I Can't Call Your Name

Another week was coming to a close. During the break, the students were discussing what they would do after school and over the weekend.

As always, Touma was reading game news on his phone, while Kaito admired a bird outside. Both introverts, they preferred quiet weekends at home and weren't interested in any type of outdoor activity.

Izumi, on the other hand, needed constant excitement or she'd lose her mind from boredom. She approached Misaki with a desperate look, seeking help.

"Misaki-chan, do you want to go to karaoke after school?" she asked casually.

Although Misaki wanted to go, she had no choice but to refuse. When she told Kaito they would split the rent, she didn't know it was 75,000 yen.

"I'm sorry, but I have to refuse. I work after school."

"Ah, really? You never mentioned that before! Where, where?"

Misaki tensed up. Naomi's café was just a few blocks away from their house, and she didn't want Izumi to know. But if she didn't answer, it would raise more suspicion.

She mumbled helplessly, "Uh... Do you know the Day & Night Café?"

"Yes, the one that's a bar in the evening, right? Doesn't that bother you?" Izumi asked, worried.

"Oh, no, I work the morning shift."

"Ah, okay then. I see... Well, when's your day off?"

"Sunday, only Sundays."

"Hmm, then how about we do something on Sunday, Misaki-chan?"

Izumi turned to Yui in the back, who was listening intently but didn't seem to know how to join them. "What about you, Yui-chan?" Izumi asked.

"Huh? Sure, why not?" Yui replied, her cheeks flushed.

Then, as Kaito and Touma strolled through the corridor, Touma nervously tried to work up the courage to ask for a favor he knew Kaito would probably reject.

Finally gathering his courage, he mumbled, "Hey, Kaito-kun. I need your help with something."

"With what? Don't tell me it's walking that nervous dog of yours in the park again."

"Oh no, not this time. It's something simpler. I need you to hold onto my… secret files."

"What files?"

"You know, the magazines under my bed, bro."

"Why would I ever want your secret stash of magazines?"

"Well, we got a new bed since my old one's too small now, and it's being replaced today. My mom's on a cleaning spree and insists on tidying up my entire room."

"Hmm, letting her see those would be bad."

"Exactly, so after school, come with me, and I'll hand them over."

"Alright," Kaito muttered, not particularly willing but understanding that these situations could feel like life or death sometimes.

"You're the best, man. I owe you one."

After school, Kaito and Touma were about to hop onto Kaito's bike and head to Touma's house when Izumi called out from behind.

"Kobayashi-kun!"

Kaito turned to see Izumi on the other side of the street, motioning for him to come over.

With a sigh, he got off his bike, gestured for Touma to wait, and nervously walked toward her.

"Uh, yes?" he asked cautiously.

"Umm, well, remember the other day when I mentioned ordering food for my cat? We bumped into each other just then," Izumi said.

"Oh, right. I remember now," Kaito replied, still unsure where this was going.

"Well, the order has arrived," she continued.

Kaito blinked, confused. "Okay... so what? You want me to pick it up for you or something?"

Izumi quickly shook her head. "Oh no, that's not it!" She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.

"I'm picking it up this afternoon. I thought maybe we could meet during your lunch break and... talk somewhere."

Kaito stiffened, his confusion growing by the second. "Huh? Talk about what?"

Izumi glanced around and leaned closer, whispering in his ear, "We need to figure out this whole pretending-to-be-a-couple situation."

Meanwhile, Touma watched from a distance, completely baffled by what he was witnessing.

Kaito's expression fell. For a moment, he thought this might finally be his chance to put an end to the ridiculous situation.

"Fine," he muttered. "My break is between 2 and 3."

"That works for me. Let's exchange numbers then," Izumi said.

Kaito hesitated. It was the first time a girl had ever asked for his phone number—a rare, almost once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Yet, a wave of sadness hit him. Both because he realized this might never happen again, and he couldn't shake the thought that it should have been Misaki asking.

