Chapter VI: F x You(Finale)
Sunday, April, 1st week (Morning, 9:00 am)
Mall, Food Court
"Here's your chocolate parfait. It's still early in the morning and you chose to eat a chocolate parfait. What kind of diet do you have? Ahahah."
Ryu commented as he remembered the time he also met Kuki that he himself ordered an ice cream early morning.
"You know what… never mind…"
The two enjoyed the early morning vibe. As Kana was slowly consuming her delicious parfait, Ryu was also slowly slurping his coffee.
"So, where shall we spend our time?"
Ryu asked.
"Well, it's still early so why shop in this mall first, then we will go and have lunch. Then we will go to watch a movie and after that, we will stroll in the park."
Kana replied with a smile as if she already planned out everything that they are going to do."Wow, okay. I guess that will work. Ahahaha."
Right after finishing their early snack, the two went to the different stores that are offered in the mall.
SHOE STORE, (Morning, 9:30 am)
"Do you think these shoes fit my style, Ryu?"
"I think they are too cute and frilly for someone like you."
"What do you mean by that? Hmph."
"I mean it. Try these two. I think these shoes suit you better."
CLOTHES STORE, (Morning, 10:30 am)
"Come on. Help me pick some clothes to try on."
"Hah… fine… you know, men really aren't into these kinds of things."
"What do you mean?"
"Shopping… but well, I guess I somewhat enjoy it. Hahaha. Well then, go try this. And this. And this!"
"Okay calm down, wait."
Ryu sat on a bench outside the fitting room that Kana went to. As he was calmly waiting, Kana went out with her first outfit.
"Yeah, it really isn't a competition. Even with such a simple outfit that I chose. You really do look good on almost anything."
"Okay, I'll go and try the next one."
Kana went inside the fitting room again and tried on a different outfit. As she went outside, Ryu was amazed at how she looked. At that moment Ryu remembered something.
"Oh, how good would she look trying on different clothes? How happy would she feel tasting different foods?"
Ryu whispered to himself those words as he slowly grinned to look happy even though it felt like a masquerade that covered his face.
"What do you think?"
"Yes. You look beautiful in that."
Ryu looked at kana and smiled.
GENERAL STORE- TOYS AND OTHER STUFF, (Morning, 11:30 am)
"Look at this cute panda."
"Ehhhh… I like this plushy cat better…"
"Hmph… well then, let's buy both. Hehehe."
"How much money have you spent already, geez…"
"It's okay. I can spend as much as I want."
Kana smiled at Ryu. Ryu looking forced, smiled back knowing that all of these were making Kana happy.GOLDEN 7 RESTAURANT, (Afternoon, 12:30 pm)
"This restaurant is the most famous here in our town. Let's eat here."
"Yeah, most famous and expensive restaurant in town."
"Don't worry. It's my treat. Heheheh."
Ryu, knowing that he can't do anything about it just gladly accepted |Kana's offer of them eating in one of the most luxurious restaurants in town.
"What do you want to eat, Ryu?"
"I don't know much about their food here so I'll just go and get what you will also get."
"Okay, I'm going with a turkey and beef dish, is that okay with you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine with that."
Turkey and Beef. Ryu knew that those foods are expensive but since he is not familiar with what to specifically get, he just went with it. It would also be rude to ask for the cheapest that they got anyway.
"Uhm, thanks… Kana."
"Come on. You don't need to thank me for this. Hehehe."
After a couple of minutes, the food finally arrived at their table. Ryu inhaled the smell of the newly cooked food. It was as if his taste buds are already melting just from smelling the food.
"This, taste so good."
"Glad you liked it. It's also my favorite."
The two enjoyed eating their food. Right after eating, they head out to go out and watch a movie in the theatre.
CINEMA-THEATRE, (Afternoon, 2:00 pm)
"I've already reserved a movie for us to watch. I know you'll love it."
"Then I'll leave everything to you. Hahaha."
The movie went on for 3 hours. For a first-time date, that movie was fairly long to bore the whole date but for them, it was a good and wonderful experience watching it.
CINEMA-THEATRE, (Afternoon, 5:00 pm)
"Ow, that movie was great!"
"I told you you'd love it."
"I didn't know that there was a movie that was out today that was about an actual person's life."
"Yeah, well I realized you would want to watch those kinds of movies, Heheheh."
"Yeah. Ahahah."
"Anyway, let's grab the stuff I bought in the baggage area."
"Okay. But really, you bought so much stuff. Are you sure you can carry all of these at home? I'll help you carry them back to your house."
"Ah yes, okay. I appreciate it."
The two went to Kana's house. The moment the Ryu saw their house he already knew the presence of royalty was oozing from the big mansion. When they were near the gate, a butler escorted them inside.
"Who is this person, Milady?"
"Ow, Ryu is an important person to me. I want you to treat him with much respect as you treat me. Also, please don't tell my parents that I let a guy inside the house."
"Yes, as you wish. Also, welcome to the Khawana Household. Mr. Ryu."
