9. Buttons
Mamoru was in his apartment sewing a button onto a shirt which had lost one while he was at the arcade, when a loud noise startled him, and the contents of his button jar spilled all over the floor. Some rolled under the green sofa he was sitting on, some went under the bookcase, and some even made it as far as the kitchen on the other side of the apartment.
The first place Mamoru collected the stray buttons from was underneath the sofa, requiring him to lift the heavy seat one side at a time, scattering the brown and white cushions (which were previously sitting peacefully on the sofa) on the floor. Sighing, Mamoru picked them up before continuing on his button hunt.
Next he retrieved the buttons from under the bookshelf, which as well as containing all his study book, held photos of himself, Usagi and all his other friends. As soon as he had gathered the runaway buttons from under the bookcase, Mamoru paused for a minute to look at his favourite photo, one of him and Usagi. She had her arms around his waist, with her usual bright smile adorning her face, and he faced the camera with a dreamy look on his face. He could remember clearly what he was thinking about at the time: 'how could such a beautiful girl like her ever want me? How is it possible that I deserve this angel?' And to this day he hadn't figured it out.
Finally, he moved across to the kitchen area. It was pretty clean, with a fridge, oven and microwave standing by a huge pantry, with a row of cupboards covering the wall. Mamoru kneeled down to pick the buttons off up the floor, just as there came a knock at the door.
'Mamoru? Are you home?' Usagi asked as she let herself in through the open door. Not seeing him, she continued over to the kitchen area.
'Mamor… ow!' she exclaimed as she tripped over her boyfriend, landing across his back as if he were about to lift her up like a sack of potatoes.
'What are you doing on the kitchen floor?' she asked, picking herself up.
'I was picking up buttons. How about you?' He replied.
'I think I just fell for you!' She said, a cheeky grin on her face.