Thanks for the Memories

by kaitothegreat

He melded so easily into her life that she wondered how there was a time when he wasn't around. Neighbour!AU

2. Defined

Thanks for the Memories (2)

A/N: Super late, lots of excuses, but who cares, right? Just hope you'll enjoy :')

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Half-an-hour of contemplating later, Aoko decided to keep the flowers in a tall vase Keiko gave to her as housewarming gift two years back. She had a feeling even if she returned the bouquet to Kaito, he wasn't going to keep the flowers as proper as she could, and it'd be a waste. Not for her sake but the flowers. Yes. The flowers.

They were too pretty to be dumped away.

And because no one ever gave Aoko flowers before, she spent another half-an-hour circling around her house, trying to figure out where to put the vase before finally making up her mind to put it on her bedside table. She chose the spot since it was the only place that fitted the space, and totally not because she wanted to be reminded of Kaito once she opened her eyes.

No. Hell no.

(She realized, much to her slight displeasure, that it was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes too)

When the next morning came, Aoko went to her balcony for her usual routine; taking in her daily dose of fresh air and scenic-viewing. As much as she tried to stretch her patience and endurance, three minutes was how long she lasted before she gave in to the temptation and sneaked a glance at Kaito's balcony.

Of course he wasn't there. But his curtains were drawn open, and the glass door was slightly opened.

Has he woken up? Aoko bit her lips. Does he have a hangover?

Although it wasn't like she knew Kaito and his drinking patterns, he looked like the type that could hold his liquor well. The type that would be the life of the party. The type that would holler around and swing his hips about with women slung around his arms. But no matter how Aoko tried to imagine, the image didn't appear in her head. Rather, she could perfectly imagine Kaito sitting on one side of a couch, legs propped on the coffee table and sipping orange juice out of a can. His face, like usual, would be beaming like an idiot.

Exactly like what happened yesterday.

Aoko shook her head. If she continued thinking about such senseless things, the one having the hangover would be her.

Well… Miso soup is good for hangovers.

Right after that thought, her feet found its way towards the kitchen, and her eyes unconsciously drifted past her kitchen tap as she approached her fridge.

"Since he fixed my tap, should I make some for him?" Aoko crossed her arms, not realising she had said her thoughts aloud. She then shook her head again as she continued to reply herself. "What if he says stupid things again? Like me being in love with him since this is the second time I made him-"

Oh, right. He didn't even mention about her curry before.

But not this time about the miso soup if she really made it for him. If he was at home, he would definitely make a comment when she delivered the soup into his face. The thought suddenly intrigued her, and she wondered if she was ready to see his reaction-

Wait, no. That wasn't her intention, damn it! This was solely just a repayment, since he bothered to help her despite not being in his best condition.

"Out of gratitude. Just out of gratitude." Aoko chanted a few more times, as if that could better convince herself.

That settled, Aoko began rolling up her sleeves. Having cooked miso soup so many times, she easily had the ingredients and recipe figured out in her head. But after flipping through her fridge and cabinets, she realized she lacked the most important thing out of all: Seaweed. It was a perfect timing anyway—She needed to replenish some of her groceries, and maybe she could buy more orange juice too.

Quickly changing into something proper for going out, Aoko downed a piece of bread to curb her hunger temporarily and skipped out. She passed by Kaito's door, ignoring the odd warmth that spread behind her neck and climbed down the stairs, her feet turned automated as she walked towards the direction of the supermarket.

She grabbed a basket once she reached and moved her way past the familiar aisle, dumping her items inside her basket when she saw any of her interest. And right when she was about to make a turn towards the section where the seaweeds were located, she heard a voice behind her.

"Hey."

There were so many other customers in the supermarket, but Aoko knew, almost instantly, that the voice was calling out for her.

Aoko whirled around.

"What a coincidence." Kaito said as he approached, his voice hinting the sign of a smile before he grinned. "Are you stalking me? Missed me that much?"

She thought of him, but definitely not in a missing sort of way, so no. Totally two different things. Aoko scoffed. "If I knew you were here, I wouldn't have come."

"Your words always hit me right in the heart." Kaito swung his basket to one hand and placed the other over his chest.

There were times she wondered if she ever hurt his feelings, but once she saw how his stupid grin continued to spread across his face, she guessed not. "I don't need that information."

He leaned forward to peer inside her basket. "What are you buying?"

"Nothing for you, that is." Aoko murmured, protectively covering her content. She was on her way to buy the seaweed for the miso soup, but she hadn't got it, so no. Totally nothing for him.

"Well, I have something for you." Kaito rummaged through his basket and picked a carton version of the orange juice she gave him last night.

"I don't need repayment." How ironic when she was intending to repay him.

"Not exactly a repayment. It's for you and me. Us." He looked at the orange juice with an admiration that Aoko thought was silly before he put it back into his basket. "Instead of nice beer or sake, I guess orange juice can be our thing."

The way he said our sent a slight shiver down Aoko's spine. She licked her lips, preparing for her next verbal attack; that was how their conversations worked every time. "No thanks."

"So you'd prefer beer and sake?"

"None." Tightening her grip around the basket's handle, Aoko forced a smile. "Anyway, I'm done with my purchase. I'm leaving." She still hadn't gotten what she came here for, but seeing how he was back to his usual self, Aoko doubted she needed to make miso soup anymore.

"It must be destined fate because I'm done with mine too." He skipped to her side, following her to the cashier counters (There were no traces of the fatigue or weariness he held in his eyes from yesterday. It was almost as though he'd recharged himself to another person).

They queued for different cashiers (she deliberately joined another one to avoid being in the same line as him), but annoyingly, they reached their turn at the same time, and Kaito made a whistling sound to tell her exactly that. She sent him a withering look before placing her basket onto the counter and turned away from him.

As the female cashier started scanning her items, she gestured her head over to Kaito and gave Aoko a smile.

"Lover's quarrel?"

Aoko nearly choked, her eyes wide and horrified. "What- No. We aren't lovers." She spat. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder, and seeing how Kaito didn't seem to hear them and was focused on his purchases, she let out a soft sigh in relief.

"I often see you two around." The female cashier continued.

"We're only neighbours." And nothing more than that.

"Ah, I see." She laughed politely. "That explains why you two seem close."

Having no idea how the female cashier came to such conclusion, Aoko only smiled and decided saying nothing was better than continuing the conversation.

By the time Aoko was done, she found Kaito standing at the exit and… waiting. Determined to shake off the female cashier's curious gaze drilling at the back of her head, Aoko hastily walk past him and out, but the automated door wasn't helping as it stalled for two seconds, giving Kaito ample opportunity to reach her side before they walked out of the supermarket together, again, like all the other days whenever they coincidentally met at the supermarket and left at the same time.

The last thing she needed was solidifying the evidences of anyone's assumptions about her association with Kaito, but it seemed she failed this time round again.

"What are you doing later?" Kaito said, breaking the sound of their footsteps as they made their way back to their apartments.

Aoko glanced at him, askance. "Why the question?"

"No reasons. Just small talks between two neighbours." He said, casually swinging his groceries around his body and switching them between his hands—a game that seemed fun to him but something that Aoko didn't understand. And seeing him like that, he looked almost like a kid. An innocent kid that just wanted to be happy.

