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Cold… that's how the room felt without his presence. He was the type of man to really warm up a room with his radiance alone.
“It's s-so lonely without you…” Ryoko sniffled out as she sat in the corner curled into a ball and cried. Kazuichi was out of town for the week to show something at a fair… she couldn't quite remember the details, only that he'd be gone for the week.
At first she could handle it. She had plenty of things to do and people to talk to… she didn't need her love at all times. Well, she thought she didn't.
After the first day she noticed how… dead it all feels. They lived in a small house that was basically paid for by Kazuichi. He's been the big money maker ever since they got out of Hope's Peak. Going to all these fairs and selling his modified cars. Not to mention he did all of the cooking, laundry, and dishes. What did she do? She wastes his time, oxygen, and money. She's a leech that what… cleans sometimes? Makes the bed? The most she does is usually plan out their grocery shopping list but even then! Kazuichi usually has to add a few things that she forgot! She's just a clumsy and forgetful girl that can't even make rice right!
The house is usually dirty since Kazuichi usually comes out of the garage covered in grease, oil, and dirt. Ryoko usually did her best to clean everything but it would always remain a little bit dirty. Not that she minded, dating Kazuichi meant that you had to get used to the smell of old cars… and Ryoko certainly got used to it. It's a scent she now adores. But now the house is spotless, every bit of dirt and grime has been thoroughly cleaned… At first she was ecstatic, she never had the luxury of looking at a fully cleaned house… but now she hated it. She hated that she removed every bit of him off the walls, tables, couches, and shelves. She erased the house's personality.
The only place she didn't touch was the small garage, also known as Kazuichi's workshop. She knew he wouldn't appreciate it if she messed with how his tools are laying about. She knew that every tool had a certain spot… Even if that spot was somewhat visually displeasing. Ryoko wouldn't call herself a clean freak by any means… but she did like organization.
She looked at her phone, tears dropped from her face onto the screen that showed a picture of them at the beach. They were building a huge sandcastle… she smiled for a bit as she remembered that day. She wanted to go back to the beach with him. That smile turned into a frown as she thought about how she couldn't tell him how much she wanted to go to the beach right now. She started to rock herself back and forth in an attempt to try and calm herself.
She debated with herself on texting him. But decided against it. She didn't wanna annoy him when he's doing something important. Her being sad that they're apart for a bit shouldn't be an emergency. She looked at his contact info… it would be so easy to just message him. Just confirm that he's alive and well and that he loves her so much… but she couldn't.
She felt her stomach rumble in the middle of crying. She hadn't eaten much the last few days as eating out and her own cooking doesn't even match Kazuichi's cooking.
She sobbed louder at the thought of Kazuichi's cooking. She didn't know how a mechanic was so good at preparing meals but it felt like God himself blessed every dish he made.
Kazuichi told her that he learned from the best, literally. He learned how to cook from none other than the ultimate cook himself. Ryoko was utterly impressed, she fucked up microwave meals yet this doofus can cook 3 Michelin star dishes?
“K-kazu… where are y-you?...” She sobbed out. She looked at her other contacts. Seeing her other friends. Sayaka, Kyoko, Makoto, Mukuro-
That's it! She could call her dear sis and talk about how she missed him. Maybe then she can finally stop moping about and get some more chores done.
She pressed the call button and let it ring.
One ring
Two rings
Three rings
Four rings
“H-hello! You've reached my voi-”
Voicemail. Ryoko hung up the phone and threw it across the room onto their bed. Her sobbing was even louder. She couldn't even talk to her sister about it… she was truly alone.
After a few minutes of sobbing, she decided to get up and use the bathroom. After she was done she looked into the mirror. She looked like shit.
Her hair was all messy, her eyes bloodshot, and her skin sickly pale.
“Pathetic” was all she could think of. She was pathetic… she shouldn't cry over missing someone this much and yet she does.
She went back to their bedroom where she heard her phone ring. Was her sister finally calling her back? She picked up the phone and when she saw who was calling she froze.
Kazuichi was calling her.
After her moment of shock, she immediately took the call.
“H-hello m-my love!” Ryoko sniffled out.
“H-hey! You doing ok without m-me?” Kazuichi's voice was crunched and compressed but Ryoko could hear the sadness and pain in his voice. He missed her just as much as she missed him.
“Y-yes!... no… no, I'm doing a-awful!!! I miss you so so much.”
“I… I miss you too princess… this show's been draining the h-heck out of me.”
Ryoko giggled, even when crying he still maintained a sense of humor. That was something she loved about him.
The two talked for hours on end. By the end of it it had already been 5 hours. Kazuichi reassures her that she can text him anytime and Ryoko reassures her he can do the same. Ryoko lays in their bed… happy and reassured. She soon drifts off to sleep.