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Reo snagged his hoodie as he tried to storm off in dramatic fashion. “Because you owe me, that's why. Have you forgotten? Mikoshiba Kenta, self-titled ‘genius hacker’, is actually a cat lover—”
“FINE. I don't see why you need to be so loud about it.” Kenta rips Reo's hand off, regretting every moment in his life that has directed him to this idiot. “Get offa me.”
A cold wind made Kenta eye Reo's scarf, only slightly jealous. It wasn't particularly cold out, and definitely not cold enough for an entire scarf, but Kenta's chill tolerance was absolute shit. He'd rather freeze before accepting Inukai's offer of a ratty old scarf, though. He grumbled and edged a little closer to the stupid brat. Actually, he preferred not to freeze at all.
Reo pulled him into a gap between the buildings all lined up by the sidewalk. Their target was stopping to give directions to a female foreigner, but seemed to be scaring them off. He sighed. “Oh my God, he's so stupid…if it were me, I'd be escorting her to wherever she needs to go~”
“In your dreams.” The thought of Reo with some unsuspecting lady on his arm made Kenta want to retch.
“Oh shut up, Shiba-ken. I'm a very good escort.” He felt a jab in his ribs and raised his foot to step on Reo's. Today he had on his heavy pair of boots. Die, fucker.
Reo gave him an offended look (he was pouting, which made Kenta feel a little triumphant) and jumped away. “Ow! Don't—” this is where he shoved him into the brick wall of the not-suspicious alley they were hiding in “—do that!”
Grabbing a fistful of Reo's hair with obvious violent intent, Kenta bared his teeth and brought their faces closer. “You—”
“Wowwww.” A gust of wind passed, and a taunting voice from the street made the pair look up. Was it them being addressed? “Is this something I need to tell someone about, or…?”
Realizing how compromising their position looked, Kenta released Reo’s hair and searched the newcomer’s face, trying to place who he was. This was the bitch who appeared mysteriously, with that eerie, all-knowing aura around him. The one who supposedly died and came back to life…no, he didn’t die at all, didn’t he? He was one of the twins from cozmez, that much he knew. “You’re…”
“Nayuta-kun!” Reo bounced out of the alley to take Nayuta by the shoulders. “Perfect! You don't mind helping us with something, do you?”
Nayuta looked more than just a little hesitant and leaned away from Reo. “Well, I was kinda hoping to have an uneventful day…”
“Too bad!”
“Wha—hey—” Reo pulled Nayuta into circles, spinning and making passersby look very, very uncomfortable. Kenta was reluctant to exit the alley. But maybe now that they had someone else with them, Reo would tone it down a little. It wasn’t really worth the try. But still. He looked over to where Satsuki was last. “Aaaand target has left the chat,” he muttered.
. . .
Nayuta grumbled and returned from the convenience store with the onigiri. “Eat fast, if you don’t wanna fall behind your brother or whatever.”
Beside Kenta, Reo reached for the plastic bag. They had been waiting on a bench nearby, watching for Satsuki in case he left—he was still across the street inside a fast food place. “You got tuna mayo, right?”
“Yeah.” Nayuta kept the bag in midair for another moment as he dug through it for a bag of chips with a slight smile. Reo looked through and passed one of the green triangles to Kenta. “Here. Don’t eat everywhere, Shiba-ken.”
“You’re more likely to drop yours and whine for another.”
“But you’d buy it for me, right~?” Reo made puppy eyes at him, which definitely wouldn’t have worked if the time came.
“Keep dreaming.”
The three of them huddled on the bench, unwrapping their snacks. Knowing him, Reo would probably force him to carry all the trash later. Kenta balanced the onigiri in his hands and took a bite from the top corner, a tiny bit thankful to Nayuta that it was, in fact, tuna mayo. The best.
He noticed Reo giving him a horrified look. “What the fuck is it now?”
“You—you eat it like that…?”
“Like a normal person?” Kenta held up his food with a are-you-insane look. Wasn’t this how everyone ate it?
