Origami Girl

Chapter 21: Eidola and a Feast for the Moribund

"This world of ours is piled high with farewells and goodbyes of so many different kinds, like the evening sky renewing itself again and again from one instant to the next-and I didn't want to forget a single one."

― Yoshimoto Banana, Goodbye Tsugumi

"Ayano-chan," I heard a voice softly whisper in my ear. "Ayano-chan, we're almost here."

I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself resting on Yukino-kun's broad shoulder. Stretching slightly, I sat up in my seat and looked out of the window. The trees and greenery of rural Hokkaido had been replaced with rows of houses, buildings, and flashing traffic lights.

"Get the luggage down," I heard Ms Nakayama's voice from behind me. "We're going to be there soon."

Yukino-kun obeyed his mother's command, and stood up in aisle, bringing down the trolley bag that he had placed there earlier on. Feeling slightly confused and disoriented, I had a look around at my surroundings.

I was on a train, and the sunlight was streaming in through the window. It seemed to be already rather late in the afternoon outside, judging by the position of the sun. The sky too, was starting to glow with streaks of orange and crimson, the silhouettes of faraway clouds flickering in the faded sunlight, like shadows around a dim flame.

I turned around to have a look at the interior of the carriage. A few other passengers were busy getting their baggage from the overhead compartments, all ready to alight at the next stop. Judging by the density of the buildings outside, I'm sure we must have already reached Sapporo.

"You're awake already," Yukino-kun said with a smile as he brought out the trolley bag.

"Yeah," I muttered, still a little drowsy. "We're here already?"

"Oh you're awake already, Furukawa-chan!" Asami-san said from behind me. "I'm sorry that the journey takes this long."

"Ah, it's all right," I reassured her. "It feels nice to sleep sometimes, especially when you're caught up with so many things. You don't even have time to rest."

"That's true," the older girl replied.

I looked to Yukino-kun who was fiddling with his phone beside me. He didn't seem to notice me staring.

"Did my parents say anything?" I asked Asami-san. "Do they know I'm here?"

The girl looked at her mother.

"Well, why don't you ask Yukino?" Ms Nakayama said, tapping on the back of Yukino-kun's seat. "He was the one who talked to your father."

"My father?" I gasped aloud.

Before I went to sleep, I had assumed that my mother would be the one who would pick up the call, and I thought Yukino-kun would be able to handle it. But if it's my father. . . then that's a different story.

"Yeah," Yukino-kun said, scratching the back of his head. "He picked up and I tried to tell him, but he was really scary and so-"

"At the end of the day, mothers always have to clean up after their children," Ms Nakayama sighed jokingly, shaking her head.

"I hope mine don't make too much of a mess then," I said.

"Oh you'll see," the older woman replied.

The both of us giggled.

"You must be feeling thirsty Furukawa-chan," Asami-san said, while rummaging for something in her bag.

"Oh no, it's fine," I replied. "I'm not really that thirsty."

Nevertheless, before I knew it, she had taken out a bottle of mineral water, the seal of the cap still intact, and held it out for me.

"Don't worry, it's new. And I got it for free anyway, so feel free to drink," the girl said.

"Th-thank you," I muttered, reaching out with my palms to receive it.

But before I knew it, Yukino-kun had snatched it, unscrewed it open and taken a swig from it.

"Yukino-kun!" Asami-san raised her voice. "That was for Furukawa-chan!"

The boy put the rim away from his lips, but not after gulping down more than half of the bottle down. He then wiped his wet lips with his sleeve. He ignored his half-sister and looked at me, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"You don't mind, right?" he said. "I'm thirsty too, you know."

"Fine," I mumbled. "But you should have asked first."

"Sorry," he muttered, as he handed me the bottle.

"It's okay," I replied. "You can have the water. I'm not thirsty anyway."

"Didn't you say you wanted it just now?" he asked, still pushing the bottle of water towards me.

"It's really fine," I responded.

Yukino-kun shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his seat. It was then when the train began to slow down to a halt, and an announcement went on, informing us that we had arrived at Sapporo station. As the train came to a halt, the four of us stood up, and prepared to get off. Asami-san said she would be hauling the trolley bag with her, so Yukino-kun passed it to her. I got up as well, preparing to alight, when Yukino-kun turned around to me.

"Do you need help with your bag?" the boy asked me, extending his hand.

"It's just my schoolbag, Yukino-kun," I said, feeling rather perplexed.

"I think you're trying too hard to be a gentleman, Yuki," Asami-san chuckled.

The boy turned beetroot, and immediately shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I-I told you not to call me that!" he shouted to his sister, who merely giggled, enjoying her time embarrassing her brother in front of his girlfriend.

"Why?" I questioned. "It's your name, you should be proud of it."

"It sounds really gi-girly and I don't really like it," he said as we got off the train.

I dropped the topic, seeing that he was still recovering from the embarrassment. The other two waited for us at the platform before we all headed for the exit together.

The station was enormous, of course, being the main rail station of a major city. We all made it out of the fare gates and tapped our tickets on the machine. I was mostly following the other three around, since the place was rather confusing, what with all the lines having different platforms and concourses there. Crowds of salarymen and students walked through the station building, amidst shops and ticketing offices. It was more crowded than any place I have been to in Hakodate, but I guess this was what greeted Ms Nakamura everyday as she travels back and forth. I managed to steal a glance at the clock right outside the ticketing office, and reaffirmed my guess that we had reached our destination nearing evening. It was half past five.

"Wait, I need to go buy something," Yukino-kun suddenly said when we walked past a row of vending machines.

"We'll wait by the pillar there," his mother told him, which he acknowledged with a nod.

The three of us walked to the pillar and waited for him. We were still inside the station, but the entrance was right ahead of us. Crowds of people entered and exited through the sliding glass doors.

"So, where are we headed now?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

"My father's house," Ms Nakayama replied. "We'll take a taxi, it's quite the distance to walk, especially with the luggage."

I nodded my head, only managing a small, soft 'oh' as a reply. Yukino-kun came back bringing with him a can in his hand. I suppose he must have been pretty thirsty, since even after gulping down an entire bottle of water he was still in need of another drink. I suppose plain water itself was not sufficient to quench his thirst.

Upon closer inspection, I realised that the can wasn't a can of juice, soda or anything Yukino-kun would usually drink. It was a can of green tea. I thought, well, perhaps his tastes had changed after seeing Yukino-kun opening it but still found it rather bizarre nonetheless. Didn't Yukino-kun hate green tea?

It was then when he held out the can to me.

"This is for you," he said, his hazel eyes looking at me through the gaps in his fringe. "I-I opened it for you just in case you don't want to hurt your nails."

