chapter II
"I....can't marry you." Jin said while chuckling. A mannequin just asked him to marry her. Obviously, he couldn't say yes!
The disappointed expression on the beautiful mannequin's face left Jin stuttered on his next words.
"Er...no offense....you're very pretty and all...but..but-"
"Am I not pretty enough for you?" She said, eyes blinking. Somehow, he could see some glittery liquid inside her orbs. This is not good, Jin thought. He hated it when girls cry.
"Please...don't cry..."
"Do you have another girlfriend?"
How the hell he's supposed to answer that?
"Er...ano..that's none of you business, miss..."
"YOU DO HAVE ANOTHER GIRLFRIEND!" She suddenly yelled at him. Her soft, delicate face was immediately changed into angry expression. "You don't love me anymore! Bad Akanishi-sama!" She started to stomp her feet in disappointment, leaving Jin with yet another headache early in the morning.
"I need coffee." He shook his head while sighing.
~.~
It was an hour later that Jin started to realize, he couldn't let the girl wearing the same dress. His workers and customers will come later and they will surely accuse him of kidnapping someone's bride from someone's wedding ceremony.
"You need to change into something casual." Jin pointed his finger at the girl's wedding gown. She was pouting, her tears from last hour of crying had started to dry up. Jin giggled upon looking at her cute, reddened face. If only she wasn't originally made of wax, he thought.
"I don't want to change until you agree to marry me!" The girl doll said, eyes full with determination.
Jin could only sigh for the umpteenth time. Seriously, how's the correct way to tell a doll that she's a doll and for that he couldn't marry her? Besides, they barely knew each other. He had involved in that kind of relationship before, but it ends as fast as it happens. A one night stand is perfectly fine with Jin, but a marriage? No way. He's too young for that crap.
"Ok then. Let's go change first. Then, I'll marry you." Knowing that her intention is to get him to be her husband, Jin couldn't do much besides letting her think that he would agree to the wedding.
"Really?" Her gloomy face immediately lightened up, just by hearing those words from her 'husband-to-be'.
"Yay! Yay! Akanishi-sama will marry me!" She started to jump up and down, not caring about the fact that she was wearing a gigantic dress.
"Shhh! Calm down!" Jin tried to stop her from getting too excited. While looking at his front window across his flower shop, he saw something; or rather someone who was looking very pissed off.
And Jin could clearly guess on the reason.
"Owh shit. You owner is looking for you!" She stopped jumping while looking at him, blinking her cute eyes few times.
The situation was getting worse when the said owner; upon realizing his missing display mannequin, went straight to Akanishi Jin's doorstep.
"Quick, hide yourself!"
"O-kay!"
He took a quick glance at where did she choose to hide herself, and let out a heavy sigh.
"Er.....doll, you're too big to hide behind a flower pot."
"Stop calling me doll! My name is Kamenashi Kazu- ump!" He already covered her mouth with his hands and led her to the small room inside his shop.
~.~
Jin took nearly 20 minutes to make the doll properly sit in her place and to open the front door.
"Good morning, Yasuda san~" He greeted the other man, using a too friendly tone which made the other even more suspicious.
"Do you have any idea on where the hell is my MANNEQUIN?!" The man named Yasuda exclaimed, his pink suit with matching glasses is too striking to Jin's liking. But he guessed that the beauty industry has its own rule; everything needs to be sparkly and colorful.
"What...mannequin?" Jin asked, again with a too laid-back slash innocent tone.
Yasuda's eyes became smaller but not less angry upon hearing the answer.
"The one that you molested on Youtube!! She's wearing the shop's most expensive dress!"
Again, Jin forgot that Yasuda has a Youtube account, too. He silently cursed Ryo and Pi for that humiliating moment.
"Ehem. I was drunk at that time. Plus, I've paid all the expenses to fix the broken window! So you can't just accuse me like that!" Jin tried to defend himself, from time to time looking inside his shop to make sure that the doll did not get out from her hiding place.
"Well, it's pretty obvious that you're the only one here~" Yasuda smirked, trying to get Jin to confess his crime.
