Origami Girl

Chapter 31: Miss Otemo II

"Our village is replete with busybodies.

If those people found out.

What would become of us, I wonder?

Let's go to Kawabata Town.

There are many ripe pumpkins

And heaps of flowers in the fields."

-Otemoyan, Kumamoto Prefecture Folk Song

"Hey, are you sure you're all right?" I asked Nakayama-san as the boy stood over the sink, bending over and washing his face.

"It's fine," he replied gruffly. "I'm fine."

He let out a deep sigh as he stood there in front of the mirror, droplets of water flowing down his cheeks and dripping of his chin. I couldn't tell whether they were tears or merely the cold water from the tap. The boy looked at himself in the mirror, standing straight. When he did that, he was way taller than me. He was taller than most people, so I guess that was why other boys felt intimated by him. That and that edge to his attitude, I guessed they all served as a mechanism for other people to back off. He had his reasons I suppose.

The whites of his eyes were all red, and his hair was ruffled and in a mess. Nakayama-san only stared back at his reflection in the mirror.

"I'm pathetic," he muttered. "Crying like this, Ayano-chan doesn't deserve someone like me."

"Stop saying that," I told him. "You're a wonderful person and Furukawa-chan is willing to look past all your faults. Sure, no one is perfect, but you just have to accept that."

"Right," he muttered, not at all convinced.

I only stood there in silence as the boy washed his face again, rinsing his cheeks again and again, rubbing water in his eyes in a vain effort to rid himself of the redness. He even blew his nose once or twice. We were lucky he decided to go to the bathroom at the top floor, which was rarely used.

"You know," I said to him. "Have you ever thought of seeking professional help?"

"Nah," he replied. "I'm already enough trouble to my mother. And she herself has her own issues. Psychologically I mean."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I sound like a busybody."

"She's on medication," he told me. "Life's so unfair for her. I mean –I don't know. She tried to kill herself once, so I've always been worried for her ever since."

"I'm really sorry to hear that," I said, trying to comfort him. "It must be hard."

"Well what do you think?" he responded, that familiar edge returning to his voice.

"Look, I'm not trying to prod you or anything," I said, trying to ease the tension. "I just feel really. . .sympathetic."

"Thanks," he muttered, leaning against the sink. "But it's not like it'll help or anything. But I appreciate the thought."

"Well, if there's anything I could do to help," I said. "Do let me know."

"Like I said," he replied. "I'm more concerned about Ayano-chan. You just take care of her all right?"

"Sure, I'll look out for her," I answered. "But what about you?"

"I can take care of myself just fine," he said.

With that, he sauntered over to the closest urinal and stood facing it. I heard the faint sound of his zipper as he unzipped. He stepped forward slightly and set his long legs slightly apart.

"Does Furukawa-chan know about the cuts on your wrist?" I asked him as I leaned against the sink. "She'll surely be worried, you know?"

"I'm not sure," he replied, looking down at the urinal in front of him. "I'm sure she might have noticed it once, but I made sure she'd never see those scars again."

"Did she talk to you about it?" I asked. "She's a pretty smart girl. Hard to fool."

Nakayama-san sighed and kept quiet. He leaned forward, bringing his left elbow to lean against the tiled bathroom wall. His right arm was by his side, his hand at his groin. I guessed he was thinking, so I just left him to himself and waited for him to answer me, but he didn't and just stood there.

"So. . ." I mumbled. "Did she talk to you about it?"

"I can't piss with you staring at me," he growled, shooting me a curt glare.

"R-right, I'm sorry," I blurted, turning around and facing the mirror. "Just imagine I'm Furukawa-chan or something."

"That's not helping," he groaned. "Just stay there and look at your pretty face in the mirror."

I could still see him in the mirror, not like I wanted to or anything. I decided to shut my mouth to make things less awkward for the both of us. It was then when I heard the tinkling sound of liquid against porcelain. Looking up in the mirror as I fidgeted uncomfortably, I saw that Nakayama-san's broad shoulders had eased slightly, and I could see the side of his face, nearly hidden by his slightly curly black hair. It felt like forever until silence again returned to the bathroom. The boy gave a slight cough and he shook his right hand gently.

He zipped up soon after, and walked up to the sink beside me and washed his hands. He had the sleeves of his blazer and shirt rolled up to his elbows throughout the whole time, so I could clearly see the scars on his wrists. A few of them were still fresh, the slightly red inflamed tissue surrounding the gash still apparent. The boy flinched slightly as the cold water lapped his wounds.

"This one was from last night," he pointed with his chin when he noticed me staring. "Stings when the water touches it, but I'm used to it."

"If it hurts," I asked, my eyes still fixated on his slashed wrists. "Then why do you still do it?"

"I do it when I feel my worthless self needs to get hurt," he replied. "I'm not hurting anybody, so I don't see why you should be concerned."

"Yes, you are," I said to him. "You're hurting yourself, and I can't just stand by and let you do it."

"I'll cut myself whenever I feel like it," he asserted himself.

The boy sighed, and looked at himself in the mirror. He slowly shook his head before looking at me again.

"Look, I've said too much," he mumbled. "Let's just get out of here and –and forget about everything I've told you."

The boy tried to leave, but I refused to step out of his way.

"No," I told him, staring at him right in the eye. "I won't let you leave, until you promise me that you won't ever do something so stupid ever again."

"Don't tell me what to do," he said, his tone getting rather agitated.

I knew I shouldn't be pushing him too far, but it was the only way I could get my message across to him. For his own sake. For the sake of his girlfriend.

"Fine, I'll leave then," turning around, pretending that I was about to leave. "I'll just give your girlfriend a call, and tell her everything you told me and how you're in such a horrible state."

"Don't you dare," he growled, his voice low.

"Oh, I will," I said, turning to face him. "I'll tell her everything."

It was then when I knew I had pushed his limits. I gulped and my knees trembled. I prepared myself, clenching my fists. I'd have to fight him if I had to, but that would be my last resort. After all, he was taller and stronger than me. I knew best of all people, since he did knee me in the ribcage once, and man, he was strong. Also, after seeing how brutally he beat Kameko-chan, as much as I didn't like her, I couldn't help but pity her. His instability truly manifested into something of a nightmarish scale. I had never seen someone as violent as him.

The boy glared at me, before moving closer and curtly grabbing me by my collar. The brute force dragged me up, and he brought me closer to his face. I felt scared, of course, bracing myself for him to thrash me outright, but I kept a straight, dignified face. After all, I wanted to reason with him, and I needed a clear mind to do it. A mind unaffected by fear. Or at least I just had to appear as if I was unafraid, so that I could convince him at the very least.

