JUST A CRASH - BUTTERFLY CROSSING

7. Unconscious

Shuji drops the drops into his eyes that feel dry. Because of his worry, Shuji suffers from insomnia. He could not sleep, eventually wasting time by writing articles. After the idea dried up, he continued playing the game until it did not feel the time to show at two in the morning.

“Ah, shit.” He blinked his eyes and leaned against the chair, his head turned. If he sleeps now, he'll be blurred. Tomorrow is a day off and he doesn't want to miss his morning run with Orange.

All because of that cockroach.

Shuji reopens the image he saved; the suspicious man he allegedly targeted is Orange. He stared for a while before cursing. Why would he spend time on this lonely morning looking at pictures of animals?

While thinking so he changed to open his phone, where there was a photo of the orange from behind; it was only his scarf visible.

"Even the shape of his head is funny."

The more days, the more he wanted to meet. The more chatting, the more anxious Shuji became. His neighbor always talked about small things with seriousness on his face. "But why does he always cover his head?"

Shuji frowned softly. "Could he...wrongly wear hair paint and because the color is like a fluorescent lamp so covered?"

Shuji ponders and imagines orange neon hair ranging from long, short, curly, and so on.

"If that's true then maybe I can paint too. After that he no longer needed to feel ashamed." Shuji stared long into the photo and his eyes started to slowly close. He shook his head and stood up, dragging his feet and forcing his eyes to glare, looking down at the dark street from the apartment window through the binoculars. "If I don't do something I can sleep." he murmured.

Shuji keeps an eye on some hidden corner, Ok, safe.

But he can't check the dead corner, so Shuji has to go down.

He took cigarettes and money and walked out of the apartment and down the elevator. Since he has been staying up late, all of you buy coffee so that he can continue to stay awake until the morning running activity.

Shuji exits the apartment building and sits on a garden chair. While waiting for time to pass, he smoked a cigarette. Shuji raised his hand but remembered that he was not wearing a watch. Who goes out at this hour with a watch?

The city back then was completely deserted, like a dead city. Only the garden lights illuminate while the streets look dark. If not in the city, there are not many street lamps installed.

Shuji wakes up after his cigarette runs out and walks towards the drink machine. He picked out three cans of coffee, and opened one. Sipping slowly, his eyes watched the surroundings.

He did not find any suspicious humans.

Although he was still on his guard, Shuji hoped the cockroach would stop roaming his area. Or at least, if you want to act, do it quickly so that this business is quickly completed.

"Huh." huh."

From the highway at the end was the sound of a bus on the brakes. Shuji remained motionless until the familiar sound of footsteps came closer.

“Ah? Shuji?”

“Huh?” feigning shock, Shuji lifted his gaze, looking at the orange who had just returned from work. That time he was wearing a soft red plain shirt. Although his face looked dry from the night work, he looked fine.

“New home?”

“Iya. You...” Jingga glanced at Shuji, then looked around. “...why are you alone here?”

“Insomnia.” Shuji said with a quick accent.

“Insom?”

“In.som.ni.a”

“Ooh.. insomnia?”

“Hm.”

“But if insomnia why even drink coffee?” The orange tilts its head as soon as it sees the can being gulped as the distance between the two shrinks. “That's coffee, right?”

“...” Shuji doesn't want his cover to be exposed. “You just got home from work, right? There's a quick home.” It's just that the words that came out were even cynical. Shuji exhaled an annoyed breath in his heart—why he couldn't be gentle a little...

“Iya this will, kok.” Orange snorted, not offended by Shuji's attitude at all. The woman then walked into the apartment building.

Shuji watched the figure walk to the entrance and disappear. The used cans that have been used up contain he crushed and put back into the plastic because there is no trash can around.

"Are?"

Shuji raised his eyelids lazily looking at the two policemen who were on patrol passing by on a bicycle. The two stopped in front of Shuji.

"Good morning." One of the policemen greeted, while the other nodded. Shuji watched the two and he seemed to recognize one policeman in front of him...

'Wasn't he that shy guy?' Shuji still remembered the man who chatted with the orange until it was beaming.

'What? He turned out to be one of the police in this area?' Shuji's face darkened. The possibility that they would meet more than once made him nauseous.

