The Inheritance Game Part 5
Ohno decided to sleep when he realised Sho had locked him with Nino and Jun in the room. Yes, Sho had asked them to communicate while inside the room but it was stupid of Sho not to take their phones away as both Nino and Jun had ignored the order by focusing more on their devices.
Truthfully, Oho wanted to use the chance to talk to Nino. But, he didn’t know how to approach his crush. Thinking back on what happened during the will reading, he was afraid that Nino might believe he had an ulterior motive for visiting the convenience store where he worked.
Unfortunately, he was too sleepy right now. Last night, he went to bed quite late, having to work on his design. And, this morning, well, he woke up early, hoping to meet Nino before the will reading. But, fate worked in a mysterious way and now, he ended up locked in a room with Nino. It would be better if he talked to Nino right away to clear up the misunderstanding. But, why was it so difficult for him to do so?
Ah, let’s just sleep. Maybe, after some rest, he would have the courage and idea on how to approach Nino.
Hearing a soft snore, Nino started looking around the room. All three of them had decided to sit the farthest away from each other, ignoring Sakurai’s order. What? Did he expect Nino would talk to the other two just because he was locked with them? Nope. That would never happen. He might speak to his Teddy Bear but he had no reason to talk with the young Matsumoto.
His lips curled into a smile when he noticed Ohno was sleeping on the sofa. Wow, Ohno was so cute! He looked like an angel. How long had they been here? Not even 10 minutes, right?
As he looked at the time, he took notice of his phone’s battery. Drat! Less than 20% remaining. Why didn’t he charge the phone before he came here? With less than 20% battery, how could he survive 3 hours in this room? That would be impossible!
As he thought of a way to get out of the room, the other guy in the room caught his attention. Apparently, Jun was watching a video, judging from the sound that came from his phone. Nino glared at the man, and couldn’t help but think it was inconsiderate of Jun to do that when Ohno was sleeping.
“You should keep the voice low,” chided Nino. “Your cousin is sleeping,”
Without taking his eyes off the phone, Jun snorted at him. “You don’t have to worry. Satoshi is a heavy sleeper. Even if you put a bomb right next to him, it is not enough to wake him up,”
“Still, it is selfish. I’m also here with you and it annoyed me to hear loud voices coming from your phone,”
“Well, I don’t have my earphones with me,” retorted Jun. “So, just deal with it, okay?”
Urgh, that man was a total snob! He was the complete opposite of his shy cousin.
Well, seeing that Nino had already talked to the man he vowed not to speak to, Nino thought it would cause him no harm to ask Jun another question. Since the young Matsumoto had been rude, why didn't he bother the man more?
“Do you have a charger?”
This time, Jun clicked his tongue. Even though he seemed annoyed that Nino had once again bothered him, he paused his video this time. Hmm, maybe he was not as bad as Nino assumed.
“I don’t even have my earphones…” answered Jun. “What makes you think I have a charger?”
“Well… I just want to give it a try,”
Jun rolled his eyes but suggested that Nino could look in the drawer or the shelves. Maybe if he was lucky, he would find one.
“Oh, is it okay for me to look around this room?”
“Just do it, okay?” chided Jun. “Let me watch my show in peace. Besides, this house is going to be yours,”
Nino chose to ignore the last remark. Even though Jun had given him a green light to look around the room for a charger, he still thought it was impolite to do it. So, he took the chance to look at the room properly. Shelves of books. Should he read a book instead to pass the time?
As he walked to the nearest shelf, something on the table caught his attention. Whoa! Nintendo Wii! This would be a much better option.
But, could he play the game? It was not his.
Well, whatever! Jun had said it earlier. This house would be his soon.
"I can play this, right?"
Once again, he bothered the man, earning him another glare from Jun. The man looked at him angrily, ready to reprimand him again. However, he seemed to swallow whatever he wanted to say. Instead, he approached Nino, looking sorrowful.
"It has been a while since I last played this game,"
Jun took the Mario Kart game. A sad smile was on his face, making Nino wonder why.
"I always play this with Grandpa. In this very room,”
Ah, that would explain the sorrow on his face. That got Nino thinking. Maybe there was a reason Sho brought them to this room. It had a sentimental value to Jun and perhaps to Teddy Bear as well. Who knows. Maybe those two would agree to Ohno Kazuki’s ridiculous request after spending time in this room while reminiscing the memory they had with their late grandfather.