"Wrong~ There's still the obachan who sells tofu 2 blocks away~" Jin's words rhymed, making the pink suited man even more irritated.
"Why the hell does the obachan wants to steal my mannequin?? She’s 80!"
"And why the hell do I want to steal your mannequin? I’m a male~" Jin blinked few times, his tongue stuck out.
"Because......because......URGH!!"
"Akanishi-sama....I'm tired already~ Can I come out now?" Kame suddenly spoke out; making Jin froze at his spot. Yasuda too, could only gape upon hearing an unknown female's voice.
Silence struck both of them. But then..
"Ewww~ You brought a girl to your shop? What is she doing here early in the morning?"
"Um..well..."
"I don't want to know! Go ahead finish you business! What a disgusting guy!" The wedding shop owner immediately left the place as fast as he could, his mouth still mumbling and whining.
Despite the misunderstanding, Jin glad that Yasuda had finally give up on finding his missing mannequin. He probably has another few more in his store anyway. But somehow, he must find a way to gave back the wedding dress. Looking at the exquisite design, it must be very expensive.
But...what was he supposed to do with the doll in front of him?
"Aw~ I like this dress~ It has your smell!" She giggled again while running in a small circle.
"Of course it has my smell, it's my overall." He rolled his eyes, ignoring her while continuing on his job.
His assistants, Mika and Haru came to work afterwards and they couldn't stop asking questions about their boss' 'cousin from village Q'.
"Oh my God, you're so pretty!"
"Are you guys really cousins? You look more like his girlfriend!"
"What he's like when he was a child?"
"Your skin is so flawless! Where did you have your facial done?"
Jin couldn't stand it anymore. If he allowed this chit-chatting session to continue, his shop will never run its business.
"STOP INTERVIEWING HER AND DO YOUR JOB!"
The three girls stared at the angry man. Then they looked at each other.
"Jeez. Calm down, boss. It's not like we have customers these days."
Mika's words were true. Due to the recession period, people don't care about pretty little things like flowers. They care more about money, and bonds, and dividends. His flower shop is getting less and less customers by day. Jin might even need to close down his shop if this situation continues.
"Hey, I have a brilliant idea!" Haru suddenly exclaimed.
"...What?"
"Why don't we ask Kame-chan here to promote our shop?"
"EHH??" Jin didn't understand why. But then it started to make sense to him.
"She's so gorgeous! Men will definitely buy our flower if she seduces them!" Mika chipped.
"Er...well...I don't know..." Sending the doll outside the shop was not really a good idea to Jin. What if Yasuda could still recognize his doll?
"It's true boss! Let's do it, let's do it! I have the perfect costume for her!"
"....Costume?" Jin asked Haru, while looking at Kame. She just shrugged her shoulder and smiled at him.
~.~
Haru's words were true. In less than two hours most of their flowers had been bought and reserved. All thanks to the beautiful Kame with her pink cat costume. She didn't even have to say anything. Kame just stood there with a basket of flowers and smile at the passers by and instantly, she would get a customer.
"I still don't get the connection between flowers and pink cat." Jin stated, turning to look at his two workers.
"Owh, who cares? She's doing great over there!"
"Plus, we don't have to do anything! Haha.."
Kame suddenly turned to face Jin and smiled her sweetest smile. She then waved happily at the other.
He didn't know whether it was the effect of the pink costume, or the glittering sunshine or maybe her new hairstyle; but Jin felt his heart skipped a bit upon receiving a smile as charming at hers. Without realizing, he grinned back at her.
"Hey, look! Your two friends are also buying flowers from Kame-chan!" Mika pointed at Ryo and Pi, who were smirking like hungry predators at the cute cat Kame. Obviously, they bought the entire basket.
"Those idiots." Jin clenched his teeth.
-TBC-
p/s: Jin's flower shop is something similar to this.
yasuda the wedding shop owner is of course yasuda shota from k8. I could only relate pink to him ^^;
I have test tomorrow and the day after. Might take some time to write next chappie :(