“So…you have a boyfriend?” She couldn’t hold the question back any longer. After quite the walk around town, Lucy had to inquire why exactly Mieko was so determined to walk an extra kilometer just to greet a certain fisherman she was supposedly “acquaintances” with.
"Eh? Not a boyfriend, Lu-chan!” Mieko’s face was as red as a fall leaf once Lucy’s question infiltrated her already fogged-up head.
It was a perfect afternoon, and she had struck a bit of luck - Mister Fosters was down and out with a case of heat stroke, which gave her the freedom to tag along with Kazuma on his errands including a quick stop to the Hampton home. He supposedly had something to discuss with Alfred and Yuko in private.
「Well, something tells me if you were with Kazuma instead of me, we wouldn’t be going to all this trouble.」 Lucy smirked, already well-aware of just how protective Kazuma was of his little heiress.
"Her father is very selective with the men who are able to approach her, as am I."
Lucy had remembered Kazuma explaining Mieko’s precarious situation on one of their outings to a potential employer.
"I can only hope she gets along with the match she will be provided."
The memory riled up feelings of confusion and hesitancy within Lucy, as thoughts like these always did - ever since she and Kazuma began their excursions out into town whether it be on interviews, “prep” for said interviews, and the like, he often leaked rather private information regarding his relationship with the Takahara family. This was always much to Lucy’s surprise, a complete deviation from his usual condescending treatment.
「If I was with Kazuma? Oh definitely not.」 Mieko snorted, dragging Lucy out of her pensive reverie. 「Kazuma can't stand Ryu-kun.」
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「Oh really? And why’s that?」 Lucy was intrigued to know more. Anyone who didn’t get along with Kazuma would surely be a friend of hers.
「Kazuma says he doesn’t act like a man.」 Crossing her arms as her footsteps grew heavy, Mieko sighed. 「Ryu-kun is scared of a lot of things - ghosts, snakes, dogs…」
“Dogs? What kind of guy is afraid of dogs?” Lucy couldn’t help but giggle, scolding herself for taking Kazuma’s side.
「Men are allowed to be afraid of things too, you know!」 A defensive lilt struck Mieko’s voice. 「Don’t be like Kazuma, Lu-chan. If only more men were like Ryu-kun, I dare say we wouldn’t have had that big awful war!」
Lucy smiled, wondering if Mieko was even aware that her hands were now clasped above her chest, eyes sparkling and cheeks so rosy that people were starting to give concerned looks her way.
“Okay, okay, you’re probably right.” Stretching her hands above her head as they continued their stroll, Lucy let out a groan. “The last thing we need in this world is more Kazumas.”
「Hey! That’s…completely true.」 No matter how much she loved him, Mieko couldn’t argue there. 「One of him is more than enough, huh?」
Mieko bopped Lucy on the shoulder, and both girls kept their pace down the bustling road until Mieko stopped them in front of an incredibly busy seafood market.
Already feeling waves of anxiety hit her core, Lucy waited for Mieko to enter the roaring market first.
「Hey! If you or your parents ain’t buyin’ then get a move on!」 A young man with a scruffy goatee pushed past Mieko and out towards a group of noisy children. They were poking their noses against the fish containers sitting at the entrance, tapping on the glass and reaching inside.「Ah, Micchan sorry, give me one minute and I’ll be with ya!」
The man took a double take over his shoulder once he shooed the children away, eyes lighting up as he ran back inside towards her and Lucy. 「You gotta be kidding me, Micchan! You know this girl?」 Lucy grimaced as a finger was pointed in her face, and then it hit her.
I know him from somewhere.