Special 3 Chapter Update!
A/N: I am so sorry for how long it's taken for me to update! The only way I could think to legitimately repay you guys is to update with three chapters. I hope you guys like the chapter. This is the only chapter beta read, so the next two will probably be replaced in the near future, but doubtfully with major changes. Thank you for all of your amazing support, the favourites, alerts and pms.
Break You
Chapter 9
When Anzu first told him about her phone getting stolen Ryo quite promptly told her to fuck off. After his meeting with Izaya however, he was willing to take up any excuse to come on to school grounds. Not that he had had any intention of beating down some punk for stealing his baby sister's phone but maybe he'd be able to catch a glimpse of the infamous Heiwajima Shizuo.
Yes, Izaya had said Shizuo was off-limits, at least for now and yes, it would take monk-like self-control to restrain himself were they to actually meet. But he was easily tempted, the kind of person who took the forbidden fruit before the snake even had a chance to make its case.
So under the guise of brotherly concern he offered his services to his sister. He never would have guessed that it was Nene who had stolen Anzu's phone or how he'd feel seeing her again.
There was something about Nene that he liked. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't look at him the way everyone else did, like scum. It gave him hope that people like her still existed in this world, who lived in the light but didn't shrink away from the shadows.
The last time he had seen her was through the rear window of a departing bus. She had been smiling and he had come away thinking that for once he had done some good. Today there was a different expression on her face, like she wasn't quite present in this spatial dimension.
"If you wanted to see me so badly, you could have just called," said Ryo, grinning.
She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. Ryo got the strange feeling that if he were to blow, she would tumble and disappear into the wind.
"I had no idea she was your sister. Half-siblings?"
"Yeah, we share the same deadbeat mother."
They both glanced at Anzu standing on the other side of the hallway trying to burn holes into her traitorous brother's back. Though it was no secret that Anzu didn't like him she was aware that Ryo was a somebody, a somebody that mingled with the lower echelon of society, but a somebody nevertheless. To her that meant she could use him as she pleased, even to bully her schoolmates. Understandably she was far from pleased when he started shooting the breeze with Akiyama Nene, her self-appointed arch nemesis.
"So this is what you meant when you said strained relationship."
"Yeah, I'm not her favourite person."
"Well, she's not anyone's favourite person, so I guess that makes you even."
"Oi, she's still my sister," said Ryo, smiling. "So, back to the matter at hand. Why did you steal my sweet little sister's phone?"
"You of all people can't really judge."
Ryo opened his mouth to argue. "Okay, but humour me, I'm curious."
Nene tapped her nose with a secretive smile. Then reaching into her shoulder bag she retrieved a pink glittery phone and passed it to Ryo.
"Seriously… why would anyone want to steal this?"
Nene snorted; it was clear that she had no intention of answering. Sighing, he thrust his hands into his pockets.
"Guess I better return this to her before she scalps you."
She nodded. "Thanks, Ryo."
As she turned to leave Ryo grabbed her arm. She turned and gave him a questioning look.
Finding her on the overpass staring at the stand-still traffic had been a profound moment for him. A dim spark had been in her eyes and he remembered how her face had been contorted in a rare display of feeling, of bitterness and conceit, how strands of hair unwoven by the wind stuck up around her face like torn flower petals. She had been unreachable, jarring against reality as she attempted to take on the whole world by herself.
Ever since that day the image of that singular moment had been fixed in his mind and now another joined the archive. An image of a girl stripped of bitterness and conceit, of a girl who had taken on the whole world by herself and discovered that the world didn't much give a damn who she was or what she was about and quite promptly swatted her away like a fly.
"Are you okay?" he asked with such tenderness that he surprised even himself.
"You really are a dramatic guy, Ryo."
Then her back was disappearing round a corner while he tried to figure out what had just happened.
Anger overtook concern as soon as it came. He turned in the opposite direction and marched off, tossing the phone to Anzu without breaking stride. He didn't have time for this. He had almost forgotten why he was there in the first place, to get a glimpse of the guy who had put his best friend in a coma.
What happened last time Ryo? He asked himself. What happened last time you tried to be all white knight and rescue the damsel in distress? You landed yourself in jail, that's what happened. Men like you aren't built for heroism. Men like you are built for back alley exchanges and shitty tattoos.
Nene could take care of herself and even if she couldn't, she wasn't his girlfriend, she wasn't his sister, she wasn't his problem. Heiwajima Shizuo. Orihara Izaya. Uchida Taizo. They were his problem.
