Hori's hand shot up, grabbing his wrist with the strength of a professional wrestler.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she screamed, her voice cracking.
Kashima jumped, his heart nearly coming out of his throat. "Checking your temperature! Let go, you're going to break my arm!"
"You idiot! You pervert!" Hori sat into a sitting position, twisting his hand behind him as she glared at him with narrowed eyes. "You can't just... do that! People will think you're a pervert!"
Kashima squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. "It was an act of kindness! Since when is checking for a fever a crime? You're being dramatic!"
"I'm being realistic!" Hori shouted, her face still red. "You should save those 'kind acts' for your girlfriend! If you do that to a random girl, she'll report you to the police!"
Kashima froze. The word 'Girlfriend' echoed in his mind like a hammer.
"Girlfriend..." he muttered in a daze.
Suddenly, a memory from yesterday—only twenty-four hours ago—ripped through his mind like a lightning bolt. The school infirmary. The smell of clean sheets. Shiyi sitting on the white bed in her oversized tracksuit. His hand pressing against her forehead. The way her breath hitched...
Kashima's face didn't just turn red; it turned a deep, bruised purple. He let go of Hori and put a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with horror.
'Damn it!' he cursed internally. 'I am a pervert. I did do it. I did it to Ayasaki.'
Hori let go of his arm, her eyes going even wider. "Why are you blushing? Kashima! Why is your face the color of a beetroot?!"
"I'm not! It's just... the AC is too high!"
Kashima grumbled, his voice a wave higher than usual.
Hori stood up on the bed, crossing her arms tightly. She began walking across the mattress, her hair flying around her. "You're lying! It's written all over your face! Who was it? Who did you do it to?!"
She jumped off the bed and marched right up to him, held his hot cheeks with her hands. "I've never seen you blush this hard. Was it your crush? Is it someone I know? Tell me!"
Kashima moved her hands away, clearing his throat desperately. "Anyone would think 'you're' the pervert, touching my face like that! Do you do this to anyone besides Kento and Shido?"
Hori stared at him, her arms crossed in a defensive cross. "Of course not! I'm not a dummy like you! Now tell me! Who is she?"
"No way." Kashima snapped, his heart still racing from the memory of Shiyi's pale, pink face. "Never. I'm taking my secret to the grave."
"Kashima! Tell me! I won't tell a soul, I swear!"
"No!"
DING-DONG.
The doorbell sliced through the chaos. Both of them went stiff, their eyes locking in a moment of shared confusion.
"Who would be here at this hour?" Hori whispered, the fun vanishing instantly. "Doesn't Kento have his keys?"
Kashima's playful blush was replaced by a sharp, protective coldness. He stepped towards the door, his hand instinctively reaching for the handle. "Stay behind me."
Kashima and Hori stepped out of the bedroom, the sudden silence of the hallway increasing the frantic thudding of their hearts.
"Who do you think it is?" Hori whispered, her pink eyes darting toward every shadow. "What if it's a long-lost relative? What if they see us here together and call the police for trespassing?!"
Kashima stopped dead on the floor, looking back at her with a flat, unimpressed stare. "Hori... why are you so obsessed with the police today? It's probably just Mr. Kamitani or a neighbor."
"Sorry." she whispered, following him. But two steps later, she grabbed his sleeve. "Wait! What if it's a burglar? Someone who knows the Kamitanis are out and came to rob the place!"
Kashima stopped again, closing his eyes and pressing a palm to his forehead with a heavy sigh. "A burglar ringing the doorbell? That's very polite of them."
"I'm being practical!" Hori grumbled. "We need a weapon!"
"Fine." Kashima muttered, waving a hand towards the room. "Bring me something. Anything."
Hori ran back into Kento's room like a wind. Kashima waited in the hallway, his ears ringing as the doorbell suddenly began to scream.
DING-DONG!
DING-DONG!
DING-DONG!
The sound was continuous, followed by a heavy, rhythmic thudding—the sound of someone throwing their weight against the wood. A muffled, desperate voice came through the door, shouting something unintelligible through the thick wood.
"Hori! Hurry up!" Kashima shouted, his cool pace finally cracking.
Hori came out and gave a heavy object into his hands. Kashima looked down. It was Kento's aluminum baseball bat. He looked at the bat, then at Hori, then back at the bat.
"Seriously?" he muttered.
