Oh, but are group projects not the bane of every student's existence? Reaching through the lines of age or grades or levels of education, even beyond such, group projects teach not teamwork, but an instilled sense of misanthropy to stretch into the generation of today.
Or, where the dog that drooled over the hardcopy of the report did twice the effort her groupmates had given and squared. Ai wasn't bitter about it.
No, no, having videos and transcripts of her work and her work alone had made sure of that. Ai skipped out the lecture room to the sound of dismay behind her and the sweet, sweet song of justice ringing in her ears.
It was a good day.
She wasn't sure if the report would net her that good of a grade but it was better than failing! Good thoughts, positive thoughts – that's the way to go, Ai! She hummed under her breath and started to rummage through her bag to find her phone.
What else, what else? She was done with all the major schoolwork for the week, all that was left was that one quiz tomorrow during her last class, then work the morning after. Sunday being free usually meant she set the whole day aside fully for hibernation, but Ai was feeling restless. Kind of. Ai really just wanted to go out because she felt like she wasn't doing much other than the usual routine.
Which…she was. Hence, why she was breaking it. She'd had enough general psychology classes to know some spicing up was good for her.
Ai flipped through her phone's contacts, eyes reading through names she hadn't contacted in quite a while. Her finger stopped at a new addition, the woman's contact number being set as the selfie they took before she had gone home. Blonde hair framing a quiet, kind smile with Ai's wide grin just beside it.
Miho usually texted in the afternoons, during lunch, which Ai understood. Their conversations usually revolved around 'did you see the dog I found this morning' and 'don't go near the alleys around that street' and 'Ai I want you to know that hearing you curse is like, wrong. For the universe.'
Surprisingly, Miho was nearly incessantly sarcastic in text like she never was in verbal conversations.
Keiko had expressed the exact same sentiment the first time she heard Ai say 'fuck.' Except twice as scandalized in execution.
Ai looked up, saw that she was still in the right hallway to make her way to the dorms, and looked down again. The small calico kitten she found just outside of the university was a good topic, and Ai sent 'Pls tell me not to feed it' along with the picture.
She could almost picture Miho's response. 'You can barely feed yourself.'
"You can barely feed yourself."
"Yeah, that's exactly how she'd sound if she was here," Ai nodded to herself, impressed by the auditory quality of her imagination.
"..."
"…"
Ai sucked in a breath, "Pretend you didn't just hear that, please."
"Okay," Miho said, walking into Ai's line of sight, and because she was not Keiko's level of occasional assholism (in the kindest way possible, she had a bit of a mischief streak if she felt like it), she honored that request with only the ghost of a smirk curling her lips.
"Good afternoon," Ai greeted her instead, brightly, pocketing her phone away, taking in her friend's garb. The usual uniform, but with a pink leather jacket thrown over the white standard issue shirt. It looked cool. Ai told her as much.
Miho's lips bloomed into a full smile, "Thanks. Going back to the dorms?" She shifted in place, hands placing on her hips, and Ai marveled at the quiet confidence she displayed. It was a far cry to their first meeting. She couldn't help but smile wider. Must have been a good day for her, too!
Ai nodded, hands splaying out in front of her, "Yeah. Actually, you know those groupmates I was texting you about?"
"It had a lot of cursing," Miho replied dryly, "So yes."
"Well—"
The crackling of a radio coming to life cut her off, a voice filtering through in a shaky breath. The words were unintelligible, though Ai caught bits and pieces of….poetry. It was beautiful but. Still. Incongruous.
Ai boggled when the static tide eventually turned into eloquently delivered haikus. She caught the words 'essential for the good for our brethren.'
Miho took the radio and started to press a few buttons on the side, "Sorry, Ai, next time," she said, already jogging towards the exit, blonde hair swinging about her face with every step.
Ai waved at her with a smile, the door closing at the end of the hallway with a small click, leaving her alone once again. There was a sense niggling at her from the corner of her mind, quashed only by the need to study for that quiz just one more time so she wouldn't get terribly screwed over.
So, she hummed, turning, making her way towards the dorm once again. She wondered when she'd be able to see her again.
Soon, apparently.
"Ai," Miho said in lieu of an actual greeting, which Ai couldn't blame her for, "What are you doing?"
"Grocery shopping," Ai answered, ignoring the odd looks the elderly women were also throwing in her direction. So it was midnight, and she was only stocking up on cup noodles and canned goods. So what? Totally normal. Nothing to see here. nope.
