August 9, 2021
11:00 PM
Seiko grunts and slightly opens her eyes.
"She's awake.."
"Thank goodness.."
"Guys?" She softly asks.
"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Raigi playfully greets.
Seiko fully opens her eyes.
She's lying down at a hospital bed. Now that the anesthesia has worn off, she had a familiar pain stabbing in her side. She flinched a bit and noticed that right next to the bed is Aichi with his hand at his lap. She turns towards the window and sees Kokoshi sitting at the window frame. On the doorway, Raigi was leaning, his arms crossed.
"Seiko, how are you?" Aichi asks
"Oh, I'm fine.."
"But you're literally covered in stab wounds,"
*
"So basically, I was found unconscious inside a telephone booth with stab wounds all around my torso?"
"Yeah." Aichi answered.
"You surprisingly survived, 17 knife attacks all around your torso. None of them hit your vital organs." Kokoshi commented.
Aichi's pocket rang, "Oh wait, gotta go." And Aichi left the room.
*
"It was just an alarm.. Well, I'll stay here for a little longer..." He places his phone in his pocket and then he sat down at the waiting chairs. After a bit of silence, he began to get flustered,
"I'm a nobody," the line repeated along his head.
It turns out that he wasn't asleep earlier and heard everything that Seiko was saying, including...
"Nobody loves me.. I'm a nobody.. That's basically an 'I LOVE YOU'! Could it be that Seiko...likes me? That's impossible! But why else would she say that? I mean, she teases me about romance every now and then, also.."
"that was a fun date.. Aikun.." Aichi remembered
"No way! Does she actually.."
"Hey Aichi, you done with your call?"
Aichi turns to Raigi calling him from Seiko's room.
"Yeah?"
"Seiko said she wanted to talk to you alone"
Aichi gulps, "Oh no.. The evidence all lines up.. If this were a romance story, then the next thing that will happen will be..."
*
"We'll leave for a second..." Kokoshi tells before she and Raigi walk out. Aichi was left to set on a coach near Seiko's bed. He squeezes his hands preparing for whatever is about to hit.
"Hey Aikun.."
"Y-yes?"
"There's something I wanna tell you,"
"Here it comes..." Aichi thought,
"It's regarding our current relationship.."
Aichi's heart begins racing.
"Aikun.."
He starts shaking.
"I like you..."
"There it is! I don't know how to respond. I should probably just say something that doesn't hurt her.."
"..to become the leader of our group..""I like you too.." they both say at the same time
"Eh?" Confusion sounds the room.
Aichi and Seiko look away from each other. "Crap, that wasn't a confession.. False alarm.. I should've waited until she finished her sentence. No! I embarrassed myself!"
"Did he just say he likes me? Why would he say something like that? Is it because of what I said earlier? Was he awake? Oh no!"
Outside the room, Kokoshi and Raigi were sticking their ears onto the door. They suddenly heard Aichi talking about leaving the room and they immediately position to each side of the door, acting as casual as possible. When Aichi finally opened the door and walked out, his eyes were covered in shadow. After he is at a safe distance, they both lean into the room to see Seiko lying down, visibly blushing. Kokoshi palms her face, "Why don't you two just start dating already?"
*
Aichi stops at a vending machine, near the staircase leading into the hospital. He sticks a bank note into the machine and gets some refreshment. Today's drink is a chocolate energy drink called 'Breeze of Childhood'. Unlike other energy drinks, this one is said to: "Energize by Warming the heart". The drink itself is very well brewed. It was still normal chocolate drink, but it had the feel and gentleness of warm milk. And thus, consumers can drink this and both be energized and tired at the same time.
After a single sip, Aichi decided to enter thought. Anyone who knows Aichi will know that he has a wild imagination and if he were to think of something, it would be heavily exaggerated. And so Aichi thought about the incident just now.
"Huuuuuh.. That was really embarrassing.. Dammit, I can't think straight..." He combs his hair back with his fingers. His eyes aren't in shadow anymore. His entire face is red and he looks as if he is on the verge of tears. "Seiko..."
*
"Seichan.. What in the world are you over there for? Do you have a fever?" Kokoshi takes a seat near the hospital bed.
"No..." Seiko replies, remaining extremely red.
"So what's in your mind, right now?"
