Inescapable

Inescapable | Four

"You're insane, aren't you?" Kuroo asked, staring down at Inuoka, who keep on knocking in a steady pace for two minutes straight.

"He'll open the door in another minute, just wait," Inuoka replied with a grin, "Trust me on this."

Exactly 60 seconds later, the door was slammed open by the owner of the house.

He was rather short, Kuroo noticed, with small and a bit fragile figure. He was wearing a pair of trackpants, socks, also a red jacket over his white hoodie. He also had brownish black hair that ended just a bit above his chin. His fingertips were wrapped in bandages, and he also had a pair of glasses resting on his nose.

"Inuoka, it hasn't been 10 minutes since I kicked you out of here."

Kuroo almost choked. How blunt and straightforward. It's so familiar.

"But Kozume-san, I brought your neighbor! He wanted to borrow your laptop! Or maybe you can fix his broken one?"

Kozume? Wait, wasn't that... Kenma's last name?

The house owner eyed Kuroo up and down, and Kuroo swore, he could recognize his golden eyes anywhere.

"Fine. Come in," the same strict, yet welcoming tone.

Inuoka closed the door behind him, while Kozume led Kuroo inside the house. He notices there were lots of unopened packages and letters, all were stacked neatly at the corner of the living room, just beside the large TV. And even the TV itself was attached to a complete set of the newest gaming tools, while two pairs of headphones sat on the couch.

"So? What do you need the laptop for?"

Kuroo couldn't reply, and this silence gave him a chuckle from Kozume.

"Video games?"

Kuroo only mumbled his confirmation.

"What genre do you want to play? Action? Adventure? Roleplay? Sports? Strategy? Racing?" Kozume asked, as he entered a room, which, Kuroo noticed with awe, was a walk-in closet, but instead of clothes, it was filled with video games.

"Fantasy RPG."

"There. The one with the purple label. Pick whichever you like," Kozume instructed, pointing at the left side of the closet, where everything inside the rack was labeled with light purple, "Inuoka will take care of the rest."

Kuroo nodded, as as Kozume left, he began to explore the heaven. "Holy shit, this guy has everything."

"That's Kozume-san for you~" Inuoka sang, waltzing into the room, "We are collectors and as he worked in this area, getting the latest version of games and its necessities are easy! Have you found what you want?"

Kuroo hummed, pulling out his choice, "Forsaken Felines: The Siege. I'm surprised you have it! This game isn't that popular!"

"Yet," Inuoka commented, "I love the game. The graphics's, the storyline, it's one of my favorites. By the way, what's your ID on this? And do you remember how far have you gotten at the game?"

"The ID's Panther171. I'm still stuck on level 51, at the First Gate. Why did you ask?"

"You wouldn't mind getting a little help, right?" Inuoka questioned with a slight grin, "Put that back in the rack, and get to the living room. Shoo, shoo!"

Kuroo obliged. He walked out of the room (with a hint of lingering sadness, as he had to leave the small heaven), and sat on the couch at the living room. His cat, Pudding, looked so friendly after who knows how long, and this time he didn't act hostile at all when Kuroo tried to pet his head.