Wanted seemed like a strange word to use, but that was exactly what Aoko thought.

She wondered if he heard what she said to the cashier.

Softening her slightly narrowed eyes, Aoko looked away from the side of his face. Guilt or whatever, she wasn't sure, but she didn't quite like this sudden uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Yes, it might be hard to change anything between them when their first few consecutive encounters weren't pleasant, but perhaps… the least she could do, to uphold what she claimed about him and her being only neighbours, was to talk to him properly like one.

"Finish my never-ending work. And then I'm meeting a few friends for dinner." She answered.

"Oh?" Kaito said, nearly gasping.

"For your information, I have friends." Aoko gritted her teeth, guessing what his implications meant.

He scoffed. "I'm more astonished that you decided to give yourself a break."

Aoko wasn't interested in feeding him details about who her friends were, where they were going to have dinner, or how she was the one who initiated the meet up because she wanted to get away from her apartment so she could stop thinking about him. He must not know anything in regards to her break, but it'd be interesting, though, to know what he was up to instead.

"What about you?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing later?"

Kaito stopped his little game and turned towards her sharply. She wondered if the few seconds of silence that followed was because of his stunned surprise, or that he wasn't prepared with an answer and was trying to think of one.

"Nothing much." He finally replied.

Nothing much? He might as well don't bother answering her question at all.

But Kaito didn't give her a chance to pry him for an answer. He moved on and started talking about something silly, something that didn't matter, something that barely scraped the surface of the walls they built around each other. For once, she decided to follow the flow of the conversation, because she had no idea what else to say besides their usual squabbles too.

As usual, Kaito made another random yet annoying comment again, and having no doors to slam or rooms to hide, Aoko increased her pace and stomped away, her bags of groceries slapping heavily against her legs. But her cold front didn't last for long when she reached the traffic light ahead and realized he wasn't following her, which was strange, because she expected him to catch up with her easily, with his lips curled up and eyes twinkling under the afternoon sun.

Unable to withstand the curiosity, Aoko spun around.

Indeed he was gone, like a ghost.

Puzzled rather than concern, Aoko backtracked a little, eyes scanning her surroundings to find where he vanished off to-

By the bush she just passed, Kaito was squatting before it, his head lowered and eyes focused onto something on the ground. His own groceries were placed next to him.

Almost forgetting her past tantrum (like every other incidents), Aoko trudged over to Kaito's side. "What are you doing?" She muttered, but she soon found the answer out herself once she got closer, and she widened her eyes, nearly dropping her bags of groceries. "O-Oh no..."

In front of Kaito's feet laid a battered-looking pigeon on the ground; one of its wing protruding out oddly from its body. It looked like it had a fight, and the match didn't end to its favour.

"This looks bad." Aoko bent down and bit her lips worriedly.

"Yeah." Kaito said before glancing at her with a grin. "And there's lots of stray cats around. Leaving it alone will be catastrophic too."

"...Seriously?"

With a sudden swing of his hands, Kaito pulled out a long cloth out of his pocket and covered the pigeon before gently picking it up. Aoko expected it to turn agitated and started whipping its other useful wing around, but it didn't. It stayed still, bundled in the white cloth and resting against Kaito's chest as he slowly stood up.

Aoko followed, and her delight for the successful rescue was cast aside when a thought struck her. "Do you carry a towel wherever you go? And how did you fit it in your pocket?"

"Ah." He smirked. "Trade secret."

She rolled her eyes, not bothering to play along; She'd rather invest her energy on caring for the pigeon instead. "What are you going to do now?"

"Bring it back and check on its injuries." With the pigeon in one hand, he scooped up his groceries with another and skipped away before Aoko could offer to help. He was fast when he wanted to be, and in no longer than three seconds, she was the one lacking behind with her own bags of groceries when Kaito was the one with more burdens than her. Seeing him so oddly eager to tend to the pigeon's wounds, she wondered if he had some soft spot for birds, or animals in general.

With them jogging back, they reached their apartment less than half the time they usually did. Aoko was still far behind though, frustratingly. She managed to climb up the stairs without a break, but Kaito still beaten her. He was already outside his door, tweaking his same old stupid door knob while the pigeon was still in his other hand.

Trudging towards him—her legs wobbly and slightly aching—she picked up the groceries he left on his floor. "Are you an ath-athlete?"

"A what?" He couldn't catch her words between her breaths.

"An athlete." Aoko repeated after calming herself down. "From track and field? Your stamina is… good." Complimenting him would be adding another pump of air to his already inflated and oversized ego, but it was still the real truth.

His face split into a smile. "Nice try, but no."

Like magic, the door managed to unlock on the cue. He pushed the door open, careful to not move the arm he was carrying the pigeon too much, and took his bags of groceries back from Aoko's hands. "Thanks. Are you coming in?"

Aoko hesitated. She did intend to, but she wasn't sure if she should-

Kaito tilted his head, watching her in amusement when she didn't move or answer. "Enter at your own risk." He said and went in, leaving the door open behind him.

Funny. If he told her that more than a few months ago, she would've rolled her eyes and left because it was a risk she would rather die than taking. But nearly after a minute passed, her feet were still rooted outside his door, contemplating. And what made the situation even more complicated wasn't because she didn't trust him—It was because she did, and that made her hesitant, weird, and totally confuse with herself.

It must be because of her concern over the injured pigeon. Definitely.

Finally making up her mind, she headed back to her own home first, to drop of her groceries on the kitchen counter before walking back into Kaito's apartment. His door was still open and welcoming, and she sheepishly muttered a "sorry for intruding" as she kicked off her shoes and tentatively trudged inside after closing the door behind her.

It occurred to her then that this was the first time she entered his home, and now that she had the chance, she observed her surrounding like a pet in a new cage. The apartment was bare and minimal; the walls were undecorated and the furniture looked plain. Everything was so sparse Aoko could barely tell the difference if she was in the dining room or living room, though she ultimately guessed she was in the dining room since the round table Aoko found Kaito sitting at … looked like a dining table—with a half-eaten pack of bento and two bottles of empty mineral water on it. His groceries were gone, probably stuffed inside the small fridge in his kitchen.

Kaito glanced up from his half-inspection of the pigeon's wings. "You came." He said, his voice tainted with much surprise for a statement.

"I went home to put away my groceries."

"So you're not scared I'll eat you up?"

Aoko cast him a withering look before he suddenly stood up from the table, and for a moment she thought he was going to do exactly what he said-

"Stay." He instructed the pigeon and walked over to the kitchen. Aoko stared at the pigeon. It stayed like what it was told, and she stupidly wondered if it was because of his command or because it was injured. Logically, it should be the latter, but…

The sound of the water tap running captured her attention as she glanced over the counter and at Kaito's back. Like everything in the house, the kitchen was the same. Besides the small fridge, there wasn't any sign of pans or basic utensils. The see-through cabinets were empty, and she could guarantee it was the same as all the drawers and shelves at the bottom as well.

Kaito shut the tap and shook his wrists over the basin to dry his hands. She didn't intend to get caught and accused for staring at him, so she quickly turned away from him, until she spotted something she didn't expect when Kaito moved away from the spot he was previously blocking—Her tray and bowl was resting on the racks, while her spoon was sitting lonelily inside the utensil holder.