"It's three o'clock, so diligent to wake up?" the disgusting man L—ahem, the cop Shuji knew once chatted with the Orange it—talked to him.

"What's the point." Shuji said in a flat tone.

"Look, we're receiving reports of suspicious men running around in the early hours of the morning." the cop looked at Shuji from the ground up. "You...,"

"It's not me." Shuji replied annoyed. "But yesterday there was a man hanging around here. Only now there's no." He didn't explain how he knew. In this world many people who lack work and stay up late, right.

"so." The policeman nodded and took notes in his pocketbook that he had been out of when. "In this area there are female workers who sometimes come home early, is not it horrified that there are suspicious people hanging around?"

I don't know what the police meant to say; maybe commenting on a suspicious man—or maybe warning Shuji. Shuji of course doesn't care, what he focuses on is who the female worker who came home the night the cops were referring to.

"Hm." Shuji chose not to reply and just cleared his throat. The police asked about the situation before leaving.

"The sun hasn't come up yet but I think I'm already unlucky." Shuji grumbled while walking home.

In the morning Shuji runs away in the park, but the figure he is waiting for does not come. He then remembered that the woman had finished working the night shift, where would it be possible to go out in the morning? Yes, I must be sleeping!

“Sial.” Concentration is reduced due to not sleeping. Shuji drags his lazy foot to return to the apartment.

“Can't keep this up.” Shuji muttering. He should sleep now. But if he sleeps, he'll lose his moment with the Orange!

For Shuji, paying attention to Orange from afar is no different than spending time together.

Arriving at the apartment, Shuji unloads a closet containing his random belongings. Many items are still good, but most of them he dumped because he did not use—items in this closet are also the highest *survival rate-*nya. Because the things in this closet he did not have time to destroy in his depression.

After unpacking the cardboard and the item box, he found an old handycam cardboard in the corner. Without even bothering to clear up the mess, he immediately opened and checked his condition.

“Still working fine. Only need to change the battery only.” Shuji. Until he buys a new battery, Shuji will use this one first. Shuji closes the lamp section in handycam with paper tape and positions his handycam with a holder. The lenses are directed to the garden area and around the road. Shuji attached a charge cable and pressed the record button while he went to sleep.

A few hours before dinner, he woke up. But he did not go to the supermarket as he usually did. That time he sat in the window seat, waiting for his food message. While watching the figure who was walking around the park, Shuji turned the memory of the handycam that was left on during his seven-hour sleep.

"It's a pity that I can't date in the supermarket like I used to." Shuji muttering. "Wait for me to finish the inspection first, yeah." Shuji made a promise to no one.

Speeding up the video, Shuji catches a lot of passers-by, and the good news is, the suspicious man is no longer in sight.

If the person stops completely, that's good. But if it turns out that silence is to do something big, it will be berabe.

‘This what?’

Shuji checked the window of the rental shop which was slightly frosted.

Shuji squinted his eyes but could not see clearly. He turned off his handycam and prepared to move the memory to check the computer, when the doorbell rang. Almost his handycam fell in surprise.

Shuji stepped wide towards the door, although his eye bags were slightly visible, he looked quite decent. Shuji smelled her body and narrowed the perfume onto her wrist before opening the door.

“Your order.” The courier who delivered the food stood up straight. The courier puffed out his proud chest, seeing the customer in front of him looking cheerful. Poor, must have been hungry—si courier muttered.

Shuji sighed and accepted the order, autographing it and then closing the door with a hint of grudge.

How could he have thought the person pressing his bell was an orange? How humiliating.

So rarely did he get a guest, he judged that all who knocked on his door was Orange. He can't be blamed. All this time Shuji's guess has always been right, just today...

Shuji walked over to the table, put down his chicken and stared at the garden in annoyance.

‘All because of the woman.’ Shuji bites the chicken thigh and chews slowly. When he was angry, the next moment his anger disappeared after looking out the window and realized the woman was no longer running in the park.

Shuji clung his face to the window, looking for a figure dressed in training ash and scarf.

Ding dong's.

Shuji refrained from choking on his shock. He finished his chew and wiped the tip of his mouth with a tissue and then woke up.