"Get these things that I bought and put them all in the living room."
"Yes, Milady."
Ryu being overwhelmed by everything that is happening just went in with the flow and before he knew it, they were inside the house.
Maids fill the house welcoming them in each hallway that they pass through. Every hallway had a different theme and expensive furniture. It reminded him of Maki's House which was also filled with a lot of expensive furniture but instead, this one was a lot bigger.
We ended up staying in Kana's room. It was just her room but it was as big as the whole living room of Ryu's House. Just like any normal person Ryu asked Kana if they could stay in the living room but she said.
"It's fine. The room is big anyway. Also, make yourself at home."
After saying such things, she opened the door and asked a maid to make some tea for us.
I, on the other hand, sat on a chair near her computer.
She went back and opened her computer.
Like a normal teenager, Ryu was feeling kind of tense and anxious. It's not every day that a guy like him would be invited to a girl's house, not to mention in her bedroom.
"What kind of music do you like?"
Kana asked to give light to the boring silence.
"Uhm… any… let's hear some of your songs… do you have them on your computer?"
"Ah, okay. I got everything recorded. Heheheh."
Kana played some of her songs on her computer. It brightened up the mood a little and made it comfortable enough for Ryu to function normally.
"So Uhm… do you have siblings?"
Feeling comfortable now not be tensed, Ryu started a conversation.
"No. my parents are always busy. When I was a kid I asked them if I could have a little brother but they said that I got all the things I need here. Even though that's not the answer I wanted to hear from them, I just gladly accepted it."
"So, where are your parents now? I should greet them since I'm barging in without any notice and stuff. Hehe."
"It's fine. They won't know that you came. They are not even here in this house that they've built to live in. They are always out of the house. They only come home when it's a holiday. Even on my birthdays, they don't come home."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I don't feel sad. I've grown the rest of my life surrounded by my maids and butlers. I'm also quite fond of being alone myself."
Ryu looked at Kana's eyes. Although it felt like Kana was sad, her eyes showed how she conquered her lack of attention from her parents and how she managed to live without them.
"But still, I can't make myself hate my parents for not being with me. Their job is important because they are important. Not just to me but also to the people they lead. My father taught me how to please people and my mother taught me how to take advantage of what I can do. I thank them for that. What they taught helped me to grow independent and understanding of the truth. But of course, from time to time, I also yearn for their company."
Being understanding of circumstances and knowing how to act professionally is not easy. It takes years of experience and learning to grasp it. This girl in front of me right now is a girl born from her own effort guided by the teachings of the people who love her. At an early age, she already knew and understood everything. That's why she succeeded and became the respectable girl that she is right now.
Someone like me who just began to ask about my own purpose at this age is no match for how much she suffered.
And I even said that I was prepared to take the responsibility of being the purpose of someone even though I still don't understand a thing. What a foolish guy am I? What a foolish world this is.
To brighten up the conversation, Ryu went to have a different topic.
"Do you also have games we can play, or maybe videos we can watch?"
"Hmm. Then let's watch this…"
Kana went to a small table beside her bed and went to get some old CDs.
"I've got some CDs here, what do you want to watch?"
Ryu laughed while walking toward her. As soon as he got closer, Kana stood up and tripped over some CDs that were on the floor. He pushed back Ryu on the bed.
Ryu was lying on the bed while Kana was facing him on the top, barely touching each other's noses.
Kana laid herself on top of Ryu and began undressing. She took off her clothes until her bra was the only thing that Ryu can see that was covering her upper portion.
"Kana! What are you doing…"
"Say, Ryu… Have you ever felt a different feeling towards someone before?"
"I guess… I have… but… it's all gone now."
"Ryu… I…"
"…"
"I… I think I'm In LOVE with YOU."
Ryu became silent. He grabbed Kana's shoulders and put her on the side and he stood up.
"I'm sorry…"
"It's okay."
"Yeah… I guessed you wouldn't. What kind of girl would be asking for help from someone, getting rejected, and then falling in love again that easily? You wouldn't want a girl that was so easy… right… I know..."
"It's not that…"
"THEN WHAT! I'm really fed up with everything. I don't know what to do. I wanted to keep it all up but I really can't take it anymore. I loved the Prince but the more I spend time with you, the more that I became attached to you. I loved how you gave your time and effort to help me, how you were there to comfort me, and how you made me realize that I really yearned for someone else's company. You became the person who taught me a lot these past few weeks and gave me the impression of having a family besides my own. Am I really not good enough? I see you also always talking to Kuki. Is she also the person you liked?"
Ryu closed up to her and hugged her. He hugged her tight. As tight as how his parents hugged him when he was a kid. Kana felt comfortable from his hug and calmed down.
Humans express themselves to show meaning in things. Expressing oneself is a different experience for everybody. There are people who can boldly express themselves and there are those who can't. And the moment that a person who's had a pent-up emotion about to explode, that's the moment that they become less aware of what they are doing.
The more HUMAN you want to become, without control, the more INHUMANE your actions will be.
Ryu sat down.
