by this point, having spent a significant amount of time together.

"Yeah, of course."

She studied him for a moment, a soft blush coloring her cheeks before she lowered her lashes coyly. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't really know these people. I'd probably end up being too awkward and say something wrong or stupid," she warned him shyly. Though if she was honest, she didn't really understand the purpose behind a corporate party and wasn't sure it'd make any difference whether or not she'd be by his side.

"Everyone's going to be awkward," Daiya responded firmly, hoping it sounded as encouraging as he intended. "It doesn't matter if you come off as a little socially inept, so long as you don't make a fool of yourself. I just need someone pretty, sweet, and not terribly annoying." That may have come off as rude and pretentious, but at least he meant well. At least, he thought so.

Yurina didn't like hearing how insignificant she appeared, even in her own mind, but she decided against saying anything out loud. She was a freshman in college, not some experienced, high-society socialite, that was true. However, it still irked her more than she realized, and she wanted nothing more than to remind Daiya she could talk and carry on the conversation quite easily. "Wow, Daiya. Way to make a girl feel special."

She moved past him quickly, leaving him speechless for once. Daiya chased after her. "Hey, Yurina. I didn't mean it like that!" He took long strides and finally caught up, wrapping a hand loosely around her wrist. "I wasn't trying to insult you, alright? Please don't get mad. I'm sorry." Daiya pursed his lips when his apology to Yurina escaped his mouth. When had he ever had to say that to a girl before? Never. 

She didn't respond but looked over her shoulder and glanced back up at him, eyes still burning brightly with frustration. Sheepishly, Daiya let go of her arm and clasped his hands together in front of him. He waited. A couple moments passed between them, neither speaking before Yurina exhaled quietly. Finally, she relented, shifting her gaze downward. "Didn't I tell you to treat me right?"

"My bad, freshman. Forgive me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't say anything like that again. Alright?"

"Of course," he vowed, lightly holding his hands out placatingly. When Yurina saw that he meant what he said, the tension eased up, and the frown melted away. Instead of dwelling on it, the pair resumed their stroll through the street, still unsure of exactly where they were headed in the first place.