It was around 7 pm, it began getting dark, I left my house and went to the house to my left. Maki's house.
Azuka gave me the advice that I should talk to her.
If she refuses, then I leave her alone. If she never talks to me again, then that's that.
I knocked on the door.
I heard someone shout, 'coming,' and footsteps came closer. It wasn't the voice of a girl but a boy, meaning that it's...
The door opened and a boy stood before me.
He was 13 years old, due to turn 14 this year. He was up to my collarbone. His hair was short and brown, like his sister's, while his eyes were hazelnut. He wore a black hoodie and had a wireless earphone in his ear.
"Oh, Shoya. It's been a while."
The boy said.
This boy is Maki's little brother, Ken Homura.
I feel like he was shorter the last time I saw him. Scary... Boys going through puberty do grow fast.
Ken looked behind himself and leaned forward.
"Are you here for Maki?"
I nodded.
Ken sighed.
"I'll call her but I don't think you'll have a chance."
"Have a chance?"
"When you left, she was crying but..."
The boy seemed slightly nervous.
"What is it?"
"I saw her going out with some handsome dude too good to be true. Before she used to like you but now she hates you for leaving and now she's with some guy that I have a bad feeling about... Hey, why did you even leave?"
"Uh, sudden transfer to a school. I didn't tell Maki because I thought she'd begin crying and wouldn't let me go. I mean, that's what she did last time."
"I get you."
"But, what's with this guy?"
Ken frequently looked behind himself, as if he was looking out for something.
"When I asked her about him, she sought of freaked. Not how she usually is."
Something seems weird here. Maki wouldn't be the type to get angry for no reason. Plus, Ken being uneasy is strange. I can't think of any reason for him to be uneasy in this household. I've never been uneasy when I was here, so... why is he?
"Is... that man here?"
Ken shivered when I asked. He looked at me and nodded.
"If you call Maki here, will he come?"
"Y-yeah... Let me warn you though, he's..."
Ken looked at the ground, trying to find a word to describe him.
"He's, or at least to me, ill-omened."
"Okay, call Maki over."
"Alright, I probably won't see you for a while again."
"I'll try to talk to you when you're free. Bye."
Ken nodded and went back inside.
This man... I suppose he's dating or friends with Maki. Before she would refuse to go near any boy but suddenly she's meeting with someone.
I would like to say that people can change but something like that can't change in the time of 3 months or so.
Anyway, it must've been hard for the guy to approach her. If Ken says this guy is 'ill-omened,' then something about him may seem off or uncomfortable.
"Ugh, it's you."
I heard the disgusted voice of Maki as she walked toward me. And, indeed, behind her was a man.
A sharp-looking man.
"Hey, don't say that about your childhood friend."
"Look, we're not friends anymore."
Maki said to the man, rather nicely.
The man didn't look much older than us. My guess is that he's eighteen.
"What do you mean, we're not friends?"
I asked her.
Maki glared at me.
"You want to go there?"
"Go where? All that I remember is that I left because I suddenly transferred schools."
"You didn't tell me!"
She shouted.
I began getting annoyed by her spoiled behaviour.
"Since when did I have to tell you about everything?!"
Maki was taken aback.
"If I had told you, you would've come crying to me and stopped me from leaving!"
Maki was also frustrated.
"When did I ever cry when you left?"
"When haven't you? Whether I've told you or not, you still cry."
"You--"
As the girl was ready to charge at me but the man stood in between us. He held each of us back with one hand.
He's... strong.
I can practically see his muscles pop out of his shirt. His red eyes drifted from one to another before gently pushing us away.
"Now, now, we shouldn't be fighting. Especially you, Shoya."
"Hm?"
He knows my name...
Actually, that's not too surprising, seeing as he's friends with Maki. At the very least.
"What're you talking about?"
"Well, you left her. You don't leave a girl without telling her."
"I already told you the reason as to why I didn't tell her and why I left. What more do I need?"
"You need to apologise."
"Hah? Apologise? Me? Why?!"
You know what, I don't even fucking care about Maki anymore. I just want to release this anger inside of me.
"You just assumed that she would be sad and become a pain. You shouldn't think of someone like that. Plus, you're releasing your anger on her right now."
"Shut the fuck up. You don't know shit. I'm basing my thinking on almost 10 years of friendship with her. Meanwhile, when I tried to talk to her calmly, she was the one who was shouting at me for no fucking reason."
The man stared at me.
"Apologise."
I winced and turned around.
"I've had fucking enough of this shit. Don't even think about coming to Kei's birthday party on the 12th. If you do, I will personally kick you out."
I walked past her gate and was going to go elsewhere but the man stopped me once more. He grabbed my shoulder.
"What now?"
I hissed.
"I said apologise. You don't want to know me when I'm angry."
I turned to look him in the eye.
At this point, I couldn't hold myself back. Bloodlust, not mana, leaked from me as I said my next words.
"Let. go. of. me. now."
The man instantly let go of my arm and walked backwards.
I need a fucking break.
---
After that, I didn't return home. Instead, I was in the park, where I met Kuro, on the swings, practically in the darkness.
There were street lamps which dimly lit some places.
I checked the time on my phone.
It's been an hour since I went to Maki's house. I guess I am depressed.
"God, I wish I could meet her..."
Whenever I feel down, for some reason, and don't take this the wrong way, I think about the girl I first met here around... 10 or 8 years ago. I think I was either six or eight when I met her.
But, yeah, that was when I couldn't accept my mother's death. I would play alone in the park and one lone girl would come and speak to me every day that I was there.
She was cheery, energetic and talkative. With black hair and purple eyes, she was cute and beautiful.
Huh...
Black hair and purple eyes. Wait, why am I able to clearly remember her now?
Holy.
"Huh? I thought no one would be here."
A voice said.
I turned and it seemed to be a woman.
When she saw me turn, she backed away slightly.
"Oh, uh, sor--huh?"
I tilted my head when she suddenly stopped.
"Are you by any chance, Shoya?"
"Y-yeah..."
The girl took her hood off and I saw her clearly. Though it was dark, I could see her long black hair and purple eyes. She's...
"Akane?"
"Oh, so it really was you!"
The girl said, smiling brightly.
"What're you doing here?"
I asked her.
"That's what I should be asking you."
"Well, I live around here. I don't think it's the same for you though."
"Uh..."
Akane averted her eyes while blushing. She lightly scratched her cheek with her finger.
"I kind of ran away from home after arguing with Anastasia."
"Anastasia? You two live together?"
"Well, I have a spare house and Anastasia didn't have anywhere to go so she lives with me."
I nodded.
"What were you two fighting over, may I ask?"
I asked, rather politely.
Akane looked at me with a shaky expression. She looked like she was ready to burst.
"Uh... I heard Anastasia confess to you when the school was destroyed."
Hm? What does that have to do with anything?
"Yeah but, I don't understand where you're going with this."
"We were fighting over you."
She finally said.
My face began heating up as she said that. I could feel my ears practically burning.
"M-me?"
"Yeah."
I put my hand on my face and stared at her.
"W... Why me?"
Akane looked down at the ground, red. She waited before answering.
"Uh... Both Anastasia and I... Uh... Want you..."
"You, uh, what?"