Black Ice 2: Fatal Mobs (KBTBB) Completed

XIX.

• chapter nineteen •
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"Hey, what a great picture!" Ota compliments.

"What?" Baba looks in attention.

"Pictures of our trip. Reina brought them."

It's been two days since our trip, and I brought up the pictures to the penthouse lounge. Baba, Ota, and Amaya are up here, but I can't see Soryu anywhere.

"Ohh, look at this picture!" Baba smiles with mischief.

"Oh, that's..." the picture the old ladies took of us. Soryu and I are snuggled against each other, the night view of Hakodate behind us. I can't help but smile.

"Sor's face! I can't even!" Says Baba, shocked.

"Looks like his usual poker face to me," Says Ota.

"No, you can tell he's secretly grinning! Sor's a closet perv, y'know." Is he...?

Amaya looks at it and smiles. "He seemed really happy. You can tell by his eyes too." I remember how shy he seemed on the mountain.

"Speaking of Soryu..." Ota looks around the lounge. "I haven't seen him since we got back. Where is he?"

"I haven't seen him, either." Baba covers his mouth, a hint of worry.

"Really?" It's not too unusual to not hear from Soryu for days at a time. But I'm a little worried since we just got back from the trip and he hasn't told me anything about leaving for work.

What if he's ignoring me again?

The thought of that happening again brings my anxiety up. I push the thought away and stand up. "I'll go to his condo and see if he's there. I want to give him these pictures anyway," I gather up the photos and head over to his place.

+++

"Soryu? Hello?" I use the spare key to get inside, but the living room is dark and no one seems to be here. Is he not home? My stomach tightens. Is he really ignoring me again? No, no, he loves me. I'm about to leave when I hear a voice behind me, causing my stomach to tighten more in pain and shriek.

"You came," Soryu suddenly appears from within the darkness and I whip around. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you,"

"No, I was just a little surprised," I half lie as I hold my stomach, panting. His hair is down and he's wearing his sleeping clothes. "Were you taking a nap?" I got scared so bad, the baby is moving inside of me.

"No... But why are you here?" His voice sounds a bit different.

"I wanted to show you the pictures from our trip to Hokkaido."

"...Oh. Thanks," He gives me a small smile. "I'll look at them later." He's acting weird... Plus he looks pale and doesn't seem well.

"Are you sick? Did you catch the flu?" His eyes widen in alert when I ask. "Did you catch it from Ryosuke?" He cups the back of his neck and looks away.

"Maybe. It's not a big deal, though."

"Are you sure?" He's lying. "Did you go to the doctor? Did you get medicine?"

"It's just the flu."

"You shouldn't underestimate the flu! Sometimes the flu can be really serious!" It'll be bad if I catch it too. "Let me take care of you. I can take the day off tomorrow." I put down my purse and turn on the lights. "Okay, first, I'll take your temperature. Where do you keep your thermometer?"