Chapter 20: Again
He watched her walk away until she disappeared around the corner of the building, then slumped against the vending machine with a heavy sigh. That had gone about as badly as he’d expected, but at least it was over. Now he just had to figure out how to stick to the arrangement they’d made.
By the time he finally approached his apartment, the sky had darkened into twilight, the fading light doing little to mask his exhaustion. Every muscle protested as he moved. The wounds from the fights have not yet healed.
Climbing the stairs was a slow, deliberate effort, each movement sharpening his awareness of the injuries he’d still been ignoring. The cuts stung, the bruises throbbed, and his left side burned with every breath.
Then, as he struggled with the keys at his door, it struck him—Satsuki would be inside. She’d be there, as she always was, ready to greet him with that quiet concern of hers. And if she saw him like this—the swollen lip, the scraped knuckles, the way he winced when he moved—she wouldn’t just ask questions. She’d demand answers.
Worse yet, she’d want a name. And if she learned it was Kazuma...
Haruto paused with his key halfway to the lock. Satsuki had a protective streak a mile wide, especially when it came to him. If she thought someone had hurt him, she wouldn’t just be angry—she’d be furious. And a furious Satsuki was a dangerous thing.
He couldn’t let her see him like this. Not until he’d had a chance to heal up a bit. But where could he go? His apartment was the only place he had, and all his stuff was there.
Then it hit him. Jun. His best friend had been bugging him for weeks to come hang out at his place. Maybe he could crash there for a night or two, just until the worst of the visible damage faded.
Haruto pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Jun’s number. His friend picked up on the second ring.
"Yo, Haruto! What’s up, man?"