"What are you doing?" Ai lobbied back, at which point Miho actually grimaced to herself. One look and Ai saw that she, too, was only stocking up on cheap foodstuff
"I have the night shift," Miho defended, causing Ai to grin wryly. She turned her attention back to rack, the endless rows of canned goods (read: the only slow-perishables that she and Keiko could afford), taking one large can of sardines to toss into her basket. She side-eyed Miho with a light grin, "Okay."
Miho huffed, shifting the basket from one hand to another, letting Ai spot the two foldable umbrellas in at the side, buried by the cups. Her head tilted to the side.
"My brother's with me, if that's what you're asking," Miho answered absently, browsing beside her.
Interesting, Miho hadn't mentioned a brother, or any siblings at all actually. Much like she didn't mention a lot of things. Like her surname, for example. Ai suspected a deep and long story behind that one, so she hadn't ever pried.
"How's university?" Miho asked, and so went that chance for Ai to ask about her brother. Damn. She couldn't figure out if the move was intentional or not.
Either way, it didn't stop her from chattering. Maybe Miho's brother was just bad with strangers or something, Ai wasn't about to push. Miho would tell her if and when she was ready.
And, much like last time, they were interrupted by the sound of a call. Miho's features faintly crossed into the realm of 'annoyed', before smoothing out her as she looked at her phone's screen. The caller ID must have been someone important, because Miho's face melted into a more…grave. Lips pressed together, eyes slowly glinting harder under the stark light of fluorescent bulbs.
She paused, one foot already stepping away, but Ai waved her off, "It's okay, I needed to go anyway. See you later."
Ai saluted her. Miho chuckled, waving, before she jogged to an end of the market. She could faintly hear her conversing with someone else, and then she dashed outside, without a basket on her arm, her phone already pressed to one ear. She disappeared around the corner, just as Ai made her way to the check-out. Lines were scarce at this time of night, so she made her way to the endmost lane, nearest the exit that would take her to where Ai had parked the motorcycle Keiko had lent her.
She quietly counted out the items in her basket, trying to make sure she had everything they'd need for the week, and looked up—
"Oh, long time no see."
And nearly choked on her next breath.
Silver hair and eyelashes, framing the single eye looking down at her with a gentle light. Ai found herself gaping up at him, because really, what were the chances?
"Good evening," she greeted back instead, shaking her head to get a grip Ai. She smiled up at him, afterwards, one hand running through her hair to fix it. She wasn't going to question it. Luck was luck, and this was the good kind. She hadn't seen him in days.
"On a grocery run too?" she asked cheekily, because yes, that basket was a near perfect mirror of hers with the scant few vegetables thrown in. He half-smiled, lips quirking lopsidedly. The clicks of the person in front of her seemed to slow, and Ai shifted in place.
"Same as you, then," he answered.
"How have you been?" she asked. It had been some time since the last time they'd managed to just…sit down and talk. Sometimes time between their meetings stretched across days to weeks and each time Ai felt herself wanting for conversation. But, well, jobs. School. Couldn't ask for more, he had other things to worry about, after all. And so did she.
He hummed.
Ai huffed at him, "Oh come on, that wasn't an answer."
"It hasn't been too eventful," he told her, "I might bore you."
"You won't," she assured him, "tell me more. What was your day like? Like you said, it's been a damn long time."
He jerked back, mouth falling open a few degrees.
Ai laughed at his face.
"Is it really so surprising that I can curse?"
He blinked, then shook his head, shoulders rising faintly, "No. Well, yes. It's not bad. It's just…unexpected."
She giggled into her hands, "But cursing is so fucking fun, sometimes."
She laughed outright when his expression morphed into complete scandalous shock. Like someone slapped him across the face with a rubber chicken and told him he smelled like fish.
Of course, the longer she laughed, the more it melted into exasperated humor, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. When he tugged at his cap, Ai finally stopped, looking up to see an expression she'd never seen on his face before. It made her pause, wondering, wondering.
"Yes?" he asked dryly, making her bite back a chuckle. She threw her gaze over his shoulder, where the two people in front of them were still checking out. They had time, then.
"You didn't answer my questions, earlier," she reminded him brightly. She watched as he, too, turned to look to see if they had time. Seeing that they did, he turned back to her and started telling her about dull days in a low, smooth voice. About small things, endless paperwork, his eccentric boss, Haruki being…Haruki. She lost herself from time, listening to words weaved in silk.
He told her about his and Haruki's patrols, sometimes helping old ladies cross the street or helping boy scouts with directions. He told her about older days, his first week at his job, aimless little bright things.
They gave her pieces, small but real, to build a more complete image of him in her mind, built from silken words and warmth of halcyon days. They were solid, rooted in meetings instead of the faint impressions from random moments of bumping into each other. She loved them, these little stories.