"You'd better not tell anyone about this," he growled, his eyebrows frowning, hidden behind the gaps of his fringe. "Especially Ayano-chan. Not a word to her at all."

"Make me."

Nakayama-san pushed against me with his strength, pinning me against the bathroom wall. My back hurt as it hit the concrete, but I bit my tongue, refusing to flinch. He glared at me with his angry hazel eyes, and I just stared back. He had his left forearm pinning my chest against the wall, and his shoulders rose up and down as he breathed heavily. A few beads of sweat trickled down his cheeks and neck. My feet were barely touching the ground. He only stared at me as he pinned me there, not a word escaping from his lips.

It was then when I noticed that he was using his left arm to pin me against the wall. The arm with all those scars and gashes.

"Not so tough now eh?" I taunted, even though I could feel my heart thumping extremely fast. "With all those scars on your wrist."

I held my breath after spitting out those words. I expected a punch to my face at best, but he might as well knee me in the ribs or groin. I contracted my muscles, in anticipation of the impact. Who knew what he'd do to me when I pushed him too far.

But he did none of those. Instead, I felt the force on my chest lessen, before he let go of his arm altogether and backed off. I slid down against the wall, and nearly lost my balance, but fortunately I managed to grab onto the side of the sink. I heaved a sigh of relief, but my breaths were still shallow.

I looked at him, and I saw him leaning onto the sink, both his palms flat against the countertop. I could hear him breathe heavily.

"You know what," he muttered under his breath. "Do whatever you want. It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore."

"Look," I said to him. "Just calm down, I won't do anything."

"Just take out your phone," he said, his voice hoarse. "Just take out your phone and tell her how pathetic I am already. Just do it and get it over with."

He stood there, his shoulders still moving up and down. I heard him whimper softly. Instantly, I felt guilty, but it was the only way I could get him to listen to me.

"I won't do it," I said, raising my voice.

"Why?" he retorted. "Just tell the whole damn world. It doesn't matter anymore."

I approached him and brought my hand to his shivering shoulder. His sobs grew louder the closer I got to him.

"I'm not going to do any of those, don't worry about it," I replied. "Because I want to help you. And you need help."

Nakayama-san said nothing, wiping his tears away with the back of his forearm.

"I only want the best for you," I said, keeping my hand on his shoulder. "You stop worrying about your girlfriend, and start worrying about yourself. You're important, and even if you don't think so yourself, Furukawa-chan thinks you're important to her. And you'd best remember that."

The boy seemed to calm down a little, and he was more stable. Physically, at least.

"I want you to look at me," I said, lifting my palm from his shoulders. "Turn around."

Nakayama-san slowly turned to face me. His eyes were becoming red again, but his expression had softened. He was calmer now, from what I deducted. He was taller than I was, so naturally I had to look up since I didn't want to step back lest he thought I was trying to back away from him.

"I want you," I said slowly and carefully, making sure that he could register every word that I spoke. "To promise me that you'd never do anything silly ever again."

The boy averted his gaze and looked at the floor. His lips were shut tight.

"Can you do that?" I asked again. "Can you promise me?"

He nodded slightly.

"See? We can solve this whole issue," I assured him. "You just have to believe in yourself."

He let out a shallow sigh, before turning to the sink and turning the tap on. He bent forward and washed his face. He was done not long after, and soon stood up straight again.

"Do I look all right?" he asked me.

"Well, your eyes are all red," I commented.

"Shit."

"It's fine," I told him. "You just needed to let it all out."

"No, I mean," he said. "I can't let Ayano-chan see me like this."

"Well tell her you had an allergic reaction or something," I blurted out. "I don't know."

"She'll see straight through that!" he replied. "She has a way with seeing through lies."

"That's true."

I thought for a moment, while Nakayama-san tried to fix his appearance. He adjusted his collar, and dusted his blazer. Finally, he pulled his sleeves back down, hiding the scars on his wrist.

"Why don't you just go home?" I suggested to him. "Furukawa-chan doesn't know you're in school, so you could just go ahead and leave."

"Is she in school today?" he asked me.

"Yeah, she is," I told him.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I really don't want her to know about what happened."

"How about you find somewhere quiet and sit down to calm yourself?" I suggested. "Red eyes will go away after a while, then you could go home with Ayano-chan."

The boy looked at me and narrowed his eyes, before chuckling slightly.

"I see you two are getting pretty familiar with each other."

"N-no! I-I didn't mean that," I stuttered. "Furukawa-chan, yeah. You could go home with Furukawa-chan."

Nakayama-san merely smirked, before turning around and heading towards the exit of the bathroom.

"Well, I'll probably sit around at the stadium steps," he said as we both stepped into the corridor.

"In the snow?" I asked, perplexed.

"Well, I have a scarf and this nice baseball jacket Ayano-chan brought for me," he said. "It's in my bag. Besides, there's nobody around the stadium area this time of year."

"I'll just follow you to the staircase then," I said. "I'm in no hurry anyway."

"You're heading to class after this?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sayaka is waiting for me."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Nakayama-san asked as we went down the flight of stairs.

"Nah," I replied. "But a lot of people think so though. She's just a friend I knew since I was very little."

"But you did have a girlfriend right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," I replied, getting a little uncomfortable. "She's not here anymore though. How did you know, anyway?"

"Kameko-chan told me," he mumbled.

"I see."

The both of us went down to the second storey, and walked down the corridor towards the stairwell at the edge. It was the nearest way to the stadium steps. There was considerably more going on at this level, being where the first and second-year classrooms were. They still had things going on for them even though the year was already ending. Nakayama-san walked beside me, palms shoved in his pockets.

"Hey," he suddenly said after a few moments of silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Are you a virgin?"

I looked at him to see if he was serious. His expression, the way he looked at me told me nothing about him trying to make a fool out of me. I guess it was an honest question.

"W-What kind of question is that?" I replied, flustered.

"I mean, you had a girlfriend and all. . ." he mumbled.

"Fine, I get it," I said. "But yeah, I'm a virgin."

"I'm not," he added.

"I know, I overheard everything behind the storage room," I said. "I saw you beat Kameko-chan."

"Yeah, about that. . ." he said, his voice getting low.

The sullenness had returned to his face. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought up the topic about Kameko-chan and what happened back then.

"I just don't know what came over me," he mumbled. "I just beat her."

"Is it because of the abortion?" I asked.