After about ten minutes of aimless rambling he regretted not asking Anzu to point Shizuo out to him. Now he was standing in some random hallway on some random floor no closer to his original goal.
Cursing Nene's existence he angrily kicked a locker, gave up, and went home.
A thin bronze bracelet hung from Izaya's fingers swinging to and fro as he moved unhurriedly between the lockers.
The ball had started rolling now, a snowball specifically. It was tumbling down the side of a mountain getting bigger and bigger levelling everything in its path. Those who got in its way would be crushed, or worse, sucked in, accumulated as another layer. Already several people were in the mix. One of them was Nene.
And it was her bronze bracelet that he held at that moment.
It had been lying on his desk ever since he'd slid it unsuspectingly into his pocket the day he was meant to help her pack. It had waited patiently for months to be taken to the jewellers where its clasp would be fixed and its tarnishes would be rubbed out. But life had kept getting in the way (or more accurately, Izaya had kept getting in life's way because he was a special kind of asshole). Instead it ended up watching a pale teenager with sharp features and a nasty look in his eyes swivel around on a desk chair. Occasionally the boy would chance a glance at it and the nasty look in his eyes would soften; he'd reach out and run his thumb over the ridges slowly, curiously, wonderingly. Then one day a package arrived and the next thing it knew the bracelet had a new clasp and a shiny coat of polish.
It was a thumbtack treasure, a fleeting memory that had been pinned down before it could be replaced by More Important Things. It couldn't be categorised, not precious enough to be kept bound around her pulse but with enough worth to barter its way into the peripheries of her cluttered vision.
Her father had given her the bracelet when he'd returned from his self-exile, as if a trinket had the power to bridge the gap between two retreating souls. She found a rock the size of her fist, placed the bracelet on the side of the pavement, and smashed it down on the clasp until it was broken. Then it was acceptable; then she could love it for what it was and not what it pretended to be.
Nene had never told Izaya this story but that hadn't stopped him from coming to similar conclusions. The shattered clasp, the sticky dustcoat of neglect, the fact that she'd never even noticed its absence, or if she had, never cared enough to mention it.
As he stood in front of her locker he was unaware of how tightly he was squeezing it. Little indents had appeared along his palm.
All this time he had been trying to break her, but she had already been broken; that's why he couldn't fit her into any of his puzzles. She had gone to extreme lengths to make sure of that.
But this time she had miscalculated.
Humans were incredible in the way that they could regenerate themselves, given enough time. He would wait for all of her cracks to smooth over, for her ribcage to unfurl like a blossoming flower and reveal her heart. Then he would drive a dagger tipped with poison into it and watch her crumble and disappear into the wind.
All he needed was time.
Slipping the bracelet into the locker slot along with a note he pressed his palm flat against the cool metal door. Thin lipped smiles and burning coals ghosted through him and the treasure chest rattled briefly. But before he could dwell too long his phone buzzed with a text message.
She's coming your way. Get out of there xxx
He fixed his trademark smile and merrily skipped off.
At the side of the school building there was an observation deck for people to watch events held below in the gymnasium. It also meant that they could see directly into the hallway on the opposite side of the building where Nene's locker was located. It was here that Izaya watched her enter through the double doors.
There was no one else around. No one to see her dejected expression, except him.
She opened her locker and stepped back when the bracelet slid to the ground. He watched as she bent over and picked it up, then the note. A pleasurable shiver went up his spine as he watched the colour drained from her face. Nene took out her phone.
Izaya let his shiny new phone ring for a few moments, savouring the deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression on her face, before flipping it open.
"Hello, hello!"
"What the hell is this?" Both the note and bracelet were crumpled tightly in her fist.
"Nene-chan, I was wondering how long it would take you to get in touch," he said, not bothering to feign ignorance. He would have to be as honest as possible in order to deceive someone like her.
"What's going on?" asked Nene.
Though they were facing each other Nene had yet to realise he was there. Izaya on the other hand leaned against the hand railing taking a twisted pleasure in being able to observe her so intimately without her knowledge. Not that it was the first time.
"Ahh, but you would have run away again if I tried to talk to you in person."
"Again?"
"Come on, Nene-chan, let's not pretend that you haven't been peeping around corners to make sure I wasn't there. I'm a little hurt that you were trying so hard to avoid me."
She opened her mouth to speak but his next words caught her off guard.
"If you squeeze that bracelet so tightly you're just going to break it again."
Their eyes met across the gap.
"This is new," she said. "What is this?"
