Chapter 10

Fear

Finding rest after the rollercoaster of emotions that their night out together had been was proving a nigh insurmountable task for Majima. His mind unable to find peace, he lay stretched out on the futon in his apartment, arms crossed under his head. Ever since the unexpected kiss goodbye that Tsuki had given him, he found himself continuously bouncing between elation and apprehension.

The disillusioned part of him was trying to rationalize what had happened, telling him to focus primarily on the fact that she had clearly been drunk when it happened. With that in mind, what she had done could have simply been a temporary lapse of judgment. It would serve as an embarrassing recollection for her once she had sobered up — provided she would even remember doing it in the morning.

All the same, even under the influence, he was still in disbelief that she would do something like that — unless the lack of inhibition had allowed for feelings she had otherwise been trying to hide inadvertently rise up to the surface. She had said she had realized some things — was what had happened a clue as to what she had meant? He had doubted the possibility before, but now… it seemed there was a chance that she viewed him as more than just a friend, after all. There was something there, he thought and clung to the idea with all his might.

Rolling over to the side, he tried his best to recall the sensation of her lips against his cheek, but the mixture of alcohol and adrenaline seemed to have succeeded in dulling his senses enough for the memory to be reduced to nothing more than simple emotions, of which the most dominant was the feeling of utter bafflement. There was no denying that it had happened, however, and that fact alone was sufficient for joyous warmth he had nearly forgotten he could feel to spread throughout his body. Letting it envelop him like a soft blanket, if even for a short while, he kept her close in his thoughts and finally drifted off to sleep.

The first thing he did after waking up the next day was to check his cell phone for any messages Tsuki might have sent him. It would be a first for her to initiate contact, but, in light of the events of the previous evening, it was not entirely out of the realm of possibility that she would. Apart from one unanswered phone call from Nishida, however, there were no other messages waiting for him. Looking at the time, perhaps she was still sleeping off the hangover, he thought. Maybe she did not remember the conclusion of their evening out together after all. Or, in the worst case scenario, having realized what she had done, she was now too embarrassed to talk to him.

He considered calling her. Alternatively, he could always just write a short message to ask how she was doing. Surely, an innocent and friendly gesture like that would not make her think he was being overeager… would it? He shook his head in disapproval at his own internal struggle. Why was he so hesitant to make his mind up and decide one way or the other? He had wanted this — why, then, did this new reality fill him with excitement and dread in equal measure?

The answer came to him almost immediately — he cared too much. Aware that he was treading on thin ice, he wanted to do everything right by her and was terrified of doing anything that could make him seem forceful. Wary of putting her faith in others as she was — her trust having already been rewarded with betrayal once before — it could not have been easy for her to share the less than savory part of her past with him like she had done. In his mind, it was a sign that she was willing to take a chance on him. It made him feel special, but put the pressure on him not to let her down at the same time. Adding the kiss she had given him on top of all that — even if it seemed to have been a spur of the moment decision likely prompted by the state she had been in — right now she could very well be racking her brain trying to figure out whether or not she had gone too far, for all he knew.

No — as much as he wanted to know if it had been intentional, it was still too soon for him to remind her of it in any way. Pressing her on the matter could possibly do more harm than good at this point. There was no rush. It would be best if he gave her some space right now, he concluded. He would drop by Stray in the evening anyway if he found the time — hells, he would make time if he had to. And, as hard as it would probably be, he would act the same as always. That way, he would show her that she had not done anything that would change his attitude towards her — at least, not for the worse. If and when she decided to bring it up he would leave entirely up to her, for now.

At that moment, the phone in his hand started buzzing and beeping, the caller ID on the screen coming up as Nishida. Sighing, Majima picked up, his shoulders sagging instinctively at the prospect of yet another long and busy — and boring, most of all — day ahead of him.

All throughout that day he had been on edge. He had been meaning to have everything taken care of before eight in the evening so that he could make it to Stray just after it opened, but it had proven a vain hope, in the end. The first chance he got, he stormed out of the office — fortunately, given his track record, he could be certain that nobody would be surprised by his behavior, least of all Nishida.

It was past nine. Now that he was finally free for the day, he felt like he was walking on air as he navigated the streets of Kamurocho with a brand-new spring in his step. Somehow, the concrete jungle around him, whose every nook and cranny he had seen a thousand times already to the point of boredom, seemed brighter and more colorful than he had seen it in years. Not even the dark-gray clouds hanging heavy above the city could dampen his mood. With a multitude of unanswered questions swirling in his head, the anticipation of seeing Tsuki again was intoxicating. How would she react when she saw him? Would she even remember what had happened the previous evening? Would her attitude towards him be any different from now on?

