Chapter 4:

What's Inside The Box?

The Otaku Mage

“This is it…”, Kuro said in front of a door and searched for the key in his pocket.

Hinako looked at the number on the door.

“Ninety-six, huh?... So close…”, she attempted a joke.

She wasn’t sure if the noise that Kuro made was a chuckle or if he just choked a bit.

“Well, the number fits you…”, Hinako said with a faint smile.

Kuro finally found the key and opened the door. Behind was a narrow entrance with two doors on the left side and one in front a bit further down.

“Here’s the toilet and there is the bathroom.”, explained Kuro pointing to the two doors on the left side.

He then took off his shoes and changed into slippers. Hinako hesitated a bit, because the pair, he offered her, had big cat ears and the face of an anime girl plastered across them, but she put them on them after all.

“Sorry for the intrusion…”, Hinako muttered and followed Kuro. He led her through the last door into the main room, which combined bedroom, kitchen and living space into one. There was also a door out onto a balcony.

“It’s clean…”, commented Hinako surprised.

“What? You expected tons of plastics bags with trash and half eaten ramen cups stacked to the ceiling?”, asked Kuro a bit hurt.

“Yeah… and tons of… used tissues… strewn across the floor…”

“I’m an Otaku, not a Hikikomori… sorry to disappoint. Better get used to it… I can work on the tissues though, if you insist.”

“Please, don’t.”

Kuro just shrugged and then threw his keys, wallet and mobile phone on the table in front of a sofa.

“I’m going to take a bath now… Feel free to make yourself at home. You can have a beer out of the fridge if you want, but don’t touch my pudding! I’ll cook something after my bath if you want, or if you’re already very hungry, I think I have some cup noodles in the cupboard next to the fridge.”, he said, went to the fridge, took a beer can out and left the room.

Hinako went straight to the fridge and opened it. Inside there was some left over rice, eggs, a few vegetables, some bacon and a single cup of pudding with a purple-haired horse girl depicted on the label. She thought for a bit with a devious smile but then chose to refrain from being too confrontational for now. Hinako looked at drawer at the bottom of the fridge. It was filled with beer cans. Some were Japanese brands she was familiar with, but most of them were foreign brands. Hinako took one of those she did not recognize out.

“Wieselburger… Isn’t that German?”, she mumbled to herself reading the label. Hinako cracked open the can and took a big gulp.

“Ah, that hit the spot!”, she exclaimed with a sigh.

Hinako then looked around the room a bit. Most of the walls had posters on them with anime characters she was not familiar with. One thing caught her eye. It was a small picture frame between the countless posters. Hinako went up to it to have a better look. The picture in the frame seemed older. It showed two women smiling at the camera. Hinako recognized one of them and her eyebrows went up in surprise. It was Shinoha. Her hair was still black when the picture was taken and she was smiling, but it was definitely the Grandmaster. The other women with the brown hair and the even bigger smile, Hinako did not know. The brunette had a small boy on her arm, who tried to hide himself behind her. Only one of his eyes were visible and Hinako looked into its blue color for a while.

Is that him, she thought to herself.

Hinako was very intrigued and looked around the room some more. One side of the room had large bookshelves filled with books. Most were manga or light novels, but one shelf seemed different. The books on it seemed old, and Hinako recognized some of the titles. She had seen some of them in her grandfather’s study when she was little. They were magic grimoires and lexica of various magical beasts. Hinako flipped through the pages of a few books. But as interesting “The Theory of Advanced Elemental Magic Spells” and “Mysterious Yokais and their favorite food” sounded, she wasn’t really the book type and definitely not in the mood for studying today. Next to the bookshelves were shelves full of figurines in various sizes. Hinako stepped back a bit, after examining them for a bit and looked around in the room some more.

Time to find some dirt on him, she thought while taking a sip of beer.

Hinako looked at the couch in front of the TV. On the shelves below were different gaming consoles side by side.

Hm, no…

Then she looked at the desk with the three monitors.

Maybe…

Lastly, she looked at the double-sized bed and smiled deviously.

Definitely!

Hinako placed her beer on one of the shelves, which was mostly empty and went over to the side of the bed. She got on her knees and lifted up the covers, hanging down to the floor. Expectantly she looked under the bed and found nothing but dust.