"Aren't those…?" Aoko pointed at the said items.

He glanced back to see what she was pointing at. "Oh," he paused.

Then there was silence.

Tell me about the curry. Ask him about the curry. Tell me about the curry. Ask him about the curry-

The sound of flapping broke the quietness in the air, and their eyes turned back to the pigeon, which was hitting one of its wing against the table. Kaito jogged past her, his shoulder brushing against hers before he settled back on his seat and continued his inspection. The pigeon remained calm almost instantly.

"Its right wing is broken." He said a few seconds later, confirming Aoko's silent question.

Nodding her head, she inched herself closer to Kaito's side. "What can we do?"

"I'll go-"

Before he stood up from his seat, the pigeon flapped its uninjured wing agitatedly again, and his raised butt sat back down obediently to subdue it (which Aoko found it a little amusing). If Aoko were to guess, she'd think the pigeon had grown an attachment towards Kaito.

"Can you help me get the first-aid kit?" Kaito asked, while stroking the back of the pigeon's neck to soothe its nerves. "It's in the room at the end and in one of the drawers. You'll see it beside the bed."

"You know how to heal it?" She asked, and she barely refrained herself from commenting how he had a tool box and first-aid kit but not a mug to hold water.

"I notice you often give me too much credit for things." His lips curled in a manner like he was trying not to laugh—as if she'd said something silly but was too innocent to regard it as stupid. She understood his underlying meaning, and she narrowed her eyes warningly before he continued. "I don't have the right measures to heal it completely. It's just to stop it from further injuring itself."

The explanation was more than enough to increase her haste for the sake of the pigeon. "Okay." She said, and scurried down the narrow hallway and entered the room he instructed her to go, to find as exactly what he said; a bed and a drawer beside it.

Nothing else.

She stepped in, again her curiosity kicking in as she began scrutinising the white walls and ceilings before catching a glimpse of a built-in wardrobe she found next to the door. For a man that often wore the same few jeans and shirts, she thought the wardrobe was kinda too fancy and big for a small and spare room like this too…

But it wasn't her business. The only thing she should care about was the drawer. The end.

Forcing herself to turn away, she trudged to the drawer and bent down, her side leaning against his bed for support as she began pulling open the drawers. The first was empty, same for the second, until she reached the third and last one, where the first-aid box was kept.

"Gotcha." She whispered to herself and pressed a hand on his bed to help herself up. Her weight caused the bedsheets to shift, and from her side-long glance, she noticed… something.

Something under his pillow.

She peered closer.

It was an edge of a wooden photo frame.

Her hands twitched, her conscious begging her to lift up the pillow. There were a thousand and one questions that sprang across her mind. What could the photo frame hold, for it to be so important enough he placed it under his pillow? A photo of his lover? Ex-lover? The date that refused his flowers last night? What about an illegitimate child? Or- Or!

Her guesses could go on forever, unless she got the real answer.

Okay, Aoko knew the basic level of privacy, and how she should adhere to it if she wanted hers to be respected equally the same. But... the curiosity! She was betting whatever in the photograph was related to his failed date.

She lowered her eyes to the pillow and clicked her tongue softly, forming the decision in her head.

Just a peak. A tiny one, that's all.

Despite the echoes of warnings ringing in her head, she shoved the first-aid kit under one arm and slowly picked up the pillow, revealing the photo frame (Her heart was beating so fast she could hear it).

The frame was made out of carved wood, and its sides were stained with something Aoko wasn't sure of. The photo looked old, and some of its colours were tainted with a pale yellow tint…

It was a family of three.

The photo was taken in front of a house. There was an elegant-looking lady with dark purple hair, a charming tall man with a thin moustache and a little boy standing in front of the couple. And out of everything in the photo, the boy's bright blue eyes caught her attention the most. It was the essence of a picture-perfect moment; his eyes were shining so bright like he could never be ever happier than that moment.

She slowly picked up the photo frame to get a closer look (And even though she already knew, she still couldn't refrain the small gasp from escaping her lips).

It was Kaito in the photo.

"Hey," Kaito called from outside. "Can you find it?"

"Just did!" She yelled back, scrambling to put the photo back on the bed and dumping the pillow over it. Thank God she didn't stutter (Didn't need to add on suspicion to her snooping crime). She hugged the first-aid kit, taking a deep breath to regain her composure and walked out of the room, pretending like she totally didn't do whatever she just did.

"Here." She passed the box to him, her hand was slightly trembling from her acts.

Luckily, though, he didn't seem to notice it as he took the kit. "Thanks."

Aoko mustered a smile back and added another brick to her wall of guilt.

She silently watched him pulled out bandages and wrapped it around the pigeon's wing, his hands stealth and agile like he'd done it all before. She had so many question in her head, ones that varied between her new guesses about his jobs and the photograph she just saw, though it wasn't like she could ask anything about the latter. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to distract him, so she continued standing there like a statue, with times when she held her breath when the pigeon didn't react kindly to Kaito's act too.

After almost an eternity, Kaito was done. "This should do it." He said as he began packing the first aid kit. The pigeon had calmed down a lot; its beady eyes looking a little relaxed, compared to how it was bulging out so intently previously.

Now Aoko couldn't resist her urge to list all the guesses she had in her mind. "Are you a vet?"

He chuckled. "Still guessing?"

"Yes."

"You know you don't have to lie about being interested in me."

She almost choked. "I'm only curious."

"And very determined too, right?" He drawled.

"Right." Aoko continued quickly, hoping to calm down her accidental flustered self. He was reliably and casually a flirt, but every now and then he still managed to shock her with his blatant ways (She thought maybe she could accept him someday, but today was not that day). "So are you some bird-keeper then? Bird expert?"

Kaito laughed again. "Nope."

"A wildlife biologist." Aoko crossed her arms when he shook his head. "Petshop owner?"

"Nuh-uh."

Aoko huffed. "No extra hints?"

"If I give any, it'd be too obvious."

She highly doubt so. Though some were guessed for the jokes, the serious ones she tried were based on what she'd seen of him, yet they were still wrong. Had she overlooked something? Did she miss out the big picture?

Kaito bit his lips, his face contorted as he tried to hold back his laughter.

Aoko scowled once she noted his expressions. "What's so funny?"

"Your thinking face." He blurted. "Don't think too much or tonight you'll be dreaming of me, unless that's what you want."

Besides minimal contact and avoidance, ignoring was another good strategy to win, and a way to keep her blood vessel from bursting. "So," Aoko plastered a thin smile. "How long are you going to take care of the pigeon?"

"Not sure. I'll see how it goes tonight." He shrugged before casting her a side-long glance. "While you'll go enjoy your dinner with your friends."

Aoko frowned. "What's with that tone?" He sounded almost accusing, which was ironic when he was still commenting about how she finally gave herself a break previously.

Turning away from her, Kaito gently stroked the pigeon's head while making some kind of cooing sound. "It's okay. At least Papa is staying as your company."

"...What the hell are you talking about."

"Converting pigeon's lifespan to humans, technically you're missing out five nights with our son."