I looked at him, then at the can he held in front of me. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Thank you," I said with a smile, receiving the cold can with both hands. "Yuki-chan."

Yukino-kun immediately flushed. Of course, he did say 'Yuki' sounded girly after all. To hear his girlfriend teasing him with that would surely be embarrassing for him. But in all honesty, I liked that name. It sounded quite. . . adorable, and his reaction to being called that was rather adorable as well.

"This is all your fault," Yukino-kun said to Asami-san. "If you hadn't called me that just now, she wouldn't get any ideas."

"So it's my fault?" his older sister chuckled. "Well, you're the one who chose to be embarrassed with your name."

"It makes me sound like a girl," Yukino-kun retorted, crossing his arms. "And you know I really don't like it."

"All the more to tease you with," Asami-san giggled.

I tried to stifle my giggles as I sipped on my green tea, watching the two siblings squabble for a bit. Yukino-kun surely was cute when he was embarrassed, and I guess that was one of the things that made me feel he wasn't as bad as he thought he was. He was a really sweet boy in actual fact, that Yukino-kun, my guess was that he just didn't want to acknowledge that part of him. It was a bit sad actually, I wonder why he had to make it so hard for himself. He was really nice and caring deep inside and I knew it.

As I looked at the interaction between those two siblings, I could sense that his sister was really trying to close the gap between them. I guess being apart for years must have dug a hole into their relationship. Asami-san did voice out her guilt over what happened to Yukino-kun, and not being there to go through what he experienced after the divorce proceedings, and I guess she was trying all she can to make up for it. I wished I could have an elder sister like her. How peculiar fate is, that two siblings who shared the same father could go through such vastly different things in their lives.

It was only when I saw Ms Nakayama's expression as she walked alone behind us that I remembered the true purpose of this visit. Bearing that in mind, the smile on my face vanished.

The four of us boarded a taxi at the south entrance of the station, and Yukino-kun went to place the luggage in the boot. Ms Nakayama took the front passenger seat and told the driver where we were headed. With that, I was stuck at the back with Yukino-kun and Asami-san. I sat at the seat directly behind the driver, while Yukino-kun sat in the middle seat, sandwiched between his sister and I.

Only Asami-san seemed to be trying to start a conversation throughout the taxi ride through the city, but she stopped soon enough. I guess she too realise the heavy atmosphere slowly creeping upon us as the distance towards our destination decreased. This wasn't just a normal visit, it was a visit to say farewell, forever. I felt awkward, intruding into such a private family matter.

For a while, there were no sounds to be heard yet for the soft humming of the engine. The taxi had the lingering scent of air freshener, which in comparison to Kameko-chan's perfume, was comforting and calming. It didn't feel like it was the kind of fragrance to conceal something, instead it felt like a rather welcoming, cosy aroma. It wasn't like I cared so much about the scent of the air freshener, it was just that in the silence, that was the first thing that came to my mind.

Ms Nakayama sat in silence, her black handbag on her lap. As the evening sunlight streamed through the windows of the silent taxi, I caught her reflection on the windshield. Her expression was blank, her eyes looking at the buildings outside. It must be hard, I thought, as I looked at her. Everyone in this family had it hard. I was the only odd one out within the four of us.

Looking back, what I went through as a high schooler, as an adolescent, was nothing like what Yukino-kun had gone through. But of course, I never really thought about it at that point. After all, adolescence is a realm of ego and self-consumption, whether we realise it or not.

Our taxi drove past down Odori Park, the green vein in the middle of the city. I've never been there, but it sure was a welcoming sight to catch sight of some greenery in the midst of downtown Sapporo. It was a shame that where we were heading was towards the south though, if we had headed north I could have caught myself a sight of Hokkaido University. Soon, the dense clutter of office buildings and shopping malls of the downtown district gave way to the apartments and houses of the suburban areas. Sapporo was surely a huge city. Not as huge and sprawling as Osaka or Tokyo, but it certainly was larger than Hakodate.

"If we took the tram it would be pretty crowded at this time," Asami-san said out of the blue, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Yukino-kun replied to her, before turning to look at me. "The rush hours here are even worse than Hakodate."

"Don't forget lunch hour too," Ms Nakayama added.

I nodded my head. It was slightly peculiar how all of a sudden a conversation could spring out of nowhere after ten minutes of silence. Listening to the humming of the engine as if no one else was present was slightly unnerving. What I found even more frightening than being alone was if I was with someone, but it was as if they aren't even there in the first place. Doesn't anybody else feel this a bit scary?

"Oh yes," Yukino-kun said. "That as well."

"I guess that's because there's more people here," I replied. "Hakodate isn't that big after all."

"Actually. . ." Asami-san said. "I prefer Hakodate than any other place. It's not very crowded, and it has a more. . . homely, personal feel to it, you know? I'm not saying that Sapporo is bad, but having spent most of my life in Hong Kong, there's certainly this difference between big cities and the smaller ones. Smaller cities feels more human, I guess."

Yukino-kun turned around and looked at her. Even though I could only see the back of his head, I'm sure he was wearing a look of bewilderment. His sister's reaction confirmed this.

"I'm sorry," Asami- san said, looking at her shoes. "I must be sprouting nonsense, maybe I'm just tired after the train journey."

"N-no," I cut in. "I get what you mean. I guess big cities can be quite hectic at times."

"I'm glad you got it," Asami-san said to herself. "For a moment I thought I was blabbering nonsense."

"I suppose we all have our preferences," I told her.

Intent on keeping the conversation going, I immediately jumped on the opportunity when the cab fell silent again.

"So where's your grandfather's house, Yukino-kun?" I asked.

"Well, we'll be there soon," he told me. "It's down in Fushimi."

I had no idea where was that, but thought that the name somehow rang a bell. It's like I've heard that name somewhere, but I couldn't remember where.

After a while of driving on flat ground, the taxi began to climb up a small hill. The houses now were mostly low rise apartments and single two-storeys. We passed a small wooded area, before turning into small, winding roads, lined on either side with modest houses, some with fences, some just open. Regardless, it was a quiet street, with not even a single person in sight.

As we approached a two-storey house with beige walls and a panelled roof, the taxi slowly came to a halt. Ms Nakayama paid the driver while the three of us in the back alighted. Yukino-kun went straight to retrieving the luggage in the boot.

I looked around me as I stepped into the asphalt street. Power cables criss-crossed against the reddening sky with the squawking of the crows in the background. Up north, I saw the skyscrapers and tall offices of downtown Sapporo. I tugged Yukino-kun's sleeve.

"Look!" I exclaimed as he turned around, placing the black luggage bag on the ground. "You can see all the way to the city down here!"

Yukino-kun looked at me and a warm smile formed on his lips.

"Well," he said. "I grew up looking at the city skyline. The view's really nice from up here."

