"I think we need more milk."
"We have so much milk."
"I think we may need more milk, Alice." You repeated, dragging out the 'I.'
"You're so weird."
"They're not weird," Reko said, "Just attracted to the skinny n scrawny cashier at 7-Eleven."
"I am not. Also, he is not skinny nor scrawny."
"Oh, yes he is." Reko looked at you like you were crazy, "I stopped by after class today so I could get a look at 'em." We were all in the living room, and Reko was hanging upside down off the sofa's arm.
"You robbed him of his umbrella."
"I forgot about his umbrella." You said, suddenly standing up. "Bye guys."
"Where do you think you're going?" Reko returned to an upright position, holding her head when nausea from being upside down finally kicked in.
"You know." You slid on your shoes and picked up Shin's umbrella. "Bye guys."
~ * ~
"Welcome in." His voice greeted you. He was on his phone again.
"Thanks." Your familiar voice pulled his gaze away from his device. You held his umbrella up and walked over to him.
"Oh... right. I forgot I gave you that, to be honest." He shifted slightly in his seat. You handed the umbrella to him and he shoved it into his bag.
"Alright, bye." You said, spinning on your heels and walking towards the door.
"O-Oh? Bye? ...Thank you!"
~ * ~
"You've got table five, next," August told you as they carried a tray back to the kitchen.
"Alright." You said to yourself, heading over to the table. For some reason, you felt uneasy as you approached the table. You didn't believe in higher beings or spiritual bullshit, but this corner of the restaurant was not giving today.
"Hello, my name is Y/N and I'll be your server today." You said when you reached the table. The man in the booth looked up at you.
Something about him seemed off. There wasn't a thought behind those eyes, and you meant that in the worst way. He had a sickly green hair color, as well. Not a pretty teal color like Shin's.
"Can I get you started with any drinks?" You asked, setting a menu on the table.
"Oh... no." He smiled up at you, "I'm actually waiting for an old friend to meet me here, and they haven't arrived yet. Could you come back in five minutes?"
Even the way he spoke was ominous. Good thing you took theater classes in high school. You smiled at him, careful to mask your fear, "Of course! I'll be back in five, then." You turned and your smile immediately dropped as you walked away. You were still tense, though. It felt like he was staring at you.
You waited on a few other tables until you noticed someone heading toward that creep's table.
How funny. They looked a lot like Shin from your local 7-Eleven.
...Wait a minute.
You walked behind a corner, making it to where customers couldn't see you staring at their table.
Shin sat down hesitantly. From what little you could see with your shitty eyes, he looked uncomfortable. The green man said something to Shin, and Shin was still.
That was your cue. Surely cute 7-Eleven cashier guy would be happy to see a somewhat familiar face. You made your way over to the table, making sure to grab a second menu on the way over for Shin. When you stopped at their table, Shin looked up to you with a somewhat relieved expression, but the green-haired man looked unsettlingly pissed at you for interrupting him.
"Hello, I'll be your waiter for today. My name is Y/N." You introduced yourself again. "There you go S...sir." You caught yourself before revealing that you knew him. "Can I get you started with some drinks?"
"Water," Shin said bluntly. Your head turned to look at the other young man, but he was just staring at you with a prominent frown.
"Sir?" He continued to stare you down, almost as if he'd completely checked out and wasn't even there.
"...Hiyori," Shin whispered, snapping the man out of his daze.
His smile returned to his face, "I'll take a water as well." The man you now knew as Hiyori said.
"Alright... two waters. I'll be back in a moment." Shin made a small noise that probably came from fear or uncomfortableness.
Honestly, same, Shin.
Shin and Hiyori had been served their meals, but neither of them touched their food. Hiyori seemed to be talking to Shin, but Shin didn't seem very comfortable with the thought of speaking with him. While you waited on other tables, you couldn't help but notice how much Shin was shifting and fidgeting. He kept touching his head, probably to adjust his beanie, but it wasn't on his head, so he was just playing with his hair.
Every time you'd gone over to speak to their table, he looked so relieved to see you and worried when you left.
"Hello." You said when you approached the table, earning another glare from Hiyori. "Did either of you two young men arrive here in a car?"
