sometime in the future

"Yuuji, what the fuck?!"

"There wasn't any other choice, aniki! I had to, otherwise they were going to tear us apart."

"What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck…"

"Why are you upset? Everything's better now."

"How? How was killing Suguru's newest recruit a good fucking idea?!"

"Wipe that stupid ass smile off your face, Toge. This shit ain't funny."

"It's not? The body is literally in the middle of my family's practice. My lawyer family."

"That's not my fucking fault!"

"You touch me again, I'll fucking kill you."

"Chill the fuck out! We can't be fighting each other right now. We've gotta… move it somewhere."

"Let the guy who killed him clean it up. Since he calls the shots now."

"I thought this was what you wanted…? What did I do wrong, aniki?"

"Everything."

"Relax, oyabūn… we'll figure something out."

"Hey, Sato, what's taking… so long…"

"Great. What the fuck is she doing here?"

"Mu, you need to go back outside."

"He's… he's dead."

"Muna! Go back outside."

"Sato, what's going on?!"

the present

She scrolled through her photos in an effort to find a specific shirt cut to show the seamstress. Her younger sister never picked the right fit for her body, though Muna was sure she did it so Muna would make a fuss over it, as she always did.

There wasn't any reason she didn't just know by now, as they'd been school shopping on their own for the past couple of years.

'I should've left her at home. She does this every single time… Finding any little thing to stop the show to convince anyone who's around she's so different. Every shirt in her closet is the same specific cut, so she'd never have to go through this again. Yet here we are.'

Muna clicked on the photo of a girl holding up a pale pink shirt, but the photo directly below was enlarged instead.

Her glassy, distant eyes gazed back at her. That vacant smile. His arm around her. Their clear faces pressed up against each other. She hadn't forgotten how he felt inside of her, and neither had she forgot how stupid she felt thinking an orgasm meant she was in love.

Heat prickled over her arms as blood rushed under her skin. She had a mind to throw her phone.

"Muna?"

Her eyes popped open in surprise, "Yeah? Oh, the shirt. Hold on."

Quickly, she minimized the photo and made sure to tap the middle of the photo with her index finger.

Her sister laughed, "Onee-chan, are you alright?"

"Yeah." She held out her phone to display the photo of the shirt.

Her sister leaned forward and eyed the photo as if she'd never seen it before. "I don't know. Maybe, that cut isn't the right one for me. Seamstress!"

"Yes?" A lady dressed in black walked over.

Muna couldn't tell if the annoyance she read in the lady's eyes was a result of her own projection or an accurate reflection.

"Michi, your closet is filled with shirts cut exactly to this length. Can we just get this over with already? You and I both know you had no intentions of actually getting a new fit today."

Michiko pouted, "Don't be annoying. Mom stressed we've gotta make a good impression this year."

Muna looked off to the side and folded her arms, "She stressed that you have to make a good impression this year."

'I've got nothing to do with it.'

The comment was muttered under her breath, but she could infer by Michiko's fallen shoulders that she'd heard it.

"Actually, I'm not going to be getting a custom fit today." Michiko's voice lost it's brightness. "We don't have the time. My sister and I have to get going."

The corners of the seamstress' smile stretched further and it seemed to Muna as if she'd pop. Michiko didn't notice as she was already changing in the fitting rooms, and it wasn't like she'd care if she had seen the strained grin.

"No worries at all, Ningyouji-sama." She turned towards Muna and bowed, "I hope you and your sister had a good experience here today, and do be sure to give my pleasantries to your mother."

"Of course. Thank you, Minamura-san."

'Every. Single. Time.'

Nobie: hows shopping with akuma

Muna: horrible. call you later

Nobie: ok

Michiko returned from the fitting room in a fitted crop top, reapplying her lip gloss.

"Ah, this has been so fun with you, onee-chan!" She bent down and picked up her shopping bags, many of them were small and pink with pastel tissue paper sticking out of the top. "I'm ready if you are!"

Muna picked up a bag and began the forward march out of the store. "Finally."

"Oh, come on!" Michiko's bags crashed into Muna's legs as she slung her arm around her neck. "Admit it— you enjoyed this, too! I'm not so bad after all, am I?"

Muna's flat face gave way to an incredulous smile, "You're serious?"