Fushimi was a small neighbourhood up the slopes of Mount Moiwa. If Yukino-kun hadn't mention it, I wouldn't even have guessed that Yukino-kun grew up in a place like this. It was a really pleasant neighbourhood, the type that had the homely feel of unkempt grass growing through the cracks of the stone fences.

"The cicadas get really loud here in the summer," Yukino-kun said, his hands in his pockets, as we both looked at the towers and office blocks up north. "Down there through that road there's a shrine. You know the wooded area we passed just now? The shrine's in there."

"You guys better come in, or we'll lock you out," Asami-san said, giggling.

"Of course you wouldn't," Yukino-kun replied, chuckling. "You wouldn't leave Ayano-chan out in the dark aren't you?"

Asami-san laughed.

The two of us headed into the house. I took off my shoes and placed them directly next to Yukino-kun's. There were quite a couple of shoes there, so I guessed the other family members have also gathered. Ms Nakayama was nowhere to be seen, so I guess she might have went into one of the rooms down the hallway, behind the stairs. Asami-san was bringing the luggage up the staircase. I guess we were spending the night here then. There was murmuring down the hallway, so I guess that was where his grandfather was, together with the rest of his family.

"I'll show you around," Yukino-kun offered.

"No, it's all right," I told him. "I'll find my way around, you go see your grandfather."

Yukino-kun seemed reluctant, but in the end presented me and offer.

"Come this way," he said. "I'll bring you to meet him."

I was afraid to reject out of fear that I might hurt his feelings, so despite the awkwardness I felt for intruding into this private family affair, I took Yukino-kun's hand. As we walked through the living room and down the hallway, I felt my heart thump in my chest. I was feeling worried if Yukino-kun might run into his father in that room, but didn't dare bring up that subject now that we were here. Besides, Yukino-kun's father had nothing to do with his maternal grandfather, so why would he be here anyway? Nevertheless, there was still the possibility.

As we approached the open door at the end of the hallway, I could hear the murmurs getting louder. Amidst the soft discussion going on in the room, I could also hear the soft echoes of sobbing. It was then that I decided that it was definitely not the time for me, a stranger, to come intruding. I tugged Yukino-kun's sleeve.

"Where's the bathroom, Yukino-kun?" I asked him just as we approached the room.

"It's down the corridor," he said. "It's okay, I'll bring you there."

"I-it's fine," I told him. "I'll be back, you just meet your grandfather first."

Yukino-kun seemed slightly disappointed. I guess he would, considering that I rejected his offer to show me around the house. Nevertheless I saw him head towards the room as I made my way to the bathroom, and as soon as he disappeared in there, I quietly slipped into the empty living room.

I sat down on the sofa and heaved a sigh of relief. I didn't mean to be rude or anything, I just felt it would be very awkward if I stepped into the room while the whole family was inside. I would look strange, unwanted. I felt like an uninvited guest, being dragged along, doing so just out of obligation.

The empty living room seemed so large and void with no one around. It was neat and tidy, as if no one was even living there. The television screen was coated in dust, and so were the picture frames hanging on the wall. It was a cosy, comfortable room, but had the eeriness of abandonment to it. Surely it must be different when Yukino-kun grew up here.

"You're not in the room?" I heard someone say.

Slightly shocked, I turned to look around, and found Asami-san standing there. She asked whether she could join me at the sofa, to which I agreed.

"This house still looks quite lovely doesn't it?" the older girl said, starting a conversation.

"Yeah," I mumbled in reply. "You used to stay here too?" I asked.

"Oh no," Asami-san replied. "I've never met Yukino-kun's father before actually. I followed my father to Hong Kong right after the divorce went ahead. After okaa-san's attempt at her own life, they both went to stay with her father here."

"I see," I replied. "So I guess we're both strangers in this house then."

"Pretty much," Asami-san replied.

We were silent for a while after that, and the echoes of the soft blend of voices and sobs from the end of the hallway were the only thing I could hear. I wonder what Yukino-kun was doing in there, but I was too afraid to approach the room.

"It's not like I'm trying to be rude," I told the girl. "But, it's just really awkward for me to be in that room with everyone, even when Yukino-kun wanted me to do so."

"Me too," Asami-san replied. "I can't bring myself to go in there."

"Why not?" I asked her. "If you don't mind me asking."

Asami-san fell silent for a while, before standing up and heading over to the picture frames hanging on the wall. She was looking at them, so I myself decided to get a closer look as well.

"That's a picture of the family right there," the girl said as she stood beside me.

I gazed at the picture she was referring to. The wooden frame was slightly dusty, but that was all that showed its age. The picture was still shiny behind the glass, the glossy layer of film helping it retain its youth. It was a picture of a family.

Almost immediately I caught sight of a familiar face. Yukino-kun. He looked roughly about ten or eleven at that time of the photo, but hi face didn't change much. The smile he did for the photo was the same one I had grown closely acquainted with, the shy, wry smile that he gave me when he was nervous. It was quite a nice thing for me to be able to see that smile again, even if it was in a photo from the past. I just longed for it, and my craving was satiated. Sure, Yukino-kun still laughed, he still smiled, but somehow those smiles from before, they were different, they were special.

The younger Yukino-kun in all honesty, looked a bit happy, to say the least. He never told me much about his childhood, but I guess there were times he was happy as well. It couldn't be all miserable, could it?

I wanted to chuckle looking at that picture of him. Sure, his smile and face may not have changed much, but his hair certainly was much shorter back then. It wasn't that short, but it certainly wasn't as shaggy and his fringe wasn't at his eyebrows. He was dressed in a red flannel shirt and jeans. It's always nice to stumble upon something new.

I then took a look at who else were in the picture. There was an elderly couple, both the man and woman seated in the middle of the picture, who I presumed were Yukino-kun's grandparents. Seated right beside her parents was Ms Nakayama, who looked much younger back then, but her elegance and sophistication was still present nonetheless, just like how I first met her in the car when she helped to drive me to the airport last Autumn for the school trip. She looked younger of course, probably in her early or mid-thirties when the photo was taken. Her hair was longer and her face was beaming with the remnants of youth, but amidst that beauty, I noticed the weariness in her hazel eyes. The way those eyes looked into the camera struck something within me. From her eyes, I could tell that she was exhausted, tired of what she had to put up with, tired of pulling through day by day, of course, considering what she and her son had to go through. It hadn't been easy for them.

On the other side of the photo was a man who looked younger than Ms Nakayama who I suppose was her younger brother. This was the first time I found out Yukino-kun had an uncle, but well, why would he have told me about it anyway. He also had an aunt, who seemed to look like a fresh university graduate. Yukino-kun had never mentioned growing up in Sapporo before this, he never talked about what happened after the divorce. I was just a bit curious though. I can understand why if he chooses to be a bit secretive about his past, but still. . .

