287 Chapter one, 2017, a new year: 10 (2/2)

James arrived with coffee and cake; Ryu's standard order, but in the beginning something Urufu ordered by chance.

”Noriko?” Ryu said and sipped his coffee. As usual a superb blend. James might cheat on interior and exterior design, but what he served was first class. ”How so?” Ryu continued when Ai-chan didn't answer.

”I think it's about you, or me, or us.” Ai-chan fidgeted a little until she finally looked up and met Ryu's eyes. ”She thinks you dumped me for another girl.”

With a bit of cake in his mouth Ryu mulled over Ai-chan's explanation. ”You know what, the part about another girl is true.”

As expected both of Ai-chan's friends growled angrily.

”Wait,” Ai-chan said. ”Ryu's not like that. Explain.”

He still saw the hurt in her eyes. ”Kuri saw us that day.” 'So now you dropped the honorifics. I wish you had done so earlier.' Ryu looked at the girl he still loved. 'Kuri, Urufu, I'll kick your butts to kingdom come. What a mess!'

”She's hurting. She loves Urufu maybe even stronger than I love you,” Ryu began. There was no maybe in that, but he had no reason to hurt Ai-chan. An adult's love wasn't flimsy in the way of a teenager's, that much he understood. ”Kuri saw us and asked me if it was a new beginning or an end.”

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Ai-chan bit her lips but said nothing.

”And then you just got yourself a new girlfriend?” Ai-chan's best friend, and she showed signs of losing her control altogether.

”Please, listen to him!”

”She needed a cover, a convenient lie, for her work,” Ryu continued. ”Two people in love with someone else they can't have, she said.”

”Ryu,” Ai-chan said. Her voice was very small. ”Do you really love me?”

He looked at her, and then he looked inside himself. ”I do, but I'll never keep my girlfriend a secret, just as I told you that day.” Knowing that she'd need time to process that Ryu drank some more of his coffee. Still hot but no longer scalding. 'Make of that what you want.'

”Ai?” That was the girl hidden behind Ai-chan.

The question made her flinch. Ryu watched her looking down, just to turn around and face her friends.

'So you didn't tell them everything?'

”It's my dad. Ryu did nothing wrong.”

”Ai, if he loves you and you love him, then why...”

”It's not that simple!”

'You know, Ai,' Ryu thought for himself, and dropped the honorific, even if only silently, 'it really is that simple.'

He looked at her as she explained what had happened, and then Ryu's thoughts went to his sister. 'I wonder what happened, but this sure is a shitty way to start a new year.'