'She can't be that delusional.'

"Muna." Michiko stopped just before the doors and stared at her. "I'm only going to mention this once and I'm not getting into an argument about it. Let the past go. Okay?"

Muna bit the inside of her cheek, "What makes you think I'm holding onto it?"

"I'm not looking for an argument."

"I'm not arguing with you!"

Michiko's nostrils flared, "Yes, you are!"

The two employees who held the doors open gave each other amused looks out of the corners of their eyes.

"You are so fucking impossible."

Muna whipped her phone out of her pocket and stormed out of the store, eyes glued to the screen. The letters were a flurry of anger as she texted, desperate to be anywhere but the mall.

'Why do I do this to myself? Why did I call myself being nice and hanging out with that—'

"Ah!"

Her phone shot right out of her hand as she collided right into another shopper. The cracked screen spun in a whirl on the tiled floor, the patches of reflected light catching in the cracks as it spiraled. Some black pieces of glass had already fallen out of the frame, while tiny pieces of dust nested in the crevices.

"Ey!? Watch where you're fucking going!"

He bent down and picked up her phone, "If you weren't looking at your phone, you would've seen me."

"Am I the only one responsible for avoiding people? Don't you have eyes?"

It was only then she saw them. Wide open. Inviting. Almost infinite space. How is it she wanted to know everything about him from one look?

He grinned, "See something you like?"

"Fuck off." Muna glowered at him and lunged for her phone, but he held it out of reach high above her head.

"Ah, ah! You've got to be nice to me to get this back."

"Cut it out!" Muna stepped forward and made a grab for the phone, but at the last second he stepped back.

'Who does this asshole think he is?'

A young man with reddish hair ran to join them, "Aniki! Are you alright, what's happened?"

"Everything's fine, Yuuji." The white-haired man said. "Go wait for me by the car. I'll be out soon."

"Alright." Yuuji glared at Muna and headed off.

The hairs on Muna's neck stood up as she watched him leave.

'Jeez, is that his boyfriend? Why'd he look at me like that?'

She reached for her phone again, "Give it!"

"Ah, ah, ah." He grabbed her wrist and leaned in, "What are you so angry for? You ran into me."

Muna shut her eyes and let out a deep sigh, "An apology. Is that what you want?"

"It could only help."

Muna didn't say a word and shook her hand out of his warm grip. She wasn't going to admit it, and maybe she didn't have to, but she was charmed by the look of him. His demeanor was rougher than she was used to, sure, but she admired his brazenness, inappropriate as it might be. It stirred something in her. Something she thought she'd lost.

The phone buzzed. He tried to unlock it, but the screen shook in rejection.

"Michiko's texting you. Who's that? I wonder what it says."

Muna stood with an arm akimbo, "Look, just give me my phone, okay? I'm sorry. Are you happy now?"

"No. I've just decided an apology won't cut it." His lips curved into a boyish smile.

"Yeah. Of course it won't, 'cause you're a dickhead. What now?"

He slid her phone in his back pocket and replaced it with his own. "Give me your number. As soon as I call and your phone rings, I'll give it back."

'I'll just change my number when he's done with his little game.'

"Sure."

She watched as his slender fingers typed in the number and pressed call, quickly looking away as he brought his phone up to his ear. He shifted his weight to his other foot and surveyed the landscape. He seemed well at ease with himself.

"Oh," he took her phone out of his pocket and displayed it like a trophy. "Look who's calling!"

Muna snatched her phone from him and declined the call. "Dickhead."

Michiko: I'm sitting out on some cold ass bench can you please hurry up?

Muna: sorry I'm on my way

"See you around!" His voice tapered off as she hurried towards the parking garage.

She wanted to take another look at him, to see those piercing eyes and his clear face, but she steeled her resolve and pressed forward. He was a stranger, no matter how nice he looked or how much he intrigued her. That was all he was ever going to be. Muna wasn't interested in new or exciting. Routine had become her drug of choice in the past year and he didn't fit.

–– * ––

"You excited for tomorrow?" Nobara held her head on her hand. "I just bought these new earrings I want to wear."

"Are you wearing them now?" Muna looked at her ears.

"No! I want to surprise you. There's so many different looks I'm going to wear this year."

Muna dipped the dumpling in soy sauce, "I'm looking forward to it."

