Ｄａｒｌｉｎｇ 浦ゆン

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｆｉｖｅ】

Chapter Five

I sigh, running a hand through my hair and leaning back.

Please, PLEASE, give me a moment's peace. I am begging you to let me have someone legitimately bearable to talk to--

"Well, hello there, hot stuff~."

Oh.

"The name's Teruteru Hanamura. I'm known as the ultimate cook, but I'd prefer you call me a chef. It has a more big city flavour to it, don't you think?" he says.

I laugh awkwardly, giving him a thumbs up. "Yeah. Cool."

A hiccupy giggle escapes from Teruteru's mouth. "Charmed, I'm sure." He rubs his hands together, his eyes scanning over my body like I'm some freshly cooked meat that he's about to sink his teeth into. "Nice panties, by the way. Bow print, right?"

"No," I state triumphantly. "I personally find period underwear far more comfortable."

Does he want to play that kind of game? Fine, let's play.

He doesn't miss a beat. "Oh? This is the first time I've ever guessed incorrectly. You're quite the mystery, mademoiselle."

"Or maybe you're just dense," I say, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly. "That could be it."

"You wound me! I, for one, am a very observant person," Teruteru gasps, placing a hand over his heart.

"And I'm George Clooney. Besides, even if you were, you shouldn't be using that talent to guess what colour my panties are. That's just fucking disgusting." My face contorts as I recoil slightly.

"But--" he begins.

I aggressively point my finger away from myself. "Get out of my sight, you heathen. Go."

With a dejected sigh, the cook trudges off to who knows where leaving me oh so blissfully alone.

Finally, a moment of sweet, sweet silence-—

Someone taps me on the shoulder

I spoke too soon.

"Hello?" I call out, exhaustion laced in my voice.

"How rude. I gave you the honour of being in my presence, and this is how you treat me? I almost wish I had never come here at all. At least then I wouldn't have to deal with your blatant disrespect."

There is only one man here that would ever say such a thing: Imposter.

"Let's make this quick. I am Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami corporation. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but that would be a lie," he clips, crossing his arms.

"The feeling is mutual," I clap back, though I don't really mean it. Regardless of his cold exterior, I know that he is a kind man. Still, I can't let him know that I'm aware of that . As far as his knowledge extends, we've only just met, and I know absolutely nothing about him.

"Tch. I had hoped that you'd be at least a bit more courteous than these commoners around me, but I was apparently let down. For someone with such a gentle title, you really are foul. What a pity," he sighs.

I give him a thin smile. "For someone so supposedly prestigious and important, you sure are stereotypical. Speak for yourself."

Wait, that was too much! All right, y/n. Pull yourself together. You don't want the Imposter stans to murder you just yet.

"I wouldn't want to keep you here more than you'd like. You must have quite a bit to do. Perhaps now would be a good time to end this conversation," I state nervously.

See? I can be polite. Please spare me.

He shrugs. "I was meaning to take my leave anyways." He turns, bumping into the sleeping figure of the ultimate gamer as he walks. Chiaki jolts awake, stumbling back a bit.

"Zzz- huh? What's happening?" She mumbles groggily, rubbing her eyes. "Is it my turn already?"

I nod tiredly, "Yeah, it is."

"Oh, cool. I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. It's--" she pauses, yawning. "It's nice to meet you."

I nod and give her a tiny smile. "I'm y/n l/n, the Ultimate Darling. It's nice to meet you as well."

Chiaki tilts her head, staring intensely at me. "Hey, are you okay? You seem stressed," she inquires.

"Haha. Not really. This day has been absolutely exhausting, and I've had to meet with so many rude people in such a small amount of time. I feel like I'm going to snap at any moment," I state, my voice cracking. I grin merrily, but it doesn't reach my eyes. They, on the other hand, are giving off more of an "I am about to either die or kill someone else out of pure stress" kind of vibe.

She gets the memo and places a hand on my shoulder. "That must suck."

"Yeah." I nod. "It does."

We remain in comfortable silence for a few seconds before she speaks up again. "So, do you like video games?"

I shrug. "Hmm, I guess so. I'm not a fanatic or anything, but there are a few that I enjoy playing."

"What are they?"

"I'm particularly passionate about Halo, Minecraft, Goat Simulator, Portal, and Portal 2. That's about it as of now."

Her face lights up like a torch. "Oh, Minecraft is a classic! Do you play survival mode, adventure mode, or creative mode?"

I grin excitedly, glad to engage in a conversation centred around something I'm passionate about. "Creative mode, for sure. I love just relaxing and building to my heart's content. Survival is a bit too intense for my tastes."

Chiaki nods in understanding. "I personally don't have a preference, but I completely understand where you're coming from. Creative is a great way to go when you need to unwind. Portal is a pretty good game, too. I like how humorous it is. The creators did a wonderful job combining the gameplay with the plot. It never really gets boring, no matter how many times you redo it."

I bob my head eagerly. "Yes, yes, yes! You've hit it right on the nail. That's just what I expected from the ultimate gamer."

To my surprise, a rosy blush spreads across her cheeks. "Thanks," she says, smiling softly. "You're pretty cool too, you know. It's very nice to have someone to talk about games with."

My face becomes tomato red, and I attempt to cover the flush with my hands. "I-- I feel the same way. It's always fun to talk about common interests, especially with someone as cultured as yourself."

Chiaki blinks, finally returning to reality. "Oh, I should most likely be going now. I wouldn't want to keep you too long, after all." She doesn't really bother waiting for a response, and instead turns around and lazily walks away.

As she goes, a newfound sense of contentment spreads through me.

Well, at least there're people like her here.