𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗬 | itaru chigasaki

ii. 「 chat 」

❝ Why don't we have a nice, slow chat? ❞

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A sigh escaped Itaru's lips as he lost another life. It was 11 PM, approaching midnight. He was stuck in another level,

In the corner of his eye, he could see Chikage's table lamp still on as the aforementioned man sat on his chair reading a book. It was a book that Itaru was pretty familiar with, it gave him an idea of why his superior was reading it in the first place.

"That's the 25th sigh you've made, Itaru-San."

Chikage-San.

"They say if you sigh, you lose a piece of happiness." Minori's words. Itaru could hear her voice through it.

Chikage was a reliable man. Itaru discovered that through his two years working in the business firm. He had been his superior ever since he started, even when he discovered how he lived his life behind-the-scenes, he didn't seem to judge him all that much either.

But if Chikage has noticed his mood, then it must mean he knows. He can't really hide anything from someone so perceptive, especially if he shares a room with them.

Itaru growled when he lost his last life and threw his controller next to him out of frustration. There was a parasite in his brain. A parasite that filled him with only thoughts of her.

Just how could she do such a thing? How could she plague him with the thought of her without knowing- without trying?

How is it that she succeeded in doing the one thing others failed to do?

"You look very exasperated, Itaru-San. Do you mind telling me what's on your mind?" Chikage asked, closing his book.

A copy of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, the first one in the series, as Itaru recalled. Unfortunately for him, the specific book in his hands wasn't one he could read. It was the English version of A Study In Scarlet.

Minori liked reading English novels. She found it a great way to learn new vocabulary and extend her knowledge of the language. As Itaru recalled, she studied highschool in New Zealand for two years, just for the hell of it, and returned just before she and Izumi went to Veludo Way.

Mystery novels were a personal favorite of hers as well. An interest shared with Chikage.

"Nah, don't think so," Itaru replied nonchalantly.

"Oh come on now, Itaru-San. I don't bite, you know?" He joked, "This is about Minori-Chan, isn't it?"

As Itaru called it, Chikage did know.

"You came home pretty late with her, did you two go to the arcade again?"

"I just saw her there..." He said, picking up the trash in between his consoles. Chikage often saw his side of the room a mess, but lately, he's been cleaning it up a lot more than usual. It was as if Itaru was trying to keep himself busy, all while his thoughts raced.

"Stress relief?" Chikage asked.

"Stress relief," Itaru repeated. Crashing back onto the couch as if his thoughts weighed heavily on him.

"How was it?"

"...It was fun, I guess." He said, turning his gaze to Chikage, who had a small, knowing smile on his face. "...You know, you can just tell me you know about it instead of being so vague."