A Dinner with Hachimura

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I yelled at Hachimura while he was sitting on my bed.

"Hey there, Takumi, sorry if I came here by surprise, but you left something behind, so I decided to bring it to you," Hachimura responded casually.

"Huh?! What did I leave behind? Everything I have is in my bag," I retorted, feeling irritated.

"Yeah, everything except your wallet," he said, holding up my wallet in his hands.

"Give me that!" I snatched my wallet from his hands, my frustration growing.

"Whoa there, you're not even going to thank me for it? I mean, I did go to the trouble of finding your address," Hachimura said, grinning mischievously.

I furrowed my brows, suspicion creeping in. "How do you know where I live?"

"Let's just say I have my resources," he replied cryptically.

I had a sense of unease about Hachimura, so I chose to maintain some distance from him. "It's already getting late, you should head out now."

I heard my mom calling from downstairs, "Takumi, dinner is ready. Let your friend know he's welcome to join us."

"I mumble to myself, ', He's not my friend.'"

"I'll be right there!" I responded. Turning to Hachimura, I let out a sigh. "Well, my mom made three plates for dinner, and it would be a shame to let them go to waste. You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like."

Hachimura hesitated briefly before agreeing to have dinner with us. "Alright then, if you insist," he said.

As we both walked down the stairs, my mom stood there with a big grin on her face. "What?" I said, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just really happy because it's been so long since you invited someone over," she said cheerfully.

"Well, I didn't invite him, he was already here when I got home. Anyway, let's just eat and get this day over with. I have to study later on," I said, trying to brush off the topic.

"Haha, alright, boys, let's dig in!" my mom excitedly said.

"WOW!! This is really good, Ms. Kitamura!" exclaimed Hachimura.

"You think so?! I'm glad you like it. It's one of Takumi's favorites. He eats this stuff all the time," my mom said, smiling warmly at Hachimura.

Hachimura asked me, "Oh, do you enjoy rice curry, Takumi?"

"Yeah, I do. Anyway, it's getting pretty late; you should get going. It's a school night, and we have a quiz coming up next week," I said, trying to change the subject.

"Oh shoot, you're right. We do have a quiz coming up. I better get going. Thanks for letting me stay for dinner, and Ms. Kitamura, I think your curry rice just became my favorite dish," Hachimura said, his smile unwavering.

I felt a sense of satisfaction that he complimented my mom's cooking, but I tried hard not to show it. "Oh, dear, I'm happy to hear that! You're welcome to our home for curry any time. Please stop by again and be safe while walking home," my mom said warmly.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Kitamura!" said Hachimura as he headed out the door. He turned towards me. "Takumi, you should smile more. Most people get wrinkles at that age. Well, see you in school tomorrow."

I stood there alone, confused by what he just said. "What the- that jerk! He doesn't need to tell me to smile! Enough already. I'm going to go study and get some sleep."

"Hey, dear! What do you want me to make for lunch tomorrow?!" my mom called out from downstairs.

"Rice curry!" I replied, still somewhat bothered by Hachimura's parting comment.

"You and your curry. alright, honey, you get some sleep," she said affectionately.

I headed upstairs, my mind still occupied with thoughts of Hachimura and his strange behavior.