"Kind of," he replied. "I guess. I don't know. It just hurt me so bad when she abandoned me."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore," I assured him. "Furukawa-chan would never leave you."

"That's what I really hope," he replied. "She's a wonderful girl."

We neared the stairwell soon enough. It was just down the corridor. Nakayama-san swung his bag around, opened it and showed me the light blue basketball jacket that his girlfriend had bought for his birthday. Well, I was with her when we bought it, so I immediately recognised it.

"It's really nice," I told him.

"Thanks."

He slipped it on, and adjusted the strap of his bag. The two of us walked towards the stairwell, where we were about to part ways. I was heading upstairs back to class, while he was about to go downstairs for his own quiet time at the stadium steps.

"Could I ask you something?" he said, just before we parted. "Actually, three things, to be exact."

He trailed off with a chuckle.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

"First of all, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of Ayano-chan, in the event that she moves to Sapporo," he said. "I trust you."

"Of course I will," I replied.

"Second," he continued. "I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about what happened today, or whatever I shared with you. Especially not to Ayano-chan."

"I promise," I said. "What's the last one?"

"I want you to help me tell Kameko-chan that I'm really sorry over what happened," he said, scratching thee back of his head. "I mean, there's no way I could ever talk to her now."

"I'll be sure to tell her that," I replied. "Now it's my turn."

The boy raised his left eyebrow. Well, he wasn't the only one who gets to make wishes.

"I want you to promise me that you'll never do anything to silly ever again," I said. "I don't want you to hurt yourself again, all right?"

The boy hesitated for a while, before he looked me in the eye and smiled.

"I promise."

With that, he thanked me for that day, and walked down the stairwell, while I went up. I heard his footsteps echo against the walls of the stairwell, before they slowly faded away into silence. I really thought I had helped him back then. I thought I helped him feel better.

But of course, he hung himself a few days later and shattered the heart of the girl he loved into a thousand pieces. He had broken the promise we made. As I thought about it over the months that came and went, I came at last to a conclusion.

What was done was done. He had gone and done the deed, but I was still left with the promises I made to him. The promises I had to keep.

And I'm just not the type of man who breaks his promises.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Weeks passed and I still had not contacted the number that was on the tennis circle's poster. Well, to be fair, I was busy with one of the French assessments, and there was a presentation on the Constitution shortly after, so it wasn't like I had too much free time. Besides, I was also preparing for the trip back to Hakodate.

"So, have you met up with the tennis circle yet?" Ayumi-chan asked me as we sat by the library steps.

"No," I mumbled in reply. "I've been busy."

"Well then," she responded. "Honestly, if you don't want to join, it's up to you."

I gave what she said some thought. In truth, I was growing rather apathetic to the idea of joining a circle. After all, meeting new people was tiring, and I already had Ayumi-chan and Shuuya-kun to talk to. Now, I couldn't be too greedy can I? After all, I wasn't the type to mix around with people or join group activities anyway. It was as if I was fated to only have a few friends. But I was fine with it. After all, I could spend my attention better in that way.

"I'll give it a thought," I told her. "But even if I do join, it's after the summer break."

"Oh right," she said. "You're leaving for Hakodate next week."

"Next Wednesday actually," I added. "My cousin's only available after Wednesday."

"Because of his work?" she asked. "He seems like a really busy guy."

"Yeah, he kind of is."

"But I guess you must be looking forward to going home, aren't you?" she asked me.

"Kind of."

"Well, me too actually," she replied. "There won't be any dinner parties, so I'm fine."

"Sounds great," I said.

Ayumi-chan took out her phone and looked at the time.

"Well, I'd best get going," she said. "I have a lecture in ten minutes."

"Which module are you taking now?" I asked.

"Italian II," she replied. "I'll see you tomorrow then. You heading home?"

"I have something I have to search up at the library," I said, standing up as well. "So I guess I'll be sticking around campus for a while."

"I see, have fun then."

With that, she walked down the avenue, turned around a corner and disappeared into one of the buildings in campus. Ayumi-chan's schedule varied differently from mine, since we took different modules for our electives. There was also a French lecture in session that afternoon, but I had taken one on Monday, so I had myself free on that Thursday afternoon.

I walked up the steps and entered the campus library. The chief librarian was at her counter, sorting some of the files. She was the one responsible, as well as the team of workers in the office behind her, to sort out and update the reference texts and textbooks, adding annotations and removing old pages from the ring folders.

I needed to search up a few things about the history of the Romance languages for a project, so I headed over to the bookshelves and started my long search for the most suitable book that could help me. The module for the month was Basic French Linguistics, so I had to do some reading up to understand the background of it. After all, we were given a project during the summer to complete, and to present after lessons resumed.

I headed over to the languages section, and managed to find a book on the general history of the Romance languages, but unfortunately it was on the top shelf. I was sure it was going to be a great help to me for the project. . .if only I could reach it.

There was no stool in sight, or anything I could use to get myself up there in range to reach it. Tiptoe and reach as high as I could, I still couldn't reach the book. I even tried jumping, but the noise of me hitting the ground made me self-conscious, so I stopped after a few pathetic tries. I could always try stacking some of the books, but in the end dropped the idea. It was silly anyway.

In the end, I gave up trying to reach for that book, and settled for one of the books on the lower shelf instead. I squatted down, quickly browsing through the row of books, pretending I had not just failed to grab a book on the top shelf due to being so short.

It was then when I heard someone step beside me.

"You were trying to reach for something?"

I looked up and saw a young man in a white T-shirt and skinny jeans. His hair was dyed a shade of light brown, and his fringe drooped down onto his forehead. He wore a black beanie, pulled back behind his head. It was none other than Kashiwagi-kun.

I slowly stood up. It had been a while since I last saw him, and now that I have, I felt guilty over what happened back then at the park in spring. But words once spoken can never be taken back.

"Yeah," I replied, clasping my fingers together. "I was."

"Which book was it?" he asked me as he looked at the shelf I couldn't reach.

"Linguistics of the Romance Languages," I said.

"Right."

I watched as the boy looked for the book, scanning the shelf. He had grown slightly taller than when I last saw him. He still had those earrings on his earlobe. It had ttuly been a long time since I last had a word with him.

"Here," he said, passing me the thick book. "Careful, it's heavy."

"Thank you," I muttered as I received the book with both palms.

"It's nothing," he replied, before he turned away.

I watched him as he walked away, but at the spur of the moment the words came to my lips.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" I said, my voice breaking the silence of the library.

Kashiwagi-kun stopped and turned around.

