Chapter Twenty-One: Paparazzi

It had been weird. Real weird. He had been out with Tom, right? Nothing unusual about that. But he had been out with Tom and this weird-ass broad walked up to him and went, "Shizuo Heiwajima?"

He grunted. "What's it to you?" he asked, hoping she'd leave him alone and he could just get done with this job.

"Oh my god, it's really you! That strongest guy in Ikebukuro. Can I get my picture with you?"

Now, of course, Shizuo was trying hard. He always tried hard. Think of Kasuka, think of Tom, think of Celty, etc. etc. etc. But sometimes it was a bit too hard.

Really? Was it his fault that the chick went flying after spending fifteen minutes trying to get the camera angle right? Ridiculous. He wasn't some model. Or even an actor, like Kasuka. He was just a dude trying to live a normal life. Was that too much to ask?

Celty shook her head and typed. "Did you really?" she asked, all disappointment.

Shizuo shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "Maybe if it were you, it would have turned out differently."

"Why me?" she typed out.

He shrugged again. And adjusted his glasses again. Something was up. "Dunno," he said.

There were a few things about Shizuo that Celty had learned through the years. The first was that he was easily anger and prone to violence. That was the first thing that anyone learned about Shizuo—in fact, most people knew that before they even met him—but the second, one that fewer people had the chance to figure out—was that Shizuo was not good at keeping secrets.

In fact, he was quite blunt.

"You're quiet tonight," she wrote out.

"Oi," he said. "I like you."

Celty's fingers hovered over the keypad of her PDA, but didn't manage to write anything out.

"That's why it would have been different if it were you." He paused. "I would have waited fifteen minutes if you wanted a photo."

"Thanks," she wrote.

He shrugged. "It's just adolescence," he said. "It'll pass."

He walked home alone, even when Celty offered to give him a ride. None of it was a big deal, anyway. He would just live it over again tomorrow.

And the next day.

And the next day.

Somewhere, a camera flashed.

Celty would give the photo to the girl whenever she found her. Until then… Until then she would keep it to herself as one little token of the strongest man in Ikebukuro.

Fin