“No? You’re supposed to bite in the middle of two corners, then the two corners. Are you crazy?” Reo leaned away from him and held his triangle close to his chest. He poked at Nayuta, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. “Tell him I’m right,” he said, taking an obnoxious bite from his onigiri and, oh yeah, from the flat side.
“Kenta’s right, Reo.”
“H ey —”
“Serves you right, shortcake.”
Reo paused mid-bite to gawk at him. Kenta would too, actually, now that he registered his words. Mind blank, he gulped only a little nervously. The shit-eating grin was back and Kenta wished he just kept his mouth shut. “Does that mean you think I’m sweet, Shiba-ken?”
“What no, it means I think you’re annoying.”
“Aww, that’s really cute~” The brat honest to God tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, cheeks slightly rosy from either the cold or something else Kenta wasn’t about to consider. How cliché was this? “Perhaps, are you in denial, Shiba-ken?”
“Fucking…stop with the nickname.”
As Reo sidled up to him and happily ate his onigiri, Kenta looked over at the last person on the bench. Nayuta wasn’t eating anymore, but hiding an amused smile and fast muttering behind a fist. “What are you laughing about?”
“Nothin’.” He rolled up his bag of chips, handed it to Kenta, and gestured at the plastic bag. “Here, put this in. Satsuki’s leaving.”
Reo perked up and quickly finished his onigiri, shoving the wrapper at Kenta. “Okay okay let’s gooo~”
“What—I’m not done though?”
“Then hurry up!” Reo called, getting up to follow Nayuta, who was already leaving. Kenta stuffed the rest of his onigiri in his mouth and wrangled the wrapper into the bag. Reo’s was still in his hand, but something caught his eye before he could put it with the other trash. He got up from the bench and read it as he started to walk.
TASTY ONIGIRI: SMOKED SALMON FILLING
Weird. Kenta tossed the wrapper into the bag and hurried after Reo and Nayuta.
. . .
A library. So that's where Satsuki was headed in the end. In fact, isn't this the library from that one time with the elevator…? Either way, Reo looked positively glittery, pumping his fist into the air and shimmying along the wall they were hidden behind. “I knew he wasn't dating anyone, hehe~”
His dancing was absolutely ridiculous and not at all endearing. “And that's great why, exactly?”
“Cuz then he would've gotten a partner before me, obviously.”
Nayuta puts on a thoughtful face. “If he did, I bet it'd be Anne.”
Was Anne that character from BAE? With the long hair? Straightening, Reo leaned against the wall next to him. “Me too me too. Wait, how—?”
“Sources,” Nayuta said with a shrug.
Reo gasped dramatically. “You gossip.”
Kenta butts in, not at all jealous. “Hypocrite.”
He gets a finger pressed to his lips and a “shhh” from Reo that does not throw him off course whatsoever. Nayuta coughs. “Well, are we still following Satsuki or what?”
The three of them started up the front stairs after Satsuki went in. The front lobby had a staircase on one side, the dreaded elevator on the other, and the rest of the space strategically filled with bookshelves and a small fish tank. In the far corner was an area sectioned off with half-pulled curtains, meant for little kids. Satsuki was going up the stairs, probably to the place where all the work desks were.
“Should we take the elevator?” Nayuta pointed in its direction. “If Satsuki is going up the stairs, we’d have to walk past him to find somewhere to sit.”
“No way in hell. We’re taking the stairs.”
Reo snickered and gave him a taunting look. “What, scared it’ll break again, Shiba-ken?”
“You were the one who broke it, you fucking—”
“I was not !”
“You were the one who pressed the button!”
Nayuta groaned and walked towards the stairs. “It just never fuckin’ ends with you two, huh? I feel bad for your teammates.”
The others follow him, quieting their chatter so Satsuki wouldn’t catch on. “What’s that supposed to mean?” They asked at the same time, then made faces at each other.
“You’ll understand when you get older.”
“Pfft—” Reo slapped a hand over his mouth. “Yeah Shiba-ken , you’ll understand when you get older.”
“He was talking to you too, you brat.”
“Oh shut up. Hold on, Nayuta-kun—” and this is where Reo caught the edge of Nayua’s sleeve to hold him back “—I’ll check where Satsuki is.”