Shin shook his head. "Why?" Hiyori asked, trying his best to hide his frustration, but failing.
"There's a Black Honda Civic outside that's alarm is going off and flashing."
Hiyori cursed under his breath. "I'll be back." He stood up and quickly made his way out of the restaurant.
You sat in his seat and stared at Shin, "Are you alright?"
"No. Help me, please." He looked miserable.
"He called you an old friend earlier. Was he lying?"
"...Not really. But the point is that he's not my friend currently, and I was worried about what he might do if I didn't meet up with him here."
"What do you mean?"
Shin sighed deeply, "There's not enough time for me to explain, just- please hide me. Tell him I died or something." He said, then quieter, "I wouldn't be the only one lying..."
You ignored his last comment and stood up. "Come on, I'll hide you in the break room."
"I owe you. Thank you so much." He stood up and followed closely behind. You led him to the break room, letting him sit at the table.
"If anyone asks why you're here, tell them to ask me."
"Wait- Did you say earlier that your name was Y/N?"
"Yes. Is that new information for you?"
"I mean, we've only talked twice. I like your name, though. Reminds me of my friend from high school..." Shin seemed to reminisce on the person mentioned, but his features turned sour, probably due to a not-so-happy memory.
"I'll be back."
"Mx. Y/N." A customer called for you. You turned to see Hiyori waving you over.
"How can I help you?" You plastered on a smile to hide your fear.
"Do you know where my beloved friend has gone? He's been missing since I went out to check my car." He smiled at you with an annoyed sort of grin.
"Oh, I believe he said he needed to leave because he'd gotten a call from his manager." You lied.
"Peachy. Here." He'd somehow gotten the bill already, and with it, he gave you an extra three dollars and a penny.
He stood up and left without a word more.
...There was so much that confused you about this whole ordeal, but the main thing was, why the fuck did he give you a penny?
"He's gone." You said as you entered the break room again.
"Thank fucking god." Shin leaned back in his chair and sighed. You sat down next to him at the table.
"So... what was all that about? If you don't mind me asking."
He looked at you out of the corner of his eyes. "It's really all too much to be able to explain in one sitting. I'll give you the basics of it." He sat up in his chair, but cut eye contact, "He's always been really weird, and he's always made me insanely uncomfortable."
"Then why go out to dinner with him?"
"Here's the thing. When I was eighteen, he died."
Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"There was news of it and everything. Young Man Commits Suicide by Jumping Off the Roof of one of Japan's Tallest Buildings. He's always been a bit fucked up in the head, but he certainly wasn't depressed or suicidal. Quite the opposite..."
"Then how was he here?"
"After the incident, the body was cleaned up apparently, but his funeral was closed casket. He either faked his death, or he somehow survived... Though I believe it more to be the former."
You did slightly remember the news article he spoke of. You could remember being seventeen and Alice running up to you with his phone in the school hallway. "This guy was videotaping the scenery of a busy street somewhere in Japan, and you can see this guy in the corner falling... Fucked up." He'd said.
"He somehow got my number. He called me this morning and told me to meet him here. He wanted to catch up. I was worried that he'd try and find out where I lived if I'd refused to show up. He'd already found my phone number, there's no end to the shit this guy could do. And I thought... it might be okay because it would be in a popular restaurant. A public setting."
"Seeing him... after thinking he was dead for five years... was terrifying. He was even more unsettling now than he was in high school. There's so much fucked up shit he's done, but as I said before, I don't have time to talk about it. And I wouldn't want to bore or traumatize you." He took a shaky breath.
You stared at Shin with wide eyes. How the fuck would you have ever known that the cute 7-Eleven cashier was in such a situation?
"You didn't bring your car here?"
"No. I walked."
"Do you want me to drive you home? I'm worried he'll follow you if you walk home."
"...That'd be great, honestly."
What the fuck, this cute 7-Eleven cashier is in your car. He told you his address, but he hasn't spoken since. It's not too far from the restaurant, but far enough for it to leave an awkward silence between you two.
"Are... Are you alright?" You asked, making him flinch a little.
"I am now." He shrunk in the passenger seat. He seemed to be grabbing for his hat, but he still didn't have it, so he continued to play with his hair.
