Chapter 5: Curiosity killed the cat (part 1)

The apartment was quiet. The rain had stopped, replaced by bright sunshine filtering through the half-open curtains. Renji had left early for another shift at Bright Mart, leaving Ichika alone with nothing but leftover curry and a little too much curiosity.
She sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the bookshelf again. Her eyes returned to the closet, the one he'd said was off-limits.
"Don't touch my stuff," she muttered, mimicking his voice. Then she snorted. "Guess what, silly. I don't care."
She started slowly. Just going through drawers. Papers, dusty notebooks, a pair of broken earphones. Then a folder: photos, again. Older this time. School trips. A group of boys Renji's age. One with his arm around Renji, both laughing.
She turned them over, reading names she didn't recognize.
Then, the laptop. A rather old one, which Renji, for some strange reason, refused to sell.
she hesitated. It wasn't password-protected. The screen lit up, revealing a messy desktop. Folders labeled with dates. One was simply called "Old Stuff."
He clicked. And found hundreds of photos and videos about Renji, and what appeared to be his family. But one video in particular caught his eye.
A video played. A birthday party. Renji was about thirteen, smiling awkwardly as his family sang. His parents looked younger than in the other photos. His siblings seemed cheerful back then.
Ichika leaned closer. The sound was tinny, but the laughter was real.
Then there was the sound of the front door opening.
"Hi," Renji called. "I'm back. Guess what happened..."
Renji froze.
Ichika turned around.
The laptop was still open.
"What. Are. You. Doing?"
Renji's voice lowered. Tense. Controlled.
Ichika stood up, standing her ground. "I was just..."
"I told you not to touch my things. I told you. That was the only rule I ever emphasized!"
"So what? You lock it all up and expect me not to ask? You don't tell me anything!"
"Because it's mine! It's my past! You can't just poke around in it like it's a game!"
Ichika's face twisted. "I live here too! You're not a tragic mystery! You're just some cloden in asshole hiding!"
Renji took a step forward. "You don't know anything about me."
"Then tell me! Stop acting like you're the only one who's lost something!"
Renji pressed his hands to his sides.
"You had no right."
"Fine! Then I won't be staying in your precious apartment anymore!"
She pushed him, grabbed her hoodie, and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the frame rattled.
Renji froze in the middle of the room, breathing heavily. The laptop was still open, the video still playing. His younger self laughed on the screen, frozen in time.
He reached out and closed it.
The silence was deafening. it felt thick again, depressing...

To Be Continued…

Chapter end