They are definitely not here.

Teru scoured the bus station area. It was easier said than done. Being a Saturday night at the famous Shibuya Crossing was a recipe for disaster for dropped or misplaced things. Pedestrians and tourists were sardined together. This time, getting bumped and shoved was unavoidable. He checked around the iconic dog statue and surrounding benches, just in case someone had put the lost item aside. That was what people usually did. No one wanted to deal with taking them to the police station or face spending the next hour doing paperwork. 

They were handmade by Mom years ago. No one would want them!

If they weren’t worth stealing or putting the effort to move to a safer spot… then maybe they were thrown away. A day had passed, after all. Groaning at how frostbitten his fingers felt, he breathed on them and wished they’d warm up.

The mittens were Teru’s favorite pair. He had worn them whenever he was cold. Mom spent a good while hand-sewing a crane on the backsides; a little gaudy for his generation who preferred anime and English word designs, but it was a labor of love. To him, that made them worth more than any brand-name designer mittens.

Dad even bought the materials to make them before he…

Feeling dejected, he sat on a ledge and sighed. This loss especially upset him because it was the last gift from both of his parents before the unfortunate car accident three years ago. There were many rumors and speculations about the circumstances behind it, but the police and their shoddy job at investigations had concluded—that his dad’s incident was of his own doing on that rainy day. In other words, he was one hundred percent at fault when he crashed into the guard railing, slipped over the edge, and submerged in the river… In fact, an officer suggested it had been self-inflicted.

But Teru knew that couldn’t have been it at all. He suspected foul play. It had to be. There was no way his dad would be so careless in speeding in bad weather… or leaving them on purpose. If only Mom and his sister, Hina, believed him, too. 

“Ah,” he groaned and rubbed his temple.

A headache was coming, per usual, when he became too anxious. Dad’s death was too complicated for Teru to think about now. In his mind, Teru threw the stressful thoughts into a box and closed it nice and tight. He wished it would stay locked away forever, along with the other boxes of messed up secrets that no one should discover about himself. 

I really don’t want a migraine right now, either. Wait, didn’t I take my last pill recently? Man, I won’t have time to get a new prescription next week because I work every day. 

Teru would try not to let these unlucky things ruin his evening. Try was the keyword. 

“Oof!” 

There was a ram into his back. A ridiculously heavy object attempted to climb over him as if they wanted a piggy-back ride. Baring his teeth, Teru grabbed the assaulter’s wrists and heaved them over his shoulder. 

SLAM. Lucas went flying in front of him and landed hard on his butt. It left his friend in a minor daze before shaking his head. “Whoa, I didn’t know you knew martial arts.”

“I don’t. You’re just incredibly easy to take down.” Actually, his shoulder hurt from attempting to copy a move he saw in a drama show. 

Heaving to stand, Lucas plopped himself next to Teru and stared at him. “You’re a little snippy today. Is it because you lost your mittens?”

Their gazes met. Teru was surprised since he hadn’t said anything about those. “You noticed?”

“Well, yeah. You never go out in the cold without them. I would be a bad friend, otherwise. You’re someone who doesn’t exactly say how they feel.”

Can you blame me? With the way I grew up?

Like his dad’s bizarre passing, Teru didn’t particularly want to recall his school days. Those were some of the roughest times of his life, especially because of a certain someone who constantly messed with him— 

“Looking for these?” 

A familiar voice grated his ears, ranking it the most annoying noise on earth. 

Speaking of that someone.

Teru couldn’t even muster a fake smile when he turned and saw Nolan holding his gray mittens with a grin. His belly churned when he saw that unappealing face. Lucas bristled beside him, disliking the guy as much as he did. 

Though Nolan went to an international school, all three had been in the same air rifle club since they were teenagers. There was an unspoken rumor that he got the captain’s position through connections, which didn’t sit well with many, knowing Teru should’ve been promoted instead. 

It was weird how he obtained that, but Teru didn’t want to raise hell, not when the Olympic tryouts were a year from now—honing his skill was more important than a position. Ultimately, those spots would be based on talent and numbers, not a title.

And Nolan had a huge ego and believed in the whole “alpha or beta energy.” The biggest asshole out there who deserved a straight kick to the—

“Wow, thanks.” Teru’s tone was deadpanned as he stood to retrieve them from his grimy paws. Before he grabbed his belongings, Nolan snatched them back.

“Hold on, there. Not until you give me the answer I’ve been wanting to hear. And that won’t be ‘no’ this time.”

Again?! He’s been relentless ever since I graduated! Can’t he get a clue?

“Come on, man. He doesn’t want to go out with you,” Lucas growled, joining them. 

A dangerous gleam flashed across Nolan’s light blue eyes. One of them twitched. 

Lucas, please! He’ll treat you even worse at work!

Lately, Nolan seemed a bit more… unhinged as of late, and wouldn’t give anyone a reason for his lashing out at club activities. Whatever it was, he needed to leave that at the damned doors. Not even Teru brought his baggage with him at work or during hobby activities.  

“You know I’m seeing someone,” Teru retorted. “So the answer will always be no. Besides, you’re now my new manager. I don’t like that power dynamic.”

Just then, a large group of tourists weaved between them, not allowing Nolan to respond immediately. They watched him huff where he was, making a fist with his free hand as he scowled at the interrupting families. 

“His anger is getting worse lately,” Lucas whispered to him.

“I know.”

This gave Nolan a minute to cool down. Once the sidewalk was clear again, he looked at the mittens, smirked… then chucked them onto the traffic-jammed street. The two friends could only watch in shock, because who the hell would do that?

“Are you serious?” Lucas said and dashed forward. He hopped over the handrail, waiting for the right moment to go out onto the busy street and get them. 

Seeing him gone and out of his hair, Nolan was quick on his feet to approach. The abruptness startled Teru, who took several steps back as if he were being attacked. 

Nolan stood over him. With a venom-laced voice, he said, “I’m not in the mood right now. But since you’re so adamant about turning me down over and over, I want to know something. Are you sure you’re seeing someone?” His question seemed more hypothetical.

“Uh, yes. I am.”

His unpleasant smile didn’t sit right with Teru. “If you say so.”

“I know so.” 

Nolan straightened up and side-eyed at Lucas crossing the street, returning. “Then, tell Yuta I said hey.”

An icy sensation spread through Teru’s chest, turning his heart cold. “How do you know Yuta—?”

“Got them!” Lucas shoved the mittens in Teru’s face. 

When Teru swatted his friend’s hand away, Nolan had already gone, lost in the throng of people using the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing.

What was that about?