027: The Great Magazine Disaster

Misaki's words were exactly what Kaito had feared. Her words buzzed around his head like a swarm of annoying flies.

For a moment, he was completely speechless, just watching her storm off to her room, fuming with anger.

But a voice inside him urged him to stop her before it was too late, warning that he might never get another chance later.

Finally snapping out of it, Kaito blurted out in a rush of panic and frustration, "Where did this come from? I mean, this isn't necessary!"

Misaki stood in front of the door, shot him a glare so tense it could've snapped a pencil in half. From her point of view, Kaito was the guy with a girlfriend, yet still sharing a house with someone else.

Oh, and let's not forget, she had solid evidence that he was a certified pervert. When you add it all up, Kaito might seem like a total mess, but really, he's just an unlucky guy.

Her sharp expression unsettled Kaito, but he was determined to continue. "I mean... what I'm trying to say is, we get along well."

"Get along what? We?" Misaki's tone was sharp.

"Of course, we argue sometimes, but it's all just a series of misunderstandings—"

"Misunderstandings?? No, it's just your unavoidable stupidity!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! But at least wait a second and let me explain!"

Misaki crossed her arms and looked away, reluctant and impatient, clearly waiting for him to speak.

Kaito jumped into the conversation, his mind still a mess. He tripped over his words like a clumsy actor forgetting their lines.

"Before you moved in, I could barely get by. I mean, I still owe Naomi-san three months of rent. I thought... if we split the rent, it'd help both of us—"

Kaito hesitated, fumbling for words. What he said felt selfish and awkward, like he was trying to build a sandcastle with wet noodles.

He needed a better excuse, something that made sense. He couldn't just blurt out that he didn't want her to leave because he loved her—no way.

Then, a somewhat brighter excuse that at least involved Misaki popped into his head, and he jumped on it without wasting a second.

"And besides, you wouldn't manage on your own. This place is already discounted—normally it rents for twice as expensive, but Naomi-san is kind enough to charge me half. You won't find anything cheaper around here."

"I know!" Misaki snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and frustration. "I already know I'm stuck here!"

Misaki turned around and sat back down on the couch. She pushed aside the bag of magazines she had just pulled out from under couch, clearing a spot for herself.

Kaito's eyes darted nervously to the bag, silently praying Misaki wouldn't decide to peek inside. He had no good excuse lined up if she did.

Misaki glanced at him. Her expression was hard to read now. Lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, she suddenly resumed speaking, her voice laced with irritation.

"So, tell me then, what was that nonsense you pulled today? If you know as well as I do that we have to live together at least for now, why are you acting like a complete idiot?"

"Wha-what did I even do?"

"Seriously? Are you kidding me right now? What on earth were you thinking, bringing your girlfriend to my workplace? What, was that your genius plan to show off or impress me?!"

"Haa?!" Kaito blinked, completely confused. "That wasn't my plan, okay? Sasaki-san set everything up from the start! I had no clue from the beginning!"

"She did what?" Misaki's tense expression now melted into surprise.

"Yeah! After school, she said we needed to meet to talk about something... important, and the next thing I knew, we were at Naomi's café! I have no idea how she even knew about it—and before you start accusing me, I never told her!"

"I know," Misaki muttered, avoiding his gaze with a guilty look. Kaito immediately picked up on it. "Wait... what? So, you told her? Why?"

"Because she asked, okay?! I just answered her! How was I supposed to know she'd barge in the very next day?"

"And you're always telling me to keep quiet and not say a word to anyone! Look at you—you're the one blabbing everything!"

"So what if I told her? Isn't she your girlfriend? Or do you suddenly not have a tongue? You could've said, 'Let's go somewhere else,' like a normal person! But no, you just waltzed in and waited until it was way too late—what were you thinking?!"

"What? I didn't even realize where we were going until we got there—I was nervous and distracted, alright?"

Misaki crossed her arms and stared into the distance, as if Kaito's frantic explanation was the most boring thing in the world. She might as well have been listening to a distant thunderstorm for all the attention she was giving him.

Then she started thinking out loud while maintaining the same unconcerned attitude.

"I mean, I get Izumi-chan—she probably wanted to parade her boyfriend around after I caught you two kissing. Maybe she was worried I'd think she's the type to kiss random guys. But you? What's your deal? Trying to secure the title of 'Biggest Idiot of the Year'?"

"What? Hey! How is this my fault now? How do you even twist this mess around to make it about me?"

Misaki rolled her eyes and mimicked Izumi's sweet, childish tone, mocking.

"Kaito-kun, aren't you surprised seeing Misaki-chan here? Did you already know she worked here?"

Kaito watched her in disbelief as she shifted her tone to mimic him, exaggerating his voice with an annoyed and deliberately dumb-sounding pitch.

"Oh? What? Yeah, of course. And you know what? We live together. Yeah, that's right! Here, let me just hand you my address so you can drop by anytime you want, no problem!"

"Wait, I'd never say something like that! And... my voice doesn't even sound like that!" Kaito snapped, his frustration clear as he shifted uncomfortably.

Misaki smirked and leaned into the mockery, her voice now dripping with sarcasm as she mimicked him in an exaggerated, silly tone. "Oh, it totally does."

"It does not!" Kaito snapped, his face turning red. He took a deep breath, clearly annoyed, then quickly added, "Alright, you asked for this..."

He cleared his throat dramatically a few times, like he was about to give a grand performance. It was obvious he was getting ready to imitate Misaki in return.

Once he was ready, Kaito pitched his voice as high and grating as possible, mimicking an exaggerated, obnoxious girl's tone.

"Oh, Izumi-chan! Did I never tell you where I work? Hold on, let me just give you my work address so you can come someday and mess around!"

The result was nothing like Misaki's actual voice, and it was so painfully annoying it made nails on a chalkboard sound like a lullaby—just pure torture to listen to.

Misaki couldn't stand another second of his unbearably terrible performance. With a tense expression and wide eyes, she shot him a disbelieving look before heading to her room.

Kaito, determined to make his imitation as loud and high-pitched as possible, angrily finished the act with his eyes shut tight. When he finally opened them, he realized Misaki had already retreated to her room.

"Of course you'd go! This time you're the one in the wrong, and you have to admit it!" he murmured.

Still fuming, he turned to Misaki's closed door and shouted, "Did you hear that? This time, you're the one at fault!"

The moment Misaki heard this, she stormed out of her room, glaring at him with fiery eyes. "What did you say?!" she yelled.

Kaito, with a nervous expression, avoided her gaze. "Nothing."

"Fine then!" Misaki slammed the door shut.

Kaito took a deep breath and plopped down on the couch, suddenly remembering the bag of magazines Touma had left him. He quickly grabbed it, nervously checking what was inside.

As he flipped through the magazines, his eyes widened in embarrassment and tension. He let out a relieved sigh.

"Phew, I'm lucky she didn't see these!" he muttered, then glanced sideways at the exaggerated body proportions of the anime girls, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

Unable to take it anymore, he hastily shoved the magazines back into the bag and, with a swift motion, pushed it under the couch.

"Well, so this is what Touma-kun likes, huh? Alright, it's a bit much, but... I can't say it doesn't catch my attention too," he muttered, clearly conflicted.

"Anyway, I should be thankful that I didn't fall victim to another disaster today," he said, yawning as he stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow was Saturday, his bike was finally fixed, and he was ready for his full-time job. All he needed was a little rest and, just maybe, some peaceful moments—heck, even in his sleep, if that was possible.