"I'm going to tell you something."
Kana also sat down and began to listen to Ryu.
"You see, there was this girl whom I met last year. She was fairly awkward, more awkward than our first meeting. I somehow got to work with her for a couple of days. In those days of working with her, the two of us became closer together. On the last day of working together, we had a party. A couple of hours into the party, she was still not there so I began to search for her. After searching for a while, I finally found her. I talked to her and then… she killed herself. I loved her and I'm not sure if…"
"It's okay. It's okay if you don't have the answer yet or will reject me here on the spot. I knew that you only hugged me to comfort me and calm me down. But just for once, I want you to hug me again before you continue what you were saying."
Ryu got quiet for a while and began to contemplate.
Rea, am I making the right decision? I loved you but right now I know that I also fell in love with her. You asked me before, right? What was my END GOAL? I think my answer would be that I WANT TO BE HAPPY AND MAKE THE PEOPLE AROUND ME FEEL THE SAME WAY. I may not be someone who can change the world with it but at least I can be proud of the things that I can do for someone. I may not have been the reason for you to be here right now but I can be the reason for her to be here with me. I've been through a lot and I can finally see what I truly want. What my PURPOSE to live is and how I can be TRUE to Myself.
"Then why not?"
Ryu heard a faint voice.
"You don't need to keep yourself restrained because of me."
But you were someone whom I failed to save and I just can't live a life where I forget what I did.
"It's all fine. You said you wanted to be happy and make people happy. How can you do that if you are stuck on always thinking about me? Stop contradicting yourself."
But…
"You are you and I am me. Your choices should always come from yourself. Don't let a dead person's remnant control how you live your life."
I… I still can't…
"Forget about what you think you did. You were never wrong. If you always keep on thinking about it, then how can you be happy? Let go of your past in order for you to have a brighter future to look forward to."
Rea…
"It's okay. Promise me that you will be happy, alright?"
Yes… I… Will…
Just like how he heard the faint voices from a familiar person, he saw a faint shadow slowly disappearing in front of him.
"With this… Both you and I will be FREE."
Tuesday, April, 1st week (Afternoon, 12:30 pm)
*bell chimes*
*door opens*
"I brought some apples…"
Kana said as she entered the room.
"Just put it right there."
"Okay. Wait what! Ryu!!!!!!!!!!"
Kana quickly put the apples on top of the side table and jumped to Ryu and hugged him.
"Can… you please move away in the meantime?"
"Ow, I'm sorry."
Ryu felt different from usual. As if he wasn't himself.
"What happened to me?"
"Last Sunday, when we were talking, you suddenly fainted and that's why you are here in the hospital. I called in the others so they also rushed in to check on you but after a couple of hours you didn't wake up. The doctors examined your brain and found out that you have a severe brain infection. The doctors tried their best to perform the surgery and it was successful."
"What day is it today?"
"It's Tuesday, 1st week of April. You've been asleep for almost 3 days. I'm so glad that it didn't take long for you to wake up."
"Can I ask one last question?"
"Sure, ask as many questions as you like, Ryu."
"Is my name supposed to be Ryu? What am I to you? And also, who are you?"
"HUH? Come on Ryu! Stop joking around…"
"I'm sorry but, I really don't know who you are, who am I, and what am I supposed to do."
After hearing such words come out of Ryu's mouth, Kana cried. She didn't know what to do or how to fix this. Ryu who didn't know what to do in this situation held her hand and said.
"I may not know you but I know that you feel sad. You would look more beautiful if you didn't cry."
Kana, feeling comforted and assured of Ryu, wiped her tears, and stood up.
"Your name is Ryu. My name is Kana. You may not believe it but… I LOVE YOU and I plan to be with you, always. You are as important to me as how important you are to others and from now on, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY."
"There's no way that someone like you loves someone like me."
"Ahahahah. Do I look like I'm lying?"
"Well, kinda…"
"Ahahahaha."
"Ahahahaha."
…THE END…
CONFUSED MELANCHOLY
(STUDENT COUNCIL X REA ARC)
-Fateful x Encounter
-Fearless x Leap
-Finished x Story
(MAKI ARC)
-Friends' x Stasis
(KANA ARC)
-Facing x Another and Again
-Facade x Looks
-For x You
This story was created to inform people about Depression. It is not something that we should think of lightly. Everybody has their ups and downs in life. If you think you are always feeling happy, that doesn't mean that you are free from it. We should always be aware that we are all thinking out of context a lot of times and that everything can just change in an instant. If things don't go your way, remember to stay firm and strong to face it. If you alone are not enough, seek your friends and family to help you with such a grim time of your life. Love yourself and be sure to share that love with others. Smile and be grateful for what you have. Make sure to brighten up people's life whenever you are with them. Keep striving my friend and enjoy your life for the LONGEST! Have fun and be happy, always.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Llyrica
For creating a wonderful cover for the novel.
-see illustrations on my pixiv page:https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/40396266
SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON ANOTHER STORY.
SIGNED: Shuriraki