"It's the best I could find!" Hori defended herself, holding her own weapon high: a glass bottle of expensive French perfume. "If he gets close, I'll blind him with 'Midnight Jasmine'!"
RRRRIIIIIIIIING—!
The doorbell didn't just ring; it screamed as if someone was leaning their entire body weight against the button.
Kashima gripped the bat, his knuckles turning white as he moved down the stairs, his feet clicking softly on the wood. Hori crept behind him, the perfume bottle held like a grenade.
They reached the entrance. Kashima leaned forward, looking through the tiny peephole.
Outside, the world was a colour of uneven blue and grey. He saw a figure. Deep blue hair, messy and damp, pressed nearly against the lens. The person was panting, shoulders heaving in a rhythmic, desperate motion.
Kashima's heart sank into his stomach. 'Oh, we are so done for...' he thought.
"Open the door!" the voice outside shouted, clear and furious now. "This is my last warning, you bastards! Open up or I'm breaking the hinges off!"
Hori's eyes went wide. "That voice... wait, I know that voice!"
Before she could finish, Kashima turned the lock and pulled the door open with a sharp clack.
The speed was too much. Standing on the ground with one leg raised high, ready to deliver a classic Kirishima-style kick to the door, was none other than Shido Kirishima.
He was a mess. His deep blue hair was glued to his forehead with sweat, his T-shirt was wrinkled, and his chest was moving so hard his ribs looked like they might snap. He looked like he had just run through a hurricane.
For a second, the three of them stood in a frozen trio of pure absurdity. Shido with his foot in the air, Kashima with a baseball bat raised over his shoulder, and Hori aiming a bottle of perfume at Shido's face.
"Kashima...?" Shido asked, his leg dropping heavily back to the ground as he gasped for air.
"Shido?!" Hori cried out from behind Kashima, her arm finally lowering.
"Why..." Shido bent over, hands on his knees, his voice filled with exhaustion. "Why are you two... armed for a war?"
Shido stumbled, his legs shaking from exhaustion. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and looked up, only to find the tip of an aluminum bat inches from his face.
He blinked, his gaze traveling from the metal to Kashima's stony face.
"Is that... Kento's baseball bat?" Shido asked, tilting his head in confusion. He looked at Kashima's school uniform, then back at the bat. "What, were you planning on sneaking out for a night game or something? You're a bit overdressed for the game, don't you think?"
"It's not—we weren't—" Kashima stated, his cool tone crumbling as he tried to find a dignified way to explain why he was armed like a street thug.
But Shido's attention had already shifted. His blue eyes locked onto the small glass bottle gripped in Hori's trembling hand. In one swift motion, he snatched the 'Midnight Jasmine' from her.
"Hey! Where did you get this?" Shido's voice became loud as he inspected the bottle. "This was the birthday gift Tamiko gave me! I've been looking for this since three days!"
Hori's jaw dropped. She looked at the perfume, then at Shido's accusing face, and felt a wave of heat rush to her cheeks. "I—I'm so sorry, Shido! I just grabbed the first thing that looked heavy and glass-like in Kento's room!"
"In Kento's room?" Shido's eyes widened, and he let out a frustrated shout. He gripped the bottle tighter, looking like he wanted to go upstairs and fight an invisible Kento. "That moron! I knew it! He told me he hadn't seen it, but he actually sneaked into my room and swiped it off my shelf!"
Shido shook the bottle in the air for emphasis. "This was a gift from Tamiko! Kento probably wanted to use it to make his room smell less like old textbooks. I'm going to kill him!"
"Maybe he just wanted to borrow it?" Hori asked weakly, though she knew Kento was definitely guilty.
"Borrow? Without asking? That's called a crime, Hori!" Shido grumbled, finally keeping the perfume safely into his pocket. He looked from the bat to the perfume, then at his two best friends who looked like they were ready to defend a fortress. He let out a dry, exhausted laugh.
"What is with you two?" he asked, shaking his head. "Why are you so serious? Did you see a ghost in here? Or were you two actually planning on waging a war against the doorbell?"
Kashima let out a long, weary sigh and lowered the bat, leaning it against the wall. "Relax, Shido. Breathe. We didn't see a ghost."
"We thought there was a burglar!" Hori added quickly, her hands folded in an apologetic gesture. "The way you were slamming on the door and screaming... we thought the house was being robbed!"
Shido stopped mid-breath, looking around the quiet hallway. He pointed a thumb at his own chest, his eyebrows shooting up. "A burglar? You think 'I' look like a burglar?"
