BLACK CHERRY / The Game (Chapter 18)
Title: The Game (Chapter 18)
Fandom: BLACK CHERRY
Characters: Ryo x はるき
Genre: Romance, erotica
Table: One
Prompt: 061. Chance
Word Count: 1456
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The rules of The Game were simple.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
The Game
Chapter Eighteen
(061. Chance)
Ryou paid no heed to the students filing out of his classroom as he stacked test papers on his desk. He glanced at his watch, reminding him he had half an hour till his next lecture.
Any other day he would’ve used the time to grab a bite, but today he was too bothered to feel hungry. Instead of retreating to his office, he headed straight for Paxton Hall-a good five-minute walk as he ascended to the third floor and went inside one of the computer laboratories.
At the far end of the empty classroom, Shin Yoshino was about to drink coffee in front of his computer. His mug paused halfway to his mouth at Ryou’s arrival.
“You’re looking more sinister than the Grim Reaper today, my friend,” Shin chirped. “What terrible tidings do you bring today?”
“You sound straight out of a book in Kei’s shelves.” Ryou approached Shin’s workstation. “You’d be better off speaking in your code gibberish.”
“Now, now. Is that any way to talk to someone you need a favor from?” Shin rolled his eyes. “That’s the only reason you’d be here. Am I wrong?”
“I need you to look up something for me.”
“Of course you do.” Shin sighed. “Very well. What is it?”
“I need footages of the external campus cameras from last night.”
Shin’s eyebrows went up. “Got a specific angle? Time frame?”
Ryou drummed his fingers on the table. “The ones outside Knights Hall, around ten thirty.”
Shin began typing away on the keyboard. Line after line of code filled the black terminal screen as Shin started to hack through the security office cameras. Several footages of random campus activity popped up, until an angle that Ryou recognized as the front steps of Knights Hall maximized on the monitor before him.
Shin fast forwarded the minutes, breezing through countless students coming and going from morning to evening. Come nightfall only a handful of students remained, and by eight onwards the area was practically deserted.
“There!” Ryou pointed at the girl running towards the entrance at 10:42. Shin replayed the footage on normal speed, where the both of them watched Haruki dash for the doors of Knights Hall while a man in a grey hoodie chased after her.
“What the hell…?” Shin muttered.
“Can you freeze the frame and zoom in on the guy?”
Ryou stared long and hard at the hooded man, whose face remained elusive in shadow no matter how far they zoomed in. He memorized the stranger’s height and build, trying to match it with anyone in his mind.
“Print me a copy of that, will you?”
Shin stood up, pulling the image out of the printer. “I know it’s none of my business, but I thought you were done with this chick?”
Ryou snatched the paper from his hand. “It is none of your business.”
Ryou stayed in his office well after work, unable to tear his gaze off the picture in his hand. He knew better than to be obsessing over something he should no longer be caring about, but if someone was after Haruki…
Ryou dropped the photo to his desk and massaged the bridge of his nose. Perhaps it was just the fatigue, but only one person he knew matched a physique similar to the stranger, with a good motive to boot. Still, it was unlike his friend to go all the way just to stir up trouble…
He glanced at his watch and sighed. He needed to go home. It wasn’t even worth staying up this late for, not when Haruki wanted none of his help. She was a big girl. She could always run to the authorities if something happened to her.
But did he really want to entertain that thought?
Ryou snatched the paper and stood up, heading for his colleague’s office at the opposite end of the hallway. He didn’t bother to knock as he went straight for Kei, who was typing on his laptop and barely looked up at his arrival.
Ryou dropped the photo to Kei’s desk. Kei stopped typing for a second before resuming. “And who’s that?”
“I was hoping you could answer that.”
“Just because I read Doyle does not make me a Sherlock.”
Kei swiftly withdrew his hands when Ryou slammed his laptop shut.
“You’ve become a real buzzkill lately, buddy.” Kei sighed, leaning back to his chair. “What do you want?”
Ryou pointed to the stranger’s photograph. “Cameras caught this man chasing Haruki around campus last night.”
Kei eyed the picture for several seconds before releasing a laugh. “And you think that man is me?”
“Where were you last night?” Ryou demanded.
Kei shook his head, chuckling. “My dear friend, while that sounds just the kind of thing I would do, I was out for drinks with Prof. Takagi last night. You can ask him yourself.”
Ryou narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
“Why? Is someone after your girlfriend?” Kei pouted, rising from his chair. “Does she know you’re playing detective? How sweet.”
Ryou grabbed a fistful of Kei’s collar. “I’m serious, Kei. If you’re up to something-”
Kei raised his hands and broke out in full laughter. “Oh, man. I haven’t seen you this riled up in ages. She’s really the best thing that’s ever happened to you, huh?”
Ryou abruptly released him and took a step back. “I’m keeping an eye on you.”
Kei calmly straightened his shirt with a lazy smile. “I’m honored to be a part of this exciting saga.”