The only thing that could prove to be a snag that day was the fact that she would not be alone — seeing as it was now Friday, her friend would be working as well. There was a high probability that Aki would make herself scarce the moment she saw him, though, so he was not worried about it too much. The looming rush hour, however, would not leave much time for the two of them to hold much of a meaningful conversation for the better part of the evening. No matter — if he had to, he would wait until the small hours of the night to spend some time alone with her again.

Overcoming any hesitation and focusing on the rare feeling of happiness that filled his heart, he descended the stairs leading into Stray. Already able to hear the sounds coming from within, he breathed in a lungful of the familiar air in which the mixture of smells danced together in a special kind of nightlife unison. Once he was at the bottom, he took in his surroundings with a smile he was powerless to hold back lifting the corners of his mouth, his gaze inevitably drawn to the lit-up shelves behind the counter.

Even though it was Friday night, which he was certain was not normally Tsuki's day off, Aki seemed to be tending the bar alone, her boss nowhere in sight. This had happened before, he recalled. Had Akiyama paid Stray another visit? Or was she busy entertaining a different important guest, whoever it might have been this time? Expecting her to emerge either from the back or from the other room, he hovered around the entrance for a short while, scanning the vicinity for any sign of her.

When it seemed waiting would not yield any results after all, he approached the counter to ask Aki about her boss's whereabouts. She did not appear to have seen him enter, busy tending the bar as she was.

"Yo, Aki-chan," he greeted the girl cheerfully. "Is Tsu—"

Before he could finish, Aki's head jerked up abruptly, the expression on her face one of absolute disgust. It made the words catch in his throat.

"Y-You!" she hissed, meeting his gaze.

Majima froze. Eyebrows down in a furious scowl, Aki had murder in her eyes. Not only was this entirely unexpected, but the usually meek girl had never addressed him in such a manner. Now, however, she looked like rage incarnate. The fearful girl he had known all this time was gone, and he had absolutely no idea why.

"H-Haw? Aki-chan?..." Majima stuttered in his bafflement.

"Out — right now!"

The situation was so shocking to him that he forgot his words for a moment. What in all hells had happened since last night? Meanwhile, Aki tossed the cloth she had been using on the counter and stormed towards him. In the face of such unprompted ire, Majima instinctively raised his arms in a defensive gesture.

"A word with you. Outside, now," she said before heading for the bar's exit.

Dumbfounded, Majima followed her without a hint of protest, his brain going into overdrive as he tried to figure out the reason why she would act this way and, what concerned him even more, how the whole thing related to Tsuki's absence.

Once they were both outside, Aki shut Stray's exterior door and turned to him, arms crossed.

"What did you do to her?"

"Wha…?"

"Don't play dumb — I know you two were supposed to meet yesterday. I swear… if you did something to her, then I don't care, I'll—"

Alarms going off one by one in his head, Majima finally managed to interrupt her outburst.

"Aki-chan, hold on. The hell are ya on 'bout?..."

"You know damn well what I'm on about!" Aki raised her voice in response. "She went out with you and ended up in the hospital! So, let me ask you again — what did you do to her?!"

A chill ran down Majima's spine, followed by a feeling of absolute terror. It was as if all the color had suddenly drained from the world around him, the joy he had felt crumbling to dust in an instant, he himself short of breath as though he was drowning.

"Back the hell up — hospital? Tsuki-chan's in the hospital?..." he breathed, trying to control the sense of panic that threatened to overcome him. His head felt like it was about to explode. "W-Why? What the fuck happened?!"

Aki seemed to have picked up on the mixture of shock and horror in his voice and on his face. Her scowl softened ever so slightly.

"I was hoping you could tell me that," she gave him a somewhat baffled stare.

Majima ignored her words. He was quickly becoming frantic.

"Do… Do ya know if she's alright? What hospital is she in?"

His pleading gaze caught Aki off guard, causing her anger to suddenly give way to confusion.

"Wait — you mean… you didn't know?"

"'Course I didn't know!" he burst out. "How the hell was I s'pposed to know?!"

His reaction gave Aki pause. She was silent for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation.

"W-When's the last time you saw her? Did anything strange happen yesterday?"

