despair | h. rindo

XII

"Bye, Rindou-kun!" Was the last voice that had been heard before everyone was muffled as Rindou left the restaurant. "Thanks for the meal." he turned to you as you handed him his helmet. "Heh, you should thank my aunt." You rolled your eyes.

Maybe this was the right time to give it to you. "Here." He said, handing you an envelope from his uniform's jacket. "What's this?" You asked. "Open it when I leave, I don't want to see you stupid giddy face." He joked, receiving a punch on the arm.

"Hope you trip on the way back inside." He smiled. "Hope you break your nose in the next fight." You mocked.

~ ~ ~

"You're home late?" Tomiko asked, spinning her chair into view as she pet Rindou's cat. "Don't hold Mousse like that!" He yelled, taking the cat gently from her hands as they glared at each other.

"Where have you been?" She asked. "Went to have dinner." Rindou answered bluntly, making his way upstairs to his room. "Where?" She asked. "Stop pestering me!"

Tomiko only huffed. "Did you go see your crush?" She cooed mockingly. Rindou only flinched and ignored her teasing. He wouldn't say he did not go to his crush. But who's to say they're his crush?

"You promised you would bring me when you visited them!" She whined. "I didn't, I said I'd think about it." He glared, only to turn to her sticking out her tongue mockingly.

Tomiko made her way to her own room, slightly upset, but he didn't pay any mind. He let go of his cat gently and plopping down on his bed with a big sigh. A grin plastered on his face as he reminisced about the dinner party.

Back at the restaurant, with only a few people left, you looked at the closed envelope. "What's that?" Nahoya asked from behind. "A letter." You answered, receiving a hit on the head from the older twin.

"It's from Rindou." You answered, rubbing the back of your head. "Is it an invitation to a ball where you'll sneak off to and you'll kiss under the moonlight while his bodyguards try to find you?" He mocked, moving around to enact the scene. You only watched in disgust as he explained his "vision".

"What's that?" Souya and Hayami walked towards you and Nahoya. You only shrugged. "Open it then." Nahoya urged. You opened the envelope. You read the contents of it attentively despite it being a short letter.

Chisana Yume Partnerships

September 30, 2004
HiroYami Eatery
Meguro ward, Tokyo City, Japan
152-0034

Subject: Investment Request

To whom it may concern,

HiroYami is a high-end marketing firm with a reputation for integrity, quality and excellence in management. In 5 years of management, annual sales have increased highly.

HiroYami, formed by Hiromi Komori and Hayami Kawata in October, 1999, has increased greatly in sales as the franchise grew. As we have studied, the evaluation by Mr. Haitani Rindou has proved that your business is qualified for investment. Therefore, your request has been approved.

We anticipate the higher goals and achievements of your franchise as we work together to embrace our dreams.

Sincerely yours,
Yuuri Ito

Chisana Yume Human Resources Representative

Approved by:
Rindou Haitani

Chisana Yume Board Member

Therefore, your request has been approved.

"The request was approved..." You muttered. "The request was approved!" Nahoya cheered loudly, gaining cheers from the people. Hayami bursted into tears as she heard those four words. It was an even better day to celebrate the eatery's anniversary.

"Rindou? That was the boy a while ago, right?" Your mother asked. You hummed in confirmation, holding a giddy grin. Rindou was right about the stupid giddy face.

Your uncle hugged Hayami as she continued to cry in joy. The head-chef had opened a champagne bottle he had prepared since he started working in the eatery. It was a good day indeed.

~ ~ ~

A few days have passed and school has come once again. The newspaper club became active once more ever since you joined. Rindou never visited the restaurant anymore but you thought it was because of his job. Plus why would he come back if he's finished his evaluation?

Or at least that's what you thought.

Christmas was a few weeks from now and Rindou was blankly sitting as he scrolled through the contents of the site on his computer.

It was your blog.

A few days ago Tomiko burst his door open while he was asleep waking him and Mousse from their slumber.

"Rindou! Rin! Rindou! Alien! Four-eyes! Listen! Listen!" Tomiko chanted, shaking her cousin who was half-asleep. "Wake up! Rin! You need to see this!" She begged. "Rinnnn!" She whispered. It was too early for him to wake up. Why would he need to?

"Rindou if you don't wake up I'm telling Ran about Y/n." She whispered tauntingly. Rindou jolted up, half-naked as he hit Tomiko's head. "Don't. You. Fucking. Dare." He warned.

"When will you start wearing clothes when you sleep?" Tomiko asked, rubbing the spot she was hit. "If I get married, I don't know." He shrugged. "Anyways, you never really said any other information about the restaurant you evaluated on. My only clue was HiroYami and your crush was there-." Tomiko glared. "Not my crush."

She threw a shirt at him before continuing. "Shush. Look what I found." She pulled her laptop from the stand showing a blog called "Mission Cupid" by Y/n Komori. It was weird but it wasn't the weirdest shit he's seen in his life.

"They have a blog?" He asked as Tomiko nodded vigorously. "It's a romance blog." She answered smugly. "I thought they sounded so familiar. Ooooh! I can't believe you like my idol." She cheered. Rindou watched in awe as he snatched the device from her hands scrolling through the page.

"Boy, get your own laptop, I'll send you the link in your e-mail." She glared, taking her laptop back and leaving the room for him to change on a school day.

Rindou could be caught dead but reviewing your blog was both ridiculously hilarious and interesting. "Falling in love is like falling into an unknown pit. You either keep falling with ecstasy or you hit the bottom hurt." He whispered.

If someone had let him know that somewhere out there, there was going to be someone who was obnoxious and exertive with their actions to cross paths with him, that someone would probably be laughed at and beaten to death.

But Rindou never expected for him to get smitten over something so simple as a blog online. Moreover, towards someone who was average in many ways. They were out of his league, he shouldn't be feeling this way.

But he was.

Surprising to him.

Surprising to anyone.

Tell him he was falling in love and you'd be chewing on grass.