You slowed down when you arrived at his apartment. "Will you be okay?"
"I'll have to be." He looked like he wanted to give an encouraging smile, but he couldn't. It just made you more worried.
"Do you have anyone you could call over or talk to?"
He shook his head.
"Can I give you my number? Just in case." Y/N, when did you get so smooth? Slash jay.
He hesitated but nodded his head. He pulled out his phone and handed it to you. You put in your number and name, then handed him back the phone. "Stay safe." You said as he climbed out of your car.
"I'll try my best." He mumbled. You waited to leave until he was in his apartment.
This guy might be more trouble than you thought, but would it be worth it? Of course. Anything for that Shinussy.
"I'm home!" You announced. It was already ten at night. You usually got home around nine-ish.
Alice ran down the stairs, almost tripping. "Holy shit-" He said when one of his feet missed a step. "Where the fuck were you?"
"Oh, truly, it's an interesting story. And I'd love to tell you where I was, but I'm tired."
"Did you eat?" Reko called from the living room.
"No."
"You were out for an hour longer than usual, and it wasn't because you decided to have a meal? Must be a very interesting story."
"One that involves the 7-Eleven cashier." You kicked off your shoes and dropped your bag. You walked into the kitchen to look for something to eat, and Alice followed.
"Oh my god. Did you stalk him?"
"No! I... do know where he lives now, though. Not that I can remember the name of his street or apartment number."
"You know where he lives?" You nodded your head, "Yeah, no. You're not going to bed. You're gonna have to explain the story tonight. Right now." Alice said, sitting at the table.
"I need to make myself dinner."
"Then explain while you're cooking, idiot." Reko said as she walked into the kitchen, taking a seat next to her brother.
You sighed but did as told. Because you're just a little bitch. You explained how weird Hiyori was, and how uncomfortable Shin was. You told them about the weird shit Shin had told you. "Alice, do you remember that video you showed me when we were like, seventeen?"
"Y/N, we are 23 now. How would I remember a video I showed you on one of the 365 days that I was seventeen? Was it the video where Chunky died?"
"No. I actually just remembered that exists. DK."
"Chunky's dead, yeah yeah, but what video?" Reko rushed.
"Alice showed me this video of some guy in a busy area of Japan who was just videotaping the scenery, and on the side of the video you could see this guy jumping off a building."
"Oh! I do remember that video!" Alice's eyes went wide.
"Me too, but why is that relevant?"
"The guy that jumped off was Hiyori."
They looked at you like you were crazy. "There's no way anyone could survive a fall from that height."
"And yet, he did. He disappeared for five years, according to Shin, and somehow ended up with his phone number. He said that he was worried that Hiyori would find out where he lived since he'd already found his phone number. Then I drove him home because it was probably unsafe for him to walk by himself so late at night."
"That's so fucking weird," Reko said. "I don't know if I like 7-Eleven anymore."
"I do." You said. "Just because he knows his number doesn't mean he knows where he works."
"Chances are," Alice sighed, "He probably does. He probably knows where Shin lives, as well. I've met some fucked up people, in my life, so I wouldn't be surprised."
"Give one example of a 'fucked up person in your life,' Alice," Reko said.
"Do you remember Keiji? One of the seniors from when we were freshmen... He was just always everywhere, trying to regulate everything. He went into the police force and killed some guy. He ended up killing his boss as well because apparently the guilt from killing the guy ate at him and made him crazy. I think he's in jail, now. How ironic. An officer being arrested."
"That's a single person," Reko said. "You said 'some fucked up people, implying that there's way more than one."
"That's not important."
Later that night, you sat in your room, where it was pitch black. Then your phone lit up. You turned it on and saw a message from an unknown number.
***-264-7294
Hey
It's Tsukimi
Shin
My bad
This is Y/N right??
So his name is Shin Tsukimi? I love the moon. (Little fun fact in case you don't know, 'Tsuki' (月) in Japanese means Moon.)
"Yeah, this is Y/N. Is everything alright?" After sending the message, you added him to your contacts.
Moon Shin(e)
No, I'm fine
Just making sure this was you 👍
That emoji is so funny.
~*~
2631 words
4/22/22