"Oh, Nene-chan, you'll never believe it! Some psycho ground my beloved phone to dust and then posted the pieces to me. Even my chip was destroyed and I lost all of my contacts," said Izaya, pouting. "Naturally, I thought you would want my new number."
"Stop joking around," said Nene. "That phone meant a lot to you."
"Mm, true... but Nene-chan means more."
Suddenly it felt as though Nene and he were nose to nose, breath to breath and he could almost smell raspberries mingled with sweat.
Nene sighed. "Say something original for once, Izaya."
If there was one person in the whole of Ikebukuro other than his demonic twin sisters and Shizu-chan who knew how to push his buttons, it was Akiyama Nene. He felt the same bitter sense of nostalgia from the first time they'd met and while the smile on his face remained, inside something flinched.
"Honestly," he said in a bored tone of voice, "I don't care if you believe me or not because it doesn't change the fact that you're far more valuable to me than a chunk of metal. So relax. I'm not going to abandon you just because you threw a hissy fit."
"I know you well enough not to trust anything you say."
"Ah, you misunderstand," he added sinisterly, "I still have every intention of making you pay me back."
"You're being omin-" she stopped herself.
His smile widened as he watched her face sink in horror.
That had been a joke between two friends, good friends. Sometimes humans were so wonderfully predictable that it made him feel like he had an unfair advantage, like he was psychic or something. In Nene's case however, the tingle of satisfaction came with the jagged edge of disappointment. She shouldn't have been this easy to manipulate.
From this distance Izaya could see the frustration in her darting eyes.
"Well… this has been heaps of fun, but I'm bored now. How about we hang out in person?"
"I think I'll pass," Nene said coolly. "It was really great talking to you again Izaya, but I think it would be best if we stayed out of each other's way from now on."
Even as Nene said the words Izaya could tell she wasn't convincing anyone, let alone herself. They both knew he wasn't just going to let her go so easily, especially not when he'd finally figured her out.
His intense stare forced her to maintain eye contact.
"Are you finally extricating yourself from this relationship?"
She flinched. "Yes."
"Well if that's what you really want?"
"Izaya-"
"I guess I have no choice then. Bye-bye Nene-chan. It was definitely interesting."
Click
"You're a real… what do they call it? You know... ah a smooth operator."
"A smooth what? Actually, don't bother. Coming from you it's definitely something creepy."
Shizuo had agreed to skip last period to go lounge about under the stands after Shinra had made a strong case in saying that while Izaya usually never turned up to Gym he might make a special exception since it was Shizuo's birthday.
To anyone else Shinra might have seemed like he was just being a thoughtful friend. To Shizuo, who had just endured half an hour of being nagged for details about Nene, he was anything but. The only good thing to have come out of this was that Shinra had passed on Celty's birthday gift, which just happened to be a cake bought from Shizuo's favourite bakery.
The bespectacled young man watched on enviously pout as Shizuo gobbled it up in just a few bites, wondering why Celty was never so thoughtful when it came to his birthday gifts. Usually all he would received was a black eye.
"So did you really just walk off in the middle of talking to her? That's too rude, even for you," commented Shinra. He was lying on the grass at Shizuo's feet reading a medical textbook about post-mortem pathology. It was like he was trying to be creepy just to piss off Shizuo.
Shizuo sucked on the tip of an unlit cigarette, gazing at a ladybird that had been crawling up his arm for the last few minutes. He was trying to remain perfectly still, which also meant he couldn't use his lighter, and since Shinra was incapable of keeping his mouth shut for more than two minutes, remaining perfectly still was taking an inhumane level of self-restraint. It was a kind of catch twenty two kind of situation. Kind of like the arrangement with Nene not to swat Izaya with a stop sign.
"I don't understand why such a nice girl like Nene is chasing after you. Then again, she also hangs out with Izaya and Toyoshima-san so I guess we've established that she's clinically insane. Still, she's the only girl I've ever seen you take an interest in. I suppose you could do a lot worse than a masochist with a death wish. You have my blessings."
Shizuo had been deliberating on whether or not he could get away with stepping on Shinra without having to move his arm when he realised what Shinra had said.
Interested in Nene. Shinra thought he was interested in Nene. Was he interested in Nene? Well he wasn't not interested in her that was for sure. Shizuo thought back to what had happened at Russia Sushi, about how Nene had seen everything, about the look in her eyes when she saw what he had done. After he'd had time to calm down the guilt came. The next day he'd tried to find out what happened to Nene from Kimi but all he learned was that she'd gone AWOL. The guilt only doubled.