“Looking for something?”, She suddenly heard Kuro’s voice.

“Yeah, your dirty… Abs…”, Hinako wanted to explain but the last part didn’t come out right.

Kuro stood in the door with just a towel around his waist. His broad upper body was covered in scars and old wounds, but also very well-trained and well-defined.

“My dirty… what?”, Kuro asked confused, went over to a wardrobe.

“Your… uhm… dirty… Books! Yeah… Books!”, stuttered Hinako a bit and quickly averted her eyes.

Kuro furrowed his brows and put on one of his oversized anime shirts and sweatpants, hiding his physique.

“You’re looking in the wrong spot then…”, he just said and pointed to one of the shelves with, what Hinako thought to be just manga at first glance.

She went over and took a closer look. Now that Hinako read the titles she realized that the whole shelf was nothing but dirty manga books and a few novels, with even more spicier titles.

“Are they…”, she began after a closer inspection.

“Organized by tags? Yes, they are!”, answered Kuro somewhat proud.

“You just have them out in open?”

“Why not? I live alone.”

“But… what when you have visitors? What… if you have a woman over? Isn’t that a bit… you know…”

“Well, that’s not a problem… aside from the old hag… eh, Grandmaster… you’re the first person to come over to this apartment.”, Kuro said with a slight sigh.

Hinako did not comment but looked back at the books in front of her. On the lowest board of the shelf was a box. She went to open it.

“I’m not sure if you want to open that…”, remarked Kuro casually.

Hinako hesitated a bit, but her curiosity got the better of her. She opened the box, took a glance inside, blinked twice and quickly shut it again. She turned around with bright red ears.

“Damn… that’s… uhm… yeah…uhuh… jep… those are… things…”, she stuttered.

“Told you.”, Kuro said with a shrug.

“Do you… uhm… use… ah… no wait… forget it… I don’t want to know after all!”

“As I said… I live alone. But don’t worry… I’m not gonna use them while you’re here… I do have some decency after all… even if some think I don’t…”

“Good… Well, I guess it’s normal… everybody has certain… needs… but, yeah… let’s keep that… uhm… inside the box, I guess?... hehe… uhm… yeah… let’s keep it professional… I… uhm… will not do any of that… ah… sort too…so… uhm… yeah…”

Kuro chuckled a bit at the stuttering Hinako getting increasingly redder in the face. Hinako went back to grab her beer and drank the rest of it in one go. She then noticed the small metal box next to where she had placed her beer can.

“What’s in that box? More T-“, she asked and reached for it, but got cut off by Kuro suddenly grabbing her hand suddenly.

She jolted in surprise. It was not painful, but firm.

Shit, how did he move so fast and without making any noise? She thought.

“That’s none of your business.”, he said and moved her hand away, before releasing his grip.

“Come on! What’s in the box? I already saw your… collection… so it can’t be th-“, Hinako tried to inquire, but paused as soon as she met his eyes.

The look he gave her was different than his usual gaze. It was very serious and stern, but she also glimpsed a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Please just don’t. You can live here as long as you need to figure your stuff out… The only thing I ask of you is that you don’t touch that box and don’t look inside of it. Okay?”, he asked emphatically.

“Uhm… yeah… understood.”, Hinako replied a bit confused from his sudden shift in tone.

Kuro breathed deeply and looked her in the eyes a few moments longer.

“Good… The bath is still warm I think, so if you want to have a soak, feel free to… I’m gonna make dinner now… you want some too?”, he asked, switching back to his usual tone.

“Uhm… yeah…. Sounds good… both… I’ll be in the bath while you cook then!”, she answered still a bit confused.

Hinako went to the door and stopped.

“Uhm…”, she began hesitantly and turned around to Kuro.

“What?”, he asked.

“Do you have something I could wear?”

“Hm? Don’t you have any clothes to ch…. Ah… in the Fire?”

Hinako nodded.

“I see… yeah, I’ll look for something… I’ll put it in front of the bath… You can throw your clothes in the washing machine.”

“Thanks…”

Hinako opened the door but turned around again.

“No peeking, okay?”, she said and gave Kuro a stern look.

“Relax… I’m not big into the age-gap tag and you’re not my type anyway, so you don’t have to worry about that…”