Ryou bit back a growl and stormed out of Kei’s office before he punched the man for good.
For the next few days, Haruki did not allow herself to remain alone for too long. She took her breaks in crowded places and always went home before six, mindful of every glance thrown her way. The paranoia was exhausting, but she couldn’t get her mind off the hooded stranger who had chased her down. It kept her awake at night while she eyed her apartment door, half-fearing it would be kicked down at a moment’s notice. She still didn’t have the faintest idea who the man was, but she could only hope it had been a prank of sorts; perhaps a dare from one of the fraternities as part of their initiation…
The sight of students rising from their seats snapped Haruki back into attention. She hissed a curse to herself and scrambled to get her things.
“Everything alright there, Miss Shinjo?”
Haruki nearly froze in slinging her bag over her shoulder. She took an inward sigh before squarely looking her teacher in the eye.
“Nothing, Prof. Mikura,” she answered, promptly heading for the exit. “See you tomorrow.”
“Haruki,” he said, low enough only for her to hear. “A quick word with you, if I may.”
Her grip tightened on her bag, but she took comfort in the fact that there were still several students at the back of the room. Tentatively she approached Kei’s desk until they were at eye level with each other.
“I know you weren’t happy with your midterm results a few weeks ago,” he began in an affable tone while he started packing his things. “There’s still a way for you to catch up.”
Her hands curled into fists. “If it has anything to do with your stupid game, I’m not interested.”
Kei’s eyes held nothing but amusement when he looked up at her. “Yes, you’ve made that perfectly clear. I have a harmless proposal for you, I promise.”
She raised her eyebrows in skepticism.
“A teaching assistant,” he supplied. “I simply don’t have time to go through all the applications and I need to get some work done now.”
“Why me?” she warily asked. “What would you get out of it?”
“Other than my workload getting lighter?” Kei shrugged. “You can take it or leave it, Haruki. I just figured you’d make a good candidate.”
Haruki bit her lower lip. Despite it all, her grades were still her top priority. If she could ace this class alone, she wouldn’t have to work as hard for the other subjects. She’d be able to focus on her paper more…
“I’ll tell you what. Give it a try and see if you like it,” he offered, closing his satchel. “If it’s too much, you can leave it and you’ll get a grade no lower than B in the next quiz.”
The remaining students began to file out of the room.
“Fine,” she answered. “When do I start?”
“Excellent.” Kei’s smile turned into a full grin. “I’ll see you in my office tonight.”
As she watched Kei leave the room, Haruki had a feeling she was about to regret her decision very soon.
to be continued
Fandom: BLACK CHERRY
Characters: Ryo x はるき
Genre: Romance, erotica
Table: One
Prompt: 061. Chance
Word Count: 1456
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The rules of The Game were simple.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
The Game
Chapter Eighteen
(061. Chance)
Ryou paid no heed to the students filing out of his classroom as he stacked test papers on his desk. He glanced at his watch, reminding him he had half an hour till his next lecture.
Any other day he would’ve used the time to grab a bite, but today he was too bothered to feel hungry. Instead of retreating to his office, he headed straight for Paxton Hall-a good five-minute walk as he ascended to the third floor and went inside one of the computer laboratories.
At the far end of the empty classroom, Shin Yoshino was about to drink coffee in front of his computer. His mug paused halfway to his mouth at Ryou’s arrival.
“You’re looking more sinister than the Grim Reaper today, my friend,” Shin chirped. “What terrible tidings do you bring today?”
“You sound straight out of a book in Kei’s shelves.” Ryou approached Shin’s workstation. “You’d be better off speaking in your code gibberish.”
“Now, now. Is that any way to talk to someone you need a favor from?” Shin rolled his eyes. “That’s the only reason you’d be here. Am I wrong?”
“I need you to look up something for me.”
“Of course you do.” Shin sighed. “Very well. What is it?”
“I need footages of the external campus cameras from last night.”
Shin’s eyebrows went up. “Got a specific angle? Time frame?”
Ryou drummed his fingers on the table. “The ones outside Knights Hall, around ten thirty.”
Shin began typing away on the keyboard. Line after line of code filled the black terminal screen as Shin started to hack through the security office cameras. Several footages of random campus activity popped up, until an angle that Ryou recognized as the front steps of Knights Hall maximized on the monitor before him.
Shin fast forwarded the minutes, breezing through countless students coming and going from morning to evening. Come nightfall only a handful of students remained, and by eight onwards the area was practically deserted.
“There!” Ryou pointed at the girl running towards the entrance at 10:42. Shin replayed the footage on normal speed, where the both of them watched Haruki dash for the doors of Knights Hall while a man in a grey hoodie chased after her.
“What the hell…?” Shin muttered.
“Can you freeze the frame and zoom in on the guy?”
Ryou stared long and hard at the hooded man, whose face remained elusive in shadow no matter how far they zoomed in. He memorized the stranger’s height and build, trying to match it with anyone in his mind.
“Print me a copy of that, will you?”
