犬との生活(一種の) (life with a dog (kind of))

chapter 6: a key

"will that be all, sir?" the cashier asks me. "yes." i say, handing the cashier the money to put in the cash register. "ok, thank you. have a nice day." the cashier calls after they take the money and slide the key i bought back to me. i pick up the key and smile at them slightly. "to you as well." i say as i leave the shop, starting to walk in the direction of the apartment. i put the key in my pocket and feel a shove on my shoulder and look up and back to the person who walked past me. "excuse me." the person says rather roughly, their voice familiar. where have i seen them before? then i realize who it is. "wait!" i call out without thinking, making the man turn around. what the hell am i doing?! "what?" the man asks, narrowing his eyes at me. "uhm, sorry but, i want to ask you a few questions. about the dog." i say. the mans eyes widen. "it's you, isnt it? the guy who took him in. that was a really stupid move." the man says, crossing his arms. "why didn't you want him anymore?" i ask, ignoring his comment. "i didn't want him in my house for a number of reasons. he didn't pay rent, he stole my shit, and he's basically just a hustler." the man says. "where did you find him?" i ask. "an old friend of mine gave him to me, warning me about him. apparently he's been through more houses than you can count on one hand, according to my friend." the man says. my eyes widen slightly. has he really been through that many places to stay? "do you know where he came from?" i ask. "no, not really. his origin is a mystery to me. he didn't want to tell me and i didn't really care." the man says, shrugging. "why.. why did you hurt him?" i ask hesitantly. "because i had had enough of his shit. he's just a dumb and foolish dog." the man says. "he's not just a dog and you know that." i say, clenching my teeth slightly. "sure, kid. now, i have better things to do than bicker with you about some incompetent guy crashing at your place. all i say is that you should think before you let him stay any longer. he's merely a pest and a hustler. save yourself the trouble." the man says, turning and walking away. i furrow my brows in his direction before sighing and turning back to the direction of the apartment, walking again. was that man even telling the truth? there has to be more to this than it seems. maybe i could get katashi's side on this but, the last time i tried, he got mad at me when i asked him. i don't want to ruin what we have right now, since i'd like to believe we are becoming friends. maybe i'll have him get a job. then we can see if that man was right or not, if katashi is just a hustler. i get home and unlock the door, surprised to see katashi not on the couch. i close the door slowly and enter the apartment, looking around for him. is he sleeping or something? i check our room but i only see a made bed. katashi made the bed? i walk out of our room, slightly nervous. he's never done anything in the house, let alone go anywhere. where could he have gone? i look up at the door as i hear a shuffle by it. i look at the door and hesitate slightly before going over to open it. "oh, you're home-" i cut katashi off. "what the fuck are you wearing? where did you even go?" i ask, looking at his nice shirt and dress pants, clothes i didn't even know he owned. "jeez, calm down, dumbass. i had to make a good impression since i need all the help i can get to get a job." katashi says, walking past me inside. my eyes widen. "a job? where the hell did you even get those nice clothes?" i ask, closing the door again. "yeah, duh. why else would i wear this? it's uncomfortable as hell. and i just bought them today. i'll pay you back." katashi says, loosening his navy blue tie and undoing the first button on his white shirt. "what- uhh.. why are you- what?" i say, my confusion very clear. "you need to gain some faith in me. i only applied for a job, so calm your tits." katashi says, leaning on the counter. "sorry, it's just- never mind. i have something for you, it's actually good timing if you're going to get a job." i say, digging through my pocket. "what is it?" katashi asks. i toss him the key and he looks down at it in his hands before looking back at me in surprise. "that's a key to the apartment. you'll need it if you get back before me or want to go out and do something and not leave the door unlocked for some person to break in." i say. katashi just looks at me. "you- you trust me with this? why?" he asks in disbelief. i shrug. "it's not like you're a psychopath who's going to let people in. you're just a lazy fool. i trust you, mostly, so, why not?" i say. katashi looks back down at the key. "i- thank you, daiki." katashi says, looking back up at me. i was taken aback at his genuine look of gratefulness and the fact he called me by my given name. i don't think he's ever called me that.