Aikuro laid motionless. He laid face up, his limbs sprawled across his resting spot on the couch, his left arm hanging off of the side. He could hear nothing but his own breathing and the blowing of his air-conditioner. On the floor, his white button-up shirt laid forgotten and cold. His body felt warm against the hard leather of his couch. He sighed to himself, staring up at the ceiling.
"I am so bored," he tiredly blurted out to himself.
With the entire island, its houses and the school demolished and sunken into the ocean after the final battle with Ragyo (which, despite everything that happened recently, was rather crazy to do), Aikuro had been stripped of house and job. Luckily for him, every person inhabiting the island was provided with a new home, courtesy of the Kiryuin Family Fortune. Everyone also meant him, and now he lived in a nice little condo.
With the house taken care of, all Aikuro had to do now was look for a job. However, he didn't feel like job-searching. The idea of actively searching for a good-job in the newspapers, and going out to meet with absolute strangers for jobs that only seemed mildly interesting was anything but appealing. And to be honest, he felt drained after the final battle, so he just didn't feel like working at all. This was a time to relax.
Sadly, he had nothing to do.
He began reminisced about the past to himself, trying hard to remember anything remotely interesting.
He found his mind quickly going to Ryuko.
The times he had teased Ryuko back in his shady old apartment were fond ones indeed. He wasn't sure if it was just him in the moment or his true feelings, but he honestly did enjoy flirting with the 17 year old teen. The way her face would contort into rage, the way she would telegraph her punch with just enough time for him to distract her. While she was distracted, he would gallop away unscathed.
Aikuro felt his lips curl up into a smile. 'Those were good times,' he thought, 'good times.' He soon thought about inviting Ryuko over. He sat up and reached for the phone on the coffee table beside the couch, and quickly dialed in Ryuko's cell number.
It took a while for his call to go through. He began to wonder if Ryuko finally had enough of his shenanigans. But when she finally did decided to pick up, Ryuko spoke in a hushed and panicked voice.
"Look, I can't talk right now. I'm out shopping with Mako at the mall- OH GOD, HE'S TRYING TO PUT HIS ARM AROUND HER! HE'S GOING TO CRUSH HER! I HAVE TO CALL YOU BACK!" He raised a questioning brow as he heard Ryuko cry out," Don't crush her innocence," and, "I'll kill you. I'LL KILL YOU!" before the click of his call disconnecting and the continuous beep that followed.
It didn't take much guessing to figure out what was happening.
Mako, Ryuko's closest, if not her only, friend has recently started dating the 'Enforcer' of the student council 'Elite Four.' Although it came as a surprise, Aikuro felt happy that the two found love in one another. Even if the two seemed like the most bizarre couple. 'Gamagori is a rather big man, and to date someone so small and innocent,' Aikuro thought.
'Wait, if they ever thought about settling down and-!'
Aikuro quickly understood why Ryuko might be concerned. He was concerned to.
Although Aikuro knew that Ryuko wouldn't come because of this little 'prying' mission, he was humored by just how crazy the situation was.
"Crazy kids," he chuckled to himself.
He sat there for a few seconds before he remembered why he called in the first place.
'Right, trying to kill my boredom!'
He thought about another person to call.
'Maybe Tsumugu!' he thought up quickly, proud that he thought of the idea. Tsumugu was a good friend, and definitely someone hilarious to tease. He quickly brought up the phone again, but stopped himself before his finger can press a asingle button.
'Right, now that the war against the life-fibers, he could finally relax. Tsumugu fought against the life-fibers to avenge his sister, who gave her life up for the war.'
He gently brought the phone down.
"I should let him finally mourn his sister properly," Aikuro concluded as he placed the phone back on its holster.
…..
Aikuro quickly reached across the couch and grabbed hold of a cushion. He shoved his face into the cushion with great force.
"WHY DID I JUST TALK MYSELF OUT OF CALLING TSUMUGU OVER!?" he screamed into the cushion.
No one was available. NO ONE. Besides those two, he didn't exactly feel close enough to anyone else to invite them over.
Aikuro even thought about inviting some of his neighbours over. Although, all his neighbours were women. And even worse, they were just insane. Again, he'd dealt with crazy before, but this was a more uncomfortable crazy.
Bloody hearts drawn all over his door.
Blood from one woman who chuckled herself at the door to try and get in.
The images flooded his mind, and he felt the dread slowly making a relapse. He quickly slapped himself on the cheek to snap himself out of it. He winked at the stinging that the hit made. Were his charms really that influencial?
….
No one was available.
So, here he was, alone in his apartment.
'This sucks,' Aikuro thought to himself.
'If only something entertaining would happen.'
Almost on cue, the door to his apartment was knocked on. (WHAT A TWIST, HUH? NOT A CLICHÉ OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!)
Not someone chucking themselves at the door.
Someone was knocking on his door.
Almost immediately, anticipation clouded his mind. He didn't care who that person was.
He needed something to do.
"Entertainment, HO!" he jumped up from the couch, excited.
He also retrieved his shirt from the ground as he made his way to the door . As he buttoned his white collar shirt up, his mind calmed for a bit to allow him to think.
'Maybe it's just the mailman. Or maybe some door-to-door salesmen.
Or maybe it really is those crazy fan-girls again!'
He began to fear the worst. He really wished those weren't the case.
Especially the last one.
He reached for the doorknob, and with a quick twist of the wrist, opened the door to see who's been knocking.
….
'What?' Aikuro thought.
In the seconds that the door was open to reveal the person knocking, Aikuro ran his eyes up and down the person's form. Years as a Nudist Beach operative had given him quick reflexes and an observant eye. But what he saw was something his mind just couldn't register.
The snow-white sundress that the person had on wasn't much help.
'It's a woman, but that doesn't narrow the possibilities.'
The body that was donning the dress did provide some help, but little.
'She's well-developed. Almost as much as Ryuko. Maybe even more?'
It wasn't until his eyes hit her face that Aikuro's mind did a back-flip. For half a second, his mind registered that the woman was beautiful, but then the next half-second left his mind in shock.
'Those determined eyes.'
'That serious scowl.'
'That pale skin.'
'Those…EYEBROWS!?'
In those few seconds, the thoughts of crazed women neighbours and the kids prying into Mako and Gamagori's date were gone. His mind mentally crashed, and his next thought came out of his mouth.
"S-Satsuki!?"
