Greedy Chapter 2

# Chapter Two - "A Thrilling Dance"

    This entire house feels more like something out of a manga than an actual piece of Tokyo. Clean from top to bottom and adorned with gorgeous plants everywhere I look, it's nothing like what I would have expected from the home of a young man. Very carefully I took a leaf from the gigantic sansevieria plant next to the sofa and rubbed it between my fingertips.

    *Yep, it's definitely real…*

    I quickly pulled my hand back into my lap, not wanting to be caught in my curiosity invading the plant's personal space. My eyes wandered back to Natsuki, who was calmly making tea on a small silver tray placed on the table between us. An especially brave act considering his all-white ensemble. I've never known anyone to relax at home in such a strange outfit, but instead of odd, it comes off as almost intriguing…

    Who is this guy, anyway? Other than an idol at my label, there's very little I can judge beyond a love of plants, and that's assuming they're his, and that he lives here alone…

    I watched him intently, examining his well-groomed brown tresses, trying to discern what sort of person I've found myself dealing with.

    "So, Mr. Ichinose, do you live alone?"

    He turned to me, excited to make conversation after the relative lull in activity. "Natsuki, please. Yeah, I do. Well, mostly. My old man drops by sometimes to say hello and crash for the night, but otherwise it's just me about twenty-eight nights out of the month."

    "Just you and all these lovely plants?"

    "Those are mine too. They're my passion, even more than music. Nurturing plants is something I enjoy more than I can properly express, so I keep as many as I can manage."

    "I'm surprised you keep the place so clean. I had a few houseplants when I was living with my friend in the city. It felt like leaves or dirt were always getting everywhere, and trying to keep them healthy was a whole different challenge. It's really incredible."

    "Well, plants are alive, so it's important that you take *very good* care of them. I just think to myself that caring for them isn't much different than how you would care for a child. You wouldn't let a baby go thirsty or without food, right? Why would you do differently for plants?"

    I couldn't help but snicker a bit, but Natsuki didn't seem to notice, or else didn't mind. This guy must be super passionate about plants if he thinks of them like *children*. A short moment later two cups of hot tea were placed in front of me, and to my confusion I found Natsuki moving directly next to me on the sofa. He not-so-slyly undid another button on his shirt before grabbing one of the cups and leaning back in his seat. How confusing… After a few sips of tea he opened the envelope I had delivered and silently studied the papers inside. As he read, his free hand held his chin, his thumb gently pressed to his lower lip.

    Watching him, I felt myself overcome with guilt. Not over anything specific, but something about his mannerisms was mesmerizing. No matter what action he took, Natsuki looked as though he were a model posing for a camera. It seemed to come effortlessly to him, and studying him this closely felt wrong, as though I was observing and studying him more than I was simply sharing a friendly cup of tea. Speaking of which, I grabbed the cup from the table and took a sip to distract myself. Oolong with plums, more or less. Peering down into the cup, I could see my own sea-green eyes gazing back at me. Even through the amber liquid, I could tell that my face was flushed.

    *Probably just… from the wind outside…*

*Yes, that must be why…*

    Time seemed like it was standing still, the setting sun peering through the window the only thing that proved otherwise. Even the air in the room felt like it had stopped moving, and not a single leaf or branch could be seen moving even a fraction of an inch. Natsuki perked up for a second, looking at me directly before speaking.

    "Ah, I can't quite wrap my head around this… Would you mind following me back to my practice room?"

    "Of course!" I said, far louder than I had intended. *That's… not the direction of the door though…*

    Natsuki put his hand on my jacket and hat between us, ensuring I'd have to leave them here. "Ladies first, of course."

    "Ah, okay… I-I guess…" It all felt slightly off, but I was too nervous to be rude and say anything. After all, Natsuki works at I MY ME, so there's nothing to worry about. We're, essentially, coworkers. He followed behind me as I entered the room with the piano and stepped to the side, lingering out of the way to the left of the door. Natsuki set the papers down on the piano's music desk and sat on the thin wooden bench. He began playing the notes on the page, singing along to the melody.

    *Wow, he's got a nice voice… I should hurry up and leave though. Rinko is waiting for me…*

    "I'm very sorry, but I think it's about time I-"

    "Oh, sorry, just one more minute. I'm almost done, I swear." He gave me a smile before going back to plucking away at the keys. True to his word he finished quickly, standing from the piano bench and making his way over to me at the door. "You know, I'm surprised I haven't heard of you at the office. You're quite gorgeous, and you carry yourself incredibly well. I assume you do visuals?"

    I practically jumped in surprise, and I could feel a deep red blush spreading across my neck and face. To say something so flattering and forward to someone you've only just met…

    "I-I am a visual idol, yes. Or at least, that's my specialty."

    "Oh? I bet you do modeling as well, then?"

