Not My Type

十

 "You'll help me, right? Inspire me, then."

The cool breeze tickled Akane's hair as he walked beside [Name]. Despite having no knowledge of their destination, he didn't feel panicked at all. To be honest, he was relieved to have gotten away from Mr. [Middle Name]. If they had remained in a room for a few seconds more, the old man would have exploded into a fit of rage.

 "We're here." The two of them stopped in front of a rundown two-storey house. Akane glanced at [Name], only to see that the girl was completely serious. "What's the matter? Why aren't you entering?"

 "Are you crazy? Why would I enter a haunted house like that?" He shook his head vigorously. "I don't know if you're stupid or just dense but no, there's no way I'd go inside with—"

[Name] didn't bother letting Akane continue his sentence. She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled her with him. Although he had his glasses on, Akane could feel his hair stand on end. The house radiated a dark atmosphere that even he could feel. [Name], on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything.

How troublesome. "Why did you want to go here anyway?"

The artist, who was about to turn the doorknob, looked back at Akane. "Because you said that if it was me, I'd be able to make fantasy a reality." She took out a flashlight from her bag of supplies before turning it on. "The last time I've been here was when I ran away from home. There's nothing for you to worry about."

 "Ha? You ran away from home?" [Name] didn't answer.

The inside of the house was dark. Spiderwebs and moss lined the walls and there were even a few shards on the wooden floor. Every step the pair took made a creak, making the experience all the more disturbing. Akane walked a few steps behind [Name]. When she suddenly stopped in her tracks, he followed suit and was about to ask her what was wrong.

 "Hey, Akane, look at this."

Akane peeked at where [Name] pointed her flashlight. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of the ruined painting. The easel was ripped with claw marks and even the frame was soiled with blood. He immediately grabbed [Name] by the wrist. "I don't care how you want to inspire yourself but this isn't worth getting in danger for." Besides, if I don't do anything, you're going to die soon.

[Name] didn't answer. She was frozen in her spot, and when Akane glanced at her face, he flinched: her [eye color] eyes were glazed and her mouth was slightly agape. Even after waiting for a few moments, she just kept staring.

 "[Name], we're leaving." No answer.

 "[Name]." Still no answer.

 "[Name]!"

The flashlight [Name] held dropped to the floor with a thud. She began shivering, which was enough for Akane to make a decision to pull her out of the house. As soon as they exited the gate, he stared at her. [Name] had her head lowered and her hands were interlaced with each other.

 "Are you okay?"

 "H-Huh? Um, I-I'm fine." She raised her head hesitantly. "You were right. It wasn't a good idea to go there."

Akane heaved a sigh, scratching the back of his neck. "When I told you to make fantasy into a reality, I didn't mean for you to go and mingle with everything dangerous." Seeing that [Name] didn't answer, he continued. "You told me that this wasn't the first time you were here. You aren't supposed to be surprised at that painting, right?"

A smile made its way to [Name]'s lips. It looked forced. "Well, it had been a long time ago so I guess I forgot about it."

That was enough for Akane to know that she didn't plan on explaining anything. He folded his arms and pointed at his watch. "Where to next? We're going to run out of time if you keep moping like that."

 "Y-Yeah!" [Name]'s smile widened. "Let's head to the next place, then!"

❀❀❀

[Name] and Akane arrived at an old candy shop. The gashapon lined up outside immediately caught [Name]'s eye. While [Name] peeked curiously at the prizes inside the capsules, Akane entered the shop. An old man was seated behind the counter, playing with an orange tabby cat. He raised his head upon noticing Akane's presence.

 "We'd like to try the gashapon outside."

 "Of course!" The man's expression lit up at this. After exchanging Akane's bill for change, he went outside along with him to see [Name] fishing her [favorite color] coin purse for change.

 "Akane, do you have some change?" she asked. A sigh escaped her lips as she showed her coin purse to him. It was completely empty. "I'm not the richest person in coins right now."

Akane huffed. "Here. You better pay me back, though." His bag of coins were snatched in the blink of an eye. The old man could only chuckle at the [hair color]-haired girl's behavior. The clock keeper shook his head and watched as [Name] inserted coins into the gashapon. It didn't take her long to stand up from her crouching position.

 "That's... a lot." Akane remarked. She had 7 capsules in her arms. "What are you going to do with them?"

The artist surprised him with her response. "I'm going to give them away. I'm keeping one for myself, though."

 "Aah, youth. I gave my wife one of those back in high school as well." The old man's comment made [Name]'s eyes widen. "I don't mean to brag but she still has it with her until now."

It was easy to tell that [Name] was impressed. "Amazing. How long have the two of you been together, mister?"

The old man crossed his arms in triumph. "43 years. Even now, I can't believe she chose me."

Akane could feel himself smiling. The thought of him being able to say that when he finally marries Aoi boosted his spirits. Maybe he should give her one as well? "[Name], you still have some coins left, right? Give me that."

❀❀❀

While they were walking, [Name] opened her capsules one by one. Akane had already opened his: a bunny and candy. He was thinking of bribing Mirai with the candy just in case it'd be able to keep her from wreaking havoc. The bunny reminded him of mokke; it was a detail he'd rather overlook considering that a goddess would soon have it in her possession.

 "Akane." [Name] threw him something, which Akane caught easily. He opened his fist to see a clock. How ironic. "Well, what do you think? Aren't you going to say something?"

Akane narrowed his eyes at [Name]. Once she shot him a glare, he let out a badly stifled laugh. "Yeah, thanks, [Name]. I don't think I'll need it but I suppose I'll keep it with me."

 "Glasses, you—" She sighed. "—you're welcome."

 "Anyway, where are we headed to next?" He pocketed the clock and took a look at his watch. "It's still 3 PM, we still have a few hours to look around the town."

Something about [Name]'s expression made Akane uneasy. "We're going to the mountains."

❀❀❀

[A/N]: Yes, the displayed image is a gashapon. Thank you for reading!