Then when she'd turned up on his doorstep... well he couldn't quite place what he'd felt, only that it reminded him of those times when Kasuka would slide a bottle of milk to him to calm him down.
Shizuo banged his head against the pillar, startling the lady bird and sending it buzzing around Shinra's text book.
"Something bugging you, Shizuo-san?" Shinra asked wryly.
"It's nothing."
"Seeing you like this almost makes me want to squeal," Shinra said with a patronising grin.
"Say another word and you will," Shizuo muttered, lighting his cigarette.
Shinra chuckled nervously. "What I meant to say was that I'm happy for you. Being young and in love is a beautiful thing. "
"This has nothing to do with being young and in love."
"Don't be like that. For once, we have something to talk about that has nothing to do with crushing Izaya, we have something in common- Uwah!"
Shinra squealed and leapt out of the way of Shizuo's foot as it came down and made a mini crater where his head had been. Sweat poured from Shinra's head as he inspected the hole from a safe distance.
"It really looks like you were trying to kill me that time."
Shizuo pushed off the pillar and headed for the fence.
"Where are you going?" shouted Shinra, hesitating before running after him. "Russia Sushi?"
By the time he caught up Shizuo was already half way up the fence.
"Nah I'm still banned," said Shizuo.
"So you're just trying to get away from me," said Shinra, staring at the fence with a look of resignation.
Shizuo dropped to the ground. "Yep."
"Before you go, at least let me give you your birthday present," said Shinra, retrieving a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
There was a smile on his face as he slipped it through the fence to Shizuo, who was slightly reluctant to take it, but did so anyway because that was the polite thing to do when someone offered you a birthday gift.
The moment the envelope had passed hands Shinra was running for his life in the opposite direction.
The door to Russia Sushi jingled open as Kimi entered.
She was dressed in a maroon skirt suit, the skirt a bit on the short side and was toting round a real leather briefcase with her initials inscribed at the front. From an outsider's perspective she looked like a distinguished business woman. The four inch heels were the only thing that suggested that this was a girl made for play not work. And she carried herself with an air of superiority; her thin dark eyes half-lidded as if stuck in a constant state of boredom. In reality, having just spent her evening being ridden by her robot of a boss Yagiri Namie she could barely keep her eyes open. But it was the pretence that was important. Everyone looked at her like she was a precious artefact in a museum, to be looked at not touched. At least, that was her opinion. Most of the men were just praying for her to drop her suitcase and bend over. As for the women, well, there were an unusual amount of them in the restaurant today, some Kimi recognised from Raijin, but none of them seemed to be paying her any attention.
So she stood in the doorway of the restaurant and scanned the establishment for a familiar face. The moment she caught sight of the messy bun hunched over the bar, all of her poise went out the window.
Walking up to the counter, the first thing she noticed was that Nene was still in her uniform. Had she been there all evening?
"Hey," said Kimi, placing her briefcase on the counter and hopping onto one of the stools.
Nene lifted her head and looked at Kimi through sleepy eyes.
"Hey," she said, running a hand through her messy hair. Most of it had come undone and hung like a curtain over her face.
"Were you asleep?" asked Kimi.
Dennis, who had his back to them while he chopped up sushi, cocked his head back. "For the last hour lying in her own drool," he said. "She's been scaring off customers."
Nene shot him a sleepy smile, "I bought a tonne of sushi though."
"Well your friend better buy some more," Dennis said, holding the cleaver up in warning.
"Bit pricey. Sure you can afford it?" Kimi asked sarcastically.
"I was celebrating," said Nene, her sleepy smile turning into a sleepy smirk. "Plus employees get a special discount. Ain't that right Simon?"
Simon, who was serving some customers behind them, shot the bewildered Kimi a cheerful grin. "As long as Nene keeps promise."
"Promise? What promise?" demanded Kimi.
Nene imitated a poor Russian accent, "'Stay away from Izaya and you work for Russia Sushi. Enjoy all the free Russian sushi you want… twenty percent off the original price.'"
"You're done with Izaya?" said Kimi, feeling like she'd just fallen through the rabbit hole. "You're really done with Izaya?"
Nene shrugged. "Yeah."
"Whoa," said Kimi, forcing a smile on her face. "That's-that's great. And congratulations on the new job. When do you start?"
Nene ignored the question, her tone changing. "Listen… when I ran out the other day, you told me to fix us."
Kimi turned away, scratching her nose. She hadn't touched the stuff since Nene had gotten rid of her stash. The thought of looking into those dark, critical eyes again made her shudder at the thought.
