COTE: Stealing Back What's Mine

Trouble Brewing

ON THE MORNING of December 28th, as the end of the year approached. I found myself reflecting on the past few days. Ichinose's presence had been constant, and everyday she demanded my attention. With me spending every waking hour around her, it gave me no room to breathe and move around. Her obsession with me seems to have grown exponentially, making it trickier to appease her emotions.

As I sat on my bed, my phone buzzed with a new message. It was a message from Ichinose. I sighed, knowing I'd have to spend the whole day with her again.

[Hello Kiyotaka! Unfortunately, I'm gonna be a bit busy today, so I won't be able to hang out with you. But I promise when I'm free I'll make it up to you! :) ]

Surprised, I reread the message. Ichinose was usually possessive, and her not wanting to spend the day with me was very suspicious. I wondered what could possibly be keeping her occupied. Whatever the reason, I doubted it was anything good.

Just as I was about to respond, another message came through.

[Also I don't want you talking to other girls when I'm not around okay? If I find out, I'll get really, really angry. But I trust you, Kiyotaka!]

I had become somewhat accustomed to her possessive behavior, so it no longer unsettled me, but it was still exhausting to deal with.

[Okay.]

While her sudden absence was suspicious, I couldn't deny a small sense of relief. Having some time away from her obsessive watch would be a welcome change.

I put down my phone, and pondered on how I should spend my day, now that Ichinose wouldn't be around. It was a rare opportunity for some peace and quiet, something I hadn't experienced much of lately. I debated whether to take advantage of this freedom by going out or simply staying in my room, enjoying the solitude.

Just as I was about to decide, my phone rang again. I glanced at the screen and recognized the number instantly. Why is he calling? I let the phone ring for a while, contemplating whether to answer or not. Eventually, I picked it up.

"Hey, answer faster when I call," Ryuen's voice came through, laced with dissatisfaction.

"I was in the bathroom," I lied smoothly.

"Really? Didn't you just try to ignore me until it stopped ringing?" Ryuen's tone was mocking, clearly not buying my excuse.

Interesting, be it Sakayanagi or Ryuen—both seemed to be getting better at reading my everyday thoughts.

"Lend me some time. Meet me at Keyaki Mall's north entrance in 30 minutes," Ryuen commanded.

"What about my plans? I have a tight schedule, you know," I retorted.

I could hear the smirk in Ryuen's voice as he responded, "What, can't go anywhere without your girlfriend's permission?"

"Fine." I said with a sigh.

"Good," Ryuen said, ending the call abruptly.

He quickly cut off the call after forcefully demanding me to meet him.

"He's still so self-centered."

His attitude wasn't surprising. It was just like Ryuen's usual behavior.

Heading outside, I noticed the peak of the snowfall had passed, and the thickly piled-up snow grew smaller as it settled. There was still some snow left on the ground, but it would only be a matter of time before that too disappeared.

However, getting called by Ryuen around the end of the year like this was unexpected. There had been a chance for him to converse with me at the school festival, and we even coincidentally ended up in the same group for the school trip, but we didn't have any interactions after that.