Hitonari Hiiragi – The Lost Apartment Keys

"Fuck" I was frantically searching for my apartment keys which I was most certain that I'd taken when I left the door. Unfortunately I must have been mistaken as I couldn't find it anywhere and tracing back my memory I can't have left it back at the stall or the beach. I turned to face him and to all the commotion I only received the same stubborn expression on his face.

"What ya looking for idiot, you're sweating like a pig." I gave him a piercing stare out of pure annoyance. If he had lost his house keys I'm sure he'd be panicking too. It seemed to have had a slight effect as he suddenly fell silent. His eyes began to ponder around the city, almost trying to break eye contact. I looked at him for a while. He almost looked like a child standing there, chewing the polystyrene cup in his mouth and holding a red balloon with Kouzu imprinted on it, the ones they were selling at the fair. I hadn't noticed he'd bought one until now. I took a glimpse of 'Akane Special' hanging out of his bag and smiled. I remembered that day so vividly and I had enjoyed it as awkward as it was. I searched all my pockets and started undressing. I noticed his somewhat confused expression to why I was taking my jacket and shirt off in this kind of weather.

"Shit." I turned round and he looked at me.

"You lost something?"

"Isn't it a bit obvious?"

"Why would it be?"

"Why else do you think I am standing outside my house without going in?"

"You lost your keys?"

"I'm not gonna say anything" I put my shirt and jacket back on which were completely soaked as I had dumped it onto the snow.

"Just did." I gave him a glare of pure annoyance and began to speak to take my mind of beating the daylights out of him. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around my bare body. "You're gonna catch a real bad cold putting that on. It completely soaked. You're really are an idiot aren't you?" I looked at him in admiration. He wasn't so bad sometimes.

"Thanks for the reassurance…"

"You're welcome." He said, a smile creeping along his face. I returned the smile and we had a moment of silence as we just stared at each other.

"Well…I err…, dad's probably got a spare key anyway so I urm –

"Mum's out for the weekend. You can come round if you want." I looked at him with uncertainty. I wasn't used to staying round anyone's houses and I'd prefer to be on my own most of the time. To be sincere, I was close to refusing the offer as it had been made by Tachibana. It was unusual for him to make such a polite and helpful statement. My dad's house was somewhat a mile away and the weather wasn't promising. Besides, I hadn't seen my dad since the Hayamazaki match against Kouzu which seemed almost years ago, yet only five months had passed since that match. I'd seen my brother a couple of times as he was usually waiting outside my apartment persuading me to return to Hayamazaki after they had found out that I had gone to the training match. I was intending to go back to Kouzu after the week had passed had Tachibana had not talked to me as if I were some mere child.

"You want to come or not?" He looked at me once more, his face showed a sign of irritation. I presumed he was growing impatient from waiting outside in the cold. My hands were totally numb that I was unable to feel them anymore and I'd have died from the cold had Tachibana not given me his jacket.

"Thanks for the jacket, Tachibana…" I said turning around in embarrassment.

"That's not what I asked. You coming or not?" He placed his hands on my shoulders looking at me as though trying to get an answer by just examining my face. "I guess remaining silent means a yes then, eh?" I looked at him and I managed to smile a little to give him reassurance.

"Come on" He said, putting my wet clothes in his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.