"I'd feel guilty if I walk into that room right now," Asami-san suddenly spoke, breaking the awkward silence between us. "I mean, after all they've been put through and then I just show up-"

"You did nothing wrong Asami-san," I said to her. "The situation was never in your control Besides, what has happened had happened."

"I know," the girl replied, looking towards the wooden floor. "I just can't help feeling guilty. It's just this guilt creeping up to me, I don't really know how to explain it to you."

"Sometimes our feelings don't make sense," I said, not really knowing what to say to comfort her. "But it's totally of no use feeling guilty over things you have no control over. It's hard to let go of these feelings, but it takes time I suppose. I'm sure you'll overcome it."

"Thanks," the girl said. "I'll remember that."

The conversation ended there, slowly dwindling to a silence. The only sounds in the room once more returned to the murmurs and sobs coming from the room down the hallway. As I looked at the girl who had a worried look on her face, I suppose she really was beating herself up for whatever had happened. She felt like she should be taking the blame, even though of course, the divorce was not her fault. But I guess I could understand why she felt the way she did. It was that guilt of being more fortunate than others. It might be a little strange, since human nature tends to forget about what we have and tend to take things for granted, but this feeling, this painful guilt, was at the other end of the spectrum.

I was looking through the miscellaneous items around the television, when I heard noise down the corridor, heading towards the living room.

A man and a woman stepped out of the hallway, and picked up their belongings. I suppose they were Yukino-kun's uncle and aunt, the ones in the picture with him. They looked much older now, of course. The uncle was in a grey coat, while the aunt was in a flannel dress, red and black. Her hair was curled slightly, and dyed auburn. When she stood up after putting on her shoes, I finally managed to catch a sight of her face. She looked just like her older sister.

The woman noticed me looking at her and smiled at me. Out of awkwardness, I returned her smile. Ms Nakayama's younger sister looked at me, before looking at Asami-san beside me.

"So, you must be Yukino-chan's girlfriend?" the woman said, looking at the older girl beside me. "He told us he brought you along."

"Oh, no, you're mistaken," the girl replied, waving her open palms in front of her. "This, is his girlfriend," she said, pointing at me with her palm.

I bowed and introduced myself to her, and she did the same. Despite the beauty of her face, she looked exhausted. Taking care of the dying is not an easy task. Her brother behind her seemed to take no interest in us, and was seemingly preparing to leave. I didn't blame him though, at least he saved me the awkwardness of introducing myself to another of Yukino-kun's family members another time. I didn't blame him though, I guess he must have been dead tired to pay any attention to the two of us by the side, snooping around his father's house.

"And you are?" the lady asked Asami-san.

"Oh," the girl replied. "I'm his older sister."

The lady nodded, although she looked visibly confused. Suddenly, the man's voice broke the silence.

"Did you say you were his older sister?" the man said, turning around.

He scrutinised the girl, narrowing his arm. Asami-san only managed to nod nervously in reply. I had a bad feeling at the back of my throat.

"Isn't Yukino onee-san's only child, Natsumi?" the man asked his younger sister.

"Yeah, if I recall correctly," the lady in the red flannel dress replied.

"So," the man said, folding his arms. "You're that man's daughter then. Why did you even show up?"

"I-I thought," Asami-san muttered, gazing towards the ground. "I could make amends over everything that has happened-"

"Amends?" the man said. "After everything your father put my sister through, you think that'll be enough?"

The girl just kept silent.

"Have you seen what she went through? She was suffering. Suffering. And all because of what? Your father," the man added, raising his voice. "Now you dare step into this house after all that damage?"

Asami-san remained silent. She was already feeling bad over everything, and this just made it worse. I wanted to stand up to that man, but what could I say? I didn't want to get involved into Yukino-kun's personal family matters. Nevertheless, it wasn't right for me to just stand there while Asami-san gets verbally attacked for something that was never her fault to begin with.

"C-calm down," the lady said, trying to soother her brother down. "You're so loud, you'll disturb Father."

"And let her stay here?" the man said.

It was then when Yukino-kun showed up. The boy headed towards the four of us from the shadows of the hallway.

"What's going on?" he asked, raising his chin in our direction.

"It's nothing, your uncle's just tired-" his aunt tried to explain, but was cut short by the uncle.

"That man's daughter," the man said, pointing his finger at Asami-san. "The cheek of her to show up here while we're going through this. After what her father had done-"

"And I am that man's son," Yukino-kun retorted, standing between us and his uncle.

The man's expression softened. His gaze shifted from the girl he was attacking to his blood nephew standing right in front of him. Yukino-kun's uncle seemed to snap out of it when he heard those words, and immediately hugged the boy.

"I'm sorry," he said as he let go of my boyfriend, and put his hands on Yukino-kun's broad shoulders. "I'm just really tired. Sorry for attacking your sister, didn't mean to."

"You don't have to apologise to me," Yukino-kun replied, stepping aside, clearing the space between the man and Asami-san.

There was a short interlude of silence. Yukino-kun's elder half-sister slowly raised her chin and looked at the man.

"L-look, I'm sorry about just now, I shouldn't have talked to you like that," the man apologised.

"It's fine," Asami-san mumbled, returning her gaze to the ground and crossing her arm over the other.

I could tell she still wasn't really all right after that encounter by the sound of her voice, but I guess she also wanted all this nonsense to end anyway. I felt horrible having to witness all that. It felt like I have seen and heard what should never have been meant for anyone beyond the confines of the locked family home. I was an outsider, yet I still had to bear witness to how bitter the situation could get.

"I'm really sorry about that," the lady said. "He's just really stressed and exhausted."

"It's all right," I helped Asami-san to answer as her mind started to wander off. "I'm sure she didn't hold any hard feelings, she's a really understanding person."

"That's great," the woman said. "It's just that my brother here had spent the last few nights beside my father's bed watching and taking care of him, so I hope you girls forgive him for what he said."

"Sure," I replied. "Don't worry about that."

"I heard some noise out here," a female voice said as I heard footsteps approach. "Is everything all right?"

With that, Ms Nakayama emerged from the hallway, looking curiously at the spread of people in front of her.

"Oh," I replied, almost by instinct. "There was just a minor misunderstanding, but we resolved everything already."

"Is that true?" Ms Nakayama asked her sister, to which the lady nodded her head.

After the man had put on his shoes, it was time for them to bid farewell and return home. Ms Nakayama had a talk with a sister, while her brother approached Yukino-kun.

"You hang in there, all right?" the man said, tapping my boyfriend's shoulder.

"I'm fine," he replied.

