chishiya

The night in the dorm was surprisingly quiet—so quiet that even the creaking of the floorboards sounded like a scream. Chishiya sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to convince himself that sharing a room with Niragi wasn't a punishment, but a test of his endurance. He'd grown accustomed to Niragi slamming doors as if he wanted to knock down the wall and leaving empty energy drink cans everywhere. But today, something felt different.

Niragi paced the room like a cornered animal. He'd already gone to every corner three times, checked his pockets, emptied his backpack, and even peered under the mattress. His fingers twitched nervously, and his gaze grew increasingly wild.

"Where are they?!" he barked, slamming his fist on the table. "I definitely left the pack here!"

Chishiya raised himself up on his elbow, slowly, as if any sudden movement could provoke an explosion.

"Calm down," he said in a level tone that seemed almost unnatural to himself. "You probably smoked them yesterday."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Niragi snapped, his voice shaking with anger and something else Chishiya didn't want to name. "I remember I had another pack!"

Silence hung in the air, heavy and sticky. Niragi suddenly froze, as if it finally dawned on him. His shoulders slumped, and his face twisted in helplessness.

"They're gone," he whispered, and there was so much despair in that whisper that Chishiya involuntarily tensed. "That's it, they're gone..."

And then Niragi lost it. He screamed something incoherent, kicked a chair, sending it flying against the wall with a crash, and lunged for the refrigerator. The door swung open with such force that it seemed about to rip off its hinges. Niragi grabbed a bottle of strong liquor, ripped off the lid, and was about to raise the neck to his lips when Chishiya appeared next to him.

He didn't speak. He didn't lecture. Instead, he simply grabbed Niragi's wrist, firmly, but not painfully.

“Stop,” he said quietly but firmly. “Don’t.”