Fake - Part 6
“What actually happened, Kazu?”
Hearing Ohno's soft voice made him realize what he was doing. Awkwardly, Nino stepped away from Ohno. However, Ohno grabbed him by the waist and hugged him tightly despite his injured hand. He wanted to push Ohno away but he felt warm and comfortable to be hugged by Ohno. So, he stayed still, inhaling Ohno’s sweet scent. It made him relaxed. Now that he had calmed down, he thought about what happened earlier. It was really stupid and selfish of him to suggest a break up with Ohno. They're in this relationship together. There must be something they could do to solve this problem. Letting the stalker get what she wants is not a solution.
“Kazu...”
“Hmmm…”
“Do you feel better?”
Nino ignored him. He just wanted to enjoy being in Ohno’s warm embrace. Maybe it’s dangerous for them to be outside. Who knows if the stalker was watching them right now? But, based on the photos he got from the stalker earlier, it seemed like all of the pictures were taken when they went out. There were pictures of them going on a date, going to a restaurant, in their office’s parking lot… eh? His eyes widened as he realized something.
“Hey, lovebirds!” A familiar voice called them. Nino turned to look at Jun, who was walking towards them with Aiba and Sho behind him. “Why are you hugging each other in the hallway? If you want to do perverts stuff, get a room, please!”
Nino stuck his tongue out at Jun. “What are you doing here?”
"We went drinking and then we decided to bother the two of you," Aiba explained. "What are you doing outside? Stargazing?"
"Aiba chan, that's stupid." He rolled his eyes. How could Aiba think they were stargazing? It's impossible to do so in the hallway. His friend is so weird.
"So, what are you doing outside?" Sho asked as Aiba scratched his head and looked at him in confusion. It's typical for Aiba to not realize stupid things he had said.
"Nothing." Nino dismissed his friends. He invited them inside, pulling Ohno with him. Perfect timing for them to come to his house. He wanted to tell them about the stalker, knowing they could help him.
"You went out without switching off the television?" Sho said, glancing at the shark documentary on the television. "Who are you? Where is our Nino? Our Nino will never do something like this."
"Hahaha… funny," Nino mockingly laughed at Sho and switched off the television.
"You will pay more this month." He gave his boyfriend a stern look. "This is your fault."
Ohno shook his head. "Nah… it's your fault. You told me you want to break up. That's why I left the house in a hurry."
"WHAT???" Jun, Aiba and Sho said in unison.
"You want to break up with Ohno?" Sho said.
"That's impossible!" Aiba said.
"Are you kidding me?" Jun said.
Nino smiled, finding the situation to be quite similar to the time when Ohno announced they're dating. What was different this time was all of them were surprised to hear the news, unlike before when Jun wasn’t surprised to hear about their relationship. Looking at their expressions, it gave him an idea on what to do with the stalker. Maybe he could pretend to break up with Ohno this time while investigating the stalker.
“Ohchan, you misunderstand what I told you,” Nino sighed. This was the perfect excuse to cover up his stupid suggestion to break up with Ohno earlier. “It’s just a fake break up. I don’t really want to break up with you.”
Ohno didn’t say anything. He only smirked at Nino to show that he knew Nino was lying.
“But why do you want to do that?” Aiba asked.
Nino didn’t immediately answer him. He asked his friends to sit while he went to his room to retrieve his phone. He had left the phone when he went after Ohno just now. He checked the phone for new messages from the stalker but she didn’t send him anything.
“Okay…” Nino took a deep breath as he took a seat next to Ohno on the couch. Ohno took his hand and squeeze it gently, giving him the strength he needed. His friends were impatient, asking him to tell them what’s going on. “Remember the letter I received a month ago?”
All of them nodded their heads. Nino then handed his phone to Ohno first to let him see the message. Ohno remained calm as he read the messages from the stalker. He didn’t say anything as he passed the phone to Aiba who sat next to him. However, Nino knew he was furious. The way he huffed his breath was enough to prove that.
He stayed silent as he watched the rest of his friend read the messages from the stalker. Aiba passed the phone to Jun and after Jun finished, the phone was passed to Sho. To be honest, he was worried about how Sho will react. He will definitely nag Nino for ignoring his warning earlier.
“That’s why… “ Sho began but Nino quickly stopped him.
“I know. I’m sorry for not taking the letter seriously.” Nino said. He looked at Ohno as he apologized. It was his fault Ohno was involved in an accident today. It wasn’t serious but still, he could prevent it from happening if he was more careful.