"So, tell me about this guy." She put her head on the table and watched Muna with knowing eyes.

Muna's shoulders tensed. "What do you mean?"

"The crazy hot guy who took your phone."

Muna shrugged, "There's not much to say."

"Then why'd you bring him up?"

"I did? I don't know. Because it happened, I guess." Muna stirred her sauce. "It wasn't really anything."

"The first thing out of your mouth when you got here was, 'Nobie, I need to tell you about this guy I met!'" A toothy grin developed on her face. "But nothing happened, as you say."

"I'm just a bit conflicted is all. I mean, yeah he's attractive but I felt drawn to him. On a deeper level. I didn't want to be away from him."

Nobara's eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

"Well. I know that sounds weird." Muna blushed. "Is that possible? I mean, I'd just met him. It's infatuation. Like in the movies! It was nothing."

Nobara sat up and tilted her head to the side, "Wow. You won't even let yourself have a crush on a guy. You're so cautious, Mu-chan. It was a hot guy. That's all. You said you were gonna change your number anyway."

Muna put her chopsticks down and held her hands in her lap. "Well… I didn't."

"Did he seem like a murderer?"

"Nobara!"

"Did he?"

"No. I mean he was annoying."

"You two can bond over that. Text him."

Muna grit her teeth, "What if I deleted his number?"

"Text him!"

"What do I say?"

Nobara shrugged, "Obviously, you're interested in him, so show interest!"

"This is so weird." Muna put the phone down on the table as excitement rippled through her skin. "People don't just… do things like this, right?"

"You're really freaking out over this. It's just a text message. You send them to me all the time."

"What if he wants a hookup?"

"Then hookup."

Muna narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"Or block him." Nobara threw her hands up. "Just get this over with, yeah? So, I can see how he texts."

Muna took out her phone and the screen lit up automatically, displaying three text messages from a new number. Nobara craned her neck over her shoulder, peering down at the text messages. Muna's eyebrows raised towards the ceiling, while Nobara added him to Muna's phone contacts.

satoru crazy hot guy: hey this is satoru, the guy from earlier. this isn't an admission of guilt or anything, but go buy yourself a new phone.

satoru crazy hot guy: Sent ¥155k

satoru crazy hot guy: how are you btw? and what's your name

–– * ––

Muna pushed the door behind her and it shut with a loud thud. Michiko's head popped up from underneath a sea of ruffles. Her eyes blinked slowly as a yawn overtook her. The faint blue light of the TV washed her pink kigurumi shades of azure.

"If mom and dad were here you wouldn't shut the door like that."

She tossed off her shoes and set her takeout box down on the table. "Good thing they aren't. I got you leftovers."

Michiko slid out from underneath the blanket, "Ooh. Pork or beef?"

"Pork." Muna opened the fridge and pulled out an alkaline water.

Michiko forewent the packaged chopsticks and grabbed the dumplings with her bare hands, dipping them into the soy sauce. Muna wiped up the specks of liquid that sprayed around.

Michiko tossed her head back in frustration, "I can clean up after myself, okasan."

Muna surveyed the empty soda bottles and half-empty bags of chips strewn about the kitchen.

"Habit."

Michiko shook her head slowly, her usual grin small and hollow. Suddenly, she jumped. "Guess who texted me earlier."

"Uh, who?"

"Remember that cute guy I told you about who threw the warehouse party down in Akiba?" Michiko clutched the phone close to her chest. "He had the weird tattoos?"

Muna shook her head, "No."

"His name's Toge."

"Yeah, I don't know who that is."

Michiko showed her a photo of a sleepy-eyed man with face tattoos. Muna bit her lip and squinted at her younger sister.

"He's got face tattoos, Michi."

"God, if I knew you'd be so judgmental, I wouldn't have said anything."

"I'm not being judgmental!"

"Yes, you are. Who cares? Life's about having a good time. Plus, he's cute."

"How'd he get your number?"

Michiko poked her lips out, "I might've made a big post about switching schools and he messaged me through there."

Muna's brow furrowed, "So, you're texting a guy you hardly know?"

'How desperate can she be?'

"So fucking what?" Michiko took the takeout box and retreated to her blanket on the sofa. "You were talking to some guy at the mall earlier, weren't you?"