"Our son-? And how do you know it's a boy?" Aoko sneered. "It could be a girl."

"Facts checked, it's a male."

Aoko sighed. "Male or female, seeing how it's fine now, I'm leaving." She'd be late for her appointment if she didn't start doing what she'd planned for the day. Aoko turned and approached the front door, but stopped at the last moment to spare a last glance at the pigeon, which was still sitting obediently on the table, much to her slight amusement (Really, either Kaito lied to her about her guesses or he really had an affinity with birds). "Maybe... I'll come back to see it again." She mumbled absently.

It was like rattling a dog's lead when it had given up being taken for a walk. Kaito straightened, eyes gleamed. "A visit?"

Her toes fidgeted as she turned away from his excited-looking face. "To see if it's better, that's all."

"Okay." Kaito cooed at the bird again. "Say bye bye to mama."

Aoko shut the door behind her, cutting off every bit of his ridiculous presences from her sight. But even at her hardest, traces of Kaito's bright smile and the memory of the lonely photograph still remained, lingering timelessly and lost in the back of her mind.

.o.

Her long awaited dinner with her friends that night was supposed to be fun and casual. Alright, maybe she shouldn't say supposed. It was fun and casual, but she partially ruined it herself by thinking of things she thought she wouldn't think about after getting out of her apartment, which was ironic because it was exactly the reason why she called her friends, to get the distraction she needed.

It was ridiculous. Everything was ridiculous. Even something like seeing a man running towards the restaurant's bathroom reminded her of Kaito, just because of that one time he had to use her bathroom when he couldn't get inside his apartment-

"Aoko, are you okay?" Emi asked across their dinner table, her brows furrowed in concern as she followed Aoko's gaze towards the bathroom. "Do you need to go to the restroom?"

(Maybe it didn't matter where she was because it was too late. He had already infected her brain long before she realized he did).

"Huh? No, no. I'm fine." Aoko spun her head back to the table and perked up a smile. Emi was one of the nicest and over-protective friend she had; it was no wonder she'd be the first to notice Aoko's distracted self.

"You had a meeting with Ozawa yesterday, right?" Keiko asked, picking up her glass of water to drink.

"Yeah." Aoko answered half-heartedly. It was indeed yesterday, but after all those things that happened, it felt like it happened ages ago.

Sayaka patted a hand on Aoko's shoulder. "Is everything fine?"

If the question was asked a few months back, Aoko would've said no. But now… "Of course." She confirmed assuringly and patted Sayaka's hand back teasingly. Really, it was all fine. She now had her motivation back to write, and ever since Kaito-

Oh gosh, not about Kaito again.

"Then why do you seem so distracted today?" Emi asked, tilting her head.

Darn it.

"I know the answer." Keiko raised her hand before anyone said a word. "Maybe it got to do with the new male neighbour Aoko got."

Sayaka gasped, retracting her hand to cover her gaping mouth. "Aoko! Why didn't you tell us about your new boyfriend?"

"Wha- No! Keiko said neighbour, not boyfriend!" Aoko exclaimed. "And he's completely nothing to me."

"But you got to mean something to him, at least." Keiko winked and continued when her other friends gave her a quizzical look, a silent request to elaborate. "He was jealous of Ozawa for visiting Aoko a few weeks back."

Aoko pinched the bridge of her nose (while her friends started making some weird, teasing sounds in the background). "How much did Ozawa tell you?"

"Not much." Keiko smirked (After so many years of friendship, Aoko could tell it wasn't a good sign).

"He's just a neighbour" Aoko explained. "And sadly, my landlord too-"

"Landlord?" Sayaka rubbed her hands in glee. "He's rich?"

"I... don't know. He doesn't show it. But so what if he's rich?" Aoko scoffed. "All he's good at is flirting." And fixing leaking taps, balancing on railings and comforting pigeons. But those were irrelevant to mention it anyway.

Keiko smirked and leaned towards Aoko. "Not just rich but good at flirting? Tell me more."

Aoko groaned. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"I didn't! That's exactly what you said."

"But really," Emi butted in, indirectly saving Aoko and the need to think of a reply. "Is he the reason why you're distracted?" She asked in concern, her eyes wide and serious.

So serious Aoko nearly said the truth.

"Of course not." She managed a laugh, which sounded real, thankfully. "Even though my work is fine, there are times when I couldn't help thinking about it. That's all."

Aoko hated lying, but if she didn't want to spend the next five hours getting interrogated about things she still couldn't understand, that was her only choice then.

.o.

Aoko wasn't expecting a fast response when she knocked on his door at eight in the morning.

Kaito opened the door with a grin (as if he expected her), and the first thing she noticed besides his smile was the lack of the weariness she thought she would find in his eyes if he just woke up. She wondered if he was an early-riser, but based on her judgement, it was more likely that he had yet to sleep since last night.

"Good morning." Kaito said as he ran a hand across his hair (though it wasn't making any changes to his already unkempt style). "Here to invite me to have breakfast in your bed?"

She cast him a withering look. "You should know why I'm here."

He said nothing and stepped aside for Aoko to enter, and she stalked in with more confidence than she had yesterday. Everything looked the same (not like he could do any changes in a day), but she couldn't find the purpose of her visit anywhere.

Aoko frowned, staring at the empty dining table, where she last saw the pigeon yesterday. "Where's the pigeon?"

"Our son?" Kaito placed a hand over the back of his dining chair and leaned his weight against it lazily. "I ate it."

Her face flashed from surprise, horror and then finally anger. "You-!"

"I'm kidding, geez." Ha laughed, taking a step back from the intensity of her glare. "I called the Bird Rescue last night and they came to pick it up a while ago. I think it's better for it to be under their care than mine."

"You're serious, right?"

"You believed that I ate the bird but believed less that I called the Bird Rescue?"

"I find it hard to believe anything you said."

Kaito nodded his head thoughtfully. "Fair enough." Patting a hand over his pocket, he whisked out a phone and began thumping a few things on his screen before showing it to her. "I took a picture. In case, well, you miss our son." He said with a shrug. "But I guess this can be used for evidence too."

Aoko squinted her eyes.

Indeed, the picture showed two men wearing the same white collared shirt with a bird logo over their left chest. They were standing outside Kaito's door, and one of the men was holding onto a safe cage, where the pigeon was resting inside peacefully.

Satisfied, Aoko glanced away. "Good."

Unlike all the other puppies she'd visited at the shelter when she was in high-school, she hadn't spent enough time to grow any strong attachment with the pigeon. But their son- the pigeon! What on earth (Gosh, his weirdness was definitely infecting her brain). The pigeon was really cute, despite those sudden panic attacks Aoko remembered. It was still a pity that she didn't get to see it off. What were the chances that she could encounter a pigeon at close range again?

"Anyway. why didn't you say anything before you let me in your apartment?" Aoko furrowed her brows at the thought.

"That's why I haven't closed the door." Kaito kept his phone as he pointed over her shoulder. "It's already opened for you to stomp out any moment."

Aoko really would have, and she cursed herself inwardly for not being able to do so. Heaving a sigh, she awkwardly lifted the plastic bag, exposing it from where she had been hiding behind her back the entire time. "Well, I… have something for you." She muttered, trying not to cringe at how girly her words sounded, especially when it was directed to him too.