Even though I could only see Yukino-;kun's back, I could almost picture the expression he wore on his face as he said those two words. Certainly he must have put up a stoic face to reassure his uncle, either that or a shy smile. He never tried to show if he ever felt concerned or worried, that was just Yukino-kun, I suppose. He was that kind of guy.

It wasn't just him though, it seemed like it was a pattern in most guys I've met. They're all trying to act tough on the outside, even though that's not what defined who they really were. I didn't get the point. At least in the cases of Yukino-kun and Kashiwagi-san, they sort of opened up to me, so I knew who they really were. If I didn't know, they would have come off to me as pretentious. Perhaps that was why I didn't really talk to most of the other guys in school, not like there was nothing we could talk about, it's just that I couldn't really stand how they acted with each other, being all brash and loud among themselves. All fakes, all facades. They hid things from each other, I could see it in their faces. I wondered how they could go on being friends like that.

Heck, Kameko-chan was like that too, daintily twirling around with that thick choking vanilla scent of hers. It didn't matter anymore now by this point didn't it? What was there left in our friendship to salvage? She had changed. I had changed. There was no point in trying to continue with this friendship any longer. But curiously, I still held on to that thin thread of nostalgia, still trying to talk to her whenever I had the opportunity to do so. We had a lot in common, superficially, but deep inside, we were different. She hid things from me and masquerades around me, flitting around like a moth to a burning candle at night, her flail wings nearly burning, but never near enough to be set alight.

I couldn't really fathom the idea of living with a façade, but that was a truth of life I suppose, facades and farces are commonplace, omnipotent. Lying was like a creeping plague, a hidden aversive pathogen which already had its symptoms showing up on everyone, whether you knew it or not. It's the sad truth really.

But when you went beyond that façade, you realise everyone was different, yet the same. We all had things to hide, we all had our share of pain, though some of us may have gone through more than others. Yukino-kun, Kashiwagi-san, Asami-san, everyone. We all had our fair share of pain and suffering.

I thought about Kameko-chan. What did she have to hide? Was it the loss of Yukino-kun to me? Did she see me as someone who had snatched what was rightfully hers? Who was I to judge? I didn't know the full story. The only way I will is to hear it from one of them. The truth might be hard to pry from Yukino-kun unless I tried to manipulate him, but that would worsen our relationship and make him distrust me. On the other hand, Kameko-chan could just lie without even batting an eyelid.

Why do we hide things from others? Why can we never be our true selves, to trust others and to embrace them? It couldn't be that difficult could it? Of course, in that moment I got caught along with my own torrent of youthful idealism, questioning things already set in stone. Human nature is something that can be changed, but not questioned.

It's a strange thing. You can change your ways, but never truly understand why you've changed. Why do we trust? Why do we try to protect ourselves? Why do we fear hurt and failure, if it was what that people always state would bring out the best in us? Why do people change? As I stood behind Yukino-kun, looking at his broad shoulders, his uncle and aunt left. The evening autumn breeze slithered through the gap as the man pushed the door open, sending the wooden chimes hanging above us ringing in a rather hollow, daunting manner. The chimes made the place even more depressing.

In that moment, I saw myself questioning so many things that I had never questioned before in my life. Never in such a short instant had so many unanswerable questions filter through my head. I guess that's how the brain and mind matures, in bouts of thoughts. Some say the mind is like wine, you leave it alone to ferment and fester for the bitterness to set in. Perhaps it might be true for some, it didn't really matter to me. You leave your mind to the macabre wonderland of its thoughts, letting it torture you with its insatiable thirst for questioning. Is that how one reaches adulthood?

I was a little confused at my thoughts. Was it merely youthful idealism or was it something more? My mind was in a state of flurry. It was those moments when you could say I was there but at the same time, absent. It was also in that moment of philosophical delirium that I realised an important fact, a fact that I should have paid more attention to, a fact that could have helped if I had only but noticed it at that time.

Deep inside, we were all sad people. Yukino-kun's wry smile when he turned around to look at me reassured that. The way his hazel eyes seemed after he had seen his grandfather, those eyes seemed. . . lost.

A silence enshrouded the room as the door creaked shut. The draft no longer blew in, and the chimes ceased their haunting ringing. Even the slightly chilling chimes were better than this heavy silence. IT was the type of silence where you knew everyone wanted to say something, but instead decided to seal their lips. It was a rather unnerving atmosphere.

"Well," Asami-san said, as she finally looked up. "Okaa-san, why don't you go wash up first? I can help start dinner."

Her eyes were glassy. She must have tried hard not to break down after that encounter with Yukino-kun's uncle. She managed to keep herself together nonetheless. I guess I might have sobbed too if I were in her place.

Ms Nakayama looked at her son, then she looked at me. In an instant, I could feel three pairs of eyes gazing at me.

"No," I responded. "Don't worry. It's already such a dire situation, don't trouble yourself with formalities. I'll just try to be helpful in the kitchen."

"That's really nice of you," Ms Nakayama said to me. "I'll wash up then."

Just as she was halfway up the stairs, she stopped.

"My sister said she bought some groceries last week," Ms Nakayama said to us. "It's not much but we should be able to manage."

"What about ojii-san?" Yukino-kun asked his mother. "He hasn't eaten has he?"

"Oh," his mother said, probably forgetting about that matter, what with all the things that were troubling her. "He'll be able to eat porridge. I'm sorry I need to ask you this, but could you help out with dinner? You take care of the porridge, Asami can fix the rest."

"It's no problem," I told her. "I volunteered after all."

A soft smile curled up Ms Nakayama's lips before she disappeared upstairs. Asami-san and I headed over to the kitchen. With that, the two of us started preparing dinner.

There was some vegetables in the fridge, while on the countertop I found a packet of miso. The rice was in the cabinet, and I helped separate it into four servings to go into the rice cooker, while a serving went into a saucepan, which I would be using for the porridge.

"Do you think celery would be nice in the porridge?" Asami-san suggested to me. "They do have some flavour."

"Well, I'm not sure if its suitable for him," I muttered, unsure. "It might be too difficult for him to swallow."

"I just thought it might be nice," Asami-san said as she washed the rice in the rice cooker pot.

"Well, truth be told," I said. "The dying don't really care about food anymore."

What I said seemed to have taken her back a fair bit.

"I'm sorry," I apologised. "I didn't mean to sound rude or anything, it's just. . . a weird thought that came to my mind."

"But it's true actually," she said after a short silence. "I don't think at that point that it matters what food tastes like. I mean, when you're at the doorstep of death, do you think you'd care about what your food tastes like, Furukawa-chan?"

"Probably not," I replied, pouring water into the saucepan. "Heck, I'd probably even refuse to eat anything. If the point of eating is to sustain yourself through nutrition, then there's no point of eating anything if you're about to die anyway."