True to his word, Reo crept up the stairs, hands clutched to the railing. He peeked over and surveyed the area—Satsuki was half hidden behind a bookshelf, at the tables closest to the stairs. He came back down. “Okay, we can go immediately to the left and then find a table out of sight. Got it?”
“Or we could just go…” Nayuta muttered.
“He’s got a point. We know what he’s doing, we’re done. Yeah?”
Reo inhaled and looked back over the stairs. He seemed to be debating it in his head before sighing again and walking closer. “Fine, let’s go.”
“Don’t look so dejected.”
“If you don’t like it, don’t look. Or is it that you can’t take your eyes off me?” Reo stretched his hands over his head.
“Flatter yourself.”
“You say that, but you’re still looking~”
Kenta looked in the opposite direction. “There. You gonna shut up, or should I throw you off the stairs now?”
“If both of you don’t shut up, I’ll throw y’all down the stairs myself.” Nayuta flicked at Kenta’s head. “Noisy as fuck. This is a library, y’know?”
Reo’s phone dinged, and he leaned against the railing to pull it out and answer. Nayuta leaned closer, and Kenta leaned on the other side. He was not going to get involved with whatever childish thing was on Reo’s screens.
monkey: where are you
Nayuta crossed his arms and looked comically up the stairs. “We may have a problem.”
“What?” Kenta crossed over to the other two and peered at Reo’s phone. “Oh. Shit.”
monkey: ik you fuckin read that
monkey: where tf are you
Reo quickly exited his messages and pocketed his phone. “Down the stairs down the stairs down the stairs you guys—” He pushed Nayuta and Kenta down one step and they started speed walking.
“For the record, this is your fault.”
“How is this my fault?” They reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around for somewhere to disappear. Nayuta tugged them both into a row of bookshelves. “Guys, we can get out the door, just—”
Satsuki passed by and they cowered behind the corner. “Fuck. Okay, elevator then.”
“I am not getting in the elevator with that idiot.” They kept turning corners, ignoring Satsuki’s calls.
“Don’t be such a baby, Shiba-ken.” The three of them turned the last corner in the row, coming to a dead end.
“I told you two you were being too loud, seriously…” Nayuta ignored Kenta and Reo’s never-ending banter and tried to think. Satsuki was approaching. They needed to hide—well, at least Reo did. But that only left him and Kenta, which is a downright suspicious combination. So both Kenta and Reo needed to go. Where, though?
He scanned the area around them. Behind was a turn that Satsuki would walk down in maybe…two minutes if the brats didn’t shut up. So they couldn’t go there. Ahead to their left was a row of bookshelves, and on their right was a wall with a couple doors. Nayuta jogged along them, before coming to one that might work; the sign said “JANITOR”. Feeling a little adrenaline at all the spy-likeness of it, he pulled two small picks from his sleeve and pushed a few books off of the shelf behind him. Satsuki, on the other side of the bookshelves, would hopefully be distracted by them and wouldn’t think to look through the gap. Nayuta worked the picks into the lock on the silvery handle and hoped that he was faster than Satsuki.
“Are you actually fucking picking the lock?”
“Hurry up, Nayuta-kun!”
“I’m trying, jeez.” The door finally opened to an array of mops, a vacuum, and other cleaning supplies. A little cramped, but it served them right for dragging him everywhere today. If he was going to save their asses, he might as well have a little fun with it. Perfect (although a little too good to be true). “You two, in here.”
Both boys paused and looked incredulously at him. “Hah?”
Satsuki's voice was getting closer. "Reo, I swear if you've been tailing me—”
“Ahhhh he's coming ahhh—”
“Calm the fuck down you idiot.”
“Both of you just get in !” Nayuta grabbed Reo's scarf and Kenta's hood and pulled them both into the closet. They stumbled in, and reached for the closing door in protest. He pressed the button to reset the lock, and heard a small click . “And keep quiet.”
Satsuki turned the corner. “REO—ah…you're not Reo huh…”
Nayuta made a point of looking around and smiling innocently. He discreetly slipped the lock picks into his back pocket and clasped his hands. “Nope, can't say I am.”
