It did not occur to Kaito Fujimura that one of the roles of an accessory keeper is awkwardly hanging outside a lingerie shop with three shopping bags and avoiding judgment from passersby.
But here he was.
"Remind me," he grumbled under his breath, "how this is part of the job description?"
"An accessory coordination," Arisa stated brightly, stepping out of the shop with the confidence of a fashion model and the shopping bags of a high-end shopaholic. "I require earrings that don't read 'cursed timeline anchor.'"
Kaito glared. "We could have shopped online. In privacy. Discreetly. Without summoning suspicious glances from the entire mall."
"But we wouldn't have bonded," she answered sweetly, reaching out and taking one of the bags from him.
"We are not bonding," he said. "This is a kidnapping. With fashion."
She flashed him a smile that left him with ears that turned pink.
It began earlier in the day, as Arisa ambushed Kaito near the library.
"You're coming with me," she said.
Where to?
"Downtown. I require new accessories that won't cause small earthquakes when I change pairs."
I have a biology quiz.
"Also, you have loyalty."
Ten minutes after that, he was on the train drinking canned green tea and quietly reassessing the choices he had made.
However,
The shopping area was lively, the crowd of shoppers on a Saturday thronging the stores. Arisa, as always, glided through it like a queen in the market— serene, unscathed, unruffled.
Kaito trailed after awkwardly with her haul: clip-on moon studs, black cuffs, and a dainty velvet neckpiece with a gold-wired rune that he swore flashed at him.
"Why so many?" he inquired.
"I need decoys," she answered. "The actual ones must not be too identifiable. Hikari is getting too inquisitive."
"Because she heard you whisper something about time unravelling?"
She should not have been spying.
You were standing on the public rooftop.
I whispered.
He sighed. "You're been whispering drama these days."
She glared at him. "Would you like me to whisper sweet nothings instead?"
Kaito's mind flashed like a defective CD.
"Wha—n-no. I mean—You don't need to whisper anything."
Arisa laughed and brushed by him, her hand lightly touching his shoulder.
For reasons he did not care to think about, he complied without grumbling.
An hour in, they paused outside a dessert café, breath visible in the cool air.
"Are we… on a date?" Kaito asked suddenly.
Arisa blinked at him, surprised. "Do you want it to be?"
He choked. "I mean—I didn't—You—That's not—"
She smiled into her cup of cocoa. "Relax. It's not. Probably."
"…'Probably'?"
She tilted her head, suddenly thoughtful. "If it was… would that bother you?"
Kaito looked away, ears red. "I mean. I guess there are worse things."
"Like?"
"Like a solo date with the cursed earrings in an alley."
She smirked. "Fair."
They wandered into a bookstore next. Arisa made a beeline for the mythology section, her fingers trailing across spines. Kaito browsed beside her, pretending not to notice how close she stood. Or how her hair smelled faintly like jasmine and frost.
"You always seemed more science-y," he said, watching her flip through a book on ancient talismans.
"I like myths," she said. "They're just truths wrapped in prettier lies."
"You think this thing we're doing is a myth?"
"I think it will be one. Eventually."
He stared at her, his heart beating fast.
Before he could respond—
A voice behind them interrupted.
"Well, well. Isn't this cosy?"
Kaito froze.
He didn't need to turn to recognise the sharp, melodic tone.
Hikari Saito stood by the entrance, arms crossed, flanked by two members of the school's journalism club. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes glittered with something sharp.
"Hikari," Arisa said smoothly, sliding the book shut. "How unexpected."
"Is it?" Hikari replied. "Because I keep running into you and Fujimura-kun in… unusual places."
"We happen to frequent bookstores," Arisa said airily.
"Together."
"It's more efficient," she added. "He carries things. Also answers trivia questions."
Kaito gave a weak wave. "I'm good with mythological blood curses."
Hikari raised an eyebrow. "You're not even in the same club."
"We're founding one," Arisa replied instantly. "Accessory Theory and Application. AT&A."
Kaito coughed violently.
Hikari narrowed her eyes. "Right."
There was a beat of tension.
Then Hikari took a step forward.
"Fujimura. Walk with me?"
Kaito looked to Arisa, who gave the faintest of nods.
"…Sure," he said.
They walked down the sidewalk in silence. The streetlights buzzed overhead. Hikari said nothing until they passed a bench.
Then she stopped.
"Do you like her?" she asked abruptly.
Kaito blinked. "I—What?"
"Arisa. Kanzuki. Do you like her?"
"I-I don't—I mean—"
"That's not a 'no,'" she said flatly.
Kaito sighed. "It's complicated."
"It always is with her."
He looked at her carefully. "Why do you care?"
"Because I don't trust her anymore," she said. "And I used to."
There was something hurt in her voice. Something genuine.
"She's hiding things," Hikari added. "And whatever it is… it's pulling you in too."
Kaito hesitated. "It's not what you think."
"Then tell me what it is."
"I can't."
"Then I'll find out myself," she said.
Before he could reply, she turned and walked away.
Later that evening, back on the train, Arisa sat beside him quietly, watching his reflection in the window.
"She's getting closer," she said.
"Yeah."
"She thinks you're falling for me."
Kaito blinked. "What?"
Arisa glanced at him. "Are you?"
He swallowed. "I don't know."
She smirked. "Then I guess we'll see."
And in the reflection of the glass—
For the first time—
He saw her blush.