I Can't Call Your Name

Finally, Sunday had arrived. Kaito lay fast asleep on the couch, the faint imprint of last night's slap still visible on his cheek.

This day was his sacred one, where he allowed himself to sleep until evening and do absolutely nothing but laze around.

Kaito was on the verge of falling off the couch, drooling as he slept, while Misaki was already awake, watching him nervously.

The sight of him drooling on the pillow, oblivious to the world, was starting to annoy her.

Certain that he wouldn't wake up on his own, she grabbed the bathroom broom and walked over to him.

With a look of disgust, as if shooing away a cockroach, she started poking him with handle.

"Hey! Wake up already! It's noon!" she snapped, her voice sharp and impatient.

Kaito, still half-asleep, rolled over and mumbled something that definitely wasn't promising.

"Okay, Mom, five more minutes..."

Her frustration mounting, she poked him harder. Realizing he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, she threw the broom onto the floor.

Then she stormed into the kitchen, quickly filled a glass with water, and returned to pour it over right his face.

Kaito sprang up, startled by the cold water. He looked around, confused, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"Finally..." Misaki sighed, her tone tight.

"Our pervert prince has awoken!"

Kaito stared blankly at the wall for a moment, then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he turned right back around and tried to snuggle into the couch.

Misaki's hand shot out, grabbing him forcefully and pulling him toward her. But now their faces were mere inches apart.

Suddenly, her heart raced, and without a second thought, she shoved him away with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

"Don't even dare go back to sleep!"

Kaito was half-asleep, his thoughts a blur, but one thing he knew—sleep was a no-go, for sure.

"Fine, fine," he muttered, yawning deeply.

He stumbled toward the bathroom but forgot to open the door, smacking his head into it. Misaki watched in complete disbelief.

After a short while, he returned from the bathroom, looking more awake. Misaki sat across from him, arms folded, waiting for him to sit.

"Now that you're awake, sit down. We need to sort some things out."

The tension in the air was thick as Kaito sat down across from Misaki.

He avoided her gaze, focusing on a random spot on the wall, pretending it was the most interesting thing in the room.

"It seems like we're going to have to share this house for a while," she began, her tone serious.

"So, we need some rules."

Kaito, like a confused puppy, nodded quietly, his attention immediately fixed on Misaki.

"For example, tomorrow is the first day of school," Misaki continued.

"At school or anywhere else, we'll pretend we've never met. Under no circumstances!"

As Kaito kept nodding in agreement, Misaki, having clearly thought these rules through in advance, began to list them off.

"When we leave or return home, we'll do it separately, making sure we're not followed. Also, no inviting family members or friends over. It's best if they don't even know where we live."

After a brief pause to catch her breath, she continued with the same tense gaze.

"At home, also, there will be rules too. We'll split the chores—one week it's your turn, the next it's mine. Got it?"

It was all so logically sound that it couldn't be rejected, but even if it weren't, Kaito had no chance at that moment.

"Then, I'll take the first turn."

"Finally, and most importantly," she said, her tone firm, "no invading each other's personal space. Living with a pervert like you is punishment enough. If you pull another stunt like the other day, I'll make sure you regret it—got it?"

Suddenly, the tension in the room grew heavy, and Kaito could almost feel the sting of last night's slap lingering on his cheek, an embarrassing reminder he couldn't shake.

Then, the doorbell rang. Seizing the opportunity, he sprang to his feet and dashed to the door.

He peeked through the peephole, then turned to Misaki and whispered, "It's Naomi."

Naomi stood there, dressed in a chic outfit, as if she had somewhere important to be.

She leaned casually against the doorway, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips.

"Hey, what are my lovebirds up to?" she asked, her voice dripping with mockery.

Misaki, her annoyance rising, raised her voice. "Auntie?!"

"Alright, alright," Naomi said, rolling her eyes. "Are you two ready to go?"

Kaito, caught off guard, blurted out, "Where to?"

Misaki, already moving toward the door, answered curtly, "You're not coming."