Majima racked his brain for an answer, the events of the previous day playing on fast-forward in his mind's eye. If something had indeed happened, the only time it could have was after he had seen her off. That was not what mattered most right now, though — first and foremost, he needed to find out if she was okay.

"She… She drank a lil' too much, so I walked her to a taxi. That's the last I'd seen of her. Now stop with the questionin' an' tell me which hospital she's in already! Is it Touto?"

"S-So… you had nothing to do with it?"

"NO. Who do ya take me for?!" He paused, realizing who he was talking to. "Y'know what, scratch that — just tell me where she is!"

Aki mulled his words over in her head for a while, watching the growing despair in his eyes. Seeing him like this only seemed to baffle her further. In her mind, he was either frighteningly good at pretending, or he was genuinely concerned for her friend. Up until that point, she had not trusted him as far as she could throw him, afraid that Tsuki had been falling into some kind of elaborate trap of his, but what she was witnessing now seemed real. Raw, even. She was unsure what to make of it.

"Aki-chan, I'm beggin' ya…" Majima pleaded, his voice beginning to break.

"She's in Touto — at least from what she's told me."

"Hold on — ya talked to her?"

"I did," Aki sighed, putting both her hands on her hips. "She called me some time before work to let me know she wasn't going to make it."

"An' she didn't tell ya what was goin' on?"

"No… She just told me she needed to go to the hospital. She didn't say why, but I could tell from her voice she was in pain… She promised she'd call me when she got home, but it's been a good few hours already and I haven't heard anything from her, so I'm starting to climb the walls…" Aki averted her eyes, nothing of her previous rage remaining. "Majima-san, I… I'm sorry I accused you right off the bat like that. It was unjust of me."

Majima stared at her in bewilderment. No more than fifteen minutes could have passed, and the two one-eighties she had done in that time were giving him whiplash.

"It's fine. I know the reason ya don't trust me is 'cause ya really care 'bout her. But, no matter what ya might think of me, know that I'd never do anythin' like that to her." He straightened, determination once again burning bright in his eye. "I'm gonna get to the bottom of this. An' I'll make sure she calls ya as soon as she can, so ya just sit tight for now."

Just when he was about to leave, she suddenly stopped him.

"Wait!" Reaching for her back pocket, Aki produced the notepad and ballpen she would always use at work and hastily scribbled something on the top page. "Here," she said, handing him the torn-out piece of paper. "If she's not at the hospital anymore, you'll most likely find her back home. I'll probably regret this later, but I can't just leave Stray, and I have a feeling Tsuki could use a friend right about now."

Majima tucked the note away inside his jacket and gave the girl a determined nod. The next moment, he was on his way. Frantically rushing to find the nearest taxi, his mind was in a state of panic and confusion. While it was possible that the two were unrelated, he had a nagging feeling that Tsuki's current predicament had something to do with their meeting. Something must have happened to her on the way back home — but, then, why would she not seek help quicker, choosing instead to wait until the following afternoon? Seeing as not even Aki knew the details, it could have been anything. That said, there was not a chance in hell that Aki would have been so up in arms about Tsuki catching a simple cold, and Tsuki would have definitely not needed to go to the hospital because of a hangover. Even if she had not given her friend any explanation, something in their conversation must have set Aki off — perhaps, the lack of said explanation had been exactly that. That single fact was what particularly concerned him. Why would Tsuki not tell her best friend what was going on? Something about all this did not feel right.

He had been certain that she would be fine on her own once he had escorted her to the taxi. She had said as much herself — although, the fact still remained that she had been drunk at the time. He should have disregarded any possible protests from her and gone with her, made sure she had made it home safely, he thought, cursing his inability to see things through to the end.

Meanwhile, at an apartment complex in Shinjuku, a train stop away from Kamurocho, Tsuki locked the door behind her for the day. Now that she was finally back home, having spent the better part of her evening waiting to be examined at the Touto University Hospital, she was absolutely exhausted. Touto being the nearest hospital to the red-light district, its ER was always full of patients, but that particular evening it had been hectic, perhaps because of it being the start of the weekend. A crutch in one hand, a small package of medicine in the other, and a single boot under her arm, she was desperately looking forward to some peace and quiet.

Dropping the boot she had been carrying under her arm onto the entryway floor, she awkwardly limped over to the living room and sat down on the couch, propping the crutch next to it. Having taken off her jacket, she grappled with removing her other boot. Straining, she pulled the low table in front closer, then reached for a nearby cushion and placed it on top. She slowly lifted her left foot and, with a groan of discomfort, rested it on the cushion, a small sigh of relief escaping her as she leaned back.