"..."
"C'mon, you can trust m-"
"I know I can trust you, Konechan, but..."
"..."
Seiko sighed and her face grew even redder, "It seems I...like....Aichi..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Are you sure you fell in love with him JUST now?"
"He's been experiencing a lot recently."
"And how is that supposed to relate to your feelings for him?"
Seiko looks at the moonlight,"Well, the more you experience sadness, the more you learn about yourself. When you see someone feeling sad, you see a side to them that you rarely see - a person in realization. You feel a whisk of curiosity towards that person and you just... want to know more about them, I guess.."
Kokoshi smiles, "Seiko, I have more experience in this sort of thing. And as a senior, guardian... and as your Konechan.. I'm happy for you.."
"Thanks.. Konechan.. I'm really lucky to have you.."
*
"Yo Aichi, what are you doing out here?" Raigi approaches Aichi
"Oh. Just working on something.." Aichi replies writing something down on a notepad
"Ohohoho.. What might it be? Perhaps-"
"What if I tell you, Senpai, that.. I have feelings for Seiko?"
"Hm? Firstly, I wouldn't be surprised, you two look like a couple ever since the first day of school."
"We do?"
Raigi palms his face,"Secondly..."
"..."
"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD?! IF THEY HEAR YOU, YOUR ENTIRE SOCIAL LIFE WILL COLLAPSE!!"
"But Senpai, you're the one talking loud.. yet your Social Life collapsed ages ago."
Aichi's wrist glowed as Raigi's sleeves caught flames, "Huh?....AAAAAAAAAAA!!" Raigi screamed as his wrist also glowed, his surprise activated his figure. He falls back, generating lightning on the way down, accidentally firing a spark that triggered a fire extinguisher to spray on both of them. The fire was put out.
"Kuff, kuff..Man, you act all silent but you actually have some hurtful words. Also, why the hell did my clothes just catch fire."
"Kuff..our figures can also affect other people, not just ourselves. If I get insulted, I catch fire, if I insult someone else, they catch fire. Sorry about the insult. It's just instinct to bite on someone that I feel too irrita-"
"Stop right there! You almost insulted me again."
"Sorry."
"So.. that means, if I surprise someone.."
"Don't even try it.. I hurt Seiko once with my figure.. and I felt bad,"
"Speaking of Seiko.. what you said earlier.."
"Huh?"
"..."
"..."
"Uhh.. Yeah! I was just joking around! There was something that happened earlier and I just kept thinking about it. I couldn't restrain myself and just said it out loud! Hahahahahahaha!"
"..."
"Haha..ha..ha.....ha...........ha"
"Just don't bother, it's obvious that you do have feelings for her.."
"Yeah, fine.."
"I'm pretty sure she knows, too. Probably why she said what she said earlier."
"Wait how did you know about that!?"
"Just keep in mind that this isn't a RomCom, so if you really like her.. then make your move.."
"Hm.."
"So yeah! I'm gonna tell what you just said to Kokoshi! See ya!" Raigi dashes back into the hospital.
"Hey!" Aichi, in an attempt to stop him, accidentally locked his gaze at the vending machine.
"Breeze of Childhood, huh?"
Aichi's eyes widen. He looks down at his notepads which summarized his notes on Seiko's attacker.
"So that explains the motive of the attack, how it was done so seamlessly with barely any evidences and why Seiko doesn't seem to mind herself being at a hospital.. There's one more thing I have to confirm.."
He walks into the hospital and towards a public telephone. He contacted the main Gendaishi office. Kokoshi walks down the staircase, searching for Raigi but she sees Aichi instead. She couldn't hair much of their conversation but she Aichi ask one question, "May I know her current location?" After the receiver replied. Aichi had the eyes of an accomplished person. Kokoshi saw Aichi dash out the hospital.
"So she's here.. in Seijo.. All the evidence lines up.. I found.. Seiko's attacker! It's..."
He slides into a nearby alley way and after going around it like a labyrinth. He encounters Taka, resting near a dumpster, "So you solved it, Shirogane.."
"C'mon, Taka, you don't call me Shirogane.."
"Oh. I'm sorry.. Aikun..."
"The Culprit is the Secretary of The Gendaishi's Main Office, Taka Shinsuki!"