"Are you listening?" asked Nene.
Kimi nodded.
"Things have got to change; you understand that, right?"
"Yeah."
Nene lowered her voice so that only Kimi could hear her. "That means no more crazy partying or binge drinking and definitely no more drugs."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
"You need to clean up your act."
"I said I get it."
"Okay," said Nene.
"That's it? Aren't you gonna say 'this is your last chance Kimi! Anymore shenanigans and I'm cutting you off'?" It may have appeared sarcastic, even bitter, but truth was she was genuinely afraid.
"There's no way I could make rent without your income," said Nene, grinning and placing her hand over Kimi's. "Looks you're stuck with me."
Tears filled Kimi's eyes as she stared unblinkingly at the counter top. Her free hand came over Nene's and squeezed it tightly. "You're such a sponge."
Their hallmark moment was rudely interrupted when a figure stumbled out of the back, a pile of boxes teetering dangerously in his arms. All of the women in Russia Sushi practically spun round in their chairs to look at him. One even attempted to jump over the counter and help him but was thwarted by Simon, who simply grabbed her by the waist mid-jump and politely returned her to her seat.
"Holy shit!" exclaimed Kimi. "Is that Shishizaki Hajime?"
"You didn't know? Shishizaki-nii's been working here for over a month," said Nene.
"Shishizaki-nii?"
"He hates being called that."
"Of course."
Both girls winced as a box of cutlery crashed to the ground.
"To be honest," said Nene, "he sucks as a waiter, which is why Simon was able to convince Dennis to hire me so easily. I think the only reason they keep him around is because he brings in so many customers."
"And you can see why," said Kimi, biting her lower lip. "I'd let him break my plates any day."
"What does that even mean?" Nene whispered to herself.
"He graduated last year right?" said Kimi.
"That is correct."
"Well?" Kimi said expectantly.
"Well what?"
"C'mon Analytical-san, what else do you know about him?"
Nene sighed. "He was the most popular guy in school, the girls adored him, the boys looked up to him, academically he did well. Top of the year, I think."
"That's boring! Gimme something juicy."
"Okay. Well, he has the same sense of humour as a five year old. He's freakishly strong, probably as strong as Shizuo but he's trained in martial arts, Judo I think. He doesn't like Izaya; something about him being set up on Valentine's Day (Light Novel extra). And Izaya gets really uncomfortable any time Shishizaki-nii is mentioned. I used to pretend Shishizaki-nii was behind him just to watch him squirm. Oh, and he likes donuts."
"I like this guy," said Kimi. "I think he's my type. You think he's my type?"
"He has a girlfriend," Nene said dryly.
"Figures with a face like that," said Kimi, pouting.
"Please don't do anything weird. Shishizaki-nii is one of the nicest people I know and sometimes he gives me free food."
"Can't promise anything, freeloader."
After Shishizaki had finished cleaning up, he came over to take their orders.
"Sorry about the wait. It's pretty crazy in here," he said, smiling sheepishly.
Kimi shot him a spectacular smile. "That's alright. It must be really difficult to deal with all of that attention."
"You should just listen to me and put laxatives in their food," muttered Nene.
"Do not put laxatives in their food," Dennis said, coming out of nowhere and pointing his cleaver at his newest employee's throat. Nene leaned back, fresh sweat breaking out on her forehead. "Understand?"
"Yes sir!"
"You're still here, Nene-chan?" said Shishizaki. "Don't you have any school work?"
Kimi scoffed. "Nene-chan's a total dork. She's probably already done all of her homework for the next two months."
"I have," said Nene, "Also tonight we're celebrating."
"Oh, and what are you celebrating?" asked Shishizaki.
Kimi leaned forwards and rested her chin in her hand. "You."
"Friendship," said Nene, elbowing her in the ribs.
"Well if that's the case, dinner's on me tonight."
Nene grinned. "Does that mean you'll pay for everything?"
"No," said Hajime, tapping her forehead with his pen, "just what you order from now on."
"Okay, Shishizaki-nii."
"How many times have I told you not to call me that," he hissed. "I'm only three years older than you."
"Three years closer to death."
"I'll bring you three years closer to death."
"That doesn't make any sense. Pay for my food."
Kimi's eyes flicked between them like she was watching a bizarre Ping-Pong match.
Stabbing Nene between the eyes again, Shishizaki turned back to Kimi. "So what are you having?"
"How about your phone number?"
Nene elbowed Kimi again. "Girlfriend."