"Yeah."

"I-I've been thinking. . ." I muttered awkwardly. "And I have to talk to you."

"What is it?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Uhm. . ." I mumbled. "Are you alone today?"

"Why?"

"I was thinking if you would like to sit with me," I said. "You know, I have some note taking to do, and I'm alone."

"Fine, whatever."

"That's great," I mumbled softly. "I guess."

As I walked around, thick linguistics book pressed against my chest, looking for an available table, I couldn't help but feel sad and guilty. Kashiwagi-kun was so cold towards me now, the warm attitude he had treated me so kindly with had all but dissipated. I was probably lucky that he even agreed to follow me. It was probably because he was free and had nothing to do. I had treated him so badly after all.

At last we found an empty table for four, and Kashiwagi-kun and I took the seats facing each other. I placed my bag on the chair beside me, and Kashiwagi-kun placed his haversack on the one beside his. As I sat down and took out my stationery from my bag, Kashiwagi-kun excused himself.

"I'm going to go look for something," he muttered, unsmiling.

"Sure," I replied. "Go ahead."

I watched as he walked away and disappeared behind the rows of bookshelves. I wondered what he was looking for.

I heaved a sigh as I rested my forehead against my palm. I guess I shouldn't have lashed out at him back then. I guess I still let my selfishness take the better of me. Sure, I was grieving and the phone message Yukino-kun had left behind sent me into a tumultuous emotional breakdown, but the least I could do was not take it all out on this poor boy. He had it rough too. I shouldn't be so self-absorbed.

With this chance that he had given me, I'd really like to ameliorate the tension that had grown between us. It was not tension per se, but it just feels that Kashiwagi-kun had grown distant to me. He was still the same boy, but, I don't know. I guess the time spent away from each other, leading our own lives really had an impact on our friendship.

I really didn't know. But I guess all I had to do was make things right again. He was a really a great friend, and I didn't want to lose him.

He returned with a few books bundled in his arms. From the short glance I managed to shoot at him, he seemed to be reading about laboratory procedures. I guess he was enrolled in a course that did lab work then. Taking his seat, he opened up one of the books he had brought with him and began to browse through it. After a while, he took his notebook and began scribbling down notes.

He did his work as if I wasn't there, so as much as I wanted to talk to him, I merely kept quiet. I went on and jotted down the important points I managed to pick out of the book. Page after page I scoured, but I realised I couldn't really concentrate. In the end, I couldn't be bothered to read the introduction that gave the overall idea on the concept of Romance linguistics, so I just went ahead, skipping chapters until I found the most relevant information I needed and mindlessly copying them. After a while, it got to the point where I got tired of writing down the detailed explanations and ended up copying examples of the differences between the three main branches of Romance instead to place in my presentation. Besides, if I just plopped in a few concrete examples I can at least pretend I knew what I was talking about.

I looked again at Kashiwagi-kun, who seemed to be pretty much focused in his work. Did he perhaps choose to forget all about what had happened? On the other hand, I couldn't. I couldn't just forget things like that.

"Um, Kashiwagi-kun," I muttered, breaking the long silence between us. "Can I ask you something, if you don't mind?"

"Well what is it?" he said, not even looking up from the book.

"I just wanted to ask" I said, fidgeting with my fingers. "If you you're still angry over what happened back at the shrine."

The young man remained silent for a while, before he slammed the book shut and placed it on the table in front of him. He then looked up at me.

"Well, to be honest, Furukawa-chan," he said, hands on the table in front of him. "I was never angry at you."

"Even so," I replied guiltily. "I just wanted to apologise for how I treated you that day at the shrine. I know, I overreacted, and I'm really sorry. I must have hurt your feelings."

"I'm kind of over it already," he replied, adjusting his fringe. "So no worries."

"I know you didn't mean to take advantage of the situation or anything, but I wasn't really all right that day," I said. "You see, it's hard you know? Trying to come to terms with the way things are. But even then, I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. It's not fair for you, and I'm really sorry about that."

"I'm at fault too," he replied. "I shouldn't have said something so insensitive at a time like that. You were still trying to make sense of what was happening, and you're chucked into this new environment, and here I am trying to get you to be my girlfriend."

"You were just staying true to your feelings," I said. "You weren't at fault at all, believe me."

"But I guess that's how the world works I guess," he replied, resting his forehead onto his palm. "Stay true to your feelings, and there will be consequences."

"That's true, I guess," I muttered. "We all need some rationality in our lives."

Kashiwagi-kun chuckled slightly.

"Anyway, so. . . We're still friends?" he asked.

"You're the best kind of friend I could ever ask for," I replied.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, nodding his head. "That's. . . great to know."

"Yeah," I sighed, nodding in reply. "I'm really sorry, but I don't see you as anything more than that."

"It's fine," he said, his cheeks slightly red, moving his gaze away. "I was pushing my luck too hard, I guess."

"Let's just forget about all that," I responded. "But I just wanted to say that, what you said. . .It was the sweetest thing I've heard someone say when they confessed to me."

"T-Thanks," he stuttered. "But the sweetest? Are you sure?"

"Yukino-kun was never really good at putting his feelings into words," I said. "And it got worse when he was nervous."

"Well, he really loved you," he replied. "That's for sure."

"Love," I said, a slight smile on my face. "Love didn't get us anywhere did it?"

"I loved Nana-chan too," Kashiwagi-kun responded, stretching his arms in front of him. "Sure, she died. Sure, it broke me. And sure, I do feel that she was a gone case for the most part. But those times we had, those times we spent together, there's nothing in the world I'd exchange it for. And I'm sure you feel the same way."

"I'd never forget the way he liked to shove his hands in his pockets when he walked," I said, reminiscing. "And whenever he took them out to hold my hand, they'd always be so warm."

"Nana-chan loved to look at the ships by the harbour," he added. "I'd never forget how she'd sit there by the pier and count the boats out in the water."

"I'd never forget how Yukino-kun took of his blazer and covered me when it rained heavily," I continued. "He was soaking wet, but he only cared about me back then. He was so kind."

"There was once this time we were walking in the park in the autumn when we were younger," Kashiwagi-kun said, his lips parting into a slight smile. "She turned around and picked up this dried leaf and asked me why did things have to die. I told her I didn't know."

"I'd never forget that on his seventeenth birthday, he kissed me for the first time," I said, slowly brushing my hair to the side. "His lips were so warm and sweet. I'd never forget that."

Kashiwagi-kun shrugged his shoulders and smiled slightly.