She wished they could do it more often.
"We could," he said, and yes, she said that out loud. Heat burned across her face.
The smile quirking his lips was mostly fond, as far as she could tell.
"I wouldn't want to be a bother," she said, one hand tugging at her errant strand, "Plus our schedules are a little…busy."
He tipped his head forward, probably in concession. She scratched at her hair, lips twisting. He was one of the few friends she didn't actually know very much, and, well, short of scheduling meetings that would be shaky at best, they didn't have much in the way of communicating. Too ad that they couldn't text each other—
Oh god, she was an idiot.
Ai snapped her fingers, bringing his attention to her, "I have an idea."
She took her phone out, making quick work of the pattern, and gave the device with bright eyes, "I can't believe we didn't do this sooner!"
"Ma'am."
"You're right," he muttered to himself, amusement coating it with warmth, "Hold on, let me get my phone out."
"Sir."
"And there we go!" Ai finished with flourish, handing him his phone back just as she took hers back, "Nice and quick."
"Not really," the cashier, who's attempts were probably vast and largely exasperated, finally had Ai and Shirogane turning to look at him. The cashier raised his brows in response. Ai sheepishly grinned back.
Shirogane immediately laid his basket's contents on the counter, making quick work of the entire affair. Probably out of guilt. Ai could relate. The stare the man behind her was giving her – of which when he even got there she wasn't sure of – was giving her goosebumps.
He took the bags, hauling them into his arms, "Goodbye," he said to her, expression a cross between wry and warm.
She chuckled, laying her own things out on the counter to let the cashier do his thing, "Goodbye," she waved at him, and he tipped his hat at her with a smile, before walking off.
She stared at his back as he left. As he reached the door, he turned just a bit, "Ms. Ai."
She blinked at him.
"Stay safe," he murmured, tugging at his hat, "Okay?"
Something is going wrong. Echoing, in that small chasm between them, the lines between 'protector' and 'protected' blazing bright enough to blind her. She…had forgotten it was there.
And just like that, the warmth of small stories and Haruki and paperwork left Ai in a single gust of wind. She nodded. She waved as he left, for real this time.
Paperwork, eccentric bosses, Haruki and all the other little stories he'd weaved with a silken voice and kind eyes and she wondered—
How much of it covered the rest of his days, if it was enough to take care of him when the paperwork dwindled because he was outside, instead, on the field where he was tasked to face the worst. A nice, bright lining to keep the darkest parts of his life under wraps…and away from her.
Something in her chest ached at the thought.
"…Nice," the man behind her said, voice jovial and still catching her completely by surprise. Ai jumped where she stood, making even the exasperated cashier's face to melt into a smirk. She turned to face the man, and was met with brown hair spiking about a handsome, vaguely familiar face.
"What do you mean?" she asked, curiously.
The man's grin widened, dimples showing prettily, "Gotta say, that was a pretty smooth way to get a number. Ergo, nice."
Ai gaped. The cashier bit back another snicker.
"I wasn't – we're friends."
"Is that how they call it these days?" he drawled.
The cashier laughed outright.
"Oh my god."
The man chuckled, one hand raising in a placating gesture, "Sorry, sorry. Just couldn't resist the opportunity, y'know?"
Ai huffed, trying – and failing, spectacularly – to hide her own amusement. A memory of bars and blonde hair and well-lit rooms bit at the tip of her thoughts. It took her a bit, but she could place where she'd seen his face before, now.
"So, what, you thought that making fun of me was a good way to start a conversation?" she asked, turning back to the cashier. He already had her things arranged and put in two bags. The man shrugged, the movement near minute in Ai's peripheral vision.
"Maybe," and yes, that was a rather sharp canine in his teeth. Ai shook her head. She hadn't taken him as the jokester type.
"That's how you get the best people, so I've been told." he drawled.
"Whoever gave you that advice is terrible, I just want you to know." she grinned.
The man laughed, and shifted his basket over to his other arm to give her a hand, "Name's Kosuke Yoshimitsu. We met at the bar, I'm pretty sure."
After, somehow, getting herself two numbers – at which point Mr "Please call me Kosuke I don't really like all that formal stuff much" Kosuke had input her caller ID as 'smooth criminal' – Ai made her way back to the dorms. The guards were at the gates, as per usual, checking her bags. So did the guard at the dorm's entrance which, while not that uncommon, wasn't really the status quo. They were usually doing…something else at this point. What, Ai didn't know, but wasn't inclined to go and find out, really. A quick trip to the stairwell had her back in the nick of time, calling out "I'm back" as she closed the door behind her.
