13 - Vignette - Post Reaper's Game

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Pop

What the hell was with my homework? This stuff was way too much maths for me to finish in one day.

Pop.

Maybe facing the Grim Heaper had put me off the subject. I used to be pretty quick at mental maths but right now my brain was working so zetta slow.

Pop.

So zetta slow? Great, now I was thinking like him.

Pop.

"Will you quit it?" I yelled, slamming my palms against the table, standing up. I whipped around and shot a glare at Shiki.

"Quit what?" she asked me in a would-be innocent voice.

Pop.

"That. Quit popping the bubble-wrap and throw it in the bin."

Shiki shook her head. "But this is so fun. You should try it."

I rolled my eyes. "I already have. It was around the time when I was five."

"C'mon down here," she said, patting the space on the floor next to her.

"I'm busy."

"Neku," she pleaded. "That assignment isn't due 'till next work. I didn't visit you just so you could ignore me and do your homework."

"I didn't ask you to visit me," I muttered. Still, I made it a point of mine to not ignore Shiki so I walked over to her and sat down, crossing my legs. "What did you come over for, anyway?"

She gestured to the small, opened cardboard box on my bed. I reached for it and looked inside, raising an eyebrow. "It's a mug."

"Yep, it's for you," she said. "I was in Shinjuku the other weekend and it looked like something you'd like so I got it for you."

I took the mug out of the box and almost dropped it out of surprise. I couldn't tell from looking down on it, but now that I was holding it, it was clear that it that it had an original CAT creation. The graffiti design was unmistakable. Mr. Hanekoma had similar mugs in his cafe, but I could never ask him for one. That would be uncool; I was probably his biggest fan but it'd be awkward if he I asked and he thought of me as some fanboy.

Pop.

I was too busy staring at the mug in awe to notice that Shiki had gotten the bubble wrap out again. When I turned my attention back to her she quickly started talking again.

"Oh, well if you were wondering how I got it, I bought it in an alleyway. Before you say anything like it was dangerous, don't worry Eri was with me." She said that as if Eri would be a lot of help if some delinquents happened to harass them, which I highly doubted. "There was this old man - he had one hell of a beard- and he was selling random trinkets on a mat and I spotted this." She grinned at me, proudly. "Mr. H must had one stolen sometime and it ended all the way in Shinjuku."

I looked back at my mug. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to own something that may have been stolen by Mr. H. Still, I wouldn't be able to get it anywhere else...

Pop.

Shiki was fiddling with the bubble-wrap again. "So, um, do you like it?"

She was nervous. That explained the unnecessary long-winded story about how she bought the mug.

I placed the mug on the floor while she tugged at a strand of her dark hair. It was funny how I could read her so well. It must be to do with being around her for so long.

"I do. Thanks," I said sincerely, offering her a smile.

"You're welcome." She smiled at me too. "I'm glad you like it."

Oh, Shiki was pretty when she smiled.

"Neku? What is it? Is there something on my face?"

And she was cute when she worried too much.

"Er, aren't you a bit close now..."

Especially cute when her cheeks were pink.

"N-neku?"

Pop.


A/N: I regret nothing. Tadaa - this was inspired today when my dad sent me a box full of his energy-packs for me to bring home. The bubble-wrap was there...and I went crazy. It's addictive. Anyway, hope you liked that enjoyed fluff at the end! :D