I Can't Call Your Name

Kaito looked at Misaki, panic written on his face, unable to say a word. Then, he noticed the customer at the next table watching them.

He gave Misaki a look, and she immediately released his collar, straightening her posture.

With an overly polite and sweet smile that masked a threatening tone, she spoke:

"Alright then, what will you have?"

Kaito stammered nervously, "Uh... the usual… egg toast and milk coffee."

"Hmm, got it," Misaki replied, tapping her foot on the floor in frustration as she wrote down the order.

Then, she walked away to prepare the order, and Kaito breathed out sharply, the tension finally leaving his body.

He leaned back into the couch, sliding down like an ice cream melting under the sun.

Suddenly, all the unfortunate events from yesterday flashed in Kaito's mind like a movie.

Of course, the most embarrassing moments replayed in slow motion—twice, for some reason.

Filled with sadness and frustration, Kaito stared out the window, feeling completely lost in his desperation.

Soon after, Misaki returned with the order, slamming it onto the table with just the right amount of passive aggression.

Kaito was about to take a bite of his toast when he froze, noticing Misaki still standing there, staring at him like she was his boss.

He nervously glanced at her, wondering why she hadn't left yet. But, he didn't dare to ask.

Misaki subtly pointed at the plate on the table, as if trying to show him something.

Kaito, totally confused, couldn't figure out what she meant.

He even ended up offering her a bite, awkwardly asking, "Do you want one?"

Realizing his mistake, he immediately dropped his gaze in embarrassment, staring at the table.

Just then, he spotted the small piece of paper on the table. It read: "If you tell anyone we're living together, I'll kill you."

To make it look more dramatic, she had even splattered a little ketchup on it.

Kaito's face turned pale as a ghost. A sinking feeling in his gut told him that she wasn't joking in the slightest.

With a face like he'd just walked out of a horror movie, he glanced up to ask Misaki what the note meant, but she was already gone.

In a panic, he shoved the toast into his mouth without bothering to chew and gulped down the scalding coffee, not even waiting for it to cool.

He needed to get out of there fast. This was just a warning shot—or at least, that's what he told himself in the moment.

Kaito left the money on the table and bolted out of the café in a rush, practically storming out.

The moment he jumped on his bike, he pedaled away as fast as he could, kicking up dust behind him.

After working through the morning to shake off the awkward encounter, he decided to take a break and head to the park.

On his way there, his eyes caught sight of a lingerie shop by the road.

Normally, he would distract himself by counting sidewalk tiles when passing places like this.

But that day was different. For some reason, he felt an unearned confidence as he parked his bike and walked inside.

However, the moment he stepped in and saw rows of panties and bras, his confidence vanished, gone without a pause.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he forced himself to approach the shop assistant, carefully avoiding any eye contact.

"Uh… I-I'm here to buy… pantyhose," he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry, what?" the assistant asked, leaning in.

"Panty—I need pantyhose!" Kaito stammered, slightly louder but no less awkward.

"Not for yourself, I assume?" the assistant teased with a sly grin that immediately made Kaito's skin crawl.

He threw her a nervous glare, feeling uncomfortable under the weight of her smug expression.

"So… I mean, who are they for?" she asked, her smirk widening.

His face turned bright red as he stood there, completely clueless about what to say.

He had walked in with way too much confidence, not even thinking for a second that he'd end up in such an awkward situation.

He couldn't stop his face from growing hotter, trying his best to avoid making eye contact with the assistant.

The assistant leaned in slightly and whispered, "Oh, you're buying for your girlfriend, right? Don't worry, mine buys stuff like this all the time!"

Kaito stood there, red-faced and speechless, while the assistant took his awkward silence as an acceptance.

"Should I take your lover's measurements, then?" the assistant whispered.

Kaito froze, realizing there was no turning back. With a heavy sigh, he clumsily added Misaki's estimated measurements to his imaginary girlfriend and awkwardly placed the order.

Before finishing the order, the assistant asked for his name. Oblivious to what was coming, he answered without a second thought.

"Kaito, Kaito Kobayashi."

"Alright..."

After a short wait, the assistant returned with the product, wrapped in a heart-patterned, overly decorated box.

Kaito approached the flashy gift like it might explode at any moment.

At that moment, he realized he had made a mistake, but the return ticket had already long expired.

He quickly paid, rushed out, placed the package on his bike, and pedaled off.

Kaito Kobayashi had just added another unforgettable, painfully embarrassing memory to his collection.

When he got home, he stumbled around like a clumsy spy, trying to hide the package as if it were a top-secret weapon.

After bringing the key to the door, he hesitated, fumbling a bit.

Muttering with furrowed brows, he said, "Damn it, what am I supposed to do now? Forget living with a girl—I've never even shared the same air with one before!"

His hand hovered nervously over the doorbell, uncertain. "Should I ring it?" he muttered to himself.

Then he quickly pulled back again. "No, that's stupid!"

He brought the key to the door again but didn't dare turn it. "What if I catch her at the wrong time?"

He immediately pulled the key away. "I don't want to make my criminal record worse."

At last, his mood sank even further. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed to the ground, burying his face in his knees, his words a muffled, angry murmur.

"Sucks! If we hadn't had that awful first encounter, I'd be way more relaxed right now..."

At that moment, Misaki's voice startled him from behind. "What are you doing?"

He immediately hid the package behind his back and jumped up nervously.

"Uh—nothing! I just dropped my key..." he said, scratching his neck awkwardly while avoiding eye contact with her.

Misaki shot him a suspicious look before pushing past him with a food bag in her hand, heading towards the door.

Seizing the opportunity, Kaito, with surprising agility, slid the package into the bag without her noticing.

Oblivious to what had just happened, Misaki went to her room, and Kaito began preparing one of the ready-to-make noodles from the fridge.

Sitting on the couch with a tense, anxious expression, he ate his noodles, but there was no sign of her for a while.

Then, suddenly, Misaki's door burst open with a loud bang. She stormed out, holding up the pantyhose, her brow furrowed and fury radiating off her.

"For God's sake, what the hell is this?!" she snapped.

Kaito was at a loss for words. He avoided eye contact with her, pretending she wasn't even there.

Misaki, clearly furious at his indifference, stormed over and stood right in front of him.

"I'm talking to you, hey! What is this?" she shouted.

"What? Huh, that? Um..." He took a deep breath. There was no more running from his fate.

Cornered like a cat, his only option was to face the storm head-on.

"When I bumped into you the other day—"

"Bumped into me?!"

"Dropped you..."

He took another deep breath, then blurted it all out in a rush, hoping to get it over with.

"I noticed your pantyhose were torn, and I thought I'd buy you a new pair as an apology. I didn't mean anything weird by it."

"You didn't?"

Misaki let out a deep sigh before raising the note from the package and holding it up in the air.

In an extremely tense tone, she read it aloud: "My darling, I bought these just for you. I can't wait to see you in them."

Kaito, already cornered like a trapped cat, flinched as if ice-cold water had been thrown in his face.

With eyes wide in fear and confusion, he looked up at the note in Misaki's hand. Words failed him.

Then, in a sudden burst of movement, he sprang to his feet and snatched the note from her hand.

"Uh, I think the assistant accidentally put this in there," he stammered.

"I really doubt that!"

As he quickly skimmed the note, his scared eyes caught his name written at the bottom.

He looked up in shock, about to meet Misaki's gaze, only to receive a perfectly timed slap across the face.