Looking at her foot — only her toes and a part of the foot's front protruding from the leg brace she had been given and told to wear whenever she was on the move — she had no more energy left to even be angry at herself. The pressure the bandage and the brace were exerting on her ankle had given her more relief than she would have expected them to, but the pain was still present. Despite the doctor's forecast that the first two to three days would be the worst, if the throbbing ache was anything to go by, she could not help thinking that she was in for far more hurt than that.

Peace and quiet, however, was not in the cards for her that day. Not even ten minutes later, her cell phone began ringing in her pocket. Already anticipating who it was, she answered the call without looking at the screen.

"Hello?"

"FINALLY. I've been trying to reach you for hours! You were supposed to call me, remember?!"

Aki's angry shouting forced Tsuki to hold the phone away from her ear.

"Cut me some slack, will you? You know you're not supposed to use phones at hospitals — and I literally got back some ten minutes ago. I would've called you in a bit once I'd caught my breath."

"You could have sent me a message on your way back — anything!"

"I… I thought it would be best if I did that when I got home. Didn't even have a free hand to do it, anyway… Sorry."

"What? Okay… Mind catching me up on what happened?"

After giving Tsuki an earful for having kept her in the dark, then listening to her side of the story, Aki seemed to have finally been able to calm down. Eventually, they ended up talking about Tsuki's dinner date with Majima the previous afternoon and the events that followed.

"So… there you have it."

"Frankly, I don't even know where to start," Aki said after hearing Tsuki out. "Remind me to never let you get drunk again. How could you pull something stupid like that? Unbelievable…"

"To be honest, that's… not the only stupid thing I did last night."

"...There's more?"

"Um… You know how I can get when I'm drunk, right? I… I wasn't thinking straight and I might've… I might've kissed him."

There was a short pause on the other side when she finished.

"You did WHAT?!" Aki screeched into Tsuki's ear, the volume making her wince.

"Yeah, I… I don't know what I was thinking. It was stupid, like I said, but… You should've seen his face, Aki," Tsuki giggled nervously.

"You're insane. You were supposed to be careful, not… encourage him!" Aki chided her.

"Oh, come on… It was just a small peck on the cheek. But let me tell you… he went as red as a beet. How does that fit into your image of him, huh?"

"...Not what I would have imagined, sure, but it doesn't mean squat."

"True…" Tsuki sighed. "I'm still not sure what he actually wants from me. I mean… What are the chances that it's something more than just some dumb fun and that the guy's actually serious about me, right? I wonder if he'll even show up at Stray again after that…" she added dejectedly. Her words were met with silence on the other side. "Hello? You still there?"

"Um, yeah. About that… He was here not that long ago, actually."

"H-He was?"

Somewhat reluctantly, Aki proceeded to describe Majima's short visit to Stray that evening.

"You gave him my address?!" This time it was Tsuki's turn to raise her voice. "He's already got my number, he could've just called me if he wanted to know how I was! Out of all the people I would've expected to—"

"I'm sorry, Tsuki, but I had to do something…" Aki interrupted her in a small voice. "When I told him you were in the hospital, he was absolutely terrified. He seemed desperate to see you. And trust me, I know how it sounds coming from me. I was shocked to see him that way."

Hearing this, Tsuki closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

"So what you're saying is… he's on his way here as we speak?"

"...That would be my guess, seeing how worried he seemed."

"Oh, for… Just what I needed. And, knowing you, you probably made it sound like I was on my deathbed, didn't you?"

"I didn't know what you were, so don't pin this on me! I wouldn't have been so worked up about it if only you'd told me why you were going to the hospital in the first place, idiot!"

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry, alright? But I was pissed off and in pain — didn't really feel like pouring my heart out at the time, you know?"

"Well, what matters for now is that you're okay. As for him… Just show him you're okay. Who knows, maybe this whole thing will let you get some answers? Anyway, I'll drop by tomorrow to see how you're doing — and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Sure, do what you will…" Tsuki paused for a moment. "Was he really that worried about me?"

"You have no idea. It didn't look like he was pretending, either. I hate that I'm saying this, but after what I've seen today… maybe there is something more to this."

Tsuki opened her mouth to reply, but before she had the chance to utter a single word she was startled by the sharp sound of the doorbell.

"I've gotta go. Talk to you later."

"Okay. Good luck," Aki said before hanging up; it seemed that she had been able to hear the doorbell as well.

