「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.
Where exactly did she see this guy again?
「Kazuma chased this one down in Shinsekai! Don’t tell me he got her!?」
A look of bewilderment meshed with defeat flooded across the fisherman’s face.
「Leave it to that jackass to get the girl I saw first!」 He clenched his fist as he turned away from Mieko and Lucy, back slouched and shoulders rounded in defeat.
Just as Mieko was about to tap him on the shoulder, Lucy managed to stutter out her realization.
「You know Mister Kamoi? Wait, you’re the drunk man from the izakaya!」 Lucy’s voice raised as it hit her, finger shooting towards Touma, Kazuma’s childhood friend, as he turned around with a smile.
「Yep, that’s me! Micchan, hey, he’s having his girl call him Mister Kamoi? He's into that, huh?!」 He couldn’t help but bellow out a laugh, causing some of his patrons’ heads to turn in surprise.
「Lu-chan, what do you mean drunk? And wait, you know Touma already?」 Grabbing Lucy's hands in between her own, Mieko’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
「Yeah, he was with Kazuma on the day we first met. They were all drinking.」 Lucy rolled her eyes, cheeks beginning to burn up at Touma’s earlier statement. 「And I’m not with him!」
「Uh…」 Mieko looked around the street warily as even more people began to stare after Lucy’s sudden outburst. 「Lu-chan, let’s quiet down, hm? Touma! Do you know where Ryu-kun is?」
「One second, princess!」 Touma grinned, a mischievous glint overtaking his usually benevolent smile.
「Hey, Ryusuke! Your girlfriend is here, come on out!」 With a turn of his head, Touma’s voice carried all the way to the back of the shop, startling some elderly patrons in its wake.
「Eep! ‘Girlfriend’?」 Mieko’s hands tore away from Lucy and shot up to her cheeks.
「That’s what you’re worried about?」 Lucy scanned the ever-changing crowd of passersby tossing them suspicious and questioning stares.
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She recalled another one of Kazuma’s rather personal remarks.
It’s not just me, Mieko also has to be especially careful about where she is seen, and who she is with. Please, I ask you to do your due diligence when you two are out together.
On one of the days the two of them were making their way back towards the Hampton’s house after an afternoon of meetings, their conversation had somehow turned towards Mieko and the twisted rules society expected a woman of her standing to follow. It was frowned upon to be outside for over a certain amount of time, to mingle outside your class, to befriend the opposite sex without parents’ approval, and despite all of this Mieko was standing outside of a rusty fish market, waiting for some fishy boy she clearly fancied.
「Are you sure Kazuma…and your dad are okay with this?」 Lucy whispered towards Mieko, biting her lip as Touma and a younger man ran back to greet them. It was a stupid question. Lucy already knew the answer - if Kazuma knew Lucy followed Mieko to meet this “Ryu-kun,” he’d be furious.
「So long as Touma doesn’t say anything about Ryu-kun, we’re golden.」 Mieko winked before trotting up to Ryusuke, a young man who couldn’t have been any older than Lucy.
「Ryu-kun, it’s been a while, huh」” Lacing her hands behind her back, Mieko was beaming as she flashed Ryusuke a dazzling smile.
「Y-yeah, it has…」 Ryusuke placed a hand behind his neck, face flushed beet red and eyes darting between their group of four and the crowds streaming in and out of the shop.
「No worries, Kazu’s not here to rip your head off!」 Touma exclaimed while giving Ryusuke a pat on the shoulders. 「I won’t rat you out either, ya got my word!」
With a fist over his chest, Touma gave the group one last smile before another hoard of children banging on tanks forced him back into the shop. 「You damn pains, if ya ain’t buying get a move on!」
Touma gave a sheepish bow towards the two girls, Mieko now a laughing mess while Lucy shook her head.
「He’s so loud, sorry about that.」 He bowed again before taking a quick glance towards Lucy.「A friend of yours, Micchan?」
「Yes, Kazuma’s helping her family get settled! They’re from America, it’d have been nice if Touma stuck around so I could explain…」
Placing her hands on her hips, Mieko’s heart pounded in her ears as Ryusuke smiled down at her, a wayward chunk of black hair plastered to his sweaty forehead.
「America! Wow, well any friend of Mieko’s is a friend of mine!」 He gave Lucy a nod before gathering all of his attention back towards Mieko.
The young man hung on to Mieko’s every word as they chattered on about various pleasantries. Lucy gladly accepted the gift of solitude and stood by a table of shrimp, watching the pair from afar.
Lucy decided that she liked Ryusuke. Anyone who regarded Mieko in such high esteem, and not to mention anyone who didn’t make a massive spectacle out of a foreigner, was a winner in her books.
No wonder Kazuma can’t stand him.
Lucy snorted and shook her head.
Ryusuke’s a gentleman without the smoke and mirrors.