"I bumped into him and we argued. That's not the same."

"Whatever, onee-chan. Thanks for the leftovers!" Michiko waved Muna away.

She rolled her eyes, "Goodnight, Michi."

Muna headed up the sleek wood plank stairs and sped straight to her room. She hated passing by the empty entertainment room, just as much as she hated seeing it. Especially at night.

It was an empty void of a time long past— perfectly tidy, for neither Muna nor Michiko used it. It was one of the few visual monuments that paid homage to the shift in their family. The shift that resulted in their mother taking long consulting residencies overseas, and their father, a wealth management firm owner, spending most all his time at his Roppongi condo.

Shutting the door behind her, she flopped back onto her bed. As her eyes adjusted, the dark ceiling stretched far into space, drifting away as if blown by a gentle wind.

She'd gained a quiet life since switching schools. Her old friends stopped talking to her, and she'd deactivated her social pages in shame. All she had were her credit cards, Michiko, and the big house their parents left them in. She was trapped in a life she didn't ask for, and it would sooner leave her numb and frightened by everything.

A tear loosed itself from the corner of her eye. The familiar heat of sorrow rising beneath her skin.

'Why'd it have to be this way?'

Her chest ached. Pulsing from deep beneath her muscle, a stitch right next to her heart. It only came at night when she was alone and hidden away. Then, the stoicism of denial would wash over her. She'd get lost on her computer or phone, and ignore how she truly felt until she fell asleep.

She brought the phone to her face, and the screen lit up.

satoru crazy hot guy: how are you btw? and what's your name

Exhilaration coursed through her arms. The message was still on the screen. She hadn't blocked the number or changed her own. She'd done nothing about it. She was afraid to engage anything new. Rude as that stranger might be.

Slowly, she began to type, but her finger hovered over the send button.

'Fuck. It's not that big a deal.'

She pressed send.

Muna: it's muna. I'm fine how are you?

'He's probably asleep. There's no way he'd text back now anyway.'

satoru crazy hot guy: tired. omw back home from dotonbori

satoru crazy hot guy: btw were you raised by wolves?

satoru crazy hot guy: people usually say thank you when they're given money

The corner of Muna's mouth tugged as she put her phone on the charger. She quickly stripped down and slipped under the covers, going to sleep without the stitch in her side for the first night in a year.

–– * ––

"Hey."

The kid next to her had been pestering her for the better part of 10 minutes without any sign of letting up. Besides the annoyance, his breath was a hot, putrid scent. She'd done her best to ignore him, but the repetition began to wear her down. "Hey."

"What?" She hissed.

'Would this kid let up?'

"You know the answer to number 12?" He started, then looked back at his paper. "And the rest?"

She crossed her legs, "Figure it out yourself."

"C'mon! I didn't have time to study this summer. Sharing is caring."

"Fuck off."

"Shit. You really are an ice queen."

The girl continued with her work, ignoring his remark and all others uttered under his breath. She wasn't about to help him get a good grade because he'd slacked off and didn't use his time wisely. Besides, there wasn't anything for her to gain in that arrangement.

"Hey."

Muna stifled the urge to yell at him, instead turning her attention to the empty seat beside her. Before she could escape, the classroom door opened and all eyes hovered over to the frame.

"Morning, teach. Sorry, I'm late."

The professor scribbled away in her notebook, "Not the nicest way to start off the semester, young man. Go sit down."

The students laughed among themselves at his informality, while Muna turned her head to see the latecomer's face. The color washed from her face as she buried her head in her binder. She stole a quick glance around the room, spotting an empty seat at the front. A desperate wish formed in her chest, hoping he'd sit there. That hope was dashed when a student suddenly put his backpack on the seat, causing the bespectacled latecomer to head towards the back.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck. He's coming back here.'

Her head fell down in her notebook, unconcerned about the striped imprint that was sure to form from her pencil. His footsteps were thunder in her ears, and she felt the tremors of him flopping into his seat as the metal pegs of the desk scraped the tile.

"You okay?" He tapped her on the shoulder, but received no response.

'It's only as bad as you make it,' she thought.

Muna groaned and sat up in her seat. "Hi."

Satoru let out an amused laugh, leaning back in his seat. "It's you."

"It's me."