Kaito blinked, tilting his head and admiring her face like she was an artefact in a museum (and she didn't like it, not when it was causing her stomach to churn so weirdly out of the blue). "I thought you weren't here for me?"

"This is…" She paused, trying to find the right words in her head. "...This is a by the way, sort of thing."

"It's cute, the way you try to deny your feelings for me, but it's okay. One step at a time, no rush."

If it wasn't for the content in her bag and the possible murder charges for her attempt, Aoko would love to smash the plastic bag over his head. Instead, she choose an alternative and smacked his arm with a hand instead.

Her anger, like always, feed him like fuel for his chortles. "So what do you have for me?" Kaito asked while taking the bag from her.

Barely managing to calm down, she huffed. "A mug."

Kaito didn't seem to believe her until he fished out the said item from the bag, and his silence hinted his confusion more than his furrowed brows.

"It comes together as a set with the bowl and spoon." Aoko explained. "But don't worry, it's new. I thought maybe you need it. And also to, you know, save the earth. Don't buy so much of those plastic bottles when you can boil the water at home." She stopped her blabbering when a thought hit her. "Wait, do you even have a kettle?"

"I'll buy a kettle if that means I can use this mug." His said, his lips tugging to a grin. "I usually receive chocolates so this comes to me as a surprise. But thank you for the gift."

"It's not a gift." She quickly cut in. "I'm only lending it to you. Same goes for the bowl and spoon."

"Isn't it the same if I'm using it forever?"

"You're not going to stay long anyway."

Surprise lit up in his eyes, which made her inwardly surprise too—knowing that her words could get such a reaction out of him. "Why do you say so?" He asked.

"...It's been a while since you moved in but your house is still bare; it doesn't have the essence of home." She gestured across his sparse-looking apartment. "Everything feels so temporary, like you don't intend to stay for long."

He regarded her carefully. "Are you sad?"

She flinched. "What-? No."

"But you sound sad. Scared you'll miss me?"

"Stop being so egoistic. I'm saying since you asked."

"Yeap, understood."

He clearly didn't sound like he did, but Aoko couldn't give a damn—she knew whatever she said would be turned back against her, just because he was so damn smart to twist her words like that every time. She decided to execute her avoidance tactic and turned away instead, preparing to leave, only to stop when she realized there was something… she felt the need to say.

A credit she thought he truly deserved, for once, even if he thought otherwise.

"Anyway…" Aoko paused and turned in his hallway to face him. "I think you cared for the pigeon pretty well, even if you don't think so."

His slow smile told her a thousand reasons why she shouldn't have said what she said, though it was too late for that. "Can you repeat that again?"

"What for?"

"So I can record and play it before I sleep."

She should've seen the answer coming. "You're being idiotic."

His grin grew bigger at her words as he caressed the mug in his hands.

For the first time, though, she couldn't resist a smile back, but she hid it—barely—as she turned away and walked out of the door.

.o.

The flowers in her room wilted a few days later.

.o.

It was one of those week when Kaito was gone again—his curtain was drawn close and balcony door was locked. A couple of days had passed since then and Aoko guessed it was nearing to his return, but it was her turn to leave; She shut her curtains and locked her balcony door like he did (She considered leaving a note on his door but thought otherwise).

She had received a call that her father was admitted to the hospital because of a bad fall (for chasing criminals too recklessly) and she'd been staying in his ward for the past two days and attending to all his needs whenever so. Most of the time his father slept, and she stayed up to work on her drafts and updates she still owed Ozawa for.

Coincidentally, she was working on her character, Reo, and his profile as a con-artist. Although her father was a good source for information since his division was devoted to fraud cases, they never talked much about his work since she was young. But besides knowing his job was to catch bad guys, she knew, out of all his complex cases, was that the one that robbed most of her father's time in her early eight years of her life—stealing him away from all the birthday celebrations that only her mother and other few playmates attended—was Kaitou Kid.

So, on her eighth birthday, she wished Kaitou Kid would disappear so she could spend her next birthday with her father.

And it happened.

After a heist in early January, Kaitou Kid suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. Kid could be irregular and spontaneous for everything but his schedules; He was faithful to hold a heist at least once a week. But even after half a year went by, there wasn't a single news about him. No announcements. No heist notes. Nothing. Just gone without warning. And soon enough, her father was ordered to stop all Kaitou Kid Force's operations and focused on other fraud cases they'd been neglecting for the thief.

That was how, for the first time in her life, Aoko celebrated her birthday with her father. But for the first time, too, without her mother.

She died on the way back home after buying more ingredients for dinner (since her father came back home much regularly now). A car accident. Instant kill. Gone without warning too.

And for the rest of their lives, they lived as that; A kid who never once celebrated her birthday with two parents and a man who lost two significant figures in his life within a year.

Aoko stopped her typing (the clacking sound was already muted by the soft snore coming from her father's side), and straightened her back, feeling the strain on her neck as she gave a stretch. She set her laptop on the couch and walked towards the empty jug on her father's bedside table.

Checking that he was still asleep, Aoko pulled the blanket further up to his chest before grabbing the jug and walked out of the ward. She needed a break anyway from her work and coping herself within the four white walls (though it wasn't as if anything outside the ward was beautifully colored either). She skipped out, greeting a few nurses along the way and softly hummed a song while passing the quiet wards.

As Aoko was about to turn round the corner and to where the nurses station was, she noticed a flash of blue down the corridor and stopped in time before passing the wall. Taking a few steps back, she stared at the blue again, and spotted two other colours—red and white.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and built that was resulted from numerous visits to the gym, but his well-proportionate shape-

Aoko widened her eyes like they were about to pop.

Kuroba Kaito

He was standing outside a door, donned in a formal wear again—blue dress shirt, red tie and white pants. He was tugging his collar with a hand, while the other was clutching onto a bouquet of flowers; this time he bought yellow lilies, white roses and pale-peach daisies wrapped in white-coloured papers.

Thinking back about the flowers she once kept in her room, something clicked in Aoko's head.

Those weren't for dates. Their purpose was for…

But Kaito wasn't moving. His eyes were fixated solemnly on the door.

Like how his colours caught her attention, it could be the same for Kaito too. Her contrasting purple shirt and blue jeans stood out among the whiteness of the hospital corridors, and noticing it from the corner of his eyes, he turned his head before she could register the thought to hide.

Their eyes met.

Blue with blue.

He widened his eyes like how she did.

Many things happened all at once; How her lips parted, how she saw his shoulders flinched at the sight of her, and how the door he was previously staring at suddenly slid open, and a young woman stepped out of the ward.

It was the woman's turn to look visibly shocked.

Even from the distance, Aoko could tell the woman was pretty; soft lips, perfect hair, and a figure that all women would be jealous of. Knowing Kaito, it shouldn't be surprising that he had connection with such a fine lady, but the only thing she didn't understand was the increasing tension, so much Aoko could feel it here.

"Kuroba," the lady pursed her lips. "How did you-"

His back was straightened, face masked like a stone, and he flicked his gaze away like he didn't notice Aoko at all. "Kudo told me." He replied stoically.

Aoko blinked.