“You don’t have to scold him, Sho chan. It already happened.” Ohno said. His voice might sound normal but Nino knew how much anger he tried to suppress. He wondered who he was angry at. Was he angry at Nino or the stalker? However, perhaps sensing his worry, Ohno squeezed his hand and smiled softly at him. Nino was relieved to see that. Ohno wasn’t angry at him for deciding to solve this problem on his own.
“So, the present was actually Ohno’s accident?” Jun asked. “That means Oshima san is the stalker, right? She purposely hit Ohchan! You should report her to the police.”
Nino quickly shook his head, feeling sorry that Nana was thought to be the culprit as she was the one who hit Ohno. “Yes, it wasn’t an accident but she was pressured to do so. The real stalker threatened her.”
Everyone looked at him confusedly. He then quickly explained about the phone call he had with Nana and showed them the message he received from her which was sent to beg him to leave Ohno. To back up his explanation, he told them how distressed Nana was for the past few weeks because of the threats from the real stalker.
"This person is sick!" Jun exclaimed once Nino had done talking. "How could she use guilt to separate you and Ohchan?"
"And it's a weird way to make you feel guilty," Ohno mumbled. Nino, Aiba and Jun stared at him who appeared to be in his own thoughts. They frowned when Sho nodded his head as if he understood what Ohno was talking about.
"What do you mean?" Nino asked when neither Ohno nor Sho offered an explanation.
"Making you feel guilty for ignoring the letter and indirectly causing Satoshi to be in an accident was enough, right? It feels weird…"
"... to include Oshima san to make you feel guilty." Ohno finished the explanation. Sho nodded his head.
"Maybe she didn't want to get her own hands dirty?" Nino offered his opinion on the matter.
“Well, instead of threatening Oshima san, she could hire someone else. Someone who could do the job, not that I want it to happen to Satoshi Kun,” Sho looked at Ohno apologetically while Ohno shrugged in response. “I want to know her endgame. What she wants actually. Involving Oshima san in this seems weird to me. Was it simply to make you feel guilty? I don’t know why but it seems that she has an ulterior motive to drag Oshima san.”
Nino rubbed his chin, thinking. Now that Sho had said it, he also wondered what the stalker wants. Was it to separate them? If she wants to separate them, it must be because she’s in love with one of them. And based on what happened now, the person seemed to be obsessed with him. Thinking of Imada who tried to hurt him when he began dating Ohno, this person also did the same. But, she was using someone else, unlike Imada who tried to do it herself even though it wasn’t successful. Imada’s conscience saved her from hurting him. How about this stalker then? Why did it take her a month to attack Ohno? Was it because Nana didn’t want to obey her? Then, why didn’t she use someone else? Why Nana?
“Do you have any idea who this stalker might be?” Jun asked, pulling him out of his thought. Nino shook his head. No, he cannot think of anyone who might have a crush on him.
"It could be someone who works in the same building with us," Nino said, remembering the pictures that she sent him. "There's a picture of us in the rooftop. Come to think of it, there's someone on the roof when we went there but we didn't see who she was."
“How about the person who was interested in Ohchan? You know, the girl who made you declare Ohchan as your boyfriend.” Aiba suggested. Nino quickly shook his head while Ohno offered an explanation. It was true Ohno was wary of Imada initially, suspecting she was lying about accepting their relationship. But, apparently, Imada was interested with another guy now.
“She stopped bothering me after she attacked Nino in the parking lot. They talked and Imada had accepted that I didn’t love her. I thought she was lying at first but now, I believe her. There’s a new guy in our office and Imada likes him. She’s totally in love with him. Thankfully, he also likes her.”
"She's quick to move on," Jun commented. "But, why didn't you tell us about the attack?"
Nino didn't answer him. He simply thought it was unnecessary to tell them because he had solved the problem.
"Kazu…" Ohno called him softly. "Let's ask the guards if they saw anyone suspicious near the building."
"Good idea!" Sho agreed. "Maybe they know who put the threatening letter in your mailbox. We will go and ask."
Sho signalled Aiba and Jun to follow him. Both of them followed without protest. Nino was glad for that. He knew he could depend on his friends to help him. He snuggled closer to Ohno, enjoying the warmth from his boyfriend.
"Kazu, I want to ask you something but please… don't think of me as a jealous boyfriend," Ohno said. Nino frowned, looking at his cute boyfriend. What did Ohno mean by that? Jealous? Ohno didn't really show his expression but he never thought Ohno could be jealous of someone else.
"What is it?"
"Why do you call Oshima san by her first name but you rarely call me Satoshi?"
