Akira swore as she pinched her finger in the necklace clasp for the third time. Damn thing. Damn bitten and torn fingernails. She managed to open and latch the small golden heart around her neck with sore and red fingers and sighed in relief. And pain. Really, she should just stop biting her fingernails.
Nah. She gnawed at her thumb as a familiar vibration echoed through the apartment. Oh shit. Where had she left her phone? It should’ve been in her pocket, where it always was, but then she had just changed into her brand-new jean shorts and before these shorts she had worn a skirt and- Aha! Akira held up the elusive cellular device, plucked from the first pair of shorts she had put on for the excursion calling her. And sure enough, the sneaky side-shot she’d gotten of Hakuba while in class had appeared on the display. She hit answer.
“Guru-chaaaan,” she replied, laughing. “Be down in a mo. I’m so ready! She’s going to be so surprised when she gets back. Also happy birthday you idiot, as if I wouldn’t notice.” Akira snatched her purse from the floor and keys from the windowsill. She held a brightly wrapped package under her armpit for the stubborn detective. Honestly.
The nickname grated him, but Hakuba only grimaced to show it. Oh, and she mentioned his birthday. Well, at least they were getting all of the nonsense out right from the start. He could only hope that things would improve from that point.
“Ah, thank you, Akira-kun. But, really, this isn’t a trip about me so let’s keep that little detail as quiet and out of the way as humanly possible, please."
He glanced toward the structure again, sighing internally as he waited for her to appear. The sooner they got going, the sooner they could pick up the package that was being held. Although he’d been assured by the shop owner that they would, indeed, hold it for another week, Hakuba didn’t want to risk any chances.
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