Chapter Text
“The sheet music was an original that Mozart had written himself and was on loan from Harvard university in the US.
Staff say there was no sign of how the thief could have gotten in. Just a new composition in its place signed Phantom Thief X-”
“Turn that shit off. I don’t need to hear about that damned phantom thief outside of work. So~ annoying.”
The screen turned black as a silver-haired man entered the room, a permanent scowl on his lips. His hair looked unusually mussed, and he wore the same clothes he’d left in yesterday morning. This was Sena Izumi, and that was an incredibly unusual sight. Ritsu blinked to take it in as he rolled over under the kotatsu to face him.
“Someone’s in a bad mood. Get under here, Secchan. Take a nap. You’ll feel better.”
He patted the floor next to him, ignoring the glare Izumi shot him as he dropped heavily onto the couch.
“I don’t have time. I need to shower, have dinner and then head out again. We have another meeting to determine what’s going on.”
Unfortunately.
For once, Ritsu’s offer was incredibly tempting.
The other man hummed, closing his eyes as he rolled back over. Apparently, his nap was more important than their conversation. Nothing new there.
Izumi sighed, resting his head against the back of the couch and letting his own eyes fall shut for just a second.
“Why don’t you try playing it?”
Izumi’s eyes snapped back open.
“What?”
Ritsu sighed, finally sitting up as he looked blankly at his roommate.
“Play the composition. If someone replaced Mozart with their own, there might be a clue in it.”
His voice was slow and deliberate, yet it still took Izumi a moment to absorb what he’d said.
Perhaps…
No, it couldn’t be as simple as that. The thief hadn’t accidentally left a clue to their identity. They hadn’t even been caught on camera. They wouldn’t have purposely left something that would actually be helpful? Would they?
Izumi shook his head, his hand twitching over a cushion that he was sorely tempted to throw.
“Why don’t you stick to your job, and I’ll stick to mine?”
Ritsu grunted as he fell silent again.
They stay that like that for more than a couple of minutes, Izumi fighting to keep his eyes open. He should get up and get something to eat. Get back to work.
His eyes slid shut again.
Just a couple of minutes, then…
“I’m home~.”
Izumi woke up with a jerk as the front door slammed shut.
Holy fuck.
He pressed a hand to his chest as his heart pounded against his ribcage. How long had he been out? His eyes travelled to his watch, and he cursed quietly.
Two hours. He’d been asleep for two hours.
He needed to get back to work, and he hadn’t even eaten, let alone had time to shower.
Izumi pushed himself to his feet, ready to stumble over to his room, when the blonde woman stepped out of the entryway and into their home.
Their third roommate, Narukami Arashi, had come home from work with a wicked grin on her lips.
“Izumi-chan! You’ll never guess what happened at work tonight~.”
He tried to brush her off, pushing past her, but Naru wasn’t one to give up when she wanted something. Her hand wrapped around his arm, squeezing tight. She was stronger than she looked from the trays of drinks and food she spent her nights carrying around.
“Did you get flashed again?” Ritsu asked from the floor.
Some help he was.
Izumi turned his head to glare at them both, a very familiar headache beginning to throb behind his eyes.
“No! Though that could’ve been pretty entertaining too. No, we got a new pianist, and he’s pretty cute.” She turned her eyes to Izumi, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him oh-so-innocently. “When was the last time you stopped by to visit me at work, Izumi-chan.”
Oh, hell no, Izumi really did not have time for this.
“A few weeks ago, and you know it. I’m not coming in for you to play matchmaker. Do you even know if he’s gay?”
He peeled her hand off his arm, one finger at a time until he could stumble free. But Naru still didn’t let up. She followed him into his room, not even giving him a chance to slam the door shut and lock it behind him.
She’d probably follow him into the bathroom, but she’d complain as she did.
Fuck.
He whirled around, his hands on his hips as she glared at him.
“Of course I do! He’s Mama’s friend. And I’m not just trying to play matchmaker. Okay, he might not be your type. He’s not younger and blond. But you could both do with more friends. Is that so wrong of me to want for you?!”
Izumi huffed, slumping underneath her expression.
“I can look after myself, Naru-kun. But fine. I’ll come in soon,” he relented. “Right now, I need to get back to work; I’m already late. The boss is working us ragged.”
Naru studied him carefully before she dropped her own arms and nodded.
“Fine. I guess I can put off my own shower for a bit and get you something to eat. You look a mess,” she replied, turning around and finally leaving him in peace.
Izumi still didn’t know whether he was lucky or cursed to have had her in his life since they were little, but at least she cared in her own way. The sister he’d never asked for.
He grabbed a clean set of clothes and a towel and headed into the bathroom before Ritsu could steal it for some goddamn reason.
The smell of cooking eggs and rice greeted his nose as he exited the bathroom.
Naru was in their tiny kitchen space, an egg on their single hob as the rice cooker dinged next to her. She nodded towards the kotatsu, where Ritsu sat up again, sniffing the air. She was as good as her word, cooking in the dress and make-up she’d worn to work.
He knew she was desperate to wash her face and get into her pyjamas. Despite that, she was still trying to ensure he was okay.
The last of his complaints faded from his tongue as he sat at the kotatsu with a quiet grumble.
“You better have done enough for yourself, too,” he grumbled as he heard her dishing the food up. She laughed. Naru wasn’t a cook or much of a foodie, but they all knew that if she was going to look after anyone, it would be herself.
A plate of omurice was placed in front of them and with a quick let’s eat, they dug in. Izumi’s gaze constantly jumped to his watch as he tried to eat a little faster than usual without making a mess.
“My, you are in a rush tonight! I hope Tenshouin appreciates this,” Naru commented.
Izumi shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter if he does or not. He’s still the boss. If I can solve this phantom thief case, I might finally get that promotion I’ve been after.
His two roommates looked at each other, and Izumi pretended not to see it.
He didn’t care what they thought.
Izumi deserved this promotion after the last year. He’d been working his ass off, not to mention they needed the money. The rent on the apartment was going up soon, and they’d all be working extra hours as it was.
“Whatever you say, Izumi-chan. Just make sure you can get some time off tomorrow. I expect to see you at the bar at 9PM sharp.”