Drabble 35: Daily Planner
"Mamoru left his planner here," Motoki said, tossing the small black book over the counter to Usagi. She caught it on reflex, staring down at the worn leather in consternation.
"Enlighten me," she responded. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
Motoki sighed wearily.
"Mamoru is a creature of habit. He writes absolutely everything down in that wretched little book of his. When he finds out he's left it somewhere, he'll go absolutely nuts. I'll give you a thousand yen and free milkshakes for a week if you go return it to him."
The prospect of an unlimited supply of milkshakes for an entire week proved too much a temptation to resist.
"Done," she said, hopping off the barstool. "Where does he live?"
"If he can even remember where he lives without his precious planner, he'll be at the apartment complex across the street from the Hikawa temple. The ugly blue ones."
She made a face. "I know them. What number?"
"Three twelve," Motoki responded. "I'm pretty sure he's got directions written somewhere in his planner, in case you get lost."
Usagi rolled her eyes. "I'll go right now. It shouldn't take too long. Be a pal and whip me up a milkshake for when I get back, okay?" She snickered, jogging out the door and down the street.
She savored the idea of the perfectly controlled Chiba Mamoru panicking when he discovered his precious daily planner was missing. It was such a delightful thought that she briefly considered refusing Motoki's bribe and hanging on to the planner long enough to witness Mamoru's breakdown.
Idly, she flipped the book open. His name and address was written neatly on the first page, along with three phone numbers and two e-mail addresses. Clearly, he did live in fear of losing his organizer. She flipped to the last entry, curious about Mamoru's daily habits. There were nice, neat lines through each of the completed items.
5:30 a.m. Shower and breakfast
'Dear God,' Usagi thought, 'he gets up at 5:30? No wonder he's so cranky all the time.'
7:00 a.m. Chemistry lecture
9:30 a.m. Anatomy lecture
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. Hospital residency curriculum
What an extraordinarily boring day he'd had.
3:45 p.m. Crown's for coffee and chocolate cake.
Well, that was a little better.
4:15 p.m. Odango arrives. Daily fight.
Her brow knitted in confusion. He planned their skirmishes?
5:00 p.m. Confess undying love to Odango.
It was the only item not crossed off. She flipped back through the pages quickly. Each day had only one uncompleted task, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. It went back for months. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. She swallowed hard, fighting off the strange lump of emotion that swelled in her throat.
"Odango?"
She shrieked and jumped, facing Mamoru guiltily.
"Are you okay?" He asked kindly.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine!" she gasped. "You scared me, that's all."
"Sorry." His shaggy bangs fell over his face, nearly hiding his expressive blue eyes. "I, uh…forgot my planner at the arcade. Motoki said he sent you to my place to return it."
"Oh, yes, of course. Here." She shoved the book at him, grateful to be rid of the nonsensical thing.
"You didn't…read it…did you?" His voice was low, with a tiny undertone of distress. She couldn't meet his eyes.
"No, of course not. Why would I do that?" She laughed, too loudly. His eyes narrowed a little.
"Anyway, I've really got to go," she said brightly. "Motoki promised me free milkshakes for a week to return your planner, and I could really go for a shake right now. See you!"
"I'll come with you," he said.
"No! No, that's really okay! I'll have to get it to go, anyway, since my mom's expecting me to cook dinner tonight! Maybe some other time?"
"Odango," he began softly, moving towards her. She danced a few feet away, and he let her go, shoving his hands into his pants pockets with a sigh.
"I just…I just…I've really got to go," her eyes pleaded with him not to push the issue. He knew she was confused and a little upset.
"Okay," he said. He tucked the planner into his jacket pocket. "I'll see you later, then. Are you going to be at Crown's tomorrow?"
She hesitated, watching the light in his eyes die at what her perceived to be her rejection. She took a deep breath.
"Of course I'll be at Crown's tomorrow," she said abruptly. "I've got a week's worth of milkshakes to claim!" She offered him a hesitant smile, and skipped a little ways down the sidewalk. She stopped and turned. He was still standing there, watching her.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mamoru-baka! Don't plan on a fight at 4:15 this time, okay?" She stuck out her tongue, gleefully listening to his surprised laughter as she jogged away.