Does justice exist in the world? Are people the bearers of that justice, and if so, for what purposes are they willing to hurt one another?
Goals. All people are driven by them, so that they can make any concessions and use any approach. Compromises, other parties' desires — nothing will lie on the same bunk as the pursuit of a goal.
Whether they are good or bad. Justice is the exact opposite of the goal.
Ryou awoke again this morning from a strange nightmare that had visited him for reasons his mind could not comrehend. It was the second such nightmare in his life, and he could neither describe nor characterize what was going on in it.
As he pulled the curtains open, he realized that there was overcast weather outside that enveloped the entire city. Dense and eerie clouds of gloomy color covered the sky completely, greedily absorbing the sunlight, making it seem almost impossible for him to count the time.
But it was not clear from the weather forecast whether a storm would break out or whether everything would stop in a downpour. What was clear was that dark clouds enveloped the entire city, and traffic on most of the streets froze due to the need to get to work.
Finishing breakfast, Ryou read new messages from the general chat group of already former members of the literary club, and, to his surprise, quite a few messages came in. Akiko was mostly the most talkative in their chat room, so she most often acted as the provocateur of the online conversation. Yumiko, on the other hand, didn't show up online at all unless she was LINE texting, so she was occasionally seen active.
Reading through the messages it occurred to him that they wouldn't be able to see each other that day because of the weather, which made Ryou slightly upset. Akiko told him in her messages how she couldn't wait to take pictures of the city in the pouring rain, and Tomoyuki urged everyone not to go out.
[Yam: "Please don't go out! All kinds of natural disasters can happen - the experts don't deny that!"]
[Yumi-kun: "What, is it really that bad?"]
[Guren: "It's worse than the weather forecasts suggested, anyway.]
Ryou couldn't find his place - what if something bad happens to his friends? Natural phenomena are random, after all, but perfect in the damage they can do to the city.
A new message came in.
[Yam: "Just don't go out anywhere."]
Pretty logical, Ryou considered, and flipped through their messages sent a little earlier. That's how he found out that he wasn't the only one who didn't know anything about the arrival of this weather. Akiko was even angry, writing that the weather god had ruined all her plans for today.
"What fools," Ryou smirked. "Just like me. I should have watched the weather forecast more often so I wouldn't have ruined my plans unnecessarily."
He would devote this day to solitude. Soon he was looking for things to occupy himself with, to make the time go by more quickly.
So another day passed after graduation. Before they knew it, the time had come for them to apply to universities.
In a day they were to go camping together.
Ryou met up with Tomoyuki at the park where they often hung out for a walk.
"There's no trace of yesterday's weather," Tomoyuki began as they walked down the alley. "Isn't that a joy? If it rained, we'd have to walk in slush and mud tomorrow during the hike."
"Uh-huh."
"By the way, what do you think about giving the girls a gift together? Still, we were allowed to book a two-story house near the hot springs."
They sat down on the bench.
"Yeah, that's a great idea. What do we want to give them?"
"You decide for yourself, Ryou-kun, what you're going to give your Yu-chan, and I'll think about what I want to thank Aki-chan for her efforts."
"Effort, huh..." Ryou said and thought to himself, shaking old wounds.
"You still can't forget?" Tomoyuki retorted, looking relaxed at the sky.
"There's no way to forget."
"Of course... Those days... they didn't bring anything good to me. Living in darkness is something anyone who chooses to act inhumanly should fear."
"Everyone should fight, I understand that. I do struggle with my shortcomings... to achieve exuberance."
"Money? Or honor? What is exuberance to you, Ryou-kun?"
Ryou seemed relieved. His eyes, which were directed into the distance, mysteriously overshadowed his emotions.
"What is to me... exuberance?"
Two things occurred to him instantly. The first was a picture of him and Yumiko together when they all went on a trip to Kyoto as a class. The second was the unemotional blurred face of his stern father, watching him from the top down in a wooden chair, thus ostensibly proving his superiority over his son.
"For me, however," Tomoyuki suddenly interrupted his thoughts, " is to reach that future toward which I am aiming and for which I have built the ladder. Maybe that ladder leads to trust, or maybe I'm just mistaken and living a childish fantasy... However, I'm not going to give up my ideals.
These ideals, in Ryou's opinion, seemed quite mature and correct.