"I'm flattered, but yeah," said Shishizaki, an odd expression on his face. "Three years... going strong."
"Looks like Nene-chan is the only one getting the guy today," said Kimi, sighing.
"What? You finally confessed to Shizuo, Nene-chan!" said Shishizaki, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. If you had waited until Valentine's Day, Dennis would have won the pool."
"I did not," Nene snapped. Then realising what she said, hastily added, "I mean there's nothing to confess!"
"Then why-?"
"What did he mean by pool, Simon?" asked Nene, turning round and fixing Simon with a suspicious glare.
Simon smiled at her. "No worrying Nene, you'll get wrinkle lines. Eat sushi," he said, tactfully evading the question. "Raw fish heals skin."
Shishizaki rolled his eyes. "Simon already lost. He bet on Christmas."
"Wow so that thing's still going on," said Kimi. "I bet on his birthday last year. It was so cute. She bought him a box of cookies and everything, but when she got to the canteen, half of it had been set on fire…"
"Oh yeah, I heard about that," said Shishizaki. "Shizuo threw an oven at Izaya."
"Three ovens," corrected Nene.
"Still, she probably would have just slid the cookies into his bag and run away," said Kimi, shaking her head.
"Shameful," said Shishizaki. "I'm disappointed in you, Nene."
Nene clutched her chopsticks with unusual menace. Before she could say anything particularly nasty, she was distracted by her phone vibrating.
"Who's that?" asked Shishizaki, sharing a conspiratorial look with Kimi. "Could it be the knight in shining armour Heiwajima Shizuo-kun?"
"They don't even have each other's number," Kimi said with obvious disapproval.
Nene blinked.
"Nene, you seriously need to hurry up before-"
"It is Shizuo…"
Kimi thrust her hand out in an attempt to snatch the phone away, but Nene was too quick, sliding off her stool and running behind Simon.
"Let me see!" demanded Kimi. "What does it say?"
"None of your business," said Nene, her head poking out from behind Simon's waist before she sped out of Russia Sushi without another word.
Shrugging her shoulders, Kimi decided to let Nene have her moment in the sun. In any case, now she would be able to spend some more quality time with tall, dark and inhumanly sexy.
"So is this girlfriend real or just an excuse to get the crazy fangirls off your back?" Kimi asked Shishizaki.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he regarded her curiously. "Nene did say you weren't one to beat around the bush."
"So I'm right?"
"What makes you think that?" asked Shishizaki, smirking.
"You're still talking to me, aren't you?"
Shishizaki laughed and it was all Kimi could do to stop herself from slipping off her stool. "Oh, you're good."
Is this Nene? Shinra gave me your number. Hope that's okay.
Heiwajima Shizuo.
Nene's eyes had been glued to her phone for the last twenty minutes at the bus stop, reading and re-reading the text. Three buses had already gone past.
Good evening Shizuo-san! Don't worry about it, of course its fine! How are you? Yes it's Nene.
She quickly pressed the delete button. Too much, she needed to sound cooler.
Hi Shizuo-san. Yes it's Nene.
She pressed delete again. That was too cold.
Having discovered that practically everyone knew about her feelings for Shizuo, she resolved not to give anything else away from now on. Over the years, she had developed a highly effective poker face. Even Izaya had found her difficult to read. But when it came to Shizuo all control went out the window. It was like she was Shizuo-incontinent.
Her phone buzzed again.
Hey?
Shockingly, the only one who had actually kept her secret was Izaya, and probably only because he was waiting for the opportune time to dangle it over her head like a piece of meat.
Yeah, it's Nene and don't worry I was planning on asking for Shizuo-san's number anyway- DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
Why was this so hard? Nene groaned, stabbing her forehead with her phone.
Her phone buzzed again.
!?
An image of a vein pulsating on Shizuo's forehead as he waited for a reply came into Nene's head. She started typing and once she was satisfied with what she'd written, she hit the send button.
Hi Shizuo-san. Yes it's Nene and yes it's fine. I forgot to wish you Happy Birthday earlier, but I hope you had a good day.
A few moments later, her phone buzzed again.
Good. I thought that weirdo was just screwing with me. You should reply faster to your texts. What if someone was dying and they'd used their last text on you?
This time it was much easier to formulate a response.
I would be too busy calling an ambulance to text them back.
Nene waited.
Guess you're right.
After she read it, the bus came and she got on, an idiotic smile plastered on her face all the way home.
Author's Note: See chapter 11 for a full note! Thank you all for reading, hope you enjoyed it.
