Trying to Kill Each Other Doesn't Count as Flirting (or Does it?)

Chapter 7

(F/N) was spinning a kunai around on her finger, utterly bored, when her phone rang. She quickly checked the caller ID, and, seeing it was Okita, hit 'accept,' and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey...(F/N)-chan, look...I need to ask you for a favor."

This was already sounding suspicious.

"What kind of favor?"

"I need you to pretend to like me for a couple hours."

"No can do. Find someone else."

She prepared to pull the phone away from her ear, but paused when she heard the sound of his voice, surprisingly frantic.

"Hey, stop! Listen, my sister is in town, and she wants to meet my friends, and...well...you're my...only...friend...or the closest thing to it, anyway."

(F/N) hesitated. She was about to hang up, but she was interested to see where this was going.

"Your sister, huh?" she said. "What's she like?"

"Mitsuba? Um..." He thought for a moment, and when he spoke, she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Mitsuba is kind, and caring. She never gets mad at me, she's warm, and generous, and..."

(F/N) smiled. "It sounds like you love her a lot."

"Yeah, I do."

"I can't wait to tell her about all the embarrassing things I've found in your room."

"Don't—wait, what embarrassing things—actually, never mind. Listen..." He sighed. "Mitsuba...she doesn't have long to live."

(F/N) froze.

"Wait, what?"

"She's...she's been sick for a while, and...she tends to worry about me a lot, so...please just don't give her any more reason to worry."

"Oh, god, um..."

(F/N) took a deep breath. She hadn't been expecting that, but there was only one thing she could do.

"Okay, then. I'll do it."

"Wait, are you serious?"

She chuckled. "I'm a damn good actress, remember? Don't worry. I can definitely 'pretend to like you' for a couple of hours."

"Really?"

"Of course. Now just give me a couple minutes to sneak out of the house. I promise I'm about to be the best damn friend you've ever had."

~o0o~

It took (F/N) a grand total of five minutes to slip past the guards, and out to the open street. Still, it would be a twenty minute walk to the restaurant Okita had told her to meet them at, and that gave her plenty of time to think.

What personality did she want to use in front of Mitsuba? She was a good actress—she could be almost anyone if she put her mind to it. She could be shy and sweet, or bubbly and cheerful...even warm and motherly. Given the fact that Mitsuba was dying, she was leaning towards bubbly and cheerful. Something like Kagura when she was in a good mood. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't want to put on an act. As much as she enjoyed beating the crap out of him, she thought of Okita as a friend, and here she was, getting to meet his family. She was hardly a friendship expert, but she was pretty sure that was a big deal. Mitsuba was obviously important to Sougo, and she didn't want to be a fake her in front of someone like that.