He took a breath, made sure it looked appropriate and opened the door.

“Good you at home young man.”

“??” Shuji rounded his eyes to see a middle-aged woman standing at his door.

—Who?

“My daughter sent her crops here and too much. Too bad if left to rot,” Done said, the middle-aged woman handed me a box of suspicious objects. As soon as he came, he disappeared home.

Do we know each other? Shuji thought furiously. Why can't these people calm him down. Giving away any boxes and claiming to be familiar, Shuji suspects the woman sent him a bomb. Could it be that without him realizing he was creating a deadly enemy?

Of course it wasn't a bomb like Shuji—'s imagination the lid wasn't tight and he easily checked the contents.

In it neatly arranged sweet potato and taras— beautiful shape and clean skin. It is really new to harvest because these bulbs only exist in autumn.

Instead of being happy, Shuji was upset. She thought who the mothers were until she found out her apartment number.

He finally remembered that the middle-aged woman was used to the afternoon walk and passing by. Most of her figure was more like a background. How could he who always paid attention to the orange remember other creatures?

Angrily Shuji put the dus on top of the shoe cabinet. Before he walked inside, the bell was pressed again. Grimly he wondered, should he pretend not to be home?

Three times, the bell stopped ringing. Shuji snorted, finally stopping as well.

Before long he heard the faint sound of the door stepping away, and the sound of the door opening.

“!”

With a flash of movement he opened the door and peered into the next apartment.

Orange who ran away that afternoon was about to enter his apartment.

“Oh, you're home turned out?” she was surprised, seeing Shuji's head sticking out of the door.

“Oh... You must be sleeping? I hope I'm not bothering you..”.

Not at all. “No, I. It's time to wake up. What's up?”

“Oh...” Orange handed over a crackle containing a headache reliever drink. “You said you were insomnia, said my friend drinking this can relieve headaches and add quality sleep...”.

Orange still remembers how Shuji refused every gift in the beginning; but they warmed up to each other... In addition, seeing his neighbors drinking coffee at dawn, orange so thought.

“...Er...,”

“Thank you, you didn't know my head was throbbing since earlier.” Slowly Shuji pulled the crackle into his hand. His movements were so smooth that the Orange did not feel strange at all that Shuji did not accept—but snatched it.

But Orange doesn't think deeply, after all, indeed for Shuji.

“Tonight you have to sleep.” The word orange is worried.

“Pastya.” Shuji nodded.

“Then I first,”

“Thanks for the vitamins.”

The door closed with a click.

In his apartment, Shuji carries a bottle of vitamins carefully.

Orange says that this is a drink that ‘said his friend’. Does that mean he was deliberately consulting to make him better? At his best friend Jingga was still a local like Shuji.

Shuji sat on the dining table chair, with a vitamin bottle in the middle of the table. The twitching tip of his lips finally could not be held back, a wide smile outstretched.

In hindsight, this was the second time he had received something from Orange.

“Wait a minute.” He thought about the interaction of the two. Of the many, it is always him who receives the gift.

“...I have to give him something too, right?” Shuji mutters. In addition to food, he can give gifts in the form of lunch boxes because Orange gives the same thing.

It did not cross his mind at all to return the orange lunchbox that is still stored on his shelf.

“It's a pity that the contents should disappear.” Shuji refocused on the vitamin bottle. But letting it go is not good either. After all, this is the (heart) that Orange gives.

Shuji opened the bottle cap and gulped down the contents.

Shuji thinks what food he should share. Her eyes stopped on the cardboard above the shoe cabinet.

Too bad he has not found out what foodstuffs Orange should not consume. He could try with two raw materials in the cardboard.

Well, if Orange doesn't want to accept it, he can throw it away.

‘Should I give it to Sweet?’

But this thing does not come from my hand, but from someone else's. Thinking about it made Shuji upset.

“No, Shuji. Think, this could be a good reason.” Shuji's eyes sparkled for a moment. He nodded and drew a cold smile. “It looks like I owe that old woman.”

While humming Shuji went to the bathroom.

**

The next day, that afternoon.

