(Love) Letters

Kurosaki had given enough counts of the many days he’d find her sitting alone by the steps leading up to their apartment with nothing but a small azure colored letter in her hands.

And every time he passed by, taunting her to move aside, he would see the indisputable smile plastered on her face and the sparkled excitement deep within her eyes before the shifting glowering visage.

He simply ignored her just like every other day and continued up the stairs, slamming each step with his boots purposely.

“Troublesome as always.”

So be it. It wasn’t as if he wanted to see what made her so bubbly, giggling at every second as her eyes skimmed through the short characters put together on a simple piece of paper.

She had her own little delights and he had his.

But it wasn’t until she started scribbling her own set of words and sending off little cherry colored, flower patterned letters that he finally snapped with an odd feeling brewing about inside.

He even swore he had heard another man’s name escape from her very soft lips with enthrallment.

Soon enough, he finds himself on occasion staring musingly from the distance at her awestruck form when she had received her beloved letter. Her bouncing body would tap away from the surface and skip up the stairs in joy like an adolescent girl who had just received her first kiss.

On other occasions, when he was bored, he would argue with her, picking out the right words just to see that annoyed look he missed so much.

“Oi Yoshida, move aside. I don’t think you have enough money to pay for both the rent and the steps you’ll later break if you sit there for too long.”

A slight grin formed in his façade as he tugged at the edge of her shirt and attempted to pull her away. 

With a short intake of breath, she slowly lifts her head from the letter and gave him the expected look of exasperation with a bonus pout,

“It’s Yoshikawa,” She corrected with irritability, putting much emphasis on the ‘kawa’ part sternly.

“So it is.” He dispassionately replied, taking his chance to glance over at the written contents that had been secretive to him for the past few weeks.

“Eh? Kusano Akira? Is that your boy—?”

Tsurara squirms and pulls the letter from his view, hugging it close to her body while skittering to her feet,

“That’s none of your business.” She retorts.

“Hey that’s no way to speak to your landlord.”

“Well, what you’re doing is no way of giving a woman her privacy.” She crossed her arms, ruffling the letter while tapping her feet, expecting an apology.

Rolling his eyes and pursing his lips, he decides to throw one more taunt at her, just for fun.

“At least meet the poor guy in person. I’m sure he would like to see who you truly are before breaking up with you.”

When she doesn’t answer, he took his chance to slide away and amble up the stairs.

“Neh, are you jealous?” She inquired suddenly, her frown now curving into the most mischievous of smiles. 

Kurosaki stops midway, cranks his head to her and snorted at that statement before laughing for a full two minutes. 

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?” He utters in between, incapable of controlling his constant roaring laughter.

Tsurara stands firm and her smile brightens, almost in a frightening manner. Kurosaki almost falters at the innuendo found on her face.

“I’m not blind you know.”

Kurosaki’s façade breaks apart and he misses a step, almost tripping over his own two feet. He barely finds himself stumbling down the stairs, and exhales exasperatedly, gripping tightly onto the railing.

“Itai…”

Tsurara chuckles at his embarrassing loss in their little game of taunts and makes her way to his side.

“Just so you know he’s just an old high school friend. So don’t worry, there’s no need to be alljealous, Kurosaki-kun.” She whispers almost seductively at the last part, her fingers delicately sliding across his back.

He growls and she mockingly screams in fear, before skipping up the stairs and disappearing into the shadows of her apartment.

“You’ll make one hell of an annoying prosecutor.”

Smirking, he recomposes himself and makes his way into his messy home, to the confinement of his desk scattered with various junk, papers and books.

With a pen and a sheet of paper, he writes a little letter of his own just for her.

+++

On the nineteenth week of fluttering love letters, he didn’t see her at the usual spot by the steps as expected. 

“She actually listened to my warning this time.”

His amused expression immediately fell when his eyes focused on the unusual, yet familiar azure colored letter that jutted out of his very own mailbox.