    "I've had a few jobs recently, yes." Well, one job, though I couldn't explain why I chose to inflate my resume.

    "I bet they went well! Your facial reactions are adorable. The photographers must love working with you."

    "I hope so. I had rather enjoyed it, so I wouldn't mind doing more modeling gigs in the future…"

    "As an idol, I assume you can dance, right?"

    "Of course I can." *What a silly question.*

    "Then, how about dancing with me?" Natsuki grabbed ahold of my hand, leading me to an open area behind the piano. He produced a remote control from a pocket, clicking it once. The stereo near the back wall started playing a tune I did recognize, Tchaikovsky's *Waltz of the Flowers*. I stared at him, confused by his request.

    "I mean, I can dance when there's choreography. I'm really terrible at this kind of dancing…"

    "Is that so? Then allow me to teach you some of the basics."

    "I'd really rather not. It's embarrassing."

    "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a simple waltz, so just follow my lead, okay? It's in three, see?" Without waiting for my response, Natsuki rested one hand on my waist and took hold of my left with the other. A shock of electricity traveled up my arm. Or perhaps it was just the surprise of how cool his hand felt. "Put your hand on my shoulder. Come on, it'll be fun."

    After a few deep breaths I lifted my head, still not allowing my eyes to meet directly with his. *What have I gotten myself into?*

    "You've got pretty good timing, you know that?' He snickered a bit. "This is about when the dancing is supposed to start. Okay, hold on tightly. And one, two, three, one, two, three…"

    It took a short while to get into the rhythm of it, but once I did I was able to keep up with him relatively well. *It wasn't as bad as I was imagining…* I glanced at Natsuki's face, immediately looking away from the shock of finding his eyes staring directly into mine.

    "Ah, your expression really is adorable. Keep your eyes on mine, okay? It'll make it easier." I could feel his arms pulling me in closer, if only slightly. "And spin!"

    I couldn't help but be somewhat lost, but I did my best to keep up with him. The song reached the end and I could feel our swaying come to a stop. Staring into his eyes, I could hear his breathing quicken just a bit as he leaned in closer and closed them. My eyes, however, did the opposite, growing as wide as they had ever been.

    "D-Don't!" I shoved him away, causing the very surprised idol to fall down onto the practice room's worn rug.

    "Ah! My apologies… I was just so taken aback by your beauty. I didn't mean to lose control like that."

    "I need to go, I'm sorry."

    "Please, stay a bit longer."

    "No, it's late-"

    "The sun's already set and the snow's piled up pretty high. You could always just-"

    "I'll be fine! I need to get home. Someone is waiting for me!"

    I made my way quickly to the couch to retrieve my hat and coat. The beret was cooperative, but in my haste the coat was much less so, and I seemed to be having a hard time locating one of the sleeves. Natsuki had followed me, of course, and grabbed onto it so I could more easily don the garment.

    "Hey, I really am sorry."

    I let out a frustrated sigh, keeping my face turned from his constant gaze. "It's fine, but I really have to get home. I'm afraid I overstayed my visit, and my roommate is waiting for me."

    "That's fine. Would you like me to walk you to the train station? A beautiful girl like you shouldn't have to walk around the city at night all by herself."

    "It's quite alright. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll be fine."

    "If you insist."

    Despite my desire to be left alone, Natsuki accompanied me to the door. The anxious mood had calmed down, but I still wanted nothing more than to return home. One shoe was back on when he spoke to me again.

    "Hey, Junko?"

    "Yes?"

    "I hope we run into each other again. Then again, I'm almost positive we will. In fact, I would bet on it."

    I could feel the heat spreading over my face again as I replaced my second shoe. When I left he lingered at the door, waving goodbye as I walked down the sidewalk.

    *What was all that…*

    As if it had been waiting for me to leave that place before it got a signal, my ringing phone snapped me back to reality.

    "Junko! You've been gone for hours! Lina said you went to deliver something! Are you okay? Did you get hurt on the way there? Are you lost? Do you need me to come pick you up?! What's going on?! *Where are you???*"

    All the tension of the last hour melted away and fled my body in a sharp laugh. "I'm fine, Rinko. It just took longer than I expected. I'm on my way back right now, okay?"

    "I'm so glad! I'll go to the station and meet you there, okay?!"

    "You don't really have to-"

    "But I miss you! There's a special at the noodle place and you've been gone all day! I want to get dinner together!"

   *What's gotten into Rinko… Actually, what's gotten into **everyone** today…*

    I couldn't tell if the burn in my cheeks was brought on by the cold or from Rinko's comments, but I have a feeling it's the latter.

    I can't help it.

    She's everything to me.

    "Okay. I'll see you there, then. I won't be long. Just twenty minutes for the train to arrive. I'll see you at the station."

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