Oh.

The lady paused, red eyes watching him like a hawk. "Then-"

"I'll go first." Kaito interrupted, and without sparing a glance towards Aoko, he stalked off to another direction, leaving the lady standing by the door.

Once he disappeared behind a wall, the lady turned, her eyes lit up in brief surprise when she noted Aoko's presence; it was hard to not spot her when she was standing there and watching their conversation so blatantly. The woman narrowed her eyes, her face turned cold and calculating before she slid the door shut without a word.

Aoko gulped.

Pretty… but scary.

Still clutching the jug to her chest, she tentatively walked towards the direction where Kaito left, making sure her footsteps sounded like a mute as she reached the nameplate on the door.

Black letters against white, the words spelt out Hakuba Saguru.

.o.

Aoko found him not far from the entrance, back bent while sitting on a bench and watching a few kids running around the small garden. His red tie was dangling between his knees, and the bouquet of flowers was placed on the edge of the bench.

Abandoned, despite its beauty.

Absently, Aoko rubbed her thumb against the jug as she slowly made her way towards him. She didn't try to hide her presence at all, but for some reason, he didn't seem to notice her, until she sat next to him, and he spun his neck so fast towards her she thought it could have snapped.

"Hey." Was all Aoko said, pathetically. Well, at least she managed to cough out a word, unlike Kaito who was staring at her with wide eyes and pursed lips, but it was gone once she blinked.

She waited for him to ask why she was here, but he didn't, probably because he knew the answer to it. So, like how he used ignorance as some form of defence mechanism, he gave her a faint smile (one that didn't fit in Aoko's eyes).

"What a coincidence, I would say. Are you stalking me again?"

"...Yes."

Surprise engulfed his features before he smiled again. "That's unexpected. Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

"I can ask the same for you." She muttered.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he lowered his gaze and stared at the jug in her hand. "Visiting someone?"

The question came out differently, or rather not in a way she expected it to be. She guessed he hadn't been back home before he came here, since he didn't ask where she'd been when she was gone from her apartment the past few days. "Yeah. My father had a fall."

Concern flickered over his face. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Just have his rest and he'll heal. But... What about you?" She paused, trying to trace for any changes in his expression, but found none. She continued for him when he didn't reply. "You came to visit your friend?"

He looked away. "Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"As you'd seen, it didn't work out." He said, his voice strained to neutrality, just like his expression.

Aoko drummed her nails against the jug, teeth digging into her lower lip. "Why?"

Kaito stared blankly at her. "Why?"

"There's always a why for everything." Aoko smirked when she saw the flicker of recognition in Kaito's eyes. "It's a choice you made, unconscious or not."

He let out a breath that resembled a laugh. "I can't believe you bothered remembering my words."

Oh boy. If he knew how his words meant more than just remembering them...

Thankfully, Kaito turned away before she needed to figure out a reply. "I supposed I owed him." He continued, adding a shrug. "And I don't know what to say."

"That said, I'm truthfully not good with apologies."

She wondered if this was what he meant on the night he said it. Those sad eyes and burdensome weight over his shoulders… were they all for this? Guilt for a friend?

It could be more than that, of course; she had no clue about whatever that happened and it was all her wild guesses. But if this was the case, for Kaito to bear something so heavy because he thought he had to carry them, it just seemed unfair.

Taking in a deep breath, Aoko began. "Remember that time when you asked why I changed my career path?"

His eyes were fixated at her. "Yeah, I do."

"There's a story behind it, obviously."

"Is this chapter one?" He sat up eagerly. "After the prologue, I mean."

Her silence worked better than showing her anger, and he made a zipping gesture across his lips, urging her to continue.

"...It's not anything awe-inspiring. Or fascinating. Just something that made a change in my decision, I guess." She gulped and glanced up, to check if he was paying attention. He was, definitely, with the way he was staring intently at her, and she quickly cleared her throat to begin.

"As a writer, well, you can write whatever you want. You can control the actions of people and the outcome of certain destinies. But in real life, we can't control anything. We can't rewrite the mistakes like rewriting a paragraph you don't find fit. We can't change the ending of someone's life like editing the last chapter of a book." She lowered her gaze and stared at the empty jug in her hand, her reflection shining against the surface. "In reality, everything is so, so scary. I'd come across many ugly side of people and seen people's mistakes that caused great pain and disastrous consequences. I'd witnessed things that I couldn't bear to see and wanted to unsee. And all those things were too terrifying for me. I couldn't stand it at all. "

He watched her silently, his mind registering. "So you can't handle seeing bad people." He concluded.

"Knowing how someone can be manifested by hate and pain to turn from good to bad, that's the thing I couldn't take it. That's why... I think I'm not—never—ready to be a detective." Aoko straightened, taking in a deep breath to shake off those past, distant memories of her last few months as a police in training. "The diary I originally started off when my police training commenced turned into something else; all the notes and tragedies I'd written became a story with an ending I dreamt it to be. And I liked it. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing today, which was the choice you said everyone would make, unconscious or not."

Kaito said nothing.

Aoko continued. "No matter what choice you choose, there's one thing in common between all the options you have, which is that you've figured something out instead of mulling how it couldn't be changed or done better; like what you said about finding the possible root cause of my writer's block too." She paused, licking her lips. "And now I have; I want to write about the good in bad people too."

He continued staring at her (but she forced herself not to avert his gaze, no matter if her heart was beating faster than it ought to).

"So… um, my point is that maybe you haven't figure out the best approach yet, and not because you don't know what to say," Aoko waved a hand over his attire and pointed at the flowers. "These are nice and proper. But that's exactly the point; it doesn't suit you."

Before she knew it, Kaito suddenly laughed.

Aoko squirmed uncomfortably on the bench, wondering why she didn't seem to hate the sound of his laughter when she knew he was laughing at her. But she didn't have the heart to scold him, because right now she preferred seeing him normal and happy rather than anything else.

Instead of asking him to stop like what she would usually do, she decided to take it another way. "Why are you laughing?" She asked, watching him chortling behind the back of a hand.

Kaito managed to tone down as he uncovered his face to stare at her sideways. "Promise me you won't leave if I tell you."

She quirked an eyebrow, her wariness turned ten-fold, but as always, her curiosity won over every other things. "Okay."

He leaned against the bench, shoulders relaxed as he looked… and continued to look at her, like the night she remembered him did when he stood in front of her and next to the tap he fixed-

"Because I think you're an amazing woman." He said, his voice soft and tender. "And I can't believe I've yet to kiss you."

Her feet reacted so fast she almost felt herself flying up from her seat. "I'm leaving!" Aoko spat and turned, preparing to stomp off, but she felt a hand cuffing her wrist, instantly stopping her tracks. Gritting her teeth, she glared over her shoulder and at Kaito, who was looking at her with a fond look that she didn't quite… like.

His fingers—wrapped around her wrist like he was holding onto something fragile—were warm and tingling her skin like a spark of electricity that didn't hurt.

"You promised you wouldn't leave." He reminded her, bringing her concentration back to reality, rather than the warmth of his fingers and the cool blue-hues of his eyes.

"Promise is revoked." Aoko hissed.

"Why?"

"You were teasing me." Ugh, it felt so sickening to be admitting such… a thing to him.