“I never had a chance to finish this game with him,” lamented Jun. He put the Mario Kart game back on the shelf and took another one. It was Super Mario Odyssey, which had been released a few years ago. Nino finished the game not long after it was released.
“Teddy…” Nino quickly stopped himself when he realized his mistake. Jun, on the other hand, looked at him with a frown. “Ah… I mean… did he play with you too?”
He pointed at the sleeping Ohno. He didn’t know how to address the man. It didn’t seem appropriate to call Ohno by the nickname he made.
“Teddy?” said Jun, repeating the word that Nino had slipped up earlier. “Why do you call him Teddy?”
“Errr… I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
At first, Nino thought the man was going to push him to tell the truth. But, to his surprise, Jun simply smirked.
“Satoshi didn’t like to play video games,” said Jun, bringing them back to their previous conversation. “He went fishing and sometimes camping with Grandpa,”
“Oh…” responded Nino. He took the Mario Kart that Jun put away earlier. ”Say, how about we play this?”
“Sure. If you’re ready to be beaten,”
Nino snorted at the man. “Well, get ready to be defeated,”
“That will never happen,” said Jun. “Anyway, we should make this more interesting. The loser has to be punished,”
“Bring it on!”
Ohno woke up to the sound of laughing. At first, he wasn’t sure where he was. But, as he rose from the sofa and saw the other people in the room with him, the memory came back. He was locked here with Nino and Jun. But, the sight before him was unexpected. The other two were happily playing a video game together. Mere hours ago, they were ignoring each other.
Maybe, it was a bad decision to sleep. Because of it, Nino formed a bond with Jun while he was still a stranger to the other man.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” said Nino, beckoning him to come closer. “You’re finally awake!”
“Sorry,” said Ohno. As he walked towards the pair, the door was opened from the outside, revealing Jun and Nino’s friend. Had it been three hours since they were locked away? He can’t believe that he wasted time sleeping when he could use it to get to know Nino.
“Wah, my strategy works!” Exclaimed Sho when he saw Nino and Jun playing together. Aiba, on the other hand, looked surprised. “So, will the three of you do it?”
“Do what?” asked Nino and Jun in unison. Ohno couldn’t help but feel jealous to see how well the two of them get along.
“Living together, obviously!” said Sho. “Will you guys fulfil your late grandfather’s final wish?”
“Sure, why not!” said Jun. “This brat is not that bad,”
“I should be the one saying that,” retorted Nino. “And, yes, I will do it too. I would love to beat this man in Mario Kart,”
“A loser will always be a loser,”
“You are just lucky,”
Jun roared with laughter when he heard that. “Next time, please focus,”
Ohno was certain it was an inside joke between the two of them. It was painful to see that.
“How about you, Satoshi?” asked Sho. “Will you do it?”
Ohno blinked when everyone was looking at him. His focus was on Nino and Jun so he didn’t pay attention to Sho. His friend asked him something, right? What was it? Could he just nod even though he didn’t know the question?
“Okay, great!” said Sho. “I will make the arrangement for us to start living together,”
Oh, that. Of course, it would be that. He had agreed to his grandfather’s last wish, knowing he would not win it. The fortune was not what he wanted. But, it would be great if he could win Nino’s affection. It seemed unlikely right now, though. Nino and Jun had more in common. They would be a perfect match.
“Whatever,” said Nino. “I’m starving. Do you want to eat with me?”
The question must be for Jun. But, nobody said anything.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Ohno blinked when someone flicked his nose. “Are you here? Did you hear me?”
“Eh?” said Ohno. “Are you talking to me? Are you asking me to eat with you?”
“Yes,” responded Nino, smiling softly at him. The smile attracted Ohno to him since the first time they met.
“Oh, I thought the question was for Jun,”
“Huh? Why would I ask him?” responded Nino. “I want to be fair. Since I already played games with him, it’s time for me to get to know the other candidate who wants to win my heart,”
“Not doing it for your heart, brat!” Jun chipped in.
“Shut up! I’m not talking to you,” retorted Nino. “So, I’m asking you again, Ohno-san. Do you want to eat with me?”
“Hmm… sure,”