"Now that's pretty morbid, don't you think?" she questioned me, giggling.

"I do have my own peculiar ways of thinking," I replied. "We all do."

"I guess you're right," the girl whispered in response, barely audible.

As I set the rice and water to turn into porridge, leaving the fire on low heat, Asami-san took out another pot and prepared the miso soup. Looks like we were going to have rice and miso soup for dinner. Might be too simple for some, but I was fine with it. For a while, the only sounds we heard in the kitchen were the simmering of the porridge on the low heat flame and the monotonous chopping of Asami-san's knife that clacked against the chopping board as she diced the tofu. It had been quite a while since I helped someone else in the kitchen. Nowadays my mother liked to work alone. She told me that cooking was something she liked to do by herself. I never expected to hear that, since all this while I had been helping her here and then but she never complained about it. She told me it wasn't about me, its just that she wanted to reconnect with herself during that time. I sort of understood what she meant, so I never disturbed her in the kitchen after that.

Asami-san was still working on the tofu when a few drops of soup from the bubbling pot hit her pale hand. She let out a small cry.

"Are you all right?" I asked her, my palm still on the handle of the saucepan.

"I burned myself," Asami-san replied, her slightly wavy locks covering the side of her face as she looked down onto her palm.

"Put your hand under the running tap, it'll help," I advised her.

Asami-san did as she was told, scurrying over to the basin to my right and opening the tap. She quickly placed the affected area under the running water. The sound of the gushing water seemed to be deafening, and I could feel a few water droplets splash onto my cheeks. She must have realised about the water though, as she quickly toned it down after a few seconds. Nevertheless, the initial blast of cold water was still quite strong.

The girl seemed to be somewhat relieved though after the running tap treatment. After a few minutes, she turned the tap off and inspected the back of her palm, where the specks of soup had made landfall. There were a few red-pink patches, but the pain must have probably gone by then.

"I'm going to the bathroom to get a hand towel, you mind chopping up the tofu and keeping an eye on the soup? I'm really sorry to leave everything to you."

"I don't mind," I told her. "You go and take care of your hand, I'll take care of things here."

The older girl smiled at me before leaving the kitchen.

Seeing that the porridge was probably done, and that I had been constantly stirring it as it bubbled, I figured out that it would be about time I switched off the flame. The miso soup was still bubbling, so I took the chopping board and knife to the countertop on my side of the stove, since I didn't want to get scalded like Asami-san did earlier.

I picked up the knife and started to chop the remaining block of tofu. I diced them, like what Asami-san had been doing. Looking at the pieces she already cut, she seemed to improve a lot since the last time we met. Perhaps, she had learned more from Ms Nakayama. If that's the case, good for her I guess. Maybe she might be able to make a bento for Yukino-kun that he might be actually be satisfied with. Hopefully she knew not to add too much salt in her omelettes by now.

I felt really alone in the middle of that kitchen devoid of voices, in the middle of a house with the atmosphere of precedent mourning. Nobody in this house had actually said it once I arrived, but soon, this house would be full of people dressed in black. There would be a monk that would be invited from the temple and the rooms will echo with the soft chanting of mantras detailing the afterlife and salvation. Ms Nakayama would be dressed in black, and so would Yukino-kun. People would come and go, passing white envelopes to Ms Nakayama, who would be standing by the entrance to see guests off after they had paid their last respects.

I guess that situation at Yukino-kun's childhood home in Sapporo was one of the situations which were so foreboding that everyone knew and expected it, but somehow, all the lips were sealed shut and nobody dared say a word about it. I couldn't tell what everyone was thinking, but I was pretty sure none of them wanted to say the word.

It felt like a small glint of hope, that avoiding the utterance of the word would not bring the subject come closer. Yet it was futile. Death was coming. The long grasses in the yard, swaying in the evening breeze knew it. The dust-caked furniture and antique wood picture frames in the living room knew it. The porridge I left to cool and the empty, hollow walls of this entire house all knew it. And so did the people in that house. We all knew it. Its just that nobody wanted to talk about the subject directly in the face of such an impending situation.

Well, except for Asami-san and me of course. It was strange, the conversation earlier just headed towards that direction, for some reason. Perhaps the absolute and lingering presence of death in that house just got to me. It certainly must have taken quite a deal of emotional resilience to avoid talking about death in a place where it seemed so commonplace like this. Nonetheless, whether we decided to talk about death or not, people will still die when it is time for them to die. There's no changing that.

"So, what's up?"

Startled, I spun around, my palm tightening on the knife handle. I found Yukino-kun standing behind me.

"Whoa there," he said, taking a step back. "What's with that?"

Realising who it was, I quickly put the knife away and punched his forearm.

"Don't you sneak up on me like that!" I complained. "I's dangerous, you know that?"

"You don't have to get so mad," Yukino-kun said, tilting his head backwards, hands shoved in his school trousers.

He was still in his uniform, so I guess he must have been accompanying his grandfather all along. Hehad taken his blazer off and scrunched the sleeves of his white shirt up to his elbows. I wondered if he even had any clothes to wear for the night, since I doubt he packed anything.

"How's your grandfather doing?" I asked, resuming my task at dicing the tofu.

"He's sleeping," Yukino-kun said. "So I came here, since I was bored. I wanted to talk to you."

"Fair enough," I replied, as I tossed the tofu into the soup.

Yukino-kun went to the countertop beside the stove and sat on it, his toes on his slender legs still managing to touch the ground somehow. Of course, it was kind of dangerous to sit beside a stove like that, but my boyfriend didn't seem too bothered about it. Besides, he was seated at the side nearer to the unlit stove, so I didn't really mind. Yukino-kun probably wouldn't have liked it anyway if I lectured him about safety in the kitchen.

"Woah," he said. "We're having porridge for dinner?"

"No," I replied, "That's for your grandfather. Your mother told me to make it."

"Good luck getting him to eat that," Yukino-kun said, leaning his head against the top cabinet. "I asked him whether he was hungry just now, he said he wasn't."

"But he still has to eat, right?" I said. "I know you can't force him, but you have to try."

"I'll get my mother to do it," he replied. "I want to spend my time with you."

I didn't know what to say in return. One part of me felt a bit relieved, that at last I'd be able to be with the boy who I was most comfortable with, yet at the same time, I felt guilty. Yukino-kun's grandfather

Was on his deathbed, yet here I was, taking his precious time away from him when he could be spending it with his grandfather in his final moments. But I didn't want to cause a fuss with my boyfriend, so I just kept quiet and nodded my head, letting him have his way.

It was then when Ms Nakayama and Asami-san stepped into the kitchen. The former looked refreshed, having taken a bath, and had exchanged her outfit for a more casual-looking pullover and track pants. They offered to take over in the kitchen, and told me to go refresh myself.