"I guess that's enough reminiscing for today," he chuckled. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Oh?" I said, realising he was referring to the books laid in front of me. "Well, I have the whole of summer to work on this project, so no worries."

"Well," he said. "Have you gotten what you needed?"

"I guess I've managed to jot down the most important points," I told him. "The rest I could just find out during the summer."

"What course is that for?" he asked me. "Are you doing a language course? French?"

"Yeah," I replied, nodding my head. "I'm taking French."

"Girls like to take French," he said. "Just an observation."

"Well what about you?" I asked. "What other electives are you taking?"

"Right now I'm doing some course that deals with lab work," he replied. "Kind of those laboratory sessions we had in senior high school, but this time with more complicated procedures and stranger chemicals."

"Well it sounds like you're going to do quite well in the course," I complimented him. "You're good in chemistry aren't you? And to be a doctor you have to have good application skills anyway."

"That's right," he said. "But well, I have to be pretty careful in my lab work. I might contaminate the samples, and it's such a pain when it happens."

"I'm glad I won't be touching laboratory apparatus ever again," I said jokingly. "I've never liked getting dirty with all those chemicals. What was the point anyway?"

"Well, it's a useful skill to have," he said. "There's really not much to it if you know how to follow instructions."

We continued talking as we did our work, until we decided that we should wrap up what we had done and head home instead.

"You're going home after this?" Kashiwagi-kun asked me as we both placed the books we had taken into the deposit tray to be re-shelved.

"I guess I am," I said to him. "You too?"

"We can walk to the station together then," he said, a slight smile parting his lips.

"Sounds great."

The both of us left the library soon after, and walked down the slip road towards the main gate. It was around two in the afternoon, and the campus grounds were bustling with activity. Kashiwagi-kun and I walked by the rows of trees and lawn. The weather was great too, the clouds dotting the blue sky.

"So, are you going back to Hakodate?" he asked as we crossed the crossing right outside the main gate.

"Yeah, on Wednesday," I told him. "I'm going back with my aunt and cousin."

"So she'll be driving?" he asked again.

"No, we'll be taking the train," I said. "We'll only be leaving on Wednesday since my cousin could only finish his training program at the hospital by then."

"Ah, what's he studying again?" Kashiwagi-kun asked.

"He's in nursing," I said. "He's a year ahead of us."

"I see," he replied.

We headed for the subway platform and waited for the southbound train. I was putting my concession pass away into my wallet when I saw Kashiwagi-kun eyeing it.

"Ah, I got this not too long ago," I told him. "You were right, it's much more convenient this way, and much cheaper."

"You went to the counter and did it?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "My cousin offered to do it for me, but I was fine doing it myself"

"Ah," he replied, turning his head to face the tracks. "You and him seem to get along quite well."

"Well," I said, not knowing what to say and getting uncomfortable that the subject was moving towards Shuuya-kun. "I guess we do."

The train soon arrived and we boarded. Kashiwagi-kun was going to alight at Odori anyway, so he stood beside me while I sat down. There was only one seat available in the first place.

"How about you?" I asked as the train pulled out of the station. "You're going back to Hakodate?"

"Yeah, I will be," he said. "But probably just for a while."

"Why?" I asked him. "Don't you miss Hakodate?"

"Well sure, I do," he mumbled. "But I don't really have anything to do there. My family's busy, so honestly there's really no difference to me staying in Sapporo alone."

"But there's nothing like going back to the place you grew up," I said. "Besides, you'll meet Sayaka-chan there, won't you?"

"She'll be there," he replied. "She's studying there anyway."

"She's in a fashion college, right?" I asked.

"She recently transferred to the Hakodate University," he said. "She's studying agriculture now."

"Ah, I see," I said, nodding my head. "I haven't contacted her since I left."

"Well, she'll be really pleased to meet you then," Kashiwagi-kun said, adjusting the straps of his haversack.

"She and I have a lot to catch up on," I said.

"You sure do," he replied.

The train soon arrived at Odori, slowing down as it approached the station. Kashiwagi-kun walked towards the door.

"Anyway, I'll probably contact you when you come back," he said. "I'm sure Sayaka would love to meet the both of us."

"Well, I'll see you soon then," I said to him as the doors opened.

"Yeah," he said, raising his hand slightly. "See you."

Throughout the whole journey back to my aunt's apartment, I thought about finally returning to Hakodate after five months. It had truly been awhile. I was sure Akio-kun was settling in fine in the second year of senior high school, and I'm sure my parents were fine too. I felt slightly guilty for not calling home so often. Well, university made my life much busier.

Truth be told, I missed Hakodate. I missed the smell of the sea and those afternoon tram rides. I missed how everything had been. I missed Yukino-kun.

It was that moment when I thought about his mother. I wondered how she was, and wondered if she was all right. I was thinking that I could drop by the Nakayama apartment when I was there, but went against it. There was no point dropping by the apartment. Yukino-kun was dead anyway.

"Tadaima," I muttered as I pushed the door open.

Of course, there was no reply, since I was always the first one to reach there. My aunt and her son were very busy people. I arranged my floral sneakers by the side and immediately headed for the kitchen. I was thirsty, so I opened the fridge and grabbed myself a carton of milk. There was a note on the fridge left for Shuuya-kun.

"After work please help me buy some tea, eggs and bread."

Well, I was free that afternoon, so I guess I could do it instead of Shuuya-kun. After all, I had no idea what time Shuuya-kun would be back, and he was probably tired out after work anyway. I wondered why my aunt couldn't just ask me to do it instead. I was free all afternoon.

I poured the milk in a glass and sipped on it as I examined the shopping list again. I had followed Shuuya-kun once or twice, so I roughly knew what kind of tea and how many eggs he would buy at once. It wasn't going to be a lot, so I could grab everything in one go.

Once I washed the glass, I rested on the sofa for a short while. I had opened the sliding doors to the balcony, airing the house. The summer breeze blew in, replacing the daunting smell of the stale air with the fresh air outside. It had become a habit of mine to air the apartment, and I would usually open the door to the balcony. I had begun doing some of my packing, but truthfully I didn't really need to bring much, since I still had clothes back in Hakodate. Well, it was my house after all.

It was nearly four when I decided to head out again. I couldn't be bothered to change out of my flat collar dress, so I just wore the same clothes to the store as well. It was a nice dress after all, the soft fabric a dark shade of azure. I slipped into my floral sneakers, grabbed my handbag, and was out soon enough. Locking the door behind me, I left for the supermarket not too far away from the apartment.

