3rd Person, Limited, Mai Taniyama
It had been a total of twenty minutes of attempting to open a single jar. The brunette once again whined as she tried to open it, using all her strength in order to attempt to open the lid to her collection of walnuts. "Come on… Open, for goodness sake!"
As much as she hated to admit it, Monk managed to shut it too well when he came around last time and offered to clean up for her after they watched a movie together. Mai supposed that he forgot that she wasn't as strong as he was when it came to putting things away, because it was like this for everything he did that evening. But, now that she was in a mood to crack some walnuts while watching Jeopardy, she really needed this jar open. As much as she hated to admit it, even the tricks she found online didn't help.
Pursing her lips, she tried to think. Monk and Ayako were out on one of their cases, and Yasu was at the library getting information for them. Dianne mentioned that she was at the church helping by offering baking services for the children. To her, that meant John wouldn't be around for a while either, as he was sure to be there in case something went wrong. And that meant that most people that she knew was out of the question. Kuroda and Kasai were still at school, as far as she knew. Noriko was writing her newest book and wanted to be left alone for the time being, and she didn't feel comfortable enough approaching Sakauchi on her own.
That only left three places she can go; All new neighbors on the same floor as her. Mai pursed her lips at the thought, not too sure if she wanted to introduce herself in such a way. She didn't know much, other than the fact that the three apartments were all signed at one time, and thus it could be assumed that the owners all knew one another and wanted to live close together. It was surprising that they didn't find out the reason why the lots were empty moved out, but…
That didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that she needed a jar open, and she had plans to go to each apartment and introduce herself anyways. So at least she had more of a reason than to simply say hello, at least for the first door she comes across.
"Okay… I can do this." Mai muttered to herself, as she looked towards her door. She'll take her keys and put them in her pocket, in case she accidentally locks herself out, again… As she wandered to her purse, located not too far from the door, she held her jar in between her side and left arm as securely as she could manage. Knowing her luck, she'd drop it, and then there would be no need for someone to open it for her.
Once she had ahold of her keys, she put on her shoes and wandered out of her apartment. If she were to somehow start to panic, she wasn't too far away from her door, so she was sure she would be fine.
Mai's first thought was to go to the door across from her, as it was the least traveling distance in regards to footsteps. She'd be the safest going there and then losing her control. Making her way over, she felt her nerves start to spike as a result of meeting someone new. What if she messed up? What if she didn't look proper enough for the occasion? Was arriving at their door so soon a bad thing? She had no idea for any of these questions, and she felt nervous. The brunette also felt bad for a lack of a gift to a new apartment owner, but she hadn't gotten the time to bake recently, and the materials needed cost money that she didn't have. She'll have to be sure to actually bake something for each apartment someday as an apology for being so late.
Shaking her head at the thought, she found herself standing at the door, but unable to knock. Swallowing, Mai took a deep breath and slowly forced her hand up. "For goodness sake, Mai… Just knock already." She felt herself mutter, before finally closing her eyes and offering a few gentle, but noticeable knocks onto the door before her.
Opening her eyes, she waited, putting her arm back down and looking at the door. A moment passed, then another. Thankfully, however, the door seemed to open before she started to ponder over knocking a second time.
A young man, who couldn't be much older than herself, opened the door. It almost seemed as if he was rushing, as he was panting a little. Mai found herself surprised by the fact that he wasn't that bad looking, though she didn't ponder over that fact as much as how his hair was messy. She supposed he was relaxing before she knocked and suddenly felt bad for doing so.
"I-I'm sorry, I interrupted you, didn't I?" Mai quickly spurted out, feeling herself starting to attempt to fidget. The first thing her free hand found was the bottom of her shirt.
"No, not at all!" The other responded, his hand going up and attempting to fix his hair as much as possible. "I take it you're my hall buddy, then?"
Quickly nodding, Mai smiled. "Yes, I am! I live across from you. I'm Taniyama Mai, it's nice to meet you." She bowed as she introduced herself, catching the jar she had before she went too far and made it fall. Once she was standing straight again, she offered a sheepish smile due to her clumsiness.
The male before her bowed as well, as he introduced himself. "I'm Shibuya Ichiru, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Mai could tell, he was acting amusing with his introduction, and she felt herself chuckle at his words.
"I see," Mai started, before realizing the reason she even came by. Her gaze slowly went to the jar in her hands, and she internally grimaced as she continued. "I-I know this sounds really strange, but… Could you by chance help me open this jar? It seems really stuck…"
Ichiru was surprised at the question, that much was obvious, but then he smirked. "Of course, lemme at it. I'll get it off in no time!"
Honey eyes lit up from his response, and she offered the jar happily. "Really? Thank you!"
He took the jar and attempted to twist it open. However, much to her surprise, he seemed unable to actually free the lid from the jar. It was surprising to the girl since he seemed to have a decent amount of strength due to the amount of body type she caught sight of. After a few, long moments, he seemed to give in, huffing in defeat.