Shin stood up, pulling the image out of the printer. “I know it’s none of my business, but I thought you were done with this chick?”
Ryou snatched the paper from his hand. “It is none of your business.”
Ryou stayed in his office well after work, unable to tear his gaze off the picture in his hand. He knew better than to be obsessing over something he should no longer be caring about, but if someone was after Haruki…
Ryou dropped the photo to his desk and massaged the bridge of his nose. Perhaps it was just the fatigue, but only one person he knew matched a physique similar to the stranger, with a good motive to boot. Still, it was unlike his friend to go all the way just to stir up trouble…
He glanced at his watch and sighed. He needed to go home. It wasn’t even worth staying up this late for, not when Haruki wanted none of his help. She was a big girl. She could always run to the authorities if something happened to her.
But did he really want to entertain that thought?
Ryou snatched the paper and stood up, heading for his colleague’s office at the opposite end of the hallway. He didn’t bother to knock as he went straight for Kei, who was typing on his laptop and barely looked up at his arrival.
Ryou dropped the photo to Kei’s desk. Kei stopped typing for a second before resuming. “And who’s that?”
“I was hoping you could answer that.”
“Just because I read Doyle does not make me a Sherlock.”
Kei swiftly withdrew his hands when Ryou slammed his laptop shut.
“You’ve become a real buzzkill lately, buddy.” Kei sighed, leaning back to his chair. “What do you want?”
Ryou pointed to the stranger’s photograph. “Cameras caught this man chasing Haruki around campus last night.”
Kei eyed the picture for several seconds before releasing a laugh. “And you think that man is me?”
“Where were you last night?” Ryou demanded.
Kei shook his head, chuckling. “My dear friend, while that sounds just the kind of thing I would do, I was out for drinks with Prof. Takagi last night. You can ask him yourself.”
Ryou narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
“Why? Is someone after your girlfriend?” Kei pouted, rising from his chair. “Does she know you’re playing detective? How sweet.”
Ryou grabbed a fistful of Kei’s collar. “I’m serious, Kei. If you’re up to something-”
Kei raised his hands and broke out in full laughter. “Oh, man. I haven’t seen you this riled up in ages. She’s really the best thing that’s ever happened to you, huh?”
Ryou abruptly released him and took a step back. “I’m keeping an eye on you.”
Kei calmly straightened his shirt with a lazy smile. “I’m honored to be a part of this exciting saga.”
Ryou bit back a growl and stormed out of Kei’s office before he punched the man for good.
For the next few days, Haruki did not allow herself to remain alone for too long. She took her breaks in crowded places and always went home before six, mindful of every glance thrown her way. The paranoia was exhausting, but she couldn’t get her mind off the hooded stranger who had chased her down. It kept her awake at night while she eyed her apartment door, half-fearing it would be kicked down at a moment’s notice. She still didn’t have the faintest idea who the man was, but she could only hope it had been a prank of sorts; perhaps a dare from one of the fraternities as part of their initiation…
The sight of students rising from their seats snapped Haruki back into attention. She hissed a curse to herself and scrambled to get her things.
“Everything alright there, Miss Shinjo?”
Haruki nearly froze in slinging her bag over her shoulder. She took an inward sigh before squarely looking her teacher in the eye.
“Nothing, Prof. Mikura,” she answered, promptly heading for the exit. “See you tomorrow.”
“Haruki,” he said, low enough only for her to hear. “A quick word with you, if I may.”
Her grip tightened on her bag, but she took comfort in the fact that there were still several students at the back of the room. Tentatively she approached Kei’s desk until they were at eye level with each other.
“I know you weren’t happy with your midterm results a few weeks ago,” he began in an affable tone while he started packing his things. “There’s still a way for you to catch up.”
Her hands curled into fists. “If it has anything to do with your stupid game, I’m not interested.”
Kei’s eyes held nothing but amusement when he looked up at her. “Yes, you’ve made that perfectly clear. I have a harmless proposal for you, I promise.”
She raised her eyebrows in skepticism.
“A teaching assistant,” he supplied. “I simply don’t have time to go through all the applications and I need to get some work done now.”
“Why me?” she warily asked. “What would you get out of it?”
“Other than my workload getting lighter?” Kei shrugged. “You can take it or leave it, Haruki. I just figured you’d make a good candidate.”
Haruki bit her lower lip. Despite it all, her grades were still her top priority. If she could ace this class alone, she wouldn’t have to work as hard for the other subjects. She’d be able to focus on her paper more…
“I’ll tell you what. Give it a try and see if you like it,” he offered, closing his satchel. “If it’s too much, you can leave it and you’ll get a grade no lower than B in the next quiz.”
The remaining students began to file out of the room.
“Fine,” she answered. “When do I start?”
“Excellent.” Kei’s smile turned into a full grin. “I’ll see you in my office tonight.”
As she watched Kei leave the room, Haruki had a feeling she was about to regret her decision very soon.
to be continued