Shuji sprays water on part of the forehead and slightly on the nose. He rolls his shirt up to the elbow, where his muscles will arise every time he lifts heavy items.

With a faint and comfortable fragrance, Shuji lifted the cardboard containing yams and taro towards the next apartment.

Shuji considers the time and during his surveillance, his neighbor has not yet left for the supermarket for dinner ingredients shopping.

Shuji's spirit pressed down on the bell.

Of course, his appearance should remain calm.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

“Hai!” The orange appears in pajamas. Despite still wearing a scarf and long pajamas, Shuji still felt an unstoppable sweetness. Orange must feel very comfortable in his home... What did he do before opening the door? Maybe lie down while hugging a doll…

Shuji held back his trembling lips and simply nodded.

“What's up? Ah, what are you carrying?”

“Ubi and taras.” Shuji did not lower the cardboard, held it in his arms, showed off his muscles.

“Huh! A lot...” The orange stopped for a moment and looked up.

“There are love, but mostly. You try to select and take.” Shuji explained first.

“You sure?"

Shuji nodded. “The amount is too much and I will not be able to spend it myself.”

"But the tubers are durable even if they are stored long?" hearing that orange phrase, Shuji lowered his head in a feigned embarrassment. "I want to share it with you."

“O-oh... Alright, I won't refuse then.” The orange turns inward without closing the apartment door. But Shuji did not move and just waited outside.

The woman returned with a basin.

“I choose, yes?”

“Oke.”

“You're not heavy? Put it under.”

“No weight, kok.”

“I will choose quickly.”

Shuji understood his point because he did not want to make himself bother. Unknowingly a faint smile was imprinted on his face. But when Orange finished choosing, his face was flat again.

“Thank you, I've chosen yams and taro!”

“Hm.”

“You look sweaty, what's up?”

“Oh, this.” Shuji tries to rub with his shoulder, but is not reached. Sighing for a short breath, he finally gave up.

“A-I have a tissue.” The orange blinked a few times. Somehow Shuji who is usually expressionless and grim now looks normal. An ordinary orange was faced with his weak, somber, and expressionless figure.

Although not visible on the look of his face, Orange can feel it.

“I finished cleaning the storage cabinet at home. It's okay.”

“Yesterday with insomnia, you have to be careful.” Orange reminds.

After exchanging a few words, Shuji returned to his apartment without the slightest hint of reluctance.

At least that's what it looks like.

Arriving at her apartment, full of agony, Shuji stared at her reflection. Both hands are placed on the right and left side of the mirror.

*Shuji, oh, Shuji. You're so stupid. You could've turned down the sweet-given tissue. *Who knows with the situation earlier, the scenario where Orange helps sweat will occur.

Even though he could not use it, he could still keep it!

Fuck my stupidity!

“Sial, I forgot to ask.” Shuji hissed in despair. He will not be able to share his cooking.he wants Orange to eat his cooking…

Think, Shuji. How long have you been watching Sweet?

For weeks he only knew about the work, the route, and the time to go home. He knows nothing about the real orange.

What hobby? Favorite food? The thing he hated?

Shuji felt he was going crazy from thirsting to know all the information about the Orange.

If he kept this distance, when would he be able to achieve all of that?

Shuji half lay on the sofa. If other people witness his behavior, people will call him dramatic.

At that time his handycam camera that was left spinning near the window beeped repeatedly.

“Ah, I forgot.” He turned on the recording without plugging in his charger cable.

Usually the battery will last 6-8 hours, but because this battery is not good, the camera turns off after turning on for three hours.

Looking at his face reflected in the camera lens, suddenly an idea popped into his mind.

All this time he was watching from afar, right. Plus there's a suspicious person who seems to be eyeing Orange. Maybe it's the first, but it's not the last. So he should always keep an eye on.

Shuji gathers reason for reason until he finally manages to convince himself to buy a camera.

Of course the position will not be the same as handycam.

He had to put it in a place close to the orange.

I'm not gonna be weird. Just put it in a wide place.

Shuji thinks he's been very gentlemanly.

“See shoe cabinet Sweet arid just now.” Shuji muttered, “If decorated with vases must be beautiful.” he continued. He can put his camera there later.

I don't think anything strange at all.