"I don't see the ridiculousness of it. Your goals are fascinating."
"I guess the others are thinking the same thing..."
Each time Ryou began to notice the tone of Tomoyuki's voice becoming less and less confident, that from the outside anyone could notice the young man's detachment. He seemed to only convince himself on the thought that something was bothering him.
***
Meanwhile, Tamotsu, who was strolling down the street after the street, at some point stopped and sat down at a table at which a man was sitting and reading a newspaper. This was on the grounds of the establishment, where tables, in addition to those inside, were set up outside as well.
Glancing around, Tamotsu finally began a discussion with the man:
"Not an obvious place for us to meet. What if someone hears?"
This man's identity to the teenager was hidden behind the newspaper he was holding with both hands and leisurely reading, but it was clear from his thin male arms that a very skinny man was sitting in front of Tamotsu.
"Then they'll have to be sorry for putting their ears where they shouldn't have. What news?"
"The trip."
"Hmm. Are you going to participate there?"
The man's voice was calm, no stiffness or sternness in it.
"It's up to you."
"I see. Then do as you must."
Unexpectedly for both of them, the waiter who approached politely asked if they wanted to order anything.
"Two lattes."
***
That evening Glenn and Akiko met. The young man was waiting for her in his front yard, and soon they entered his apartment. There was not a soul in the apartment, as usual, and they sat down on the couch and turned on the television. Glenn pressed the remote control to turn the TV into "fireplace" mode, which made the TV emit heat like a real home fireplace.
"Tomorrow," Akiko stared incessantly at the TV screen, "near noon, we'll gather in the square and go camping via cab."
"Great idea to take a cab - inexpensive and fast. I wish I could participate with you. My health is about to drive me crazy."
"That's all right, you don't think I was going to change your mind! Still, it's very important to be present for prophylaxis... What new things are the doctors saying?"
"They will use all their powers to find out exactly how my unknown disease can be cured. If they succeed, it will be a world sensation, especially since the news feeds are already full of reports about this disease."
"Strange. Why didn't anyone but your kind know about the disease? Must it have been some kind of secret?"
"That's something I won't be able to find out anymore."
"Anyway, all that matters is that you don't fall off the wagon, so you should not miss your sessions with the doctors. How else can we secure our future together?"
"Akiko..."
"Whatever difficulties you face... know that you are not alone. No, everyone should know this, and there should be someone in everyone's life who will tell them about it. Share their life experiences, give them advice..."
"You're right."
"You know, it seems to me that lately Yumiko has been acting stranger than usual. Although she doesn't show it, I can sense something unknowingly bothering her."
"You should talk to her. Tomorrow, I think, would be the best time for that. I'm sure she agreed to go for the sake of calming down, since she's finally managed to graduate from the school she's been preparing so diligently for her exams."
"Yeah... She loves to learn."
Glenn, raising his weary gaze to the chandelier, leisurely added:
"What do you think she's thinking about?"
"I... don't know..."
"Hmm... I see. That's unusual. I thought she always shared her thoughts with you."
Akiko thought deeply about the meaning of his words. She remembered how she often went to her brown-eyed friend's house and stood by her room window. All the time when Yumiko looked out from behind the curtains, she saw her, happy. Thus, Akiko came into her house, in her mother's absence.
"She hasn't told me much about her parents at all," she revealed, turning to Glenn. "She doesn't seem to like to broach the subject."
The wall clock indicated ten o'clock in the evening, and the couple, who had paid attention, fell silent. This brief pause brought out a serenity in them, so that their hearts, drawn toward each other, forgot all their difficulties.
The evening belonged to them.
Glenn took her hand and stroked her cheek. The warmth that reigned in the room went to their heads, and the affection with which they showered each other only served to elevate their passion.
The girl sat on his lap, and the boy, succumbing to her grace, gently began to undo the buttons of her shirt. It got to the point where Glenn, from whom she had removed her blouse, laid her on his bed in the bedroom, illuminated only by the silvery light of the moon. Her skinny body was totally submissive to the guy, who, at her initiative, didn't hesitate to caress her wherever he could. Under the cover of moonlight they plunged into the pleasures of love, leaving all the bad behind and setting before them only the best of their feelings together.
That night they experienced a new sensation of love and moved one step closer to each other.