Swinging his plastic bag full of ramen and rice cakes, he nonchalantly sauntered over and retrieves the atrocious item he labeled as, ‘troublesome love letter to poor, unattractive university tenant.’ 

To Rara-chan
From Kon-Kon

“Kon-Kon? What the…”

Raising an eyebrow, he was tempted to rip the letter apart and read whatever nonsense this Kon-Kon—which he assumed was Kusano Akira’s nickname—had to say.

But to his utter displeasure, a high-pitch shriek and rapid footsteps sounded behind. Petite arms wrapped around him, trying in vain to snatch the thin sheet from his possession.

She was short. Much too short for someone her age and he couldn’t help but laugh for hours at her small disadvantage. She barely leveled up to his shoulders.

His arm pushed against her stomach as she jumped up and down, reaching over pathetically and whining like a little girl who wanted her doll back.

“It’s against the law to go through someone’s mail! Now give that back!”

She lunged at him and finally captures it after chasing him around for several minutes. Without realizing it, her body slammed into his and they both began tumbling to the ground.

A high-pitch screech combined with a low yelp sounded loudly into the air, followed by a soft thump.

If one of the neighbors or anyone were to walk by, they would have stood there in disgusted astonishment, watching the landlord and the pretty young tenant girl fooling around in public, practically smothering each other.

As awkward as that sounded and much to their embarrassment if that were to actually happen, they lingered on the ground, entangled in each other’s warmth.

With the letter held firmly within her grasp, Tsurara muffles in pain as she finds her flushed face buried into the nape between Kurosaki’s shoulder and neck. She could practically feel his breath against the back of her head. 

Kurosaki grumbles and shifts, his body moving in rhythm with hers while his arms tightens around her waist for a slight second.

“It’s just a stupid letter. What were you thinking?” Kurosaki muttered heatedly, rubbing the side of his head.

Tsurara gasps and shuffles to her feet, unintentionally brushing her lips across the bottom of his left cheek along the way.

“W-well, you were the one who refused to give back what’s mine.” She stuttered timidly, still flustered from their body contact. Kurosaki gruffly wraps his arms around himself and shakes his whole body in disgust.

“I had enough of you and these love letters from Kon-Kon.”

“Akira-kun and I are just friends!” She stomps her feet in aggravation, her face reddening even more than before. Kurosaki grins and slides his hand into the pockets of his leather jacket.

“Oh wait, you’re right. Who would want to date an unattractive, poor university girl like you?”

She doesn’t say anything for a while and he inwardly beams in excitement for his little victory and stalks off up the stairs. Just when his foot made it to the first step at the top, Tsurara finally speaks up,

“Ah, you’re still jealous aren’t you? Is that why you refused to give the letter back to me?”

Kurosaki sarcastically laughs and turns his head to face her,

“I was never jealous but rather, curious. Those are two totally different words. Really, I wonder how you got into law school if you couldn’t figure that out.”

Tsurara shakes her head in confusion, rubbing her forehead along the way, “Sometimes, I don’t get you Kurosaki.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Tsurara crosses her arm and tilts her head, “Sometimes you ignore me and sometimes you don’t. What do you want from me?”

Kurosaki grins and points his index finger at her, “Bang.”

“Nothing. I just think it’s amusing annoying you, that’s all.”

She drops her letter in fury and storms to his side, flailing her arms before tugging his jacket.

“Eh, why?!

He doesn’t answer her and brings his gaze to the blue item lying on the ground and couldn’t help but cringe in curiosity of the contents inside.

It would be in a matter of time where he would eventually leave her love letters of his own when he journeys far away, where she would wait endlessly for its arrival by the mailbox.

Perhaps she would have that same indisputable smile and sparkled excitement when she read what he had to say. Perhaps she would forget about Kusano Akira and sigh longingly for him.

Shuttering at that thought, Kurosaki shrugs off Tsurara’s hand, ignoring her as he always did and disappears into his apartment.

Love letters were just plain stupid.

“That is none of your business.”

—OWARI—