As I walked, I was afraid that Shuuya-kun might still run the errand after work, so I took out my phone, thinking of giving him a call. I was about to tap on the call icon when I stopped myself. My cousin was probably busy, and calling him while he was at the hospital was going to be rather disruptive. That was why I just settled for an e-mail notification.

He didn't reply immediately, but I hoped he got the message. I just told him about the note on the fridge, and that he needn't worry about it since I would handle it.

I reached the supermarket soon enough, and didn't waste any time looking for the items I needed. I managed to get the brand of tea that Shuuya-kun always bought, as well as a carton of ten eggs and a loaf of bread. I paid for the groceries with my own money, but I didn't mind, considering that I didn't really have any expenses to worry about.

I left the store not long after, walking by the river to reach home. The river was just like how it always was in the summer, the water low at the base. The reed bed on the other side rustled every time the breeze blew. I spotted a few small cranes standing by the banks, feeding quietly, minding their own business. A few cars rumbled past me on the elevated road, slowing down at the traffic lights. It was a typical summer afternoon, all by myself.

It was after I had crossed the road and had almost reached the lobby of the apartment when I heard a soft sound, a cry even. I turned around to investigate, and true enough I found a cat sitting behind the wheel of a bicycle at the bicycle rack by the building. It had probably meowed at me when I walked past.

The cat had beautiful, although dirty, fur. Its coating was entirely white, just like a field of snow. Its eyes were a clear hazel, and they looked up at me as I stood there. The cat opened its mouth and meowed again.

I giggled and squatted down, so that I may have a closer look.

"Hey there," I said, wearing a smile on my lips. "What are you doing here?"

The cat only meowed back, stretching its front legs in front of it. Judging by the patches of dirt on the cat, I was sure it was a stray. It had no collar either, so it probably didn't have an owner.

"Do you stay here?" I asked, my tone gentle, as if I was trying to talk to a child.

The creature looked up at me, and tilted its head, before taking a few steps closer to me. It began to rub itself against my bare legs as I squatted there, meowing as it did so. The soft fur tickled my skin.

I giggled, and reached my palm out to pat its head, but it backed away a few steps, growling and baring its teeth. I pulled my hand bag, slightly nervous. The cat continued to meow at me, as if it was trying to tell me something.

"Well," I said, standing up. "You wait here."

I picked up the plastic bag of groceries on the floor, and headed back to the apartment. There was still no one in sight. I had left the windows and the door to the balcony open, since I was only gone for such a short while anyway, or so I thought.

After placing the plastic bag in the kitchen, I opened the cabinets in search of a plastic container. I managed to find one in one of the lower cabinets, rinsed it and filled it with water. It was one of those disposable plastic containers, so I guessed it was alright if I used it. I slipped into a pair of slippers, Shuuya-kun's, and exited the apartment, locking the door behind me. I made my way downstairs, container of water in my hand.

The cat was still where I left it, lazing around behind the back wheel of the bicycle at the bicycle rack. It looked up as it heard me approach and yawned. I giggled as I squatted in front of it again, placing the container of water in front of it.

"You must be thirsty aren't you," I said to it, pushing the container towards it. "Here."

The cat stood up slowly, stretching its forelegs before taking the few steps forward towards the container. It lowered its head and started lapping away at the cool water. I decided that the bicycle rack wasn't exactly the place for me to leave a container of water, so I lured the cat to a nearby pillar, bringing the container with me. The cat looked up as I took its water away, its eyes following my hands. I beckoned it to follow me, signalling with my hand and calling it. It did, and I ended up placing the container by the pillar, and the cat resumed drinking the water thirstily.

I squatted by it and observed it as it did that. I just found it so adorable how it stuck its tongue out slightly as it brought the water to its mouth. Once it was done, the cat turned around and snuggled itself cosily by the pillar, in its cool shade. It closed its eyes and curled its tail. It was surely the lazy type of cat, I giggled to myself.

Gently, I reached my hand out, my fingers reaching for its head. I managed to feel its soft fur on my fingers. The cat opened its eyes the moment I touched it.

I felt a smile curling up my lips as my fingers moved to stroke its ears.

It was in that moment that the cat decided to claw me in the shin. The piercing shock sent me standing up quickly. The cat looked up and growled at me. I immediately backed away.

I looked down, pulling the hem of my skirt up, and found a few long streaks of fresh red from my upper shin downwards. It was a shallow cut, but it stung. A few drops of bright red blood trickled down from the cut.

I shot a glare at the cat, who by now had returned to curling up in a ball for its afternoon nap. I sighed. I guess it didn't like it when I did that. Well, I deserved it anyway.

"Hey," I heard a familiar voice say. "What are you doing out here?"

I looked to my right and saw Shuuya-kun standing in the street. He was dressed in the blue flannel shirt and jeans, the outfit he had worn this morning. His sleeves were rolled up to his sleeves, and his haversack hung from his broad shoulders. I was eyeing for a plastic bag full of groceries, and was relieved to see none. I guess he must have seen the message I had sent him.

"Oh, it's nothing," I said awkwardly, letting my skirt down and standing up straight. "I was just, well, you know –outside. Such a nice day to just step in the sun for a while."

The young man raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing me. At least I tried.

"What happened to your leg?" he asked, his eyes hovering to the scratch.

"Don't worry about it," I said, giggling awkwardly. "It's nothing."

"Seriously," he frowned, walking towards me. "What happened?"

I stole a glance at the cat, who was still lying there peacefully, guilt-free.

"I got scratched," I said, pointing in the direction of the feline with my chin. "By that cat over there."

"Let's go upstairs," he replied. "I'll have it cleaned for you."

"It's okay," I told him. "It's not that big of a deal."

He ignored me and walked ahead, so I quickly walked over to his side, waiting for the lift to arrive.

The two of us headed to the apartment, me opening the door with my keys. I slipped out of the slippers I borrowed, and placed them back exactly where I found them.

"You were wearing my slippers?" Shuuya-kun asked as he slipped out of his work shoes.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

The young man chuckled, putting his shoes away neatly beside my floral sneakers.

"You go sit at the sofa first," he told me. "I'll get the antiseptic."

"Seriously it's fine," I told him. "It's just a minor scratch."

"Won't be so fine if it gets infected," he said.

With that, I couldn't argue anymore, and made my way to the empty living room. I couldn't help but find that Shuuya-kun was making a big fuss over something small as I sat down on the sofa. It was just a small scratch, I thought, but I gave up trying to stop him. He was being strangely insistent.