Kaito blinked. "Since when did I tease you?"

"If you didn't, then what did you just say to me?"

"The exact reason why I was laughing."

Aoko heaved a sigh and shrugged off his grip. "Nonetheless, I'm leaving-"

"Wait." Kaito stood up and cut her path. If she'd taken an extra step, she would've knocked right into his chest.

She scowled and straightened the hem of her shirt. "What?"

He raised his arm—blue sleeves clinging tightly against his shoulder—and presented the bouquet in his hand.

"I-" Aoko stopped, her eyes widened at the bright colours; lavender rose, white daisies and yellow chrysanthemum, before looking at him incredulously.

"For you." Kaito said, probably taking her silence as confusion. "As thanks."

Aoko was more of stunned, actually. She frowned. What she last remembered seeing were yellow lilies and… actually she couldn't really remember what the flowers were, but it definitely didn't look like this.

"It's different from the one you had." Aoko spoke her observations aloud.

"Hm? Is it?"

Her confidence faltered. Was it my imagination? He couldn't possibly change the bouquet out of nowhere too. "I don't want it anyway."

Kaito tilted his head, his blue eyes large and unblinking, and for a moment Aoko thought it managed to dull the colours of the flowers- "Would you rather have a thank you kiss?"

"...Will you shut up if I take the flowers?"

"Maybe."

Aoko snatched the bouquet from his hand. "There."

Kaito grinned. "How romantic."

Rolling her eyes, she walked around him, continuing the path he blocked. "I'm going back. Bye."

He didn't stop or follow her like what she thought he would. And it was hard, so damn hard to resist the urge to turn around and see what he was doing, but the tingling sensation at the back of her neck—an instinct—told her his eyes were on her, watching as she went.

The feeling was gone once she entered the hospital.

Despite her haste and big strides, her father was already awake when she returned to his ward. Luckily, though, she had managed to cool down, her face didn't feel as hot and flushed as the moment she left the bench.

"Where did you go?" Her father asked, watching as Aoko stumbled into the room.

"To refill-" She paused as she lifted the empty jug in her hand. Crap. She'd totally forgotten her main objective!

He raised an eyebrow as he gestured over the bouquet in her hand. "What are those anyway?"

"I- um," Aoko licked her lips nervously. As much as she wasn't willing to lie, she'd rather save herself from explaining about Kaito and everything that happened between them (even though there wasn't anything that happened at all). "I supposed it can spice the ward up a little."

Her father gave a grunt in response. "You know there's no need for that."

"Yeah, but it's… nice." Aoko placed the bouquet on the bedside table before clutching onto the empty jug tightly to her chest; a reminder she needed. "I'll go get some water. And a vase."

Aoko skipped out of the ward again, determined to get her job done with no distractions (But she did slow down her steps when she reached the corridor she found Kaito previously. It was empty, with no sign of his wavy black hair and striking red tie).

.o.

Her curiosity was satisfied two days later when the pretty lady approached Aoko at the cafeteria while she was in the midst of buying a drink for herself. Given only a quick tap of the shoulder, Aoko got the hint and quickly paid her drink before jogging towards the lady, who was standing outside and waiting like what her hand silently signalled.

"Hi-"

"Are you Nakamori Aoko?"

"Y-Yes." It was a little hard to be calm, especially in front of a pretty lady. Now up-close, she looked even more beautiful (From the corner of Aoko's eyes, she could see a few men's heads turning towards their direction too.)

"My name is Akako." Akako introduced herself as she brushed her hair over her shoulder, an effortless way to expose her collarbones. "You know Kuroba, don't you?"

The pace of questioning was so fast Aoko didn't have a chance to ask how she knew her name, but she decided it wasn't important. Kaito probably told her, or something like that. "Yes, I do."

Akako eyed her carefully. "You're his?"

"I'm his neighbour." Aoko blurted, and it made her wonder how many times had she said this sentence already.

"Hmm. For a neighbour, you're quite remarkable."

Again, every topic about her relationship with Kaito always left her speechless. "...What?"

"Here's a word of advice from me." Akako muttered, her voice stern and face solemn. "Don't get too close to him."

"We're not close, really." Aoko laughed and waved a hand, trying to dispel the sudden hostility she wasn't sure why she would feel.

Akako pursed her lips warningly. "He'll eventually bring you misfortune."

Days of annoyance yes, but that seemed like an exaggeration. "M-Misfortune?" Aoko clarified. "Of what sort?"

"Any." Akako answered, just a beat off.

"Something like what happened to Hakuba Saguru?" Aoko blurted out, but it was too late to retract her words when she realized what left her mouth. Her blood froze like what time seemed to have too, and she dared herself to glance at Akako, whose facial expressions were steely and impassive.

The exit wasn't far from here and Aoko would love to run for it and jump into the pond right outside, but her legs were squashed closely together, fidgety and wobbly from her terrible mistake. "I-It was insensitive of me." Aoko squeaked. "I'm sorry-"

"Doesn't matter."

Aoko lowered her gaze to the drink in her hand. Of course it did matter, but no point crying over spilt milk. "Um, is he alright?"

"His condition is stable." Akako said, her tone sounded much warmer than before.

Stable? How serious was he before to be considered stable now? Aoko bit her lips, unsure if she had the rights to ask. In the end, she backed out and decided to go for a nod instead, to at least acknowledge the fact Akako willingly shared.

"I see, that's good then. And you're his?"

"Wife."

Aoko nodded thoughtfully again, but it was an inward measure to prolong her time so she could reprocess Akako's words. If Aoko didn't know, she would have thought Akako was jealous because of her relationship with Kaito. But seeing that she was already married (the ring on her finger confirmed the answer too), it couldn't be the case, right?

And if so... where did Kaito fit into the picture then? Were they all friends? How did this got to do with Shinichi? Why was Hakuba Saguru in the hospital? What was Kaito feeling guilty about? Or possibly responsible? She wasn't sure what question to ask, or where to even start.

But after thinking twice, Aoko wasn't sure if she wanted to know either. If Kaito wasn't just a flirty and infuriating landlord and neighbour, what else could he be to her? What if she knew something she didn't want to know? What if she couldn't unsee them? Like all the bad things she'd seen in the supposedly good people?

"...Akako-san, may I ask a question?"

She paused, observing from under her long eyelashes. "What is it?"

Aoko gulped. "Is Kaito a good person?"

There was a moment of silence, and before Aoko wondered if she had blurted out something wrong again, Akako suddenly let out a cackle (and more men had their heads turned towards their direction). "What's with the question?"

It'd be weird to say it was her instinct that begged for the answer, so she shrugged and returned a nervous laugh. "A random thought."

"This is a subjective question." Akako said, her red eyes turning slightly distant, as though she was searching for something in her memory. "And subjectively, I'll say yes."

Subjectively… yes?

Before the silence got too long, Akako cleared her throat. "If there's no other question, I'll be going. Goodbye Nakamori-san."

"Goodbye."

Aoko watched her go until she disappeared behind a wall.

It only occurred to her much later that Akako didn't answer if what happened to Hakuba Saguru was the misfortune she was talking about.

.o.

"You're finally home after so long. Welcome back."

