to invest (is to love)
to invest is to love. for toji zenin, the statement held no value. a man who was a former husk of himself , or rather, who he wasn’t, had no interest in trivialities that distracted him from keeping alive. this was apparent when he was walking back, one bicep cradling a bag of groceries. a few cigarettes, some milk bread, store bought instant meals was his version of grocery shopping. God forbid he indulged in a can of beer too, from time to time.
a couple hundred should cover this months rent. or should i just kill that bastard.
was what often ran through his head as he crossed his legs on his bare futon. life without the zenin clan’s money was hard enough, but to hear that old man rapping up his metal door every last sunday without fail should’ve been enough for him to take care of him in his sleep.
anytime now, the old bastard would be walking up to his dingy flat. a cane in his hand, a briefcase in the other to stash his money. toji’s eyes shut as he waited for the knock.
anytime now……3……………2…………1…………..
KRACKKRAKCKRACK
there it was. he got up, his feet dragging as he slid the envelope off the table and clutched it to take to the money hungry collector.
KRACKRACKRACKRAKC.
”im comin, gimme a second you old fart” he muttered to himself, sliding the lock off, turning the door. he expected to see a pair of stern, wrinkled eyes looking up at him.
“mr. toji? its nice to meet you. my name is y/n fushiguro, granddaughter of hisashi fushiguro. He sent me to collect your debt for this month.”
The lady piped up, looking at him expectantly, her brow raised up, and very much resembling the old fart, bar the wrinkles. toji had half a mind to scam this woman short of his due, but something about her seemed sharp and cunning.
”what, is the old fart about to kick the can?” he asked gruffly, his fingers rifling through the notes, stacking them and handing them over.
”sorry what?” y/n did a double take, caught off guard by the casual audacity. “i think we could’ve kept that question inside your head.” she pointed out, kinder than i would’ve been. toji grunted in response, making her wrap her black cardigan in apprehension. sure, she knew this area was a bit rough around the edges, but she expected the tenants to at least be amiable. but then again, who likes getting money taken off them? her grandfather was notorious for being a covetous moneymaker, after all, and several years of this habit would definitely get you on the wrong side of tenants.
she counted the money, switching back and forth between the man and the green notes, her eyes looking over his angular jaw, and bored expression.
1000 yen short. is he trying to play games?
she pursed her lips, pretending to recheck the money, as he raised a brow.
“is there a problem?” he asked, his voice booming above her. after a split second of debating it, she shook her head.
“everything’s perfect.” she lied, her eyes looking at his sullen ones. something inside her soft heart ached to lessen the burden of this stranger. “pleasure doing business with you.” she gave a curt nod and smile, before slipping it in her pocket.
as she walked off, toji crossed his arms, eyes trained at the woman who had let him get off scot free from paying the full amount of his rent. he looked at the remainder of his rent, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to buy with this disposable money. his stomach grumbled, and before walking off, he contemplated going somewhere to eat.
the cold air whipped his cheeks, leaving a sting as he walked where his legs took him. not even the coat he had scrummaged money for kept him safe from the harsh winters. the thought of there being worse (which by the way, he has already gone through) had him powering through the winter.
he found himself at a 24 hour ramen takeaway, ordering the biggest portion of meat, and steaming broth he could afford.
as he took his first sip of the broth, his eyes closed, the feeling of good food rushing through his body. his hand shovelled more and more in, ignoring the looks he was getting.
for the first time in his miserable nineteen years, toji zenin found himself seeking warmth, and enjoying it.


















