CyberVirus

Chapter Five

          A dull, soft vibration rang muffled within the room. I turned the other way, not wanting to get up. It wasn't long before the persistent alarm got to my head. I reluctantly pushed myself up into a sitting position, my eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim light. The only light coming in was a soft, hollow light of the morning sun. I sighed before grabbing my phone gently off the minimalistic white of the nightstand, stopping the alarm before I got a headache.

          My eyelids were so heavy all I wanted to do was go right back to sleep. I hadn't slept that well in ages. I rubbed my eyes and the bridge of my nose, trying to hold back a small yawn. God I was exhausted as hell. I lightly set my phone back on the nightstand, letting myself plop back onto the pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

          I tiredly turned the other way, shuffling under the blanket slightly to cover my body more, curling up enough that the soft fluff of the covers reached my chin. My eyes were mostly closed as I laid on my side, my cheek shoved into the warmth of the pillow. I rubbed my eyes again with my free hand, yawning.

          I paused, noticing Rui turned the other way, luckily still asleep on the other side of the bed. I remembered why I'd set the alarm in the first place and pouted a little with my disappointment. This time I actually got myself out of bed, feeling my feet gently hit the wooden floor of the hotel room.

          The previous night Rui had offered we'd stay at a hotel near the subway. His deal was that he'd cover most of the room costs, but we'd only get a room with two beds if I contributed to the payment. Unfortunately I'm way too broke for that shit, so we ended up sharing. Fortunately, Rui isn't a messy sleeper so he stayed on his side the entire night. It was a relief, honestly, I was going to have been even more depressed if my one possible chance at comfortable sleep was going to be ruined just like that.

          I stood up, checking the charge on my phone, 100%. It was probably the first time it'd been that high in ages. Yesterday it was about 48%, and I was planning on charging it on the subway. Speaking of, I checked the time. It was only 7:25, I still had plenty of time to shower properly (also for the first time in ages). Not that I didn't ever clean myself, it was just the 'good old traditional' way, so it probably isn't as effective as the more modern version.

          I looked down at what I was wearing, Rui let me borrow clothes for tonight, so that I could wash my others for today. They should be done in the dryer, I'll need to remind myself to grab them before I shower. I pulled a little at the shirt, it was definitely too big for me; a grey, short sleeved shirt. The 'shorts' were definitely closer to black capris on me than shorts.

          I stood up from the bed, stretching, before I silently left to get ready.

...

          I was waiting in the lobby, the floors speckled white square tiles lined neatly side by side. I couldn't help but remember the times Saki, Toya, and I would have little 'competitions' of sorts as to who could jump the most squares. It was always in a hopscotch-like pattern. I couldn't help a sigh as I reminisced of the times before The Crisis, the times with our parents, the times where I had a chance to reach that stupid dream...

          I hadn't realized I was frowning until a brief breeze caused the large, potted plant to my side to brush up against my shoulder, startling me. I jumped and fixed my face, quickly looking around to make sure no one saw that utterly humiliating 'jumpscare'. I felt some of my hair stick up, but I didn't want to risk my hood sliding off trying to brush it down, so I let it be. The lobby kind of smelled like lemons, I didn't know why though. I was right next to the entrance door, not many entering through them despite how lavish the place looked. Or maybe that was my wallet speaking...

          A content smile crossed my face thinking about the bed, and the shower... I'd never realized how much I'd missed those things. It was nice. My gaze went back to the front counter, to Rui. Watching him very politely run through the payment for the room. I was glad he did it, I wouldn't have known what to say to the front desk; I've never had enough money for a hotel. I made a mental note to thank Rui for it later.

          I wondered where Hoshi had gone. I hadn't seen Rui's adorable robot for quite some time now, and he also had yet to tell me what exactly Hoshi did. Hoshi was much too large to just fly around. Rui calmly separated from the marble counter of the front desk, turning to me with a little glint in his eye that I couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion of.

          We held a weird eye contact for a little too long, I squinted a bit, giving him a look of suspicion. He blinked a few times, as if realizing something that I definitely hadn't. I think he looked sheepish, but I couldn't tell because of the mask he wore. Rui made his way over to my side a little quicker after whatever that exchange was.

          "So...train station..?" I mentioned, a little awkwardly. Rui nodded, opening the front door for me.

          I felt a little off with his politeness. It was kind of weird not being blatantly ignored. Regardless, I still found myself appreciative of Rui's helpfulness, even if I was unsure of his motives. The outdoor air was a lot more chill than the humidity of yesterday. I took a few steps away from the front door and onto the grey sidewalk, pausing and looking behind me, waiting on Rui. I did have my phone, but Rui had insisted on guiding us, I didn't complain, it was nice to have a break. I wonder if Rui needs one though...

          "Where's Hoshi?" I asked, breaking the gentle silence between us as we began walking down the streets, I was slightly behind Rui.

          "Already at our destination, I sent Hoshi over a little after we checked in," Rui responded with a nod.

          "Huh...What exactly does it do? It seems a little big to just fly around," I finally asked, feeling a bit of relief as I got the question that had been throwing itself against the sides of my brain for hours off my chest.

          "Ah, Hoshi?" Rui inquired, he wasn't even looking at me but I could feel the excitement at my interest radiating from him. "Ah, well, Hoshi's kind of a multi-purpose suitcase in a way," Rui began, "you see, Tsukasa-kun, Hoshi has a little compartment in the belly that opens up to reveal various different cartridges and little drawers that can contain all sorts of medium to small sized items; from water flasks, food, clothes...y'know? But another thing Hoshi has are these little compartments underneath them that fold open into these little wheels or claws so that(...)"

          I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm as he drones on. I didn't quite yet know how to explain how he looked at that moment, he was so excited that someone was willing to listen. His voice had speed up a bit, too. I listened as Rui started to get a little off topic about a few other things. He was amazing, really; to be so close to my age yet so incredibly talented. I bit my lip, trying to hold back a small laugh. The attempt certainly didn't last long though.

       "E-eh-?! What are you laughing at?!" Rui paused to look at me, I could see his face flush in embarrassment behind the mask.

          "Nothing, it's just funny."

          "What is..?"

           "Well, yesterday you were so...intimidating? And kind of unpredictable. But now you seem so...you look like a kid blabbing about everything they did at school that day." I elaborated, unable to help a small chuckle when I explained what he looked like. Rui stayed silent for a moment, just staring at me. "I-it's not bad-! Anyways, let's keep going, we still got a bit to walk before we reach the subway station."

          We began walking for a few more paces before Rui then started to chuckle a little out of nowhere. I kept walking, but stared at him with curiosity and confusion.

          "What now?" I asked with a slight nervous smile.

           "Nothing" he answered, his voice was softer than before.

"you're funny, Tsukasa-Kun."