"Ah…" Nino blinked his eyes. He totally didn't expect this question. He didn't expect Ohno will be jealous because of this. "... because it's easier. Ohchan and Nana are easier to say than Satoshi and Oshima."
Was it enough to explain it like that? But, seriously, there's no other reason for that.
"Oh…"
Suddenly it became awkward between the two of them. Ohno avoided looking at him.
"Are you jealous of Nana?" He asked when Ohno remained silent. Ohno didn't answer him but his face was red and it was enough as an answer. Ohno was too cute, he thought. Shamelessly, he put a kiss on Ohno's lips.
"A punishment for thinking that I could love someone else other than you."
He smiled at Ohno. No wonder his boyfriend will be extra clingy whenever Nana was around. He wasn’t embarrassed to display his affection towards Nino in the hospital earlier. Hmm… come to think of it, perhaps it was Nana that he saw in the parking lot when it was the first time they kissed.
"I love you, Satoshi. Only you. So don't be jealous of Oshima san, okay?" He emphasized the way he called Ohno's name, feeling the need to reassure Ohno. It felt weird to do so because it was always Ohno who shamelessly declared his love for Nino. He was glad Ohno talked to him about this. It reminded him that Ohno will feel insecure too, just like him.
In the blink of an eye, He was pushed to lie on his back with Ohno on top of him. Ohno smiled shyly before proceeding to kiss him. It was slow and steady.
"Say my name again," Ohno whispered in his ear. He sounded so sexy.
"Satoshi." Nino happily obliged.
The next thing he knew, they were exploring each other's mouth. He could feel Ohno's hand trying to slowly remove his shirt. However, before they could do anything, they heard someone coughing behind them.
"Damn it!" Ohno cursed as he reluctantly pulled himself away from Nino.
"Remind me not to sit on the couch," Jun said, pointing at the couch they were sitting on. As usual, Nino only stuck his tongue out whenever Jun commented on his relationship with Ohno.
“Did you get anything?”
The three of them shook their heads.
“The guards didn’t know anything and of course, there’s no one suspicious,” Sho explained. “But, maybe it’s because they didn’t do their job properly. Don’t worry, I’ll ask my friend to investigate this matter. He’s a police detective.”
A small part of him wanted to argue with his friends, telling them there's no need to involve the police in this matter. But, he knew it's better to let them investigate this case. He didn't want to hurt anyone else.
"By the way, have you tried to call the number?" Sho asked.
Nino shook his head. Would the stalker answer his call? He didn't think so. But, maybe he could try calling from his friend's phone.
"Try to call her on your phone." He told his friends. Sho nodded his head as Nino recited the number aloud. All of them stayed silent, waiting for the call to be answered. However, Sho shook his head after a while.
"No answer," Sho told them. Nino sighed in response. He had expected that. Still, it's worth trying.
"Shall we try to call her using my number?" Aiba asked, ready to dial the stalker's number. However, Sho shook his head.
"She will know something is wrong if another unknown number calls her."
"So, what should we do?" Nino asked. "Should we pretend to break up?"
"Nah…" Ohno said. "We should do the opposite. We should do more PDA."
Nino tilted his head as he stared at his boyfriend, trying to understand what he had said. If they were more affectionate in public, the stalker will be annoyed, right? Who knows what she will do if she's annoyed?
Ah, but she will be surprised if things didn’t go as what she wanted. She blackmailed Nino and Nana, hoping to separate Nino and Ohno. However, if Nino and Ohno continued to be together and be even more affectionate towards each other despite her threats, she will be flustered and less sensible to think carefully. She might do something stupid and they could flush her out.
“You’re a genius, Satoshi!” Nino said, hugging Ohno even tighter. Ah, he can finally see the way out of this mess. It’s truly a good idea to talk about this with Ohno and his friends.
“That’s a good idea.” Sho agreed. Jun nodded his head while Aiba looked at them in confusion. “But, you have to be careful. Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Eh? Why? I don’t understand!” Aiba whined. “Please explain to me.”
“You’re late today, Nino!” Ikuta greeted him when he arrived at work on Monday. Technically, he wasn’t late because it’s 5 minutes before office hour began. But, as he usually arrives 20 minutes before work, Ikuta said he was late. He had a reason to be late today. “But, I saw your car when I arrive. Did you do naughty things with Ohchan in the car?”
Ikuta teased him. Nino didn’t answer him, only blushed slightly. Seeing his reaction, Ikuta got bolder in teasing him. That’s what he wanted. By teasing him and Ohno, Ikuta had indirectly announced to the stalker that Nino didn’t care about her threat. Hopefully, the stalker will react as what they had predicted.