I could hear him down the corridor as he opened the door of the cabinet in the bathroom. I knew they kept all their medicine in there, but so far I had never used anything from it.

The young man stepped into the living room shortly after, bringing with him a dark bottle and a bag of cotton wool. He dragged the coffee table halfway across the room, and knelt down in front of me. I watched as he took out a few pieces of cotton wool from the bag, and unscrewed the cap of the bottle.

"This might sting a bit," he said.

As he picked up a piece of fluffy wool and dripped a few drops of antiseptic on it, I pulled back my skirt to prevent it from getting in his way. He brought the piece of soaked cotton wool and dabbed it on the scratch. It did sting a bit, and I shifted my legs a bit to distract myself from the pain.

"Quit moving," he said. "I'll be done in a bit."

I did as I was told. Shuuya-kun grabbed my calf firmly with his left hand, holding it in place, while he dabbed the whole length of the cut with his right hand. I felt my heart thump in my chest. I could only watch as he did his work, flinching slightly whenever it stung. There were a few light gashes, so he used one piece of cotton wool for each of them. I counted four pieces in all.

"Okay, we're done-"

He stopped midsentence, which scared me a little. He was silent for a while, his cheeks slightly red. His eyes seemed to be fixated on something. I wondered what could possibly have caught his attention, until I realised where his eyes were looking at.

Right between my legs.

I immediately could feel my cheeks turn hot. Instinctively, I leaned forward and slapped him in the face. The young man fell backwards, but managed to catch his fall, jamming his hand against the floor, knocking down the open bottle of antiseptic in the process. The liquid spilled out, the puddle quickly growing. His left cheek was bright red, but I wasn't sure whether that was because of the slap or because he was blushing. My palm was burning.

Shuuya-kun turned to look at me, and our gazes met for a brief moment. I had a palm over my lips, and my heart was beating fast. Feeling truly ashamed, I stood up and ran for my room.

I slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, taking a deep breath. I couldn't really understand what just happened, but my mind wouldn't stop thinking about it.

I was wearing light pink panties that day. My cousin would have surely seen it. I knew it was an accident, and I felt really bad for slapping him so hard. I probably should have gone out and apologised to him, but I was far too embarrassed to face him, yet alone talk to him. I merely sat against the door in silence, hugging my knees close to my chest.

It was a while before I heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, Ayano-chan," I heard my cousin say from the other side. "Are you alright?"

I kept quiet and didn't reply, but his presence made me get back up on my feet.

"About just now. . ." he mumbled. "I'm really sorry about that."

I turned around and opened the door. Shuuya-kun's eyes widened, as if he was surprised that I actually opened the door. I guess he expected me to stay holed up in my room all day sulking.

"I-It's fine," I replied, fidgeting with my fingers. "It was an accident. Also, I'm really sorry for overreacting. I shouldn't have just slapped you like that."

"Ah, it was nothing," he chuckled, rubbing his cheek. "But you did slap me really hard though."

"I'm really sorry," I said.

"Like I said," he replied. "It's fine."

"What about the bottle of antiseptic?" I asked. "You did knock it over when you tried to break your fall."

"Don't worry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his head with his palm. "I've already taken care of the mess."

"Also. . ." I began. "I really wanted to thank you for helping me clean the scratch. That was really nice of you."

"I-It's not much, really," he stuttered, his cheeks reddening. "It's just my job."

"It was really kind of you," I praised him. "So thank you very much."

"No problem," he muttered.

With that, he asked me if I wanted to help him prepare dinner. I gladly accepted. The both of us made our way to the kitchen, when Shuuya-kun spotted the bag of groceries I had left on the counter when I went to get water for the ungrateful cat.

"Ah, sorry for this," I said, rushing over to the plastic bag and taking out its contents. "I forgot to unpack them just now. I went up just now to get the cat some water, and left all these here."

"Didn't you get my reply, Ayano-chan?" my cousin asked, frowning.

"What reply?" I asked, genuinely clueless.

"Ah, that answers the question then," he said, shaking his head. "If you're talking about the shopping list my mother wrote on the note, that was from two days ago, and I've already bought everything she asked for yesterday."

"W-Why didn't you take down the outdated notes then?" I scowled. "Look at what you made me do?"

"Me? You're the one who decided to be extra helpful," he laughed. "Look, how many times must I tell you? I'll handle all the errands, you don't worry about it."

"Well, I just wanted to help," I pouted.

"And I really appreciate that," he replied, opening the fridge. "I'm. . .glad that you actually think about me."

"What?"

The young man slammed the door of the fridge and looked at me as if he had just said something wrong.

"N-no," he stuttered. "I didn't mean it to sound that way. I mean –yeah, I think you're just really considerate and that's really nice of you to be thinking about others. I-I'm not just talking about myself here, yeah."

"Right," I replied nervously. "I-It's no big deal. You've been a great help to me all this while, so I thought I should do something to repay you."

"It's fine, really," he replied. "You don't have to trouble yourself."

"At least let me do the chores when you're too busy," I told him. "You have exams too, don't you?"

"And so do you," he said.

"I don't have a part-time job to take up my time," I countered. "So I really hope you could just let me share the chores too."

"Fine," he told me. "When the new term starts, I have both morning and evening lectures on Wednesdays, so you take care of that."

"Well, great," I replied. "I really hope I'll be able to help out."

"You're already doing a great enough job, so don't worry about it," he said.

Shuuya-kun opened the door of the fridge again. I wondered why he didn't just go ahead and grabbed whatever he needed the first time round.

"So what are we going to have today?" I asked.

"Eh, yakisoba I guess," Shuuya-kun replied, taking a pack of ramen out of the fridge and tossing it onto the counter. "We still have some ramen in here."

"Do we have any chicken?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "Why?"

"I just felt like eating chicken," I replied. "But it's fine if we don't have any."

"Ah, I'm sorry," he said. "Why didn't you buy it from the supermarket when you were there?"

"I didn't feel like eating chicken back then," I shot back, taking the cucumber he passed to me and heading over to the sink to wash it. "I can't help when I feel like eating something."

"You're a strange girl," he chuckled.

I couldn't help but feel my cheeks get warm as I rinsed the vegetables my cousin had taken out of the fridge.

"Well, if you want," he said, still looking inside the fridge. "There's beef."

"Beef's fine too," I mumbled.

Shuuya-kun peeled the onions, while I chopped up the cucumber and carrots. After I was done with that, I diced the onions while Shuuya-kun plugged the basin and filled it up with warm water. I had no idea what for.