"God damn it…" Tsuki grumbled, gathering herself up as quickly as her injury allowed her, and waddled back to her apartment's door, the consecutive, frantic buzzing slowly getting on her already-strained nerves.

If that was indeed him on the other side, she was not at all ready to see him. She did not want him to see her like this, but it was merely a matter of time before she would have to face him, she realized. Did that moment have to come so soon, though? She heaved a sigh, gathering up whatever strength she had left for what was to come.

"Whoa, whoa, where's the fire?" she tried to act aloof as she pushed the door open.

It was him alright, but seeing him at that moment made any further words of greeting catch in her throat. He was out of breath, a sheen of sweat on his temples, strands of his usually well-groomed hair hanging loose on the left side of his face above the eyepatch. His distressed expression was unlike anything she had seen from him.

"Um…" she vocalized awkwardly, still reeling from the sight.

"Ya… Ya alright? You're alright… Thank fuck…" he panted, a nervous smile appearing on his face when he saw her.

"I mean… I've been better, but, um… I'm fine, as you can see. What did you expect?"

Instead of responding to her question, Majima looked her up and down, his gaze falling on the crutch in her hand and the leg brace covering her foot and ankle.

"Ya broke yer leg?!"

"What?... No. Does this look like a cast to you? It's not broken, it's sprained."

"Sprained?... How… How the hell did ya manage that?..."

Tsuki felt her heartbeat quicken. She realized she would not be able to weasel her way out of explaining everything to him so easily — but it was not something she wanted to talk about with them both standing in the door like they were, either. She was terrified of what she had to do, but it only made sense, given the circumstances.

"Why don't you calm down first? Come in — we can talk more about it inside."

"Uh… Ya sure?"

"Yeah. I expect this'll take more than a minute and I'm not too keen on standing around for longer right now, if you know what I mean."

"'Course. I-If ya don't mind, then…"

She did, in fact, mind, but there was nothing to be done now that she had made her choice. Moving out of the way so that he could pass, she then locked the door behind him. Waiting for him to take his shoes off in the entryway, she could scarcely believe she would end up having him visit her at her apartment so soon. And to think she had Aki to thank for that, of all people. In truth, it was making her panic; feeling a slight faintness coming on, she rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

"Oi, ya okay there?!" Majima immediately jumped to her side. "Need me to give ya a hand?"

"Nah, I'm alright. I'm just tired, that's all — it's been a long day. Go on, I'll be right behind you."

Despite her assurances, he only took a few tentative steps into the living room, then turned around to keep an eye on her, his concerned gaze not leaving her as she slowly moved to catch up to him.

"Sit wherever you like. You want some water? Tea? Maybe a coff—"

"How 'bout ya stop worryin' 'bout me an' sit down yerself? I'll be fine," he gave her a troubled look and waited until she made herself comfortable on the couch before taking a seat in an armchair that stood a little further away, at the head of the coffee table.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but…" Tsuki spoke up after a few moments of tense silence. "Why exactly are you here?"

She already had Aki's version of events — she was now curious to hear his side of the story.

"I… I promised Aki-chan that I'd check up on ya. I dropped by yer bar for the usual drink, but then Aki-chan said ya had gone to the hospital for some reason. She was worried sick somethin' serious might've happened to ya. She couldn't leave work, so I volunteered to go instead, but… When I got there, they told me ya had already left, so I came here as fast as I could…"

Just as she had expected, he had wholly focused on Aki as the reason for his unexpected visit. The fear she had seen in his eye when she first saw him that night, however, seemed to have been telling a slightly different story — it lined up with what her friend had told her over the phone. Was he afraid to admit he too had been worried about her? She wondered.

"Hold on — how come they told you anything about me at the hospital?" Tsuki frowned.

"Er… It wasn't exactly pretty… For me, I mean," he scoffed, a hint of embarrassment audible in his voice. "One of the nurses eventually took pity an' told me ya had already left, but nothin' else. Oh, an'… Aki-chan gave me yer address, so… That's how I got here, in case ya were wonderin'."

"That, I know. I got off the phone with her just before you showed up."

"Y-Ya did? Well, that's good to hear. That girl was beside herself with worry, lemme tell ya."

"Yeah, she does tend to overreact, as you probably already know…"

"Dunno if I'd call it overreactin' after ya said ya were goin' to the hospital an' didn't bother tellin' her why."

"I… I didn't think it was anything serious, so I thought I'd tell her everything once I got back. Guess I should've expected she would make a big deal out of it."