"Shut up!" He pushed Ikuta away and then went to his own desk. He looked around, trying to see if anyone in his office acted weirdly. But, no one, in particular, seemed to care about what Ikuta said earlier. Nana was the only one who seemed confused but it's understandable. Well, this was expected. He didn’t think the stalker will reveal herself so soon.
His phone beeped, signalling he had received a new message. But, he knew it wasn't from the stalker as he had blocked her. Instead, it was from Ohno, asking if he spotted anyone suspicious. Nino told him there was none. Ohno replied with a heart sticker.
"Aww… texting your beloved boyfriend, Nino? You guys are so romantic!" Ikuta continued to tease him when Nino smiled looking at his phone. Nino lifted his face and glared at him. "Okay, I will stop bothering you."
Well, at least Ikuta reacted as what he wanted. And Nino also tried to respond as he always did whenever Ikuta bothered him so that the stalker would fall for his trap. He glanced once again around the office but seeing that nobody was suspicious, he began his work. However, before he could even start, Nana put a document on his desk.
"Ninomiya san, this is the file that you want," Nana informed him. Nino frowned at first, knowing that he hadn't requested anything from Nana. He flipped the document that she gave and realized it was empty. Nana looked at him anxiously before she said in a very low voice. "You're still with Ohno san?"
Nino only nodded his head. Nana looked at him confusedly.
"But…" Nana was distraught so Nino reached out to touch her hand, hoping to comfort her. It was understandable. She must be worried that the stalker will continue to harass her if Nino and Ohno are still together. But, Nino had promised himself to protect her no matter what.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine. I'll protect you." Nino said, trying to keep his voice low. He didn't want anyone to hear them.
Nana, however, pushed his hand away, much to his surprise. Nana closed her eyes. She sighed loudly and opened her eyes once again. But, something was different this time. She didn't seem like the usual sweet Nana that he knew. She was angry. This was the first time he saw her like this. Her eyes… there was no warmth in it, only hatred and fury. To be honest, he was scared of her.
"Nana…"
"I don't want you to protect me!" Nana yelled. Everyone turned to look at them, completely dumbfounded to hear her screaming. Just like Nino, they were at a loss of words for Nana's sudden transformation. "I want you to love me!"
Eh?
"I've loved you for a long time. I work hard so that I can be someone irreplaceable for you. I try to befriend you outside of work but you always turn me down. Even when I ask you out for lunch, you always reject me. But, it's okay. As long as you treat me nicely, I know there will be a chance for us to be together."
Nino was beyond shocked. He never expected Nana to love him.
"But you ended up dating that stupid sleepy man. Do you know how heartbroken I was when I hear you declare him as your boyfriend and see both of you kissing? I cannot think clearly at that time. I want to make you mine. That's why I put the threatening letter in your mailbox. I hope you will be scared and dump that stupid man!"
The letter was from Nana? She’s the real stalker? Then, it meant… wait… Did she pretend to be harassed?
"And the next day I met you in the cafe. Do you still remember that day? You told me there's nothing between you and him. It was just a ruse. I was happy… there's still a chance for me, after all…"
"But… you started to date for him for real." Nana started to sob. Nino felt sorry to see her like this. No one else did anything, though. Maybe because they don't know what to do. They simply listened. "I saw both of you on the rooftop, declaring your love for each other. At that time, I hope the bitch who loves the stupid man will destroy your relationship. I’ll be there to heal your wound if you break up with him But, she gave up and I cannot accept that. So, I decided to separate the two of you on my own."
"I acted like a victim. I make you think that someone was threatening me. I want you to feel worried for me. If you're worried, there's a chance you will realize that it's me you love, not Ohno. But… you still want to be with him. Why?"
Nino didn't answer.
"Leave him, please! Be with me!" She pleaded.
"I can't. I don't love you. You will not be happy if you force me to be with you."
"Then, you leave me with no choice." She took a pair of scissors on his desk. "If I can't I have you, then no else can."
Next
A/N: I hope it wasn't weird. When I had the idea for this story, I already decided to make Nana as the stalker. It may seem like Imada was quick to move on and my reason for that is, what she felt for Ohno was just infatuation. Nana, on the other hand, had been in love in with Nino for a while and that's why it's harder for her to move on.
Anyway, I don't think something bad will happen to Nino. There are other people in the office. Maybe Toma will be the hero and save him. LOL.
There will be one more part. Thank you for the commenting on the previous parts. I really appreciate it :)