[Thomato] Every Little Thing

Private Eyes

It was a rare day for Ayato. He had free time. He decided to go on an excursion with his younger sister, Ayaka. Their retainers would accompany them, watching them from a distance. He asked Ayaka where she would like to go, and she cheerfully replied "the mall!"...as long as Ayato wanted to go, too.

He had no place he was craving to go, so the mall it was.

They went from store to store, Ayaka pointing out things she wanted, the retainers promptly buying them.

Ayato stood back and watched in most of the stores, his typical people-pleasing smile plastered on his face.

One place in particular finally caught his eye. On the front door was a poster, and on the poster was a smiling dog that looked exactly like the one Thoma had been putting in his lunches.

With curiosity, he wandered off, leaving Ayaka and the retainers alone. They didn't seem to notice his sudden disappearance, and Ayato couldn't find the words to voice his departure. He simply wished to peer inside the store.

It was blaring with cutesy music. Ayato grimaced a little. Not exactly his taste. He shook the music out of his head, focusing on the merchandise. It was bright and bubbly, little stuffed animals lining the shelves, merchandise that seemed like it was tailored for children.

Surprisingly, Ayato knew exactly what he wanted. It wasn't for him, though. He wanted to say thank you to the boy who had been kind to him these past couple of months. He sifted through the store's catalog, diligently, stopping when he finally found it. There was a row of keychains tucked away in the corner – and with it, a single keychain remaining, the smiling dog dangling from the end.

He immediately plucked it off the shelf, spinning around to purchase it when he was met eye to eye with a uniformed gentleman.

"Pardon me-"

His tongue caught in his throat, the keychain falling from his hands as he saw who it was.

"Kamisato!" Thoma beamed, "Welcome! Is there anything I can help you f-"

"Hi!" Ayato blurted out, scurrying off before Thoma could finish. He hadn't spoken to Thoma since he left the note on his lunch. He had been too nervous. He was planning to give him the dog keychain as an apology for his cowardice, but seeing Thoma in front of him so suddenly caused him to panic... something Ayato NEVER did.

He burst into the mall's hallway, his eyes scanning around wildly for his retainers and little sister.

Finally, he spotted them at the same moment they spotted him, all four closing the distance between each other. The retainers wouldn't scold him, but they voiced their concern.

It didn't matter, though. Ayato couldn't hear them over the sound of his heart pounding.

Being around Thoma was starting to feel like a medical emergency.