After parting ways with Izumi, Kaito returned to his bike and pedaled off toward Touma's house.

As they rode, Touma couldn't help but ask, "So, what did she asked?"

"Ah, just something about running into each other the other day. Nothing important," Kaito replied nervously.

"Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation," Touma muttered, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.

"I'm serious—it's nothing. I mean, what kind of important business could guys like you and me have with girls anyway?" Kaito shot back with a mix of sarcasm and frustration.

"Okay, fair point," Touma admitted.

Kaito, relieved that it had been cut short, continued pedaling towards Touma's house.

Just when they arrived, Touma quickly ran inside and came back out almost immediately, carrying a black plastic bag. He placed it carefully in Kaito's bike basket.

"That's all. I'll pick them up any time soon. Thanks again, man."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... I'm already late for work, see you later!" Kaito called as he checked the time on his phone and pedaled away in a hurry.

He worked steadily until lunchtime. Just as he was about to take his break, his phone buzzed with a new notification.

Kaito opened the message to find that Izumi had already left and would arrive at the pet shop in the next few minutes.

When he reached the pet shop, he saw Izumi was already there, waiting for him patiently. After a brief greeting, she suddenly hopped onto the back of his bike without hesitation.

"Alright, let's go," she said casually.

Kaito tensed at her boldness, Izumi's ease only adding to his discomfort. As he pedaled, one thought consumed him: Please, let Misaki not see us like this.

As the bike began to move, Izumi instinctively held onto Kaito's waist for balance—a sight that could convince even the most oblivious onlooker they were a couple.

Kaito felt increasingly uncomfortable as Izumi tightened her grip around his waist and clung to him every time the bike hit even the smallest bump.

His discomfort turned into outright panic when he realized the place Izumi directed him to was none other than Naomi's café—where Misaki also worked.

"We're here!" Izumi chirped, her cheerful voice and bright smile cutting through the sinking dread Kaito felt.

He froze, unable to speak, as if he had just been struck by a sniper's bullet in a vital spot. He wasn't dead yet, but any signs of life had also vanished.

While Izumi happily entered the café, Kaito followed her in silence, his movements heavy with resignation. He couldn't turn back now, nor could he protest.

As if fate itself was mocking him, the person who came to take their order after they sat down was none other than Misaki.

The instant, furious look Misaki shot at Kaito in that moment was so otherworldly that it could only be compared to a dragon locking eyes with its eternal rival, poised to deliver the final, devastating strike.

As soon as Izumi noticed Misaki, she grabbed Kaito's hand warmly and smiled at her.

"Misaki-chan, Kaito-kun and I were on a date today and decided to stop by."

Misaki forced a strained smile, doing her best to hide her unease. "Oh, is that so? How nice of you. What can I get you?"

"Come on, don't rush into work mode. Take a seat and chat for a bit."

"Sorry, Izumi-chan, I can't. The rules here are strict."

"Hmm, then I'll have an espresso," Izumi said casually.

Misaki shifted her forced smile to Kaito, who, not wasting a second, blurted out, "I-I'll have the same!" He was desperate for Misaki to leave, even if it was just to prepare their order.

The moment she walked away, it struck Kaito how it must have looked—like he and Izumi were a sweet couple who had been dating for months, casually ordering matching drinks right in front of Misaki.

"Could this get any worse?" Kaito thought with dread. At that moment, being dragged into another world to battle a demon king felt like a less exhausting alternative to him.

When Misaki returned with their order, Izumi tilted her head in surprise and asked, "Kaito-kun, you didn't seem surprised to see Misaki-chan here. Don't tell me... you already knew she worked here?"

"Ah, yeah," Kaito answered absentmindedly while stirring his coffee.

Izumi's surprise deepened as she processed his casual reply, while Misaki fixed Kaito with a fiery glare, like a bull about to charge, steam almost visibly rising from her nostrils.

Kaito Kobayashi had once again pulled the pin on another grenade—and failed to throw it far enough.