"How can I be bested by a jar?..." He muttered to himself, before looking out of his door, towards the other two left on the floor. "I don't think I can get this open. Sorry, Taniyama-san…"
When he offered the item back, Mai took it, shaking her head in understanding. "No, I understand. It does seem a bit tight."
"Well," Ichiru responded. "I know the others in the apartments on this floor, they'll gladly help you out if you can. Just say that I sent you their way and they'll do their best to help."
Mai's eyes lit up at the mention of possible help, which made her quickly nod and bounce on her toes. "You really think so? I'll be sure to let them know."
"Good," He responded with a smile, "I'll leave you to it, then. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."
"A-alright." Mai did indeed agree that she has likely intruded on Ichiru for too long. "Thanks again, Shibuya-san. And it really was nice to meet you."
"You as well, Taniyama-san." The young man then turned and shut the door, but not without waving first.
Mai waved back at him until the door was shut, a smile stuck on her face. The interaction she had was nice, very nice, and she hoped for this to be the way it was for all her new neighbors. He did say he knew them all, so hopefully, that really was the case.
Her attention moved to the other two doors she had yet to approach, and she wondered which one she should head to next. She knew that it would make sense to go to the one that was also next to her own, but she really wanted to see the one next to Ichiru's. So that was where she headed.
Thankfully, due to the mood that her first encounter left her in, she was pleased with the prospect to meet someone else that was new to her. She made her way over to the door, and once again, did a few knocks. Patiently, she waited for a smile on her face the entire time.
The opening of the door was quicker than the first time, which made Mai happy. She was surprised to see a middle-aged woman emerge from the apartment. Not to mention, she was very pretty. She was stunned for a moment before shaking her head and speaking up.
"I-I'm sorry if my timing was bad, but I wanted to introduce myself," Mai said, her smile growing sheepish, "I'm the one living in the opposite corner from you. My name is Taniyama Mai, it's nice to meet you." She once again bowed, only for her free hand to be taken by the woman.
"Oh, it's wonderful to meet you too! I didn't know that it was a girl that lived on this floor as well." She almost seemed too pleased about that, but it wasn't something that Mai was bothered about. "My name is Mori Madoka, and my fiance, Koujo Lin, lives here as well."
Mai couldn't help but find herself surprised by how peppy and easygoing this woman was. She was expecting something similar to Ichiru, but nothing quite like this, either. "I see," The brunette stated, "I think you're the first people to be living in a pair here other than the landlords for a long time."
"Really?" Madoka was amazed at the statement. "So Lin and I are making history here, that's great!"
Chuckling, Mai nodded. "Yeah!" But then she recalled the jar situation when her hand adjusted its grip on the item. Perking up, Mai put the jar in front of her and felt a nervous smile crawl onto her lips. "O-oh, um… I'm sorry if this sounds strange, but," She gazed over towards the other door as she spoke, "I asked Shibuya-san if he could open this, but he couldn't… And he told me to try one of the other apartments for help, so…"
Madoka seemed confused, from what Mai could tell. But then she got a smile back onto her face, an almost knowing look in her eyes. "Ichiru sent you, didn't he?" Mai nodded, and the older woman continued, "Well, Lin isn't here at the moment, but let me see if I can get it open."
"Thank you!" Mai once again let go of her jar, offering it to the other. Madoka took it with no hesitation, and much like Shibuya, she attempted to get the lid off. But, it felt as if there was a similar issue of a lack of strength. The teenager thought of this situation as much more plausible due to the other's size and stature. She was taller, sure, but she could tell that she wasn't built to lift weights.
"Oh, come on!" Madoka grunted, her face starting to turn red. Whether it be from the strength being used to attempt to open what she had, or embarrassment, Mai wasn't too sure. But, finally, she stopped, glaring at the jar intently. "Maybe if I just break-"
"W-wait!" Mai snapped, eyes wide when she heard mention of the word break. "There's no need to do that, it'd just make a mess, right?"
Mori whined in her throat, still glaring at the jar, before sighing and nodding. "You have a point... " She then looked across the hall, towards the other door. "I think if anyone can get this open, it'd be him."
"Him?" The brunette instantly asked.
Shaking her head, Madoka smiled. "Kazuya. Just tell him I sent you his way and he'll have no choice but to help!"
Something about the way she said that made Mai a bit nervous. Even so, she chuckled, taking the jar back. "I see. I'll be sure to mention that you told me to go to him."
"Good, good!" Madoka seemed content with that until there was the noise of liquid hitting a stove, which made her eyes widen and her head snapped back. "Oh no, the stew!"
Mai found herself as startled as Madoka, gripping the glass in her hands. "Go get it, Mori-san!"
