She stared back at him, appalled.
"Really?" was all she could say. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked away.
"How's your sleep?" he asked. Mayu's still stuck on her stunned look for a good two seconds or so before she scoffed to answer.
"Good!" she raised one eyebrow. "Even better without you!" she hissed. That got his attention and he looked back at her.
"Are you mad?" he inquired.
"Of course not!" she sneered. "How can I get mad when I haven't taken a bath yet, right?"
He just chuckled and reached out to gently squeeze her cheek.
"You're very cute. It's getting late, get inside and sleep." he coaxed. His voice seemed to have a soothing effect on her as she just nodded, went back to her room and drifted off to sleep.
As he watched her silhouette enter the house, he breathed a sigh of relief not noticing a set of steady footsteps walking towards him.
"I'm amazed at your endurance. How do you keep it?" the owner of these footsteps walked past him and bent down to caress the wilting plants nearby. His shoulders hunched to reach out and from the little light, the old Optina's face can bee seen.
"Uh, I exercise?" he smiled. The old man scoffed and smiled back.
"Don't you want to rest?" he challenged. His tone sounded hard but there's also fear on it. Kristoff chuckled.
"You're very funny Gramps." he stood up from the swing and walked towards the old man. From nearby, he grabbed something before he proceeded to slouch beside him and tenderly watered the wilting plants.
After he did so, he pulled out a rag and wiped each of the leaves. When he felt satisfied, he tilted his head and grinned.
"This exercise alone is giving me rest." he mused.
"Do you think they can still make it?" he asked.
"Well, I'm not giving up. I'll take it upon myself to make sure they get revived. And when that day comes..." the old man cut him again.
"And if that day does not come." Kristoff ground his teeth and clenched his fist.
"You should get inside now. I'll continue my exercise and you rest. And these plants, whether they revive or not, I won't give up." There was a look of adoration in the old man's eyes before it started to get clouded by some fluid.
He forced himself to exhale, gripped the young man's shoulder, his lips trying to say something but no words came out, smiled a little and went inside.
Kristoff closed his eyes, breathed the cold air and exhaled sharply. He felt for another cigarette and lit it. He inhaled as much of the smoke that he can get until he felt suffocated and starting coughing heavily.
After his coughing fit, he took out his phone and dialed a number. The line picked up after a couple of rings.
"Let's arrange a meeting." the receiver seemed to tell him more but he just replied with 'Mmm' before he ended the call.
He made another call after and this one was immediately picked up. A woman's sultry voice can be heard.
"Mmm?" she sounded like she just woke up. Kristoff massaged his temples.
"Where are you?"
"I'm human, too. Of course I'm sleeping." the woman's sultry voice sounded lazy.
"Can I ask for another favor?"
"No." came the blunt reply. "You're paying." he chuckled.
"Okay, can I hire you?" there was a long silence on the line before he heard a begrudging sigh.
"Fine, I owe you a week anyway."
"I'll send you the address. Just be discreet."
"Hey, I'm discreet. Your sister is just crazy." he laughed.
"Oh, she's wonderful."
'Click'
The lady ended the call. Kristoff is now not his previous gloomy self but he still looked serious as he looked at the wilting plants.
On the other end of the line...
Airi threw her phone in annoyance and even gave it a death glare before she resumed what she's doing. She stared at the big screen before she ultimately shut it off.
"I only watch Doraemon once a week. Why? Why do you have to disturb me?" she raised her hands in the air to express her exasperation and plopped on her bed.
"Konna koto ii na, dekitara ii na anna yume konna yume ippai aru kedo. Minna minna minna.." she continued humming until she fell asleep.
Upstairs on the fifth floor...
A woman with a kind gaze stopped at the door with the number '500' and contemplated for a while before she raised her hand and knocked on the door.
After trying three times and hearing nothing, she gave up. She walked past it, opened the door that says '501' while cradling a package on her arms.
She laid the package on a table nearby and took a shower. She felt refresh after that when she looked at the table, she remembered the package again. She grabbed some food to munch on and stared at the box.
She sighed, got dressed and carried the box outside again. This time, she's in front of the door that says '502'. Like before she knocked on the door.
A good-looking guy opened the door for her. His face showing curiosity while drips of sweat or water or whatever ran in rivulets on his naked torso.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Dar-Darjo. My..." the lady immediately averted her gaze and tried to get some words out of her mouth but she can seem to complete any sentence at the moment.
"Lei!" when she heard the familiar cheery voice of her neighbor, she looked up to see another fully sculpted naked torso to feast on. She gulped down but her eyes widened when she realized there were two men, almost naked on the same room and rivulets of fluid cascading down their body.
"Uhm, Darjo. Are you expecting a package today?" she scrambled to ask.
"Nope, already done packing." he walked towards her and gave a smile to his companion as the other guy turned around to get inside.
It's a shock she did not faint from the view but what she blurted out next almost made the two men faint.
"I'm sorry. I did not not... I don't... I'm... I don't judge."
"What?" and as Darjo sees the look on her eyes as she switched from him and his visitor, realization dawned onto him.
"No, that's not!"
"Oh, it's okay. A.. I'll just talk to you another day." then she closed the door behind her and went back to her own room, her eyes still widened in shock.
"Huh, the handsome species are disappearing at a fast rate!" she exclaimed.
She looked at the package that says 'For you' and scratched her her. Was the 'you' on this box her? Is this not just a case or misdelivery?
Did this come from Akai? Whatever, she shrugged and pulled the note away. It appears the note has been folded all this time and she just did not see the other message on the note.
'Thanks for looking after my babies' it says on the note. But the scribble of a potted plant lets her know that that package came from her other neighbor. Ah, let me take a look.