Naomi turned to Kaito with a mischievous smile. "Why isn't he coming? It would be nice to have a beast of burden to carry our stuff."

Kaito shot Naomi an uncomfortable glance, his face showing clear disapproval.

By then, Misaki had already stepped outside and called out to Naomi, "Aunt, hurry!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Naomi replied, waving her hand.

Before leaving, she turned to Kaito with a smile and added, "Darling, don't worry about cooking tonight—dinner's on us!"

After Kaito closed the door behind them, he turned and collapsed onto the couch, instantly falling back into his usual routine, sleeping.

A few hours of peaceful sleep later, the quiet room was disturbed by the sound of a key turning in the door.

Kaito, half-asleep from oversleeping, sat slouched on the couch with messy hair and tired eyes, eating instant noodles.

He looked toward the door and saw Naomi and Misaki walk in.

Misaki, her hands full with shopping bags, pushed the door open with her shoulder and stepped inside.

Naomi followed closely behind, her exhaustion evident as she walked over and plopped down beside Kaito on the couch.

"Ugh, we walked so much today," she muttered.

Misaki opened the almost-empty fridge, which contained nothing but a few ready-to-eat meals and some energy drinks, and began placing the vegetables and food they bought inside.

Naomi, with a grin, gave Kaito's back a light but firm smack. Kaito, surprised, nearly choked on his snack.

"You lucky brat," Naomi teased with a grin, "After months, you're finally going to eat something decent!"

Then, she called out to Misaki, "Sweetheart, what's for dinner tonight?"

Misaki glanced at the fridge and replied, "I think we will have some Miso soup and Sukiyaki."

"And sake!"

With a mischievous grin, Naomi raised her hands in excitement, looking like a kid on Christmas morning, while Kaito and Misaki exchanged uneasy glances.

As they sat down at the table for dinner, Kaito couldn't help but stare in astonishment at the spread before him.

It had been a long time since he'd seen such an elaborate meal, and the sight alone took him by surprise.

Naomi poured sake into her glass and said, "Enjoy your meal! Let's dig in!"

Kaito dove in eagerly, like a runner waiting for the starting gun, his enthusiasm evident.

Misaki watched him with a look slightly enclosed, her grace intact but mildly posed.

By the time they finished eating, Naomi had drained the bottle and was thoroughly smashed.

Struggling to form coherent sentences, she continued the story she'd been telling Misaki.

"Ah, where was I... oh, right!"

Naomi suddenly put her arm around Kaito's neck, resting his head on her chest.

Kaito, too embarrassed to look at Misaki, quickly turned his eyes away, staying completely still like he was frozen.

"That night, this little one saved me from some troublesome types and walked me all the way home," Naomi continued, her words slurred.

Kaito, not wanting to endure Misaki's gaze any longer, tried to push Naomi away politely, but she held on tightly.

Naomi continued, laughing, "Don't let his scrawny and hopeless appearance fool you—when needed, this kid turns into a hero."

She chuckled heartily, while Kaito finally managed to break free from her hands.

Taking a deep breath, he relaxed a little before joining the conversation with a modest expression.

"Well, actually, they were both too drunk to stand. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had a chance."

Misaki, with a slightly relieved expression, turned to Naomi and asked, "So, the story about you spending the night together—was it really like that?"

Naomi nodded in affirmation, then Misaki glanced at Kaito before continuing, a hint of reproach in her voice.

"Then why told the story in such a misleading way?"

"But it wouldn't have been as fun otherwise!" Naomi continued, still grinning, "What did you think? Is he perverted enough to sleep with me?"

As soon as Misaki heard the word pervert, she shot a sharp glance at Kaito.

Realizing he had only made things worse, Kaito felt a pang of guilt and looked away, accepting the reproach in her eyes.

Misaki's sharp gaze was fixed on him, but the ringing phone diverted her attention.

Seeing it was her mom, her face dropped.

"I'll be back soon," she muttered, walking to her room.