The next thing she knew, Madoka squeaked out an alright and shut the door, darting for the kitchen, from what she could see before it was nothing but a door. But, Mai understood the situation. Push comes to shove, it'd make an interesting start to their next conversation.
Turning, her attention went to the final door she had yet to knock on. The other two people she met were extremely nice, however, the way that Mori mentioned this person made her nervous. Swallowing, she took herself to the door, slowly. Hoping that possibly it was just Madoka messing around with her and it was some joke going around all those involved that she had no idea about.
Shaking her head, Mai snapped herself out of it. Looking at the door, she was well aware that out of all her new neighbors, this was the one she would have to try to get along best with. After all, they shared a wall, so things could go very, very wrong at some point, and she needed to be on their good side.
After a long moment of pondering, Mai knocked on the door. Much gentler than the previous two times, for some odd reason, but she didn't think too much on it. As time passed of her waiting, it grew to half a minute. She wondered for a moment if they were away, but the other two she met implied that they should be there.
"M-maybe this was a bad time…" The brunette muttered to herself before the door suddenly opened. She felt her eyes widen at a familiar sight. Even if his face was void of emotion, it was clear as day that this guy was the same one she saw before.
Looking, back, and forth, between the male in front of her and the door of the other one she saw but a few minutes earlier. "W-what? Two?" Was it even possible for there to be in two places at once? Mai didn't know anymore. "B-b-but Shibuya-san was there? And you're here?"
A sigh escaped the male's lips, seeming annoyed by the situation. "That idiot…" He muttered as he put a hand onto his forehead. "How did he get you to come by?"
This made Mai stutter for a moment, confused by the question, which felt more like a statement. "H-he didn't really get me to come by, I was just wanting to meet my new neighbors, is all!" He seemed unconvinced, and she felt pretty bad by this point regarding the real reason she wanted to talk to someone. "And, I, ah…"
Her gaze snapped down to the jar, her hands fidgeting against the smooth surface, trying to find a way to calm herself. "A friend of mine tightened the lid a bit too tightly for me… And no one I know is around at the moment, so... " She averted her gaze as she spoke. "Shibuya-san and Mori-san weren't exactly able to open it, and they said to come to you about it, so…"
Slowly, the brunette gazed back towards the taller male, forcing a nervous smile on her face. Thankfully, he gave off a sigh and reached his hand out. "Give me the jar, I'll open it."
"R-really?" Her eyes lit up at the thought. Even though she was clearly bothering him, in some sense, he was willing to help her. For the third time, she offered out the jar to him, and he took it from her. Though she wasn't sure if it was just her, but he seemed to pause in his movements for a moment when he made contact with the object. However, that thought was quick to fade away as she saw him wander into his apartment.
Curious, she found herself looking in, but not coming any closer to the door. He made his way into the kitchen, where she lost sight of him. However, she heard a drawer open, and then the pop of a lid opening. He then came back to the door, jar open. Smiling happily, Mai leaned back on the heels of her feet.
"Thank you," Mai spoke cheerfully, but then she realized that there was an issue regarding his name, which made her perk up and seem lost. "Ah… Shibuya-san? Or is it something else?"
"It's Shibuya," He responded, handing the jar back, "Don't tighten it like that again."
"O-oh, no, I don't intend to." Blinking, the brunette saw the door once again in her face. Blinking, she processed the fact that he had just done that and then puffed her cheeks, glaring at the door. "At least finish the conversation, jeez!"
Huffing, Mai turned and made her way back to her own door, grabbing the key from her pocket and unlocking it. "For goodness sake, I get I might have interrupted him or something but the least he could do was at least let me introduce myself." Opening the door, she made her way back into the apartment before shutting it once again.
Setting the mason jar down, she took her shoes off and put the key back before once again getting the item so she could take it back to her chair. She was prepped for everything else. A bowl to put the shells in, a nutcracker, and a drink. The remote was pointed towards the television, ready to have the power button pressed so that the evening of television would begin.
With a sigh, Mai sat down at her seat, putting the opened jar on the table and relaxing against her usual resting spot. "What interesting neighbors…" They really were something, in her opinion. But she supposed she won't learn any more until she met them again, in the complex or otherwise.
Hello hello! I'm back with another story and never enough time to write. This is an AU that I had in mind for a while now and I'm glad that Fanworks week let me have a chance to get started on it with one of its prompts! There are cameos of some minor characters, and also one other cameo of someone that I absolutely adore, but I'll let leave that for another chapter to talk about.
This fanfiction, as much as I hate to say this, will be extremely sporadic and will only update when I have the time. Not only do I have a long-term fanfiction out right now, but I have other stories that I wanna get done for Fanworks week! So if you enjoy where this might go, I'd really like it if you followed just so that you can see when it gets updated, as I have no set schedule for this.
But for now, until the next chapter, I hope you enjoy what I gave you!