デカセクト

Chapter 4

Shouko froze as she stared at the screen. There was something off about his message. She didn't know what it was but she refused to believe it was him. Of course, as someone who is rational, she didn't even think of meeting up with him or giving out her address.

A bit creeped out by his messages, she decided to turn off her phone as well as the television. But the strange feeling was still there. She suddenly felt afraid of being alone in such a big place.

Shouko decided to turn her phone on again and instantly called the only person that wouldn't get mad at her for calling this late- Haru.

Sadly, she really didn't have any other options since he was the only person she talked to. Right now, she didn't feel safe being alone so she decided to ask him to come over.

"What's gotten into you?" Haru chuckled as he got inside the house, Shouko immediately locking the doors.

"I don't know, I just felt creeped out that he asked me to meet up or if he should come over." Shouko flinched as a chill ran down her spine. "Do you think it's normal for a celebrity to do that?"

"See, this is why you shouldn't have talked to him." Haru sighed. "Where's your phone? Let me take a look."

Shouko gave him her phone as they walked over to the couch and sat down. Haru tapped on her phone a few times as he reached out to the food on the table without looking away from the screen. He looked so serious at what he was doing that it amused her to watch him.

"Well, I don't know what to think." Haru shrugged before giving her the phone back. "It might be him, or it might be someone else using his account."

"Man, I really thought he wasn't a creep." Shouko pouted. She was a bit disappointed but there was nothing she could do and she knew her opinion didn't really matter to him.

"Maybe he isn't? Look," Haru basically shoved the phone to her face. She didn't even notice that he took it again.

Haru showed her Nijiro's latest story update. It was a photo of Kento with a weird and silly expression. On the bottom was a few words that cleared everything up in a second.

Don't leave your phone unlocked ;)

"Oh...." Shouko mused. "...that's why."

"What? What is it? Tell me, woman!" Haru motioned for her to speak with wide eyes.

"Well, you've seen our recent conversation. He asked if we could video chat then changed his mind after I agreed." Shouko explained.

It took a few seconds for Haru to finally get what she meant. He nodded with a relieved look.

"That explains it." He shrugged before yawning.

Shouko glanced at the clock. It was really late, too late for him to go back to his place. But she was worried that his mother might look for him. Seeing the look on her face, Haru chuckled and placed a hand on top of her head to ease her worries.

"Relax, I told my mother I'd stay here for the night." He smiled then pointing over to the backpack he brought with him. "I came prepared."

Shouko couldn't help but pout. She was so glad to have someone like him in her life, someone that wouldn't think twice to go over to her and talk to her whenever she needed it. Of course, she would do exactly the same for him if ever he needed her.

"You're seriously the best, Haru." She spoke out the words that were meant to be only in her thoughts.

"I know, darling, I know." Haru rolled his eyes and fanned himself to make himself look more dramatic.

"It's late, we should get to bed. Thanks again for coming over." Shouko smiled gratefully.

"Whatver, you owe me ice cream." Haru joked and the two shared a laugh before heading upstairs.

The house had three bedrooms, one for Shouko and one for her grandmother while the other was a guest room that Haru usually slept in from time to time. It wasn't the first time he stayed over but this was the first time she called him over without the intention of having a sleepover.

The next day, Shouko got up and took a shower immediately. After doing her morning routine, she went down the stairs only to remember that Haru was sleeping on one of the guestrooms.

After contemplating on whether or not to wake him up, she decided she should make them breakfast first. As she let the pot simmer, she started cleaning the mess she made last night.

In half an hour, the place was as spotless as it was yesterday. Shouko went over to the stove and when she saw the food was cooked, she turned it off and headed straight for the room Haru was sleeping in.

"Hey, Haru! Get up, it's already noon!" She yelled.

A few seconds passed, she heard a loud thud followed by a groan. Her mind instantly came up with a ton of scenarios that could include those two factors, making her giggle.

The door suddenly opened at that moment, showing a grumpy-looking Haru who definitely got up on the wrong side of the bed. He was frowning, hearing her giggle just before he could fully open the door.

"What are you so happy about?" He rolled his eyes and walked past her.

Haru was never this grumpy in the mornings but falling off the bed right before he could open his eyes completely annoyed the hell out of him.

The two walked to the dining area, Shouko fresh and ready for the day whereas Haru looked like he just crawled out of a cave. Still, the way he is now, he could make it seem like he just got out of a photoshoot.

"So, what's the update?" Haru asked, referring to Shouko's Instagram saga with Nijiro.

"I don't know what to tell you, we didn't talk after last night." Shouko chuckled. She was feeling a bit bummed but what did she expect? That the two of them would get closer just like that?

"Well, I wish you luck." Haru said before they ate.

The two talked about something else that lead to another topic and to another. It was like that for the both of them, they didn't seem to run out of things to talk about.

Sadly, Haru couldn't stay for another night. He had to be back by two in the afternoon so that he could help his mother run a few errands.

"Bye! See you at school!" Shouko waved as his figure kept getting smaller until he was finally out of sight.

Shouko sighed and washed the dishes. She didn't want to spend the rest of the day inside the house all alone so she decided to walk around the city.

It was sunny outside but the breeze was still a bit cold. She took her time as she looked around, the streets of Tokyo never once failed to amaze her. When she was about to turn around a corner, a sleek black car stopped beside her.

Shouko's first instinct would be to run away immediately but the probability that the one inside the car wasn't actually a psychopathic murderer that kidnapped people on the streets in broad daylight was far, far greater.

The windows of the car rolled down and Shouko froze in her spot as the guy inside smiled at her. It was one of those moments that made her think she was in a dream. As usual, she wanted to pinch herself so she discreetly did that. The stinging pain was a good enough answer.

"Hey, you look familiar." Kento Yamazaki spoke before he grinned at her.