０１
Do you ever have moments in your life that you desperately want to forget? You’re probably wondering why Kamijo is asking you, because he recently had one himself and there was nothing he could do about it. And the worst part was that that day still—for some unknown reason—haunted him at every turn.
Especially since it was the first time in so long he’d had such a vivid dream. It’s no wonder he was still recovering from it. In fact, he was still surprised and wondering how on earth he’d even had such a dream. Considering that he was also sleepwalking during it, and that’s not something vampires usually do, is it?
Therefore, with no other choice but to move like the shadow of the Phantom of the Louvre, Kamijo had to keep moving, looking around to see if he saw anyone he knew. Not to mention the fact that, like some thief, he pricked his ears to see if anyone had accidentally approached him while he was trying to get into his closet.
Although he was aware of how suspicious it might have looked to others, which was understandable. That was because he had wrapped his coat tightly around himself, simultaneously pulling his hat tighter against his head. He also didn’t forget his sunglasses and the mask he was currently wearing.
Although today was, as if to spite him, very cloudy, and raindrops fell from the sky in a monotonous rhythm. Willingly or not, he was kind of glad he’d brought an umbrella, because otherwise it wouldn’t have been very interesting for him. In any case, he still encountered people here and there who looked at him suspiciously.
At the same time, he wondered what had prompted him to behave this way. From their expressions, Kamijo could tell they had no clue about this stupid incident. Which, as he knew, was quite a relief for his already stagnant heart. This was because he had no intention of revealing this to them, of which he was one hundred percent certain.
Meanwhile, he entered the building and did the same, closing the umbrella he held in his hands. Carefully, he closed the door behind him, so as not to slam it in his nervousness and attract unwanted attention. He was so lost in thought that he almost landed on the ceiling when he suddenly heard familiar voices.
Voices that made him automatically hide in the nearest alcove to avoid being noticed. And the voices belonged to no one but Yuki, Masashi, Teru, and worst of all, Hizaki himself. Hizaki, whose tone of voice still indicated he was terribly angry with him.
No wonder he’d slowed his breathing in shock, secretly hoping they’d leave this awful place as soon as possible. Because if they didn’t, he’d be forced to spend more time in this place than he should have. And he had no intention of approaching them now, Kamijo was one hundred percent sure of that.
Especially since he didn’t have the courage to do it, and that was the worst part. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t sure if Hizaki still had that damned frying pan he’d hit him with that fateful day, hidden under his clothes. That’s why he was so afraid of confronting Hizaki himself, which, according to others, might seem foolish.
There was nothing he could do about it, and that was the real problem. That’s why it was so difficult for him to do it, and no one could help him. He had to deal with it himself, out of spite, and it wasn’t as easy as he thought. Consequently, he had to accept this fact, whether he wanted to or not.
„I’d rather not risk it...,” Kamijo thought after a moment, listening to their continued exchange.
He turned off the volume on his phone so it wouldn’t accidentally reveal his presence. He didn’t even want to know what they would say if they discovered he was so shamelessly eavesdropping. Which, as we all know, wasn’t intentional, because, summa sumarum, anyone could have been listening, so, truth be told, it didn’t have to be him.
On the other hand, he still couldn’t understand why they were still talking about it. It was as if, in their opinion, they had nothing else to talk about, which irritated him a bit. The only thing was how he’d accidentally gotten to Teru and then been hit with a frying pan by Hizaki himself.
Hizaki, who, he remembered now, was very, very angry about it. He just sighed quietly, hoping they’d finally give him his justifiable peace. Otherwise, he had no idea if he’d be able to handle them during tonight’s concert.
And even more so, how they would behave at the concert today was the most important thing to him right now. Either way, Kamijo went back to eavesdropping on their silly conversation. Until they finally decided to disappear from his sight so he could leave his hiding place and move on.
Which was the only sensible solution he could think of at the moment. Especially since he didn’t really want to hear what they were saying about him. But he had no other choice, no matter which way he looked at it, which didn’t suit him, which was driving him crazy.
„Let them finish this already, or I’ll grow roots here!,” Kamijo muttered under his breath, slightly irritated.
All the while imagining it growing roots, then branches, and finally leaves, and maybe flowers to boot. Just the thought of it made him sigh softly and focus his eyes and ears on them. And with each passing moment, he felt more and more like leaving this place for good.
On the other hand, he couldn’t avoid them forever, and eventually he would be forced to meet them. So he sighed heavily, and all he could do was grit his teeth and endure it. Because he couldn’t just jump out from behind a corner and tell them what he thought of all this!
Because if he did, he would only be lost in their eyes, and as we all know, he wanted to avoid that as much as possible. It was no wonder, then, that conflicting thoughts were swirling within him about what he should actually do. Which didn’t last long, because he was pulled from his thoughts by words spoken by Masashi himself. Although, truth be told, he hadn’t expected them at all, and if he had, he probably wouldn’t have gotten anything out of it anyway.
„I never would have thought Kamijo would pull such a stunt!,” Masashi announced after a moment, heading straight for their dressing room, only to be stopped by Yuki himself.
„You’re absolutely right, it’s just a shame I wasn’t there,” Yuki replied, somewhat dissatisfied, before adding, „I would have captured it on video!”
A moment later, Yuki also burst into uncontrollable laughter at this. While somewhat understandable, it wasn’t funny to Kamijo himself. This was because if he managed to record such a video, he wouldn’t be laughing. Especially since such a video could fall into the wrong hands, and that would be the end of him and his career.
„I wouldn’t blame you at all if you did, because there’s no way you’d let something like that slip by,” Masashi remarked after a moment, a wicked smile plastered on his face.
Before Yuki could say anything more, however, they heard first hurried footsteps, and then an irritated voice that belonged to none other than Teru himself.
„Yeah, what else!,” Teru roared after a moment, just after joining them, simultaneously overhearing their conversation, adding, „I know you’re laughing about it, but I wasn’t laughing at all! If it weren’t for Hizaki, I don’t even want to know what Kamijo would have done to me next!”
At that moment, Masashi and Yuki’s gaze fell on the owner of that tone of voice: Teru. It took them a moment, because it was the first time they’d seen him so furious. Which was understandable, considering what he’d experienced, and he didn’t want to dwell on it any further. Which, as you can see, wasn’t as simple as he’d thought.
„You’re absolutely right about that, but for Hizaki to use a frying pan to do it, I still don’t understand,” Masashi announced after a moment, still unable to believe Hizaki was capable of such a thing.
Before Teru responded to Masashi’s words, they saw Hizaki approaching. Which meant that he would soon join their current discussion, they suspected, and they weren’t wrong! Hizaki had been trying to find Kamijo since they arrived, but so far he hadn’t been able to. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air, which was unlike him.
„I had no choice but to use it! Especially since it was Kamijo’s fault, having a frying pan at home that, in my opinion, he didn’t need at all. Unless it was just for interior design in the kitchen,” Hizaki said after a moment, joining their conversation, and adding immediately, „Changing the subject, have you seen Kamijo anywhere? I need to talk to him privately.”