"Welcome back," Keiko answered, walking out the bedroom, one hand holding her phone, "You took your time."
Ai shrugged, "I ran into a friend."
"And here I thought you just got lost."
"Your lack of faith in me is really hurtful, senpai," Ai laughed, setting the bags down on the table.
Keiko smirked in response, sitting down beside her and placing her phone beside the bags. Ai spotted the article – 'string of robberies in the area' – and frowned.
("Stay safe.")
"Senpai, can I look at your phone for a second?"
Keiko's brows furrowed, but handed over her phone.
Ai read, the words disjointed at the speed of her eyes skimming over the words.
It said, "Robberies in the area scaling up in speed, health professionals victims to—"
It said, "Clinics, pharmacies, prescription drugs and –"
It said, "No leads as of yet—"
And Ai put the phone down, brows furrowed.
"When did this start?" she asked.
Keiko shrugged, "Around two days ago? It didn't really hit the big screen until this late afternoon. Like, four hours ago. Apparently the school clinic got hit."
"Good morning!"
"Good morning."
"Thanks for last time."
"?"
"I got the news about the whole…thing."
"Ah."
"I thought you already knew. I'm sorry if I scared you or anything."
"No, it's okay."
"I thought it was sweet."
"So, thank you."
"Yuichi? On his phone? Texting?" Haruki gasped, making his partner roll his eyes, even though his reaction was totally warranted. It wasn't like Yuichi actually did it…at all. Not even seldom, just at all. He even preferred calling when he had to use his phone, which made him a real son of a bitch in Haruki's eyes because goddammit calling was just not up to his speed.
"What inspired this?" Miho asked from the back of the car, and Haruki fixed his partner a smug look because hah. See? He was totally valid in his reactions.
"Watch the road," Yuichi replied, instead, turning back to his phone when it ping'ed.
Miho leaned forward, probably to try and get a look-see at Yuichi's screen. He promptly blocked it from the both of them with a hand. She scrunched her nose at him.
Haruki scoffed, "The engine isn't even running."
Without looking up from his phone, Yuichi leaned over to turn the car keys.
Haruki made a noise so offended that Miho laughed at his face.
"Watch the road," Yuichi repeated, instead, a ghost of a smile quirking his lips. Haruki huffed at him, pulling into the road.
"This conversation isn't done, you hear me, partner?"
"You'll never get anything out of him like that, Haruki," Miho drawled from the backseat, "It's been like this since we were kids."
"Tell me, then, oh wise one, how to get anything form that tight-lipped brother of yours?"
"Oh that's easy," Miho grinned, then turned to Yucihi. Politely, she inquired, "Who're texting?"
"My friend from the nursery," Yuichi replied easily.
Haruki squawked.
Miho smirked at him, her entire face basically conveying 'get on my level' before turning back to her brother.
"You don't usually text anybody, what gives?" she asked curiously.
Yuichi smiled at his phone, the expression so warm that it sent Haruki gaping, his sister's brows shooting to her hairline. He sent one last text before pocketing his phone.
"We don't get a lot of chances to meet each other, so we exchanged numbers," he gave easily, leaning back in his seat, "She's busy, so I don't want to accidentally call her in the middle of something, and it's easy to talk to her. She's a good friend. That's it."
"You sure?" Haruki asked, squinting at him sideways.
Yuichi's brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"
"…You know what?" Miho supplied, one hand resting on Yuichi's shoulder form the backseat, "Whenever this gets into the thing it's obviously getting to, we're here to help."
"Hear, hear," Haruki cheered, laughing.
Yuichi was looking at the both of them with a puzzled expression, but that was alright. That was alright, Haruki thought, because he'd get it eventually.
NOTES, FROM THE OLDE YONDER:
The names were derived from their codenames, yeah, as seen in the tags but also. I do have other reasons for naming the cells as I did.
Yuichi – 'excellence, superiority, and gentleness' combined with 'one' for the given name and Shirogane – is really just 'white metal,' or to be simply put 'silver', pretty self-explanatory as to why I chose this
Ai – 'love, affection,' commonly associated with red for the given name, and Akagawa – meaning 'red river,' a reference of sorts to the phrase 'river of life' that describes blood
Keiko – 'respect', because, well, she's a senpai combined with 'child' for the given name and Yoshida – 'lucky field' which, okay, was chosen less because of meanings but more because I really liked how common it was and I thought it befitting for a side-side character in the manga.
I guess I could include the other names some other time.
As always, leave a kudos and a comment if you like! Thanks for reading! :D
[...i wrote this entire thing thrice before i could stomach to post it lmao]