He takes a step backwards to better block the closet door. Satsuki gives him a strange look. “Your face is doing something really fucking weird. You alright?”
“Never better.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Just…uh, gonna use the bathroom! Right down there, mhm.”
“Uh huh…well, I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Yep.”
“You sure you didn’t see Reo anywhere here…?” Satsuki suspiciously looked behind Nayuta, as if his brother was hiding behind him. He looked like he heard something and narrowed his eyes, and Nayuta coughed into his wrist loudly. “Yep, yep, I’m sure.”
“Well then…say hi to Kanata for me, I guess. See ya.”
“See ya!” Nayuta waved jauntily and walked off leisurely to the last door in the hall, which he sincerely hoped was a bathroom. Satsuki huffed and started to head in the direction he came from. Crisis averted.
Nayuta opened the door and, thankfully, it was to a bathroom. He used a small wad of paper towels to wipe the cold sweat off of his face, and squatted down on the floor. The other two were probably still in the closet, if they weren’t pounding on this door now.
Maybe he’ll leave them in there a little bit longer. Nayuta pulled out his phone. Kanata had called—might as well return it now.
Rewind back, and Kenta and Reo were being shoved into a very musty-smelling janitor’s closet. Fuuuuck.
Reo reached for the door to try and push it open in a moment of grandeur, but Kenta pulled his hand back. Didn’t the brat see that his finger would’ve gotten chopped off? He hears Nayuta warning from the other side of the door, keep quiet . Fuck that guy.
It was pretty dark, the only light coming from the space between the door and its frame and the grates near the bottom. Kenta banged his head against the wall, oblivious to the fact that he nearly impaled himself with the light switch. Reo does the same, but knocks his head against a shelf of cleaning supplies. “Ow…”
“That was your own fault,” Kenta whispered.
“Zip it, Shiba-ken.”
He lifted his head. “Why are you telling me to zip it when you’re the one whining?”
“Because everything that comes out of your mouth is pure chuuni bullshit that I don’t care to translate to normal-people terms right now…” Kenta could feel Reo’s fake-ass pout like it was on his own face.
“Chuuni? You must be talking to a mirror, idiot.”
“Do you even know what a chuunibyou is , Shiba-ken?” Kenta tightened his hand into a fist but realized it was still hooked onto Reo’s and they both looked down. Reo must’ve been looking at him because he could feel that gaze, the stupid “caught-you~” one. God, that was fucking embarrassing. “Of course I do, you—”
Outside, they heard Nayuta coughing too loudly to be natural. As if on instinct they both quieted and leaned a bit closer to the door, trying to listen to Nayuta and Satsuki.
It was quiet inside the closet for a moment, just the two of them and the conversation on the other side of the door. Then: “Oh my God, stop breathing so loud, Shiba-ken.”
“Bitch, you wanna fucking die?” He slapped Reo’s hand, initiating a catfight.
“Wait wait wait shh. Is he walking away?”
They pressed their ears to the door, which unfortunately also forced them to face each other in the dark. Kenta squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to block out Reo’s closeness and any…accidents. He wasn’t stupid. He was right, though—their conversation was over, and Nayuta was not opening the door. Fuck him, seriously.
“Do you think he’s coming back?”
“The fuck am I supposed to know?”
Reo huffed and shifted so he could whisper-yell at the door. “Nayuta-kun!”
“Nayuta, get your ass back over here.”
“Nayuta-kun! Nayu—Nayuta! Come back!”
“ Nayuta! ”
They both kept hissing Nayuta’s name at the door for a full minute until it sank in that they’d have to wait. Or open the door. Kenta fumbled around for the doorknob and tried turning it, but it wouldn’t budge. Shit.
“The fucking door.”
“Huh?”
“It won’t open.” He wiggled it more aggressively, hand coming loose and accidentally hitting Reo in the shoulder. “Hey!”
“Whoops.” Not sorry.
Reo took a tiny step to the side and then slammed his body into the door. “Nayuta!”
“What the fuck did you hope to do?”