Majima's gaze drifted to her injured leg and lingered on it for a while.

"Ain't it a big deal, though?"

"I mean… The worst thing about it is that I'm out of commission until I can walk normally again. Aki will have to take care of Stray without me for a while…" Tsuki crossed her arms and frowned. "God, I've caused her so much trouble, all because of my stupidity."

"Heh. Be sure to give her a nice bonus at the end of the month, yeah?"

"That goes without saying. I just hope she can manage somehow in the meantime…"

"I'm sure she can. She's got a good head on her shoulders an' the drive to match."

"Thanks… I'll be sure to tell her you said that when I get the chance."

"Er… It might not amount to much when she hears it came from me, y'know."

"...I wouldn't be so sure," she smiled. "I think she's slowly warming up to you, actually."

"Huh? Ya think so? Didn't seem that way when she laid into me earlier."

"Wait — she did? Why would…?" Tsuki frowned, but then her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Don't tell me she—"

"Yeah. She thought I'd had somethin' to do with it."

Tsuki heaved a resigned sigh.

"Of course she did…"

"I managed to get through to her, though, so it's all good. 'Least I think I did."

"Well… She wouldn't have sent you here otherwise. Unless she's lost her mind, which I know for sure is not the case," she chuckled.

A spell of somewhat awkward silence followed, during which Tsuki avoided looking at Majima. Seemingly unaware of it, she was starting to fidget. It had been years since the last time she had had anyone other than Aki — let alone a man — visit her at her home. She did her best to hide how nervous and unsure of herself it made her.

"Ya alright? Ya seem pretty on edge," Majima said, picking up on her uneasiness.

It figured that he would notice, she thought with a bitter smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not used to having guests over. Forgive the mess."

Her words made Majima take a closer look around. He had been too preoccupied before, but now that he was more at ease, he thought to use the opportunity to take in his surroundings. As luck would have it, the single armchair he was sitting in provided him with a good vantage point.

Mostly Western-style, the apartment seemed to have two rooms, a separate kitchen, and a balcony entered through a pair of tall patio doors. It appeared more expensive than most, but nowhere near luxurious.

The room they were in appeared to be the largest one. To his right was the couch Tsuki was now sitting on. In front of it stood the simple, yet elegant, coffee table, a television stand with a flatscreen TV on top and what appeared to be a video game console on one of the shelves below on the other side. Behind the couch, along the wall, were some cabinets with drawers, a random assortment of various items one would find in any given apartment placed on top of them. Through the open pocket door past the furniture, he spied some cupboards that suggested that was where the kitchen was.

On the opposite wall, behind the television stand, was what looked to be a small office space, with a desk and a chair sandwiched between racks whose shelves were filled with documents, books, movies, and other such items. There was a short corridor that ran perpendicular to the living room where the wall of the office space ended; if the width of the wall behind the desk and racks was any indication, it was possible that the second room — most probably the bedroom — was on the other side. With all that in mind, the door on the wall next to the entrance must have been the bathroom.

All in all, apart from her jacket, which she had hung over the backrest of the couch, and a single boot left next to the coffee table, calling it a mess was a gross exaggeration.

"Aw, c'mon, I ain't really much of a guest. 'Sides, it's so clean one would think ya hardly lived here."

"...Thanks. I do what I can."

"Y'know… If havin' me over's makin' ya so uncomfortable, just say so an' I'll be on my way. Ya look tired enough as is."

"No, that's… not what I meant, at all," Tsuki shook her head with a hesitant smile. "I appreciate you taking the time to come check on me. That said… Part of the reason for your coming here is probably that you want to know what happened, right?"

"That's what's makin' ya nervous?"

"...A little."

"Well… Sure, I would like to know, but don't feel like ya hafta tell me just 'cause of that."

"I-It's okay. I've already told Aki, so it wouldn't be fair to leave you in the dark after you've come out all this way…"

"Alright, then… What the hell happened?"

"It's, um… It's pretty embarrassing, to be honest."

She lowered her head, and he noticed a slight blush color her cheeks.

"C'mon, what are ya, twelve? What could be so embarrassin' 'bout it?" Majima raised an eyebrow at her sudden bashfulness. "If you're gonna tell me, then just do it. Otherwise, stop danglin' it over my head like a damn carrot on a stick!"

"...I'll tell you, but only if you promise you won't laugh."

"Fine. Dunno why I would, but… I won't."