He stepped further into the house, placing a heavy hand on Kashima's shoulder. "Listen to me. Nobody in their right mind would dare to enter the house of the Kamitanis uninvited. Not unless they have a death wish or a very expensive lawyer."
He kicked his shoes off at the entrance, the heavy front door finally swinging shut with a solid, echoing thud that sealed the three of them inside.
_AFTER A WHILE_
The living room was filled with the steady, cool breeze of the air conditioner. Shido was seated on the main sofa, his head tilted back against the cushion, still wiping the last sweat from his forehead with a towel. He looked completely drained, like a battery at 1%.
In front of him, Hori and Kashima sat next to each other. Hori was leaning forward, her pink eyes tracing the exhausted lines on Shido's face, silently wondering if he had just run a marathon. Kashima, on the other hand, was the picture of leisure. He was sprawled in an armchair, his eyes glued to his phone as his thumb moved systematically.
"Hey, Kirishima," Kashima said without looking up. "What do you wanna eat? I'm ordering."
Shido let out a low laugh of approval. "Something heavy. I need to gain my strength back before my heart actually stops."
Hori turned to Kashima, her expression determined. "I'll pay this time, Kashima. Put your phone away."
"No," Kashima replied instantly, his voice flat.
Hori frowned, crossing her arms. "You always pay! It's annoying. Let me handle it for once."
Kashima finally looked up, a small, arrogant smirk playing on his lips. "My card is already linked to the app, Hori. Besides, watching you try to figure out the tip is too painful. I'll handle the meal. Is a full meal, Kirishima?"
Shido's eyes practically turned into stars. He sat up straight, a grin appearing on his tired face. "A full meal? You mean with the sides? And the extra rice? And the miso soup?"
"Yeah." Kashima confirmed.
"Yes! You're a saint, Kashima!" Shido rejoiced, leaning his back again.
Hori watched him for a second before curiosity got the better of her. "Seriously though, Shido... where did you come from? You look like you've been through a war."
Shido sighed, the exhaustion returning to his eyes. "I went to drop Tamiko off. But when I got there, she and her grandmother were working so hard... I couldn't just leave them. I stayed to help move some heavy stuff."
Hori's eyes lit up with mischief. She leaned in closer, a teasing smile on her face. "Oh? Helping the family already? You're such a devoted 'bodyguard' for Tamiko, aren't you?"
Shido's face went from pale to a bright, flustered red in a second. "Shut up, Hori! I was just being a decent human being! It's called being helpful!"
Kashima, still scrolling, asked casually, "And Ayasaki? Where was she?"
Shido took a long, desperate gulp of juice from a glass on the table. "When we left, she was still at the Amamiyas'. She said she had a shift, and she'd be leaving in about half an hour."
Hori and Kashima nodded, the mention of the Amamiya house bringing a small, quiet shadow over the room.
Suddenly, Shido's face twisted into an expression of pure annoyance. He looked around the room as if he just realized something was missing. "Wait a minute... where is that little moron, Kento?"
"He's not here." Kashima said simply.
Hori blinked. "He went to the same place you just came from, Shido. The Amamiya house."
Shido's anger flared for a second. "That idiot! As soon as he shows his face, I'm going to beat him into the floor for stealing my perfume!" But then, the realization hit him. His voice dropped, losing its heat. "Oh. He went to visit... Asuka's place."
The room went silent for a moment. The air felt colder, and it wasn't because of the AC.
"Did you run into him on your way back?" Kashima asked, finally putting his phone down.
"No," Shido said quietly. "I didn't."
Another beat of silence passed. Then, Shido's eyes suddenly widened. He stood upright, his hands trembling as he gripped the edge of the sofa. The color drained from his face again, and his breathing became shallow and fast.
"Guys... wait. I—I forgot..." Shido stammered, his voice rising in panic. "I have to tell you something. I have to tell you right now!"
Hori reached out, trying to calm him. "Shido, calm down! Take a breath. We're not going anywhere. Just tell us patiently."
Kashima sat up, his blue eyes sharp and focused. "What is it, Kirishima? You're acting like the house is on fire."
Shido opened his mouth to speak, his eyes full of a frantic, desperate urgency—
DING-DONG!
The sound of the doorbell echoed through the living room, sharp and strange.
Everyone froze, their eyes snapping toward the hallway door.
