𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐑 | KENJI SATOˣᶠ!ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

☀︎┆𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 ꒰𝟏𝟑꒱: 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

𝔐y ears perked at the sudden ringing of my phone, it's rhythmic tune grew needy with every second it's call went unanswered. I glanced at the black book bag located hidden beside my desk. It laid quietly on it's side, a bright white glow radiated from inside it's  small cracks which shed it's light softly on the surface of it's surroundings. Stubbornly, my fingers hastily typed in the last few words and to my disappointment, abrupting the satisfyingly soft clicks and clacks of each key.

I grudgingly removed my hand, though my eyes were still glued to the bright screen as I reaching down to the side of my desk. My hands reached for my book bag, searching the surrounding area like a metal detector before my finger grazed it's ridged fabric. Grasping onto it's cool leather strap, I reeled it into my lap. I weaved my hand through my book bag, searched between various pockets and small objects that were neatly organized into rows.

The buzzing sent vibrations that were like clues, leaving small hints before I finally found it's smooth surface. Mindlessly, my finger pressed against the glass screen, accepting the call before I pressed the phone up to my ear. My shoulder shifts in place of my hand, holding it up while I resume typing.

"Hello, this is Iori (y/n), Manager of the Yomiuri Giants, how may I be of your assistance?", My voice sounded almost robotic. Having done it for years, each word spilled out of my lips naturally.

There was a moment of silence before a familiar voice spoke hesitantly on the line. "...Hey, Iori?".

My body froze for a moment, the tips of my fingers hovered just above the smooth plastic of the keys while my eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and shock. 'Sato?', I thought to myself In disbelief. Quickly, I removed the phone from my shoulder before double checking the caller ID.

"Uh Iori, you there?", his voice became unsure the longer I kept silent.

'Shit.', I cursed. Recognizing his contact I quickly placed my phone back against my ear, "Sato, why are you calling so late?", the tips of my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as I asked curiously, a small hint of surprise still lingered in my voice.

"Oh Manager! I was beginning to think that was your voicemail.", he chuckled awkwardly.

My eye twitched at his two-sided remark but my ears couldn't help but notice the abnormal lightheartedness of his words.  "Why are you calling, Sato?", I clicked my tongue, convinced he had some kind of ulterior motive.

"Oh right...about that...". Though it trails off suspiciously, his voice sounded genuinely nervous. But my eyebrow cocked up in disbelief anyway, the wall my heart coldy built could not believe that the 'Sato' was being sincere. Even much of my mind already predicted his next moves.

His long silence draws out a sigh from my lips before I spoke, annoyed.  "Look, Sato if you're here just to waste my time, I-"

"No, Iori wait!", I flinched, instinctively pulling away from the speaker as his voice pierced my ear like the screeching of a microphone. He quickly softened his voice before I reluctantly placed the phone back onto my ear. "Oh shit, sorry about that."

"It's fine...", I sigh. Though I must admit, I was surprised. Not at the sudden loudness but the small hints of desperation in his voice and the unexpected words that flowed out of his mouth. My lips pressed into a thin line, as my thoughts and feelings in my gut started to conflict. "So, what is it that you need Sato?", my voice, icy.

He hesitated again for a moment earning a roll from my eyes before he suddenly blurted, "Can we just, like talk?". His comment took me off guard as he continued rambling, "Like, I know i'm probably the last person you want to talk to but I just need someone to talk to."