"So, um… Last night, when I got out of the taxi, I realized I really needed to use the bathroom. Like, really bad, after all those drinks we'd had."

"Hoo boy…" Majima took a deep breath in.

"Most people who visit for the first time don't know this, but there's an elevator on the other side of the building. I went straight for it, thinking it would be faster, but when I called it, I saw it was coming all the way from the top… Didn't think I could wait that long, so I rushed for the stairs instead — better to keep moving than stand still when you need to go, you know what I mean?"

"Uh-huh…"

"A-Anyway… Barely a floor up, the booze won, I took a bad step and went crashing down the stairs. I guess I was lucky I didn't break my neck, but my ankle was shot. So, there. That's what happened."

He stared at her wide-eyed, the gears turning in his head. The next moment, he burst into hysterical laughter.

"Y-You said you wouldn't laugh!" she scowled at him something fierce.

"Aw, hell… Ya seriously got beat by stairs?!" he wheezed in between bouts of laughter. "Guess that tracks… Ya can't win no matter how hard you'd try to punch 'em…"

A sour expression on her face, Tsuki was now stewing in her mounting irritation and embarrassment both.

"Yeah, go on, laugh it up, why don't you! I could've killed myself, but the most important part is that it was on the stairs?!"

He stopped abruptly, his eye going wide and expression turning serious.

"Hold on — don't tell me ya actually didn't make it an' ended up pis—"

"I DID NOT," she interrupted him before he could finish the thought. "I gathered myself up, limped back and took the elevator… I made it in time."

"Would ya tell me if ya hadn't?"

"...Probably not."

"Figures," he chuckled one last time, seeing the grimace on her face. "Well, puttin' that aside… Why didn't ya go to the hospital right away? Why wait 'til the next day like an idiot?"

"You mean, apart from the fact that I was drunk and too embarrassed to go because of that?" Tsuki gave him a bitter smile. "It actually didn't seem that bad at the time. I guess I was in shock or something. The booze probably helped with dulling the pain, too. I fell asleep pretty much the moment my head hit the pillow. But then, when I woke up today, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I noticed I had some bruises, but it turned out that the biggest issue was that I suddenly couldn't put any weight on my foot. That's when I saw it was swollen and bruised. I got some ice for it, put it up, but it didn't look like it was going to get better any time soon…"

"An' that's when ya decided to go see a doctor an' called Aki-chan?"

"Yeah… I knew I wouldn't be able to come to work like that, so I had to let her know. I was in pain and scared that it might be much more serious than I'd thought. When the doctor saw me at the ER, he immediately sent me to have the ankle x-rayed to see just how bad it was. Fortunately, it could've been much worse, from what he told me, so there's always that…"

"Ya oughta thank yer lucky stars that's all ya walked away with, as much as it still sucks. Like ya said, ya coulda not walked away from it at all. Now that I think 'bout it, I'm startin' to regret laughin' at ya like that…"

It was a truly terrifying thought — for the both of them.

"I… I don't even want to think about what could've been anymore."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to get ya even more down… I'm just glad you're alright, all things considered, is what I'm tryin' to say."

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. The concern painting itself on his face now seemed genuine, the softness of his gaze making her forget about the pain in her ankle for a blissful second.

"Th-Thank you… I appreciate that," she said, having returned to her senses.

"That all said, ya really went an' did it this time, eh?" Shoulders sagging, he shook his head in exasperation. "How long ya gonna be out for?"

"Depending on how it goes, I should be able to walk again in a week, maybe a bit longer. As for when it'll be fully healed… A month? Could be more. It's really hard to say…"

"Ain't that just lovely. Say, how in the world did ya even manage to wreck yer ankle so bad in those heavy boots of yers? Ain't they supposed to prevent that kinda shit from happenin'?"

"They're made to dish out the pain when I fight, but they're not exactly military grade… Who knows, maybe I'd have a cast instead of a brace now without them."

"Well, when ya put it that way…" Majima paused to think. "So you're stuck at home for the whole week straight, huh?"

"That would be the gist of it," she nodded. "So… if you want to get a drink at Stray in the meantime, I'll have to leave you in Aki's capable hands, I'm afraid."

Mouth agape, Majima appeared taken aback.

"Haw?… Th-That ain't what I'm worried 'bout! Ya really think I visit 'cause of the drinks?" He paused abruptly, as though he had realized something. "I-I mean… That is one of the reasons, but…"

He decided to stop before he could dig himself even deeper. Feeling her inquisitive gaze on himself, his heart was picking up pace. Before Tsuki had the chance to form her next words, however, the awkward silence was suddenly broken by a loud rumbling noise.