Aoko sighed, casting a wry glance at Kaito as she watched him standing in the middle of his balcony, arms spread wide and open as he welcomed her back. She shut the balcony door behind her and approached her railings, not giving any credits for his efforts because she didn't ask for this.

"I honestly didn't know you'd been suffering all these while." Kaito continued despite her silence as he placed a hand theatrically on his chest and sniffed. "Is this how you feel whenever I'm gone?"

She was sure it would definitely not be how she felt, but she decided to play along to see what interesting thing he would say. "What?"

"Desperate longing."

Aoko rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. "If you say any more of those stupid things, I'd be desperate to go back in." But it was partially a lie, actually. After being exposed to those disinfectant smell inside the hospital for so long, it would take Kaito a lot harder to chase her back in so quickly. She was desperate for some fresh air out on her balcony today.

Kaito looked hurt, or feigned like he was, but perhaps knowing she wasn't interested, those expressions were gone as fast as it came. "So, how's your father?" He asked. His tone, for once, sounded levelled and serious.

"He's fine now. Strong like a bull." She answered. Well, after lots of pressure from her grumbling father, the doctors decided to clear him and sign him out, but Aoko also made sure he was truly well enough before she signed the forms too. She'd visit her father sooner or later, just to check up on him again.

Kaito smiled, big and genuine. "That's good to hear." He nodded his head and rested his arms over the railings too.

Then what about Hakuba Saguru?

Even though it had always been in her mind, Aoko didn't mention anything about her conversation with Akako, not that she dared to anyway. What could she get out of it? More confusion? Awkward moments? That sickening tension she had with Kaito that night on the balcony long time ago? (It was definitely long, long time ago, but she wasn't interested in reminiscing it). She gave him a quick glance before looking over the buildings that were painted in gold and orange from the brush of the setting sun.

Whatever relationship they had now, whatever impression she had of him and whatever facade he was letting her see, she'd prefer to keep it that way. Even if deep down her heart and instinct were trying to tell her something else all along.

"Hey." Aoko spoke, breaking the short silence. And in a millisecond, Kaito's attention snapped onto her (which was flattering, actually. Even the most enthusiastic dogs would take a while before they responded to her calls). "Can I ask you something? And as serious as you can, answer me this."

He made no promises to her and silently waited.

Aoko continued. "Why, of all places, did you choose to live here?"

"The ever-curious tenant, I see." Kaito smiled, and Aoko swore she saw his shoulders relaxed. Judging from his visible relief, she wondered what he was afraid of—something he didn't want her to ask?

"You know I can't help it." She scoffed, just for the sake of replying.

"Can't help to be interested in me?"

"Can't help but feel like throwing you off the balcony."

Realization dawned upon his face as he stroke his chin. "Is that part of the plot you're writing? Serial killing? By throwing people off their balcony?"

Aoko rolled her eyes. "You're infuriating, do you know that?"

"Not really. But I heard it a few times."

"A few times must be an understatement. Back to the question I asked."

Simple and at ease, his lips curled up to a grin. "My stay here is a recreational thing."

"...Recreational?" She tilted her head, brows furrowing.

"Yeah, fun and relaxing, that's it. Besides, the view here is amazing too." Kaito said, and he sounded almost like a boy describing what his favourite ice cream tasted like. But he wasn't looking at the orange-tinted sky or the scenic landscape. He was looking at her.

Clearing her throat, Aoko turned away, to admire the view Kaito should be talking about. "So you're a retiree? Relying on our rents as an income?" She drawled.

"Yes. And also, how kind of you to remind me," he smirked, his eyes twinkled with a mischievous glint. "You're late with the rent payment."

Letting out a gasp of disbelief, Aoko fished out her phone from her pocket, checking the date. And indeed, like what Kaito claimed, she was two days late. "Oh Crap- Sorry. It totally slipped my mind because of my dad's matter." She tugged her phone away sheepishly. "I'll give it to you later."

His smirk was so annoying. "There should be additional interest for that."

"Can't you close an eye for it?" Aoko sighed, gritting her teeth. "This is my first time too."

Kaito contemplated for a moment. "Invite me for your next curry dinner. I'll take that as an interest."

Aoko blinked, trying to register his request in her head. "That's worth more than any kind of interest; I don't cook for anyone."

A smile spread across his cheeks like spilt honey on table. "But you did for me."

Tell me about the curry. Ask him about the curry. Tell me about the curry. Ask him about the curry-

"T-That doesn't count!" Her cheeks bloomed bright red, and she barely managed to stop herself from choking on her bad stutters. "Those were leftovers. That's why I gave them to you."

"And not because you're secretly in love with me?"

"In your dreams."

He gasped in exaggeration. "How do you know that's exactly what I dreamt every single night?"

"Goodbye." She spat, sticking out her tongue before stomping inside her apartment. Perhaps it wasn't that difficult for Kaito to chase her back into her own apartment after all.

"So it's settled? Tomorrow dinner?" Kaito said as he leaned against his railing and towards the direction of her balcony. "I'll be standing outside your door at six."

Poking her head out of her balcony door for the last time, Aoko sneered. "And if I don't answer?"

"Then I'll jump over, gladly."

She scoffed. "Let's see about that."

Even without looking at him, Aoko could hear the smirk in his voice. "Deal." She heard him say, just before she slid the door shut behind her.

.o.

Kaito came the next day, punctual at six and standing outside her door like what he promised. He brought his own mug, along with the carton of orange juice he bought in his recent purchase.

Aoko let him in, just because she didn't want him to start being dramatic. If she mocked him to try getting in through her balcony, she believed he would do it, for the sake of nothing.

Besides, she did prepare his portion for him. So might as well, huh.

An hour later, they finished the entire pot of curry.

Until now, Aoko still didn't ask how her curry was and he didn't tell her how he felt about the curry. They only exchanged multiple silly remarks during the dinner, briefly mentioned what they did earlier in the morning, and chatted about the TV show they were coincidentally a fan of. And coincidentally, again, the show was airing in another fifteen minutes. So Kaito, a master of brilliant plans—as quoted by himself—convinced her that he'd do the dishes and she should prepare the snacks, just so they could watch it together on time.

Done with her duties (but not for Kaito), Aoko was sitting on the couch before a plate of cookies and two mugs of orange juice, watching some commercial and waiting for the show to start.

"He'll eventually bring you misfortune."

Kaito didn't bring her anything fanciful like wealth, fame or fortune, but he did bring a little change. A little difference. A little something that made Aoko's life better than she could be by herself (She might have given him too much credit like he once said, but she still thought it was the truth). But misfortune...

Halfway through the commercial, Aoko glanced at Kaito as he danced to his own whistles while cleaning the dishes and wondered, hard and seriously, about the misfortune he could bring to her.

What came in her mind was a blank.

Maybe she'd figure it out someday, but today wouldn't be that day.

.o.

.

.

.o.

"This apartment?"

"Yes boss."

The man's lips twitched, flicking the ashes off the tip of his cigarette. "Burn it down."

With a flick of a thumb, the lighter lit up, its fire wavering brightly under the three men's black fedora hats.

Then a toss.

Over the floor that smelt like kerosene.

Flames.

Burnt like hell.