Head Over Heels From The Scarf I Lent Her Chapter 11

“So, things going well between you and your girlfriend?”
“How many times do I have to tell you she’s just a friend?”

Takato, standing at the other register, teasingly digs at Tooru who then waves him away.

It’s the day after he and Satsuki went to the theaters.
To summarize the lunches she packs for him, they’re works of art.
Octopus wieners can hardly be considered fine cuisine, but it brings back childhood memories and, along with it, tears to Tooru’s eyes. There’s even veggies in there. Maybe obesity isn’t so likely after all. Just maybe.

Takato continues to pry with a sly grin on his face.

“Did you properly plan out your date night? Did you get her a gift? You didn’t bore her, did you?”
“It was just a night out.”
“Taking a girl that cute out couldn’t mean anything other than a date, ya b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Trade girlfriends with me?”
“Huh? I didn’t know you have a girlfriend, Takato.”
“We’ve been dating for three years now.”

That’s the first time Tooru has heard of it. He’s worked here for more than a year, yet he hasn’t seen Takato’s girlfriend at all before.
Takato said that he couldn’t show Tooru now since there are customers around, but she’s dang cute.
Hearing Takato say that made Tooru see him in a new light. Takato isn’t a boy, but a man—one that loves his girlfriend dearly.

“Back onto you. It’s been a week already, so you’ve at least kissed her already, right?”
“K-Kissed her?! Of course not!”

Tooru turns bright red as his supervisor chuckles at him. You a.s.s! he thought to himself.

Takato has been a good mentor but if there’s one nit Tooru could pick about him, it’s that he’s always teasing Tooru. Other than that, Tooru likes him alright aside from being embarra.s.sed from time to time.
To put it in a better way, Takato’s good at banter.

“Hey, so…”
“What is it?”
“You seem like you’re all smiles around her. Lucky you. I wish I were your age!”
“I… wonder.”

It’s curious how he has so much fun when it comes to Satsuki.
Maybe because they’re friends. Tooru hasn’t had a female friend since elementary school, so perhaps he’s happy from something so simple.
Not to mention, Satsuki is as good of a person as she is beautiful. There aren’t many others who could be a better friend.

He was grinning already, but when Takato looked outside, he was grinning even more. Satsuki is standing there with her back to the window.

Seeing here there made Tooru’s heart beat quicker. She’s a tiny, little thing, he mused before giving Takato a slight bow; the clock had struck seven the moment he looked outside.

“Alrighty, then, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
“Yup. Don’t you go and make your girlfriend cry.”
“I’m telling you she’s just a friend!”
“… you’ll level up soon.”

Tooru ignored what Takato muttered and hurried to get changed.
Then, he made his way outside where Satsuki is waiting.

“Sorry for making you wait for me.”
“Not at all. I just got here myself.”

Seeing her smile rea.s.sures him.
But something has been on his mind. They’ve known each other for a while now and yet they still haven’t exchanged contact information yet. Maybe it’s been too long since he’s had a female friend and it’s messing with his head.

Satsuki notices his expression and looks up at Tooru with curiosity. He smiles back in return.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I know it’s a bit late to ask now, but… could I get your contact info? Do you use any messaging apps?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Seriously? Alright, I’ll get you to register for one then. Go ahead and search the app in the store for me…”

Satsuki quickly got the hang of instant messaging and they can now drop each other a line whenever they want.

“Thank you for showing me how to do this.”
“You picked it up quick. Saves me a lot of ha.s.sle since I’m not much of a teacher.”
“Hehe, thank you. The guy at the register… he’s been staring at us.”

Tooru felt a jolt. He looked over to see Takato with a cheeky smirk looking back at him.

“Is he… your senior at work? He definitely does not look like he’s in high school.”
“Ugh, let’s go. We should split now.”
“Huh? Oh, uhh, sure.”

He grabs her hand to pull her away. She was caught by the surprise but quickly matched his pace.

“Who was that with the wavy hair?”
“Sasaki Takato. He’s my supervisor… well, not that he’s a bad person or anything.”

Satsuki responded with only a hmm…
Takato would be aptly described as “good-looking”. Customers might even be asking for his number, if he were to keep his mouth shut.
He’s a bit of a rascal, putting all of his good looks to waste.
But the fact that he has a girlfriend? Talk about a surprise. Tooru would’ve never have guessed.

“If there’s one thing you should know about him, it’s that he always s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around. He finds joy in teasing his subordinates at work.”
“This is the first time I have heard you talk about anyone else.”
“Oh, sorry, I hope I’m not being too much of a nuisance.”

Satsuki shakes her head left and right.

“Not at all. I enjoy it. Tell me more about your friends and colleagues. It’s all new to me.”

Whew.
But that’s right. Satsuki’s family meddles with all her personal relationships. Tooru is glad he didn’t overstep his boundaries but talking about stuff like this so casually would likely end up hurting her feelings.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you feel bad or anything.”
“I would be lying if I were to say that I’m not envious… but no, I won’t be hurt. Plus, I have a friend of my own now too. I’ve got to take notes, right?”

Her smile soothed his anxiety.
There’s something uplifting about hearing that Satsuki considers him a friend too. He was caught up in the moment and blurted it out that time, but he’s glad to have made friends with her.

“So, you consider me your friend too?”
“You said so yourself first.”
“Haha, I guess I did.”

They made it to Tooru’s home while chitchatting along the way. Suddenly, Satsuki whips around and looks up at Tooru.

“Hey. Will you still be my friend, no matter what happens?”
“What’s up all of a sudden?”
“Nothing. I was just curious.”

It’s her faint, fleeting smile again. He smiles back.

“Of course. I’ll take care of Amane on my own.”

That was some sort of promise.
Being involved with Satsuki means getting tangled up in Amane’s business as well. There’s no avoiding it. But no matter what Amane brings, he wouldn’t simply cut Satsuki out of his life.

Call it a false sense of righteousness; if it means saving a girl, maybe that’s enough to satisfy his ego.
But if that’s the case, so be it. He wouldn’t say it in front of Jun and his other friends, but Tooru can’t bear seeing Satsuki with anything but a smile on her face.

She’s known to be sly, but it doesn’t matter how or what Amane does. He’ll take it until she’s through with him.

Bring it on. If Tooru can become the target of her hatred, at least that would mean he can take some of it off Satsuki.
Honestly, even Tooru knows that he’s putting on a brave face. But that is what a man should do. He doesn’t to show Satsuki his weakness.

After hearing his response, a gentle smile blossomed on Satsuki’s face. She grips the plastic bag full of groceries even tighter.

“Thank you so much.”
“I’m not sure how to put it, but I’ll always be by your side for as long as you want me there.”

She enthusiastically nods twice then holds the bag up.

“Then I shall put my best into tonight’s meal. I hope you’re ready for it!”
“Sure am! Looking forward to it.”

His stomach growled in antic.i.p.ation for her delicious cooking.
Then, the two of them entered his apartment. But unbeknownst to them, someone was watching in the shadows.

: // // // // // // // // // // /ch011/ /next/