Kapitel 24: Task Failed

Yui stared at Miki, then at his big brother, then to Miki again. Her lips pursed as she thought of an excuse to deny his big brother's request. And yet, she couldn't find anything. Although she was curious as to what they were going to talk about, there was nothing she could say about the matter. 'No, but my brother is still a boy. There's no way I can leave him alone with a girl in his room.' Yui bit her lip in frustration.

A few minutes ago, Yuuta and Miki finished playing Lucid Dream Server for the day and that's when Yuuta recalled what Miki told him just this morning. That's why, before she left, Yuuta needed to make her swear an oath that she wouldn't reveal his secret to anyone.

"It won't take long. I just need to talk to her about something." Yuuta reassured his sister. Of course, he also didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about him and Miki. After all, he just met her this morning. There's no way their relationship would progress as fast as Yui had assumed.

"F-fine," Yui muttered as she slowly stood up. But just when she was about to turn around, she kicked her cellphone towards the underside of Yuuta's bed. A mischievous smile plastered on Yui's face as she headed towards the door, gently locking it as she went out.

After that, she stuck her ears on the door, attempting to eavesdrop on Yuuta and Miki's conversation. She perfectly knew that Yuuta would reprimand her for doing so, and that's why she did it without thinking twice.

"Yui," Yuuta simply called out, making Yui walk away from the door.

Still, what she did had already served its purpose. Because of that, she concluded that Yuuta wouldn't expect a cellphone to be listening in on him and Miki. It was a perfectly executed plan for Yui.

Inwardly celebrating, Yui headed towards the living room to watch TV. After a few seconds of contemplation, she finally realized the gravity of what she did. 'What if... what if my assumptions were really true and there really is something going on between them? If that happens, then, what would i hear on my phone?! No, I shouldn't do this! B-but... I already did it. There's no turning back. That's right. I shouldn't feel guilty about it. It was Yuuta and Miki who are suspicious!'

Clenching her fists, Yui tried to remove her mind from what she did.

.....

"How did you know?" Yuuta asked.

"What do you mea—mmph!" Miki pretended to be clueless about it. But just then, Yuuta covered her mouth before she could continue her denial. This was the second time she experienced something like this, making her think that Yuuta had a hobby of interrupting someone.

Instead of being angry, however, Miki blushed a little bit. There's something about Yuuta that makes her lower her guard every time. Is it because he was reliable? Or is it because of his fighting prowess and pure strength? Miki decided not to think about it since it would just make her focus on Yuuta even more.

"Don't talk," Yuuta whispered, getting out of the bed.

Unknowingly, Miki held her breath after hearing the urgency in Yuuta's voice. She didn't realize that she fully submitted to Yuuta in a flash. Somehow, there's an overwhelming aura around her that made her follow his instructions in a snap of a finger.

Yuuta, not realizing that she half-scared Miki, knelt on the floor and extended his hand underneath the bed. After a few seconds of rummaging, he pulled out a phone which was unlocked. A red dot flashed while an animation of a wave continuously passed through the screen. The phone was undoubtedly recording their conversation.

"What is it? Is everything okay, Yuuta?" There was a hint of concern in Miki's voice however, she was more panicky than worried. And when she saw the phone on Yuuta's hand and its recording screen, it took all her being to not raise her voice in utter shock.

"Y-Yuuta? Is someone spying on you? Figures, you're pretty famous by now. Who is it? Do you know the person? Have you reported the person to the police? Should I dial the police right now?"

"Don't worry about it." With a sigh, Yuuta made a mental note to give her younger sister a scolding later. "Now continue, how did you know my identity? Were you connected to anyone in the underground? Or were you spying on me right from the start?"

Miki's heart rate quickened at the question. In response, she furiously shook her head in denial as she tried to come up with a reason why. The first thing that occurred to her was that Yuuta was famous, and it might be normal for him to come across enemies that are out for blood. In any case, she was a stranger and it's only common sense that Yuuta was suspicious of him.

"N-no, I was just— " Trying to regain her composure, Miki deeply inhaled and slowly exhaled. Now that the cat's out of the bag, it's up to her to properly explain herself clean. "I'm a big fan of Underground. I sometimes watch the online footage of the matches there." She continued.

"There was one particular person who attracted my attention since he seemed to be of the same age as me." Somehow, Miki still felt intimidated even though she was conversing with a blind person. There's something about Yuuta that spoke of dominance and sheer strength and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of those qualities. "You always wore a mask on the upper part of your head so it was hard to recognize you. But when I saw the live stream of the Lucid Dream Server game on youtube, I immediately knew you were the same person."

"So... you just want an autograph, right? If that's the case then I can give you one— no, three autographs so you won't have to come back if your parents wanted autographs for themselves as well."

"I-it's not that. The thing is— " Miki's shoulders drooped as she heaved yet another exhausting sigh. "All right, fine. I'll leave. B-but! Promise me one thing!"

Grabbing him by the shoulders, Miki stared straight towards Yuuta's eyes, unmoving. Biting her lips, determination filled her as she tried to convince Yuuta. "Finish the first three initial tests as fast as you can, and then I'll tell you everything!"

Although Yuuta can't see, he could tell that Miki's face was unusually close to his, making him redden a little bit. He could clearly feel her breath touching his cheeks as she spoke. And for some reason, she smelled much nicer than Yuuta had expected from up close. In an awkward manner, Yuuta turned his face away before responding. "All right, but if I were to know that you told someone about my identity, then don't ever think about getting close to me. In that regard, don't tell my dad and sister about it. I mean... I'll be the one to tell them when the time comes."

Suddenly, Yuuta felt something warm touch his hands, and before he could react, something soft wrapped around his pinky finger. He inwardly gasped in shock.

"There, I promise." Miki smiled as she pinky promised.

It may seem like a childish act but Yuuta's heart skipped a beat. That pinky promise was no joke, or so that's what came to Yuuta's mind as he got flustered.

Even though Yuuta was acting a bit flustered, he still didn't miss the small movements and reactions that Miki expressed. Yuuta detected some uneasiness and nervousness in his voice but he didn't take it to heart. 'Maybe it was awkward for her as well. Figures, she was the one who leaned in closer to my face.'

"Thank you for your time, Yuuta. You already have my number, right? Text me once you're done with the second test." Miki said as she headed towards the door.

"Are you going home?" Yuuta simply asked.

"Yes, it's getting late."

"I'll walk you to the station."