"Is that the food on the door?" Shido asked, his voice shaking.
"No way." Kashima said, checking his phone. "The order hasn't even been dispatched yet."
Hori's grip on the sofa tightened. Her pink eyes were wide with a sudden, genuine fear. "Maybe it really is a burglar this time?"
The three of them looked at each other, the silence of the house suddenly feeling very, very dangerous.
The doorbell rang again, a sharp, impatient sound that made the air in the living room vibrate. Shido gulped, his eyes darting towards the hallway.
"Go check it." Kashima whispered, his voice low and steady. He had his phone out, his thumb stood just a few centimeters above the emergency call button.
"Don't go mad!" Shido grumbled, his voice cracking. "Stop trying to scare me!"
"I'm serious, Shido," Hori whispered, her pink eyes wide as she gripped the sofa cushion. "What if it's really someone dangerous?"
That was the breaking point for Shido's scared nerves. He let out a panicked yelp and ran from the living room, sprinting toward the hallway. "Tamiko! Save me!" he cried, his dramatic side taking over as he ran towards the danger.
"Shido, wait!" Hori called out, chasing after him.
"At least take the bat!" Kashima shouted, finally pocketing his phone and following them at a much more dignified pace.
They reached the hallway, Hori and Kashima both opening their mouths to shout another warning to Shido—but the words died in their throats. They stopped mid-sentence, their eyes wide.
Standing in the entrance, having just stepped inside, were Kento and Mr. Kamitani.
The tension that had been suffocating the house for the last ten minutes vanished instantly, replaced by the comforting sounds of home. Kento was balanced on one leg, kicking off his school shoes, while Mr. Kamitani was hanging his suit jacket on the coat rack.
Mr. Kamitani looked up, noticing the three teenagers huddled in the hallway looking like they had seen a ghost. He offered them a warm, tired smile—the kind of smile a father gives when he's happy to see his house full of life.
"Oh, you guys are still here?" Mr. Kamitani said softly. There was no taunt in his voice, only a genuine, fatherly kindness. "I'm glad. It's a bit too quiet when it's just the three of us."
Shido, who had been ready to scream for his life, leaned against the wall and let out a long, pathetic breath of relief.
Kento looked at them, a mischievous glow in his eyes. He was holding two large grocery bags filled with fresh vegetables and meat. He walked over to Hori, ignoring the chaos, and gave her a bright, tired smile.
"I saw these at the market and thought of you." Kento said, lifting the bags slightly. "Since you stayed late to wait for me, I'm going to cook for you today. Consider it a reward."
Hori blinked, her brain still stuck on 'burglar mode.' She looked at the bags and then at Kento. "Wait... cook? For me? But..."
Shido stepped up beside her, leaning in to whisper with a small smirk. "He's saying he's making dinner, Hori. Try to keep up."
"I knew that!" Hori snapped, her face turning pink as she finally processed the gesture.
Mr. Kamitani laughed, a deep, hearty sound that filled the hallway and made the shadows feel less threatening. He walked over and patted Hori on the shoulder as he passed.
"You'd better be hungry, Hori. When Kento gets into a 'cooking mood,' he usually makes enough to feed an entire neighborhood. We're lucky to have such a bright girl like you around to help us finish it all."
"Hey! What about me?" Shido asked, crossing his arms. "I've been helping people being the grocery guy all day! I'm the one who needs the fuel!"
"You'll just eat it all before Hori can get a bite." Kento teased, nudging Shido with his elbow as they all began to move toward the kitchen.
As they walked, Shido leaned over and whispered to Kento about the 'burglar' scare, and Mr. Kamitani chatted with Kashima about a book he had seen in the study. In that moment, watching them move together—the way they were naturally comfortable towards Mr. Kamitani like he was the sun—it was clear they weren't just Kento's friends. They were his family.
The kitchen lights flickered on, warm and yellow, as the group went inside, their laughter drowning out the rhythmic ticking of the hallway clock.
-----
✦ 🔮 A GLIMPSE INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER 🔮 ✦
"What awaits beyond this page...?" 🌙
(灬･◡･灬)♡
"What, are you too 'princely' to handle a little dish soap, Master Kamitani?"
"Sometimes... I really wish Tamiko's life could be as carefree as Hori's."
----
🌙 The stars may fade, and memories may sleep...
But the Spiral continues to turn.
Until we meet again beneath the same forgotten sky.
╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )
— SakuraShinomiya