Part 6
"Thanks for letting me stay here, Aki," Akiza acknowledged, setting down the final box. Looking around, her new home looked less like a shelter and more like a storage facility.
"Don't mention it. It's gonna be fun having you here."
"We can totally have girls' night every night."
"I can be closer to you too."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Akeno quickly looked aside, leaving Akiza wondering if this strange arousal she'd been feeling all day was actually a real thing given Akeno's inexplicable behavior.
Akiza tugged at her collar, shaking it to create some fresh cool air.
"Damn, it's hot in here. Or is it just me?"
"Both?"
Akiza moved over to the AC control unit hanging on the wall.
*Flick!
"Feel anything?"
Akeno reached out her hand to catch some of the cooling air. "Nothing."
*Flick! Flick!
"How about now?"
"Nothing. Damnit! And I just got that fixed!"
"Well it's broken now. I hope you kept the receipt."
"I'll call someone to fix it."
"No need." Akiza snatched up her phone sitting on the coffee table.
"Kanata can help us out. He's a wizard handyman."
The phone rang twice before Kanata's enchanted voice came over the line.
"Hey babe, how's the move going?"
"Almost done. But we've run into a slight hiccup."
"What kind of hiccup?"
"The kind that needs a man's touch. The AC is busted. Can you come over and have a look?"
"Love to, but I'm stuck at work."
Akiza's heart dropped hearing him say that.
"It's fine. After work is good too."
"I'm sorry. The boss is breathing fire today. I think it's gonna be a long night." Akiza knew not to be upset. She half expected this response after Kanata informed her he couldn't be her transport guy. It wasn't uncommon for Kanata's workplace to demand crazy hours.
"I can make it tomorrow though. Well, I'll see. I can't promise anything."
She didn't feel right asking him to sacrifice a day-off just to help then fix their cooling system.
"That's alright. Akeno and I will make a plan."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it."
"If you're sure..."
"I'm sure. Talk to you later." Akiza buried the phone in her back pocket. "Kanata can't make it today."
"Then it looks like they're spending the day in our underwear."
"I'll settle for a bikini."
"I'd pay to see that."
"We could always call a pro to come fix this thing?"
"Can we afford that?"
Akiza took out her phone again, Zoogling handymen.
A few phone calls later…
"Are you out of your freaking mind?!" She slammed the phone down. "Son of a—"
"That makes how many?" Akeno asked. She had been pulling madly on her blouse for some kind of cool air for a good while now. This was after opening every window in the house.
"Six! I swear I can't believe this. How can you sleep at night knowing you're charging people this much just to fix a freaking AC?"
"In air-conditioned comfort?" Akiza shot Akeno a look which spelled out just how not in the mood she was.
"Maybe we can ask your mom for help? She might know someone."
That wasn't a bad idea. Growing up, it did feel like Yukie knew everyone.
"No! I don't wanna do that. I just moved out yesterday. It's gonna look pathetic if I ring her up for help."
"Maybe, but at least we'll look pathetic at room temperature," Akeno argued, her face is sweating bullets.
"Damnit!"
"Come on. Let's do something else. We'll come up with a plan later."
"No. We should deal with this. I'll call Izayoi."
"You're joking," Akeno stated in utter shock. "You wanna call in step-bro? Don't you hate each other right now?"
"Yeah, and I really don't wanna call him for help. But if it's between him and this heat…"
She paused to absorb just how unbearably hot it was inside the apartment.
"Want me to call him?"
"Huh?"
"Well if you call him, you're swallowing your pride and he has something to hold over you, but if your sexy best friend calls him..."
"He'll jump at the opportunity to hit on you because he's a creep and you look like that."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Akiza tossed the phone over to Akeno. "Should I stick around?"
"Nah, I'll just tell him you'll be back soon and watch him squirm."