"...Huh? What the—"

He blinked at her sheepishly, then stared straight at her in bafflement, and saw that she quickly fixed her eyes on her folded hands in her lap, lips now a straight line, cheeks growing redder by the second.

"I-I'm sorry…"

As unexpected as it had been, he was nevertheless thankful for this turn of events. He looked at her with a pitiful smile on his face.

"Don't tell me ya ain't had anythin' to eat all day."

"I, um… didn't have much time… to think about it," she muttered under her breath.

"Seriously… You're a bigger goof than I woulda expected," he heaved a long sigh. "How are ya s'pposed to heal an' get yer strength back if ya ain't gonna eat?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" she pouted in response. "I'll make myself something later. It's really not that big of a deal."

"Like hell ya will. You'll keel over 'fore ya even finish, at this rate."

"No, I won't."

"Hmph. Stubborn as always. Alright." Out of the blue, he stood up and rolled his shoulders nonchalantly. "Seein' as I'm already here — an' I still got two workin' legs — might as well make myself useful. I'm gonna pop out quick an' get ya somethin'. There any good joints that do takeout 'round here?"

"What?! Are you out of your mind?!" Tsuki protested, glaring at him in disbelief. "There's absolutely no need for you to do that!"

"'Fraid this ain't negotiable."

"But—!"

"No buts. How do ya plan to stop me anyway? Ya gonna beat me with that crutch of yers?" he gave her a mischievous smirk.

"...I could do that, actually — my arms are fine, after all."

"Pfft. I'd like to see ya try — ya wouldn't even be able to catch me, nevermind get a hit in," he guffawed. "At any rate… Majima Goro Food Delivery Service is now acceptin' orders! C'mon — get 'em in before the limited-time offer expires!" he flexed comically. "So? Anythin' nearby that would tickle yer fancy?"

There was a somewhat suppressed snort of laughter from where she was sitting. Even redder in the face than before, Tsuki looked away, but he could still see she was smiling. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, with an audible hint of embarrassment.

"There's… a soba place not far from here, near the main street. They're usually open until late…"

Reluctant as she was to accept his generous offer, she knew it was probably the best option she had at that moment. That and the fact his antics had made it quite hard for her to refuse.

"Gotcha. But if it's closed by the time I get there, you're gettin' whatever else I can find. No complainin'."

"I wouldn't dare."

"Oh an'... one more thing. Think ya can manage to get the door?"

"Yes. I can still do that much, believe it or not," she smirked.

"Good, then I'm off. Hang tight."

He was out the door in less than a minute, leaving a stupefied Tsuki to wonder what in the world had just happened.

A single short buzz of the doorbell announced Majima's return some twenty minutes later. His fear for her well-being allayed, he gave her ample time to slowly reach the door and unlock it, unlike earlier that evening.

This time, she greeted him with a smile — but something felt off. For whatever reason, he seemed troubled, uncertain. It did not appear he intended to come back in, standing still an arm's length away from her.

"Everything okay?" she asked, concerned by this sudden change.

"Er… Yeah. Got some funny looks at first, but that was it. Guess folks ain't that used to yakuza showin' up at their shops 'round here like they are back in Kamurocho, huh?"

"That… might be the case, yeah. We may not be that far from Kamurocho, but yakuza are a pretty rare sight here, from what I know."

"Thought so. Anyway, here ya go."

He extended his arm towards her and passed her a small semi-translucent bag containing the neatly packed soba. Taking it from him, Tsuki noted that it was much lighter than she had anticipated. She took a peek inside.

"Wait — you only bought one set?…" she said, having confirmed her suspicions. "Didn't you feel like getting one for yourself, too?"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout me," he replied, bashfully scratching his head. "It's gettin' late — figured it was time I headed back anyway… Ain't gonna take up any more of yer time than I already have today."

The tiny spark he had seen in her eyes seemed to fizzle out the moment he said that.

"Oh, okay… In that case… Thank you. You've really helped me out by doing this."

"Naw, don't mention it — least I coulda done. Well, then… Enjoy yer meal an' finally get some rest, yeah? Be seein' ya."

With a quick wave of his hand, he made his way down the external corridor towards the stairs. The bag with the soba inside in her hand, Tsuki followed him with her gaze all the way until he disappeared around the corner, a new kind of sorrow beginning to well up inside her.