“Maybe I could've, like, opened the door? Gotten some attention? I don’t know! We’re stuck in a closet, Shiba-ken!”
“We wouldn’t have been stuck if you didn’t jam the lock or some shit.”
“How are you so sure it was me ? Maybe Nayuta-kun locked it.”
“Well, you’re stupid enough to pull it off.”
“I will give you a concussion, Shiba-ken. For real.”
“You can’t even reach up here, shortcake.” Kenta felt a woosh of air near his chin. “Don’t hit me.”
“Deserved.” Reo giggled quietly and let his hand hang, but his voice seemed strained the next time he spoke. “Is there a light switch in here?”
Kenta ran his hand against the wall behind him, finding a switch near his head. He flipped it, and a small bulb flickered overhead. It was barely larger than a Christmas tree light, but it wasn’t cutting on and off like the annoying ones you’d expect. “Good?”
“Yeah.” The dim light was yellowed and probably old, Reo’s face looking pale under it. He fixed his eyes on the bulb and fiddled with his scarf with one hand. Kenta squinted at him. Right—wasn’t he claustrophobic or something? He was scratching his thumb again.
“You got Nayuta’s number? Maybe you can text him or something.” Being stuck with this idiot for any longer than he had to was not his ideal way to spend a day. That was all. Again.
Reo tilted his head. “Yeah. Okay, hold on.”
He pulled out his phone again, ignoring the texts from Satsuki that have come in since the first three earlier. He scrolled until he got to one with a profile picture of a concert stage, probably from one of cozmez’s performances. Kenta couldn’t help noticing his nails were painted in alternating pinks and purples. He wondered what kind of concentrated face he made while applying polish before reminding himself the brat couldn’t achieve something like that.
“Quit staring.”
“Shut up.”
A few moments later, Reo’s arm went slack and he whined, squeezing his eyes shut. “Fuuuck.”
Kenta grabbed his wrist to look at the screen.
you: nayuta-kun
you: nayuta-kun let us out
tere-tere bozu: i’m a lil hungry actually >:)
“This bitch.” And to think he was starting to tolerate the guy. Well, before the closet, anyway. Kenta looked at Reo, staring at their hands and the phone.
Turning the decision over in his head, Kenta groaned internally. Lying wasn’t hard—in fact, it was fun most of the time. But a lie like this would seriously bring his ego down. Reo’s hand was shaking. But what’s an ego compared to him? Kenta’s subconscious asked, and he nearly threw his head onto the wall to get rid of that thought. Not much, he knew. Fuck.
He shifted so that he could use both hands to type.
you: cmonnnn nayuta-kun
you: i don’t think shiba-ken likes tight spaces www
tere-tere bozu: hm.
Reo took back his phone when Kenta stopped typing and looked at the messages. The scarf went limp as he stopped picking at it. “...”
“Imitating your speech is fucking annoying.”
He didn’t respond, but at least the color was coming back to his face. Kenta eyed him suspiciously. Did he do the right thing? Was he mad, even after that?
Reo grinned. “Heh.”
“The fuck is that ‘heh’?”
“I knew you had a heart, Shiba-ken~”
“I’m so fucking done with you…” Regret and hatred took the spotlight.
“Alright kids, quiet down.” The lock jiggled as Nayuta messed with it again. “Satsuki went back upstairs, but we should still be quick.”
The door finally opened, and Kenta and Reo stumbled out. Nayuta gave Reo a knowing look, squinted eyes and tilted head. “I’m sure the others will be happy to know about this.”
“You wouldn’t. ”
Nayuta then turned to Kenta. “Good?”
“Of fucking course. Let’s go already.” He stomped off, shoving his hands in his pockets. He does not want to see what Reo looked like in regular light, now that that happened. But unfortunately, the brat was following. “Don’t rush off without us!”
“Don’t follow me.”
“Where would you even go?”
“I will strangle you with that stupid scarf of yours,” Kenta muttered as he pushed open the door, waiting for Nayuta to walk through. The air outside was still cold.
He wouldn’t, obviously. It was a given by now—he was stuck to Reo.
Fucking shortcake.