Chapter 119 - Panic (1/2)

”How was your day out?”

Yanee looked up to see Tohru standing next to her. She was on the wooden balcony outside her room facing the hot spring and garden where she hanged out with him last night. She was busy jotting down notes on all the stories she'd already listened to. She just finished writing down the lessons on each one when he arrived.

”G-Good,” she stammered as she turned her eyes back on her notebook.

She had lifted her head without thinking earlier and was K.O.ed by the potato's handsome looks. He wore a business suit, but the upper buŧŧons on his shirt were already open, his collar loose. This made her able to glimpse a bit of his ċhėst— not that she hadn't seen it before, because she had when he soaked in the hot spring on the first night in Kyoto. Still, she's not yet used to seeing it in broad daylight so she was feeling shy.

Since she was not looking at him, she was surprised when she was suddenly pulled from her seat and found herself sitting on his ŀȧp.

Huh? HUUUUUH?

What was this position?

She felt way beyond embarrassed, her body all stiff as she was scared to move lest she accidentally graze against something untouchable. Her heart's not yet ready for that kind of shock.

But then again, it's the potato's fault. Who'd have thought he'd turn into a clingy potato? Or was he an octopus now?

”Just good?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder.

His hot breath fanned her neck and she wanted to shiver if she weren't so conscious of moving. ”My Lord, please show some restraint,” she chanted in her mind, but of course, it was futile. The guy was determined to be an octopus.

”Honey, why are you so tensed?”Tohru suddenly asked and this time, she couldn't help but yelp in surprise, jumping out of his arms to the ground below the balcony. ”Yanee!”

Tohru quickly jumped down as well and pulled her back up.

”Close— you're too close,”Yanee grumbled as she rubbed her ear where he spoke so near earlier.

Tohru laughed. He looked like he finally understood what made her antsy.

”Why did you suddenly turn into an octopus?” Yanee asked audibly looking so frustrated, making his laughter louder as he scooped her up again in his arms and sat.

It was already evening, but still a bit early to set out for the restaurant. It seemed that one young master was determined to spend the time they had left before leaving to torture her brain— and her heart.

”I didn't,” Tohru denied with a grin. ”I've always been an octopus. I just couldn't cling to you before since we just started dating yesterday. That's why you have to pay for the lost time and let me cling to you now.”

Yanee found herself being bearhugged from behind again.

Well, Yanee couldn't refute that. Ah… this guy's really a cheat. Where did that poker-faced cool guy go?

She smiled then as she felt herself resigning to her fate. Well, she preferred him to be sweet like this than the scary aloof boss he was at the beginning.

”I give up,” she said as she relaxed in his arms.

Tohru stopped squeezing her and placed a kiss on top of her head and she tilted her chin so she could look up at his face.

”That's right. You should be resigned to being totally loved by me,” he said teasingly as he wiggled his brows.

She laughed.

”Yuck. You're so cheesy,” she told him.

For someone who had spurned romance for a long time, this level of cheese was making her cringe.

Cheesy potato. Well, that's still yummy, right?

”Don't worry, I won't go overboard. I'm just so happy these days,”Tohru said while laughing. ”Anyway, what did your sister say about the kimonos?”

”She likes them so much. She already made a contract with the shop.” Yanee happily told him about what happened at the store that day. She of course omitted the part about her becoming a model for their products in the catalogue.

”Are you forgetting something?” he prompted suddenly which made Yanee squint at him.

”Forgot about what?” she challenged although she already had an idea what he was talking about. It seemed he already knew about the photos.

”A little bird told me you did something amazing today, honey,” he answered, his pair of light brown eyes focused on her upturned face.

”What's something amazing?” she asked sharply with a brow raised but her lips that twitched in amusement betrayed her real feeling.

Tohru grinned as he leaned over. ”Like how my honey chose her wedding dress already,” he whispered and Yanee ended up with a burning face once more. ”You look so beautiful too.”

Urgh…