"What are you doing?" I asked, as I placed the chopping board of chopped vegetables by the stove.

"It's just a quick way to thaw the meat," he said. "The warm water does the trick pretty fast."

With that, he placed the frozen meat, still in its secure plastic wrapping, into a bowl, before lowering it into the sink. He took it out not long after, and took out the chukanabe from the cabinet. I left the rest of the cooking to him.

The phone rang not long after, so as he busied himself cooking dinner at the stove I went to the living room and picked up the receiver. It was my aunt. She told me that she would be late, and that Shuuya-kun and I should just eat dinner without her. She also said that she was eating out with her colleagues, so she told me to tell Shuuya-kun to keep whatever has been left for her in the fridge."

"Who was it?" my cousin asked me when I returned to the kitchen.

"Obaa-san," I replied, taking out two plates from the rack. "She told us to go ahead and eat without her. Also, she told me to tell you to keep her portion in the fridge, since she's going out for dinner with her colleagues."

"Oh," he mumbled. "Okay then."

We were done cooking not long after. I held out both plates, to which he scooped the noodles into with the ladle.

"Is this enough?" he asked me as he filled half my plate with food.

"Yeah, it's fine," I told him. "I don't really eat much anyway."

I brought the plates with me out to the dining area as he washed his hands.

The two of us sat opposite each other at the table, just like how we always did. Picking up my chopsticks, I tried my best to ignore the fact that he had seen up my skirt by accident earlier. Sure, he didn't mean to do it on purpose, but it was still a pretty embarrassing fact to live with.

We were silent, the both of us. None of us said a word at all. The only sounds to be heard was the faint rumbling of the standing fan, as well as the squawking of the crows outside. It was one of those summer evenings. It was times like these that I truly appreciated my aunt's presence at the dinner table on a typical dinner. At least she could get some small talk going.

I tried to eat as normally as I could, but I couldn't help but look up and steal a few quick glances at my cousin as he sat there across the table. He didn't seem to be eating like he usually did. He picked up the strands of ramen strand by strand before bringing it to his lips slowly, as if he didn't really want to eat. He didn't even seem to realise that I was observing him.

"What's wrong?" I asked after a while, breaking the awkward, dreaded silence that had engulfed the whole room that evening. "You don't seem too good."

"It's nothing," he replied. "I'm just pretty stressed out I guess. You know, been pretty caught up with everything. Work, university, all of that."

"You should take a break," I told him. "You've been working pretty hard. You need time to rest, to sit back and just let go of these things for a while."

"Yeah," he replied. "Wish I could."

I kept quiet for a while, as I continued to finish my dinner. Appetite seemed to have returned to the young man, but I was guessing it was probably because he didn't want me to notice how stressed up he was. I didn't bring up the matter anymore, and went on eating my yakisoba in silence.

"I'll go wash up everything," I said, picking up my plate. "You just leave your plate here when you're done.

He just nodded his head. He was still there when I was done washing up my plate and utensils, so I headed over to the bathroom and turned on the tap to the bathtub. I collected my dirty laundry in the meanwhile as I waited for the tub to fill. Thursday was laundry ay after all. The tub was three-quarters full when I went to check on it after dumping my clothes in the washing machine, so I turned off the tap.

When I stepped back into the living room, I found that the table was empty. I found my cousin standing in the kitchen. His back was facing me, but It seemed like he was opening something. He didn't notice me standing there, before he moved to the right towards the sink. He left a small box on the counter as I heard the sound of the tap. I watched as the young man returned to the box, placing the glass of water he held in front of him. I decided that it was rude of me to be staring at him while he was going about with his business, so I decided to make my presence known at last.

"Hey, I've prepared the bath for you," I said as I approached him.

"Ah," he said, slightly flustered, turning around. "Thanks."

"You've washed your plate already?" I asked as I stepped into the kitchen. "I already told you that I'd be doing it."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he replied, his hands fumbling in front of him.

I was really curious to find out what he was doing, so I tiptoed behind him in an attempt to see what was happening, but I couldn't get past his broad shoulders. I was short after all. I really wanted to know what he was doing, but I didn't really feel like asking him would be very polite. Nevertheless, I pushed my inhibition aside and voiced out nonetheless.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh this?" he asked, turning his head to the side, such that I could get only a slight glimpse of his profile. "I just don't feel too well."

With that, he chuckled. The next thing I heard was what I thought to be the sound of pills hitting cardboard. Well, he was shaking the box, I guess.

"Oh, are you running a fever?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "It's just a cold. No fever. . .yet."

"Right," I replied, folding my arms. "Aren't the medicine all in the cabinet in the bathroom?"

Shuuya-kun seemed to ignore my comment at first, popping the unseen pill into his mouth, before gulping down the water in the glass. I noticed his shoulders drop as he exhaled. The slight sound of glass against marble broke the short silence.

Once he was done, he opened the overhead cupboard, tossed the small box inside the topmost shelf, and closed the door again.

"Ah," he said, turning around, leaning against the countertop. "What was that again?"

"I just. . . think that it's weird that you keep medicine for flu at the top of the kitchen cupboard," I responded, telling him what I really felt.

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with that," he replied.

"Don't you think it's a bit strange, putting it up there?" I asked. "I mean, the rest of the medicine are in the cabinet in the bathroom."

"Ah, that," he said, nodding. "These up here are stronger, so we keep them up here."

"Strong medicine when you don't even have a fever yet?" I questioned, tilting my head.

The young man sighed.

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to get at with your questions," he said, sounding a little irritated. "But seriously, that's all there is to it. Won't you believe me?"

I fell silent for a moment. My right palm hung onto the base of my collar. Sure, what he did was somewhat suspicious, but I didn't want to throw accusations around.

I slowly looked up, and our gazes met. He looked at me with his deep brown eyes, peeking at me through the gaps of his fringe.

"I-" I stuttered.

"I believe you."

With that, my cousin nodded slightly, before excusing himself. He was going to have his bath and brushed past me. I watched as he sauntered out of the kitchen and into the living room, until he opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

I was left there alone in the empty kitchen. Taking a step towards the counter, I looked up at the overhead cabinet, but I was too short to reach it. I could climb over the counter, or grab a chair, but in the end I stopped myself. Shuuya-kun had the right to his own privacy, and I wasn't going to violate it.

Of course, deep inside, in a little abandoned corner of my heart, I had a feeling –knew- that he was lying. There was no way that could ever be the truth. It was just too fishy, the details slightly off. But I had no choice but to believe him.

I trusted him, after all.

I really did.