"Yukino, you know where the spare towels are right?" Ms Nakayama asked her son.

"Yeah, sure," Yukino-kun replied, before leading me out of the kitchen.

The boy led me upstairs, and we ended up in another hallway with doors on either side. He told me the door to the bathroom was the first one on the right.

Yukino-kun slipped into one of the rooms, and I followed suit. It was a simple room, its walls a faded cream white, decorated with worn out posters and newspaper cuttings. The bed looked well-made, as if it was a room in a house about to be sold, and Yukino-kun and I the potential buyers.

My boyfriend went over to the sliding wardrobe at the corner of the room, where he browsed through the topmost shelf in search of the towels. There were still quite a number of shirts and pants hung from the hangers. I had a good look around the room as Yukino-kun searched for the towels. Personally, I would have to use a stool to be able to get a look that high, but Yukino-kun was tall enough.

"Does your grandfather live alone, Yukino-kun?" I asked as I stood in the doorway.

"Well, for a while," he replied, still looking through the closet.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"He lived alone for quite some while after my grandmother passed away, but now with him like this, his children take turns to look after him. It's kind of a shift thing," Yukino-kun told me.

He took out a folded towel and handed it to me.

"Do you have clothes for the night? My sister can lend one of her nightdresses to you," he offered.

"Thanks," I mumbled awkwardly. "How about you?

"I'm sure there are some spare clothes around here," he said. "It doesn't really bother me."

After he handed me the towel and fetched a nightdress from his sister's luggage bag, I went to quickly freshen up. The bathwater was left in the tub for the rest of us by Ms Nakayama, but since I didn't want to be late for dinner, I just opted for a quick shower instead. I sat down on the stool and soaked myself with warm water before lathering on the soap.

Once I was done drying myself up, I got out of the bathroom, folded clothes and damp towel in hand. I had no idea what to do with the damp towel, so I tried to look for Yukino-kun. Back at home, I would dry it at the towel rack, but over here, I just didn't know how things work.

"Yukino-kun?" I called out, knocking on the door of the room he had been to earlier.

There was no response, but the door creaked open. Out of curiosity, I just stepped into the room. I knew I shouldn't be going in and out of bedrooms without permission, but I just felt like it.

The room was dark by now, so I reached around for the switch at the side of the door. Once I got the room lit, I felt a cold draft clinging against the thin fabric of the nightdress. Of course, it was no wonder, the window was left wide open.

I felt pretty awkward wearing such a thin nightdress with nothing underneath. It was Asami-san's, a baby blue outfit extending to just above my knees. Not only was it cold, I just felt really uncomfortable in that with Yukino-kun around. This was not the comfort of my own home which I was fine walking around in a nightdress in.

The room was unchanged from when I last I saw it, which wasn't exactly a surprise, considering that I last saw it ten minutes ago before I went to wash up. Another chilling gust of wind swept through the room from the open window, sending the thin white curtains fluttering. From the window I could see the lights from the city lighting up the sky with a bright glow. Not a single star was in sight.

I felt a need to cover myself, partly from the cold and partly from the embarrassment of being seen by Yukino-kun like this. Certainly, he'd get all bashful seeing me wearing this. This of course, was our first time spending the night together.

Incidentally, I found Yukino-kun's navy blue school blazer tossed on the bed. Seeing that I probably had no other choice, I quickly put it on. It was better than putting on something I found in the room that could have belonged to someone else, at the very least, I was sure Yukino-kun wouldn't mind. It had his smell, but I wasn't bothered. I liked his scent, it was one of that scents, au naturel, a mixture of sweat and soap, which made me feel somewhat warm. Being the short girl I was, my boyfriend's blazer endde up being nearly as long as the nightdress itself, ending around mid-thigh. The sleeves were slightly too long, so I folded them up neatly until my wrists. I did it carefully though, I was really particular when it comes to these kind of things. Yukino-kun on the other hand would just push his sleeves up roughly, leaving unsightly creases all over the place.

After I had picked the blazer up did I realise it was covering a heap of his dirty uniform. His shirt, belt and trousers were all lumped there together without a care. He must have went off to have a shower. I thought I could be of help, so I sat on the side of the bed and folded Yukino-kun's clothes without even being asked to do so. Turns out it wasn't such a good idea. As soon as I picked up his trousers by one of the legs and started to fold them on my lap, I noticed something had slipped from inside the pants. I reached down for whatever I might have just dropped, and found my fingers landing on something slightly moist and warm.. I still thought nothing of it, until I had finished folding Yukino-kun's trousers and placed the new article of clothing on my lap to fold. It was when I looked down at my lap did I finally realise what it was.

Speechless, I found myself staring down at Yukino-kun's grey boxer briefs. I was still reeling in from the shock that I had touched something so personal when the door opened and I found my boyfriend in the open doorway, dressed in only a pair of black track pants.

"Oh, I didn't expect to find you in-"

His eyes fixated on the piece of undergarment I had on my laptop. Yukino-kun placed his fist over his mouth, while he placed his other hand on his hip. His cheeks flushed red and he turned his neck slightly, facing away. Certainly he was too embarrassed for words.

If the positions were swapped, and I was the one who had chanced upon Yukino-kun with my panties on his lap, I would have most likely screamed, before running over and giving him a big tight slap on his face. Myself shocked and embarrassed, I tried to salvage and recover from this sticky situation I found myself caught in.

"Li-listen, Yukino-kun," I stuttered, my cheeks hot. "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to help fold your clothes for you, then when it came to your trousers something slipped out, and I didn't see it before it ended up on my lap. It's not like I wanted to see your underwear or anything. Please don't mistake me for that kind of girl."

Slowly, my boyfriend removed his fist from his mouth.

"I'm sure you think I'm that kind of guy, eh?" he said, chuckling. "But thanks for folding my clothes for me though."

My cheeks were still warm, but I slowly turned to look at him again.

"Did you bathe?" I asked him, realising that his hair wasn't wet.

"Oh no," he replied. "I was just changing my clothes when my mother called from downstairs. Hadn't got the time to put a shirt on so that's why I'm like this."

"I see," I replied, standing up after I placed his boxer briefs away. "Well, I was looking for you. I wanted to ask what to do with the towel you've lent me."

Yukino-kun made his way towards the closet, his right arm scratching the back of his head. Beads of sweat dotted his chest.

"You're going to shower tomorrow morning right?" he said. "Then just hang it somewhere."

"But where?" I asked, wanting to make sure I got everything right. Different households had different ways of running things, and I didn't want to cause a mess in the system. Households were like machines, they needed smooth systems to keep them running on course. Bust a small component and everything could go haywire beyond salvation.

