Dinner ended relatively smoothly after that- well as well as an interrogation dinner could. The maids cleaned up the dishes as we moved over to the living room where the TV was still on.
There was some news about missing students from different academies. I didn't care too much about it though, since it didn't have much to do with me.
As I took my place on one of the sofas, my eyes brightened as they spotted some daifuku, clearly meant for us, on the table.
The dinner meal was great and all, but c'mon. You can't tell me that after meal snacks don't hit that spot right?
Plus, after my performance with Ryoma? You can't say that I don't deserve something to reward myself.
I'm sure that I could've been a child actor if I didn't delve into other things.
I popped a cherry mochi into my mouth. Delicious.
Though my mood was pretty good, the same can't be said for the other two in the living room.
I shifted my gaze over to both Kiana and Mei, only to see the two of them in a daze. Kiana seemed to be staring off into deep space while Mei looked like she had a newfound enjoyment of the carpet designs.
And I'm not going to lie, the silence was a bit... unsettling. Normally, there was never a quiet moment when we were hanging out. Mostly the courtesy of Kiana but I digress.
Seconds ticked by, with no one speaking. I saw Mei glance at me a few times, clearly wanting to apologise for her father's behaviour just now. But by the looks of it, she didn't dare to say anything.
So I decided that I finally had enough.
"So... movie night tomorrow?" I asked with a grin on my face.
"Dude... read the mood..." Kiana muttered.
"That kinda rhymes though."
At that, I noticed that Mei let out a breath that she had been holding in. Her figure relaxed slightly, probably realising that the guy who made the carpet wasn't so good at doing so after all.
And that was my opportunity to clear up Mei's mood.
I leaned forwards towards Mei. "Hey."
Mei was stunned seeing that I called out to her. Clearly, she was expecting for Kiana and I to start bickering again.
"It's fine y'know?" I looked her straight in the eyes. "You don't need to say anything. I get it."
I let the words hang in the air, not pushing Mei further. I just let her take it in.
Kiana noticed the change in the mood now as she remained quiet despite her looking like she was struggling to keep her mouth shut at my words.
Mei continued keeping quiet as she took it all in. It almost felt like she hadn't heard my words at all from her inaction.
But she had.
I could see it in the way her shoulders eased ever more so. In the way her eyes lost that distant, unfocused look.
Then finally, she spoke.
"Thank you, Gojo."
Her voice was soft, like a whisper. But it didn't need to be any louder than that. The meaning behind it was clear as day.
And then, she smiled.
Small. Subtle. But genuine.
Not the kind of smile that I usually saw on her. Not the polite smile she showed to her friends at school, nor the type of smile she would have when she watched Kiana and I banter.
It was just... real y'know?
And honestly? It suited her.
In response to her heartfelt response, I just gave a shrug. "No problem. And isn't this much better than sulking over the carpet patterns?"
Kiana snorted at the side at my words, while Mei's expression faltered for a moment.
Well... I guess I'm not the best at emotional moments.
"About movie night..." I immediately changed the subject again. I can't do with this sappy stuff.
Mei seemed amused however at my reaction. "Well, you seem to not be the type for romance."
"I'm not going to watch 50 Shades if that's what you're talking about..."
At this moment, a maid suddenly entered the living room. "Ms Mei. It's quite late now. Would your friends like to stay over?" she asked as we looked at her.
"Do you guys want to stay?" Mei asked.
I nudged Kiana, only for her to give a nod in approval. Since that was the case, I just gave Mei a thumbs up in affirmation.
And with that, I guess Kiana and I were staying the night.
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In the room that had been set up for me by the maid, I laid down on the bed.
I wasn't too worried about anything happening despite what Ryoma did just now. He clearly loved Mei. And after that scene just now, I doubt that he would do anything without proof if he was watching.
I was just about to turn off the lights as I heard a knock on my door.
Then, a white haired figure zoomed into the room before I could even react.
"Yo." It was Kiana. She was wearing silk pajamas and her long white hair was let down, which, I'm not going to lie, suited her much more than her braids. Her mood had clearly improved by this time as she was smiling as she talked.
"Why are you here? Are you trying to do a reverse midnight attack?"
"... You wish a pretty girl like me would do that."
She clicked her tongue as she whipped her hair at my face, much to my annoyance.
I would cleave that hair off if she did that again...
With an annoyed look on my face, I grabbed her hair and pulled it slightly, causing her to cry out in pain. "Ahhh! Let me go!!"
"What are you doing here Kiana?" My voice was slightly tired. It wasn't easy being an A-list level actor and being a psychologist y'know?
Kiana's animated expressions calmed down very quickly when I asked that. "It's,,," she hesistated. "It's about what Mei's dad said. About the Kaslana surname."
"Oh?"
"I didn't want to bring it up just now since Mei looked really sad..."
"And now?" I let go of Kiana's hair, causing her to quickly take all of it back.
"I... I'm just unsure if there is anything about being a Kaslana that stinky dad didn't tell me." Kiana started. "Mei's dad knows something about it... and he doesn't seem very happy."
Sigh...
I guess this is psychiatry time part 2.
(A/N: This is a slightly different chapter than what I normally write. I hope you guys like it. It was tiring but kinda fun to write this chapter. If you enjoyed it, please give powerstones and comments!)