Yakusoku (Avara Stadium Book 1)

Autumn Flowers

He knocked on the door to the same rhythm he always knocked on his desk, and that was how she knew it was him, even though there was no reason he should have known where she lived. Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap.

Akiko stood there by the refrigerator frozen, her mind working like a car wheel spinning out in the mud. What was she supposed to do when her classmate randomly showed up at her apartment? It was rude not to answer, right?

She checked the peephole just to make sure, and sure enough, there he was, the stupid rich-kid boy who sat in the front row of her accounting class even though he didn't seem to listen to a word the professor said. He was scrawny, shorter than she was, with punk-band hair spiked up and dyed blue, and he wore an oversized hoodie with a loud obnoxious graphic design like a paint can had crashed into him. He had headphones on, bright-blue designer phones, and he held one hand on them and knocked with the other, tapping his foot and knocking to the same rhythm.

She really wanted to pretend she wasn't at home. But she got the feeling he was going to just stay there until she opened it. What even was his name? Something weird.

She opened the door just a crack and peered through. His face lit up. "What are you doing here?" she said. "How'd you find my apartment?"

"What's up, Aki!" He leaned into the door and shoved it open, and she stumbled back. He kicked off his shoes in the entryway. "Fancy meeting you here."

Her jaw dropped. The hell was wrong with this creep? "Get out of my apartment!"

"I'm here to make a business deal. You like those, right? Besides, I brought you a gift."

She did not like business deals and she did not like this guy. What was his name? It was driving her crazy. Some kind of flower. "Go shove your gift up your ass."

"I don't think it'd fit up my ass." He brandished a bottle of vodka and she deflated. That was good vodka, too. Maybe she'd be able to put up with this creep talking to her for a little bit.

She ran her fingers through the long tangles of her hair, catching in the knots. "All right, I'll listen. I don't have to accept to get the gift, do I?"

"That's a good idea. Maybe I should offer another bottle if you accept."

All of a sudden, she burned with shame. How the hell did he know she was a regular drinker? And why was he bribing her with exactly the thing any responsible person should have been keeping away from her? She felt her ears burn, but still, that was good vodka. "Get to the point."

"You're a mess, aren't you, Aki? I bet you want to set things right."

She narrowed her eyes. This guy was begging to be punched. The worst part about his stupid attitude was that he was exactly right. "What's it to you? I'm doing just fine."

"I just bribed you to get into your apartment by offering vodka. Don't you think that's a sign something is wrong here?"

Her ears burned. She was about to slap this guy, but she held her tongue, somehow. For some reason she wanted him to keep talking, like she thought for some stupid reason he'd be able to help after all.

Not like there was much sense in trying to help her. "I'm doing fine, thank you," she hissed. "I may be an alcoholic, but I'm working on it, and I'm doing well in university, I'll have you know. I know you don't think much of me, but I'm doing better than you might think."

"You have a perfect grade record, you're doing very well. I wonder why it is."

She glowered at him. Another thing he was going to brag about mysteriously knowing, along with her address and her alcoholism. Great. She was loving this guy. "It's because I made a promise to get my degree and be an accountant, and I don't break my promises."