"In the bathroom or something," he said, searching for something. "I don't know."

His answer wasn't that satisfying, but at least it was still better than nothing. I was just about to leave, when he called out to me.

"What shirt should I wear?" he asked me.

"You're not a girl, wear whatever you like," I replied.

"Do you think grey's nice?" he turned around folding out a grey cotton shirt over his naked torso.

I felt like something was somewhat amiss, and I got really uncomfortable with that thought. Somehow, he just seemed to be in a happy mood the whole time we were here. It was somewhat getting on my nerves. A heavy feeling pressed upon my chest, and I needed to get it out to him. I had been thinking about it for the past few weeks, and I felt this was the right time which I should relay it to him. I had to.

"Yukino-kun," I looked at him, narrowing my eyes. "What's the deal with you? You're acting so weird."

"What do you mean?" he asked, tossing the shirt aside.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

Yukino-kun looked at me with bored hazel eyes, before seemingly appearing to lose interest in the conversation and looking through the closet again. I guess he knew I wasn't interested in helping choose his clothes, so he just grabbed a light blue cotton t-shirt and slipped it on.

"I'm going out for a jog," he said a nonchalant expression his face, before walking past me and out into the hallway.

Although he never invited me, I just went ahead with tagging along with him. I was nowhere done talking to him, and I couldn't stand the fact that he was just going to walk out with such an apathetic attitude. He was running away, and I couldn't stand that.

He didn't really talk to me as we made our way downstairs. He didn't even seem to realise that I was wearing his blazer over my nightdress. Either that, or he just didn't care.

When we were downstairs, headed towards the front door, we passed Ms Nakayama and Asami-san as they were setting up the table for dinner. The latter asked us where we were going, and Yukino-kun replied that he was going out for a while. Needed some fresh air, he said.

Yukino-kun knelt down as he did his shoelaces, and I did the same as well. But before I was done, Yukino-kun got up and opened the door. He didn't seem to even care about waiting for me. Now, come to think about it, he didn't have a reason to do so. He never invited me to come along with him in the first place.

My boyfriend was about to close the door when I managed to stand up and hold the door just in time. He was not going to lock me in and get away from me that easily. We had unfinished business to settle. As I pushed against the door, Yukino-kun didn't push back. I guess he knew I really wanted to come along with him.

As soon as I was done, I slipped out of the front door, before Yukino-kun locked it with his keys. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that he had the keys, it was his childhood home after all. Once he was done, he walked across the yard without a word.

It was one of those cool autumn nights. The sky was a dark indigo, and city lights dotted the plain below us. There was not a single person on the streets in Fushimi, but the lights in the houses down the road were all lit. Everyone was inside I suppose. It was after all a lovely evening to spend time with the family. I guessed my parents and brother would all be having dinner now, without me. I wondered what my mother made for dinner that night. But instead, here I was, walking down the empty streets of a mountainside Sapporo neighbourhood with my boyfriend, neither of us saying a thing to each other. Awkwardly I toyed with the sleeve of Yukino-kun's blazer.

"Yu-Yukino-kun," I called out to him, mustering all the courage I could to pierce the heavy, awkward silence.

But it was at that moment when Yukino-kun started running down the road. As soon as I saw that, I tried to chase after him, but I was too slow. Was he sick of me? Did he want to get away? I kept thinking of all the apologies I could think of, and blurt it out to them when I had the chance. Perhaps I did sound too harsh just now, up in the bedroom. Yukino-kun was the sensitive type of guy after all.

Up ahead, I saw Yukino-kun stop and look at me, folding his arm. He cocked his head slightly and a mischievous smirk curled up from the corner of his lips. Looks like he was just teasing me.

He's going to get it, I thought to myself as a smile curled up my lips.

I saw this as the opportunity to catch up with him, but every single time, I approached him, he would just take off again. He found it amusing, apparently.

"You're so slow Ayano-chan!" he shouted from up front. "Did you put on weight? All that salmon sure did its thing huh."

"You're so noisy!" I retaliated, catching my breath.

Yukino-kun stuck his tongue out at me. That was the third time he stopped to laugh at how slow I was. I'm going to get him. I'm going to get him good.

Yukino-kun was running up ahead down the sloping street when I finally saw my opportunity to act. There was a parked (albeit illegally) Nissan pickup on the side of the lane. On the side of the road where the Nissan was at, was a dark, unlit forested area. The other side of the street was a row of houses. There was no one about.

I crept upon the Nissan and crouched low, peeking from behind the wheel. Yukino-kun was up ahead, and he stopped and turned around, just like what I expected him to do. I observed him stretching his neck, looking for me, and I noticed the mischievous smile disappearing from his lips.

"A-Ayano-chan?" he said, looking around. "Hey!"

I just kept silent, crouching beneath the cover of the truck. Yukino-kun ran his right hand through his hair as he got more frantic.

"Ayano-chan!" he shouted in my direction. "You okay?"

The boy began to walk up the hill, scanning the sides of the road for signs of me. Deep in my heart, I felt a sparkle of mischievous joy. Seeing his worried face that I had caused on purpose was pretty satisfying after what he had done to me. Strangely enough, my anger and frustration at him earlier had dissipated, the hollow of emotion replaced with a girlish playfulness. I thought of revealing myself to him once he approached the truck, but in the end decided it wouldn't be as fun if I snuck up on him. As I thought to myself how I was going to creep up on him, I anticipated him to appear.

"There you are," I heard his voice from behind me. "Thought you'd have disappeared."

I immediately jumped to my feet and spun around at the sound of his familiar voice. There my boyfriend was, standing in front of me. He chuckled as he saw me frown.

"Y-You're so mean to me!" I shrieked, smacking him on his chest playfully.

Yukino-kun only laughed, before I finally pulled both my fists away from him.

"Look," he said. "I'm sorry about just now. I meant it as a joke."

"Right," I replied, folding my arms. "I'm laughing so hard."

"Well, let's just go back home for dinner okay?" Yukino-kun suggested. "I'm sure the both of them are waiting for us."

With a sigh, I agreed. There was no point standing out here anyway. All I got out here was exhaustion, and it was pretty cold outside too, with Fushimi being on a mountainside and all. I turned around and looked uphill. I could see the dark silhouettes clouds floating against the deep indigo sky. A red light flashed from the dark, ambiguous pinnacle of Mount Moiwa. It must be the radio tower I supposed. I wondered what the view must be from up there. Surely it must be nice, especially with the view of the city.

It was then when I suddenly found myself being yanked back with a harsh force, and the next thing I knew, I was tumbling down into the darkness, Yukino-kun holding on to me, past the rustling of branches and leaves. The gap of light above seemed to fade into nothingness.