Every second that passed by and every breath when Touji sighed, white smoke comes out from both his mouth and on his nose. After stretching his arms to heat up his body, he arranged the tub and heated some water before taking his bath. A moment after, Touji got out from the bathroom and grabbed his uniform hanging from the cabinet, preparing for a one new ordinary day once again. There's nothing but silence in Touji's home - it's so silent that it feels like an abandoned house. The only sound that can be hear are the steps he's taking towards the door.
"Let's go, Touji Mahito. Let's wrap this up real quick as well." He said as he took his umbrella and began to set off.
He puts his hand in his pocket while playing with a small ball that he always keeps, looking straight to the road and thinking nothing except on what he is going to do for the rest of the day.
A strong wind suddenly rushed by through Touji's face as he saw a brown-haired boy waiting and smiling for him on the other side of the road. The silent and gray life of Touji's day, in an instant, became a bright and colorful one.
"Mahito-kun!" Kazuyuki shouted from the other side.
"Good Morning Mahito-kun! How's your sleep?" he energetically asked as they continued to walk together side by side under the rainy sky.
"I'm still sleepy since I woke up too early." He bluntly answered.
"You better wake up this early from now on so we can walk together every morning," Kazuyuki told him as he looked straight to the sky.
"Yuki, do you go to school every day this early?" Touji asked without looking at his friend.
"Ohh? What is this? It's rare for you to ask questions but yeah, sure. I do every day. It's like a morning exercise for me as well." the boy replied as he kept chewing on the food he's been eating for a while now.
"This rain is so sad; it just won't stop." He added.
"Yeah." the only thing Touji said to reply.
A moment of silence began to cover the atmosphere between the two as they proceeded on their way. Every step they're taking, water splashes around their feet. As Touji continued to walk, he noticed a lot of different stores and shops opening for the day. Most of them that's already opened still don't have many customers. Maybe because of this climate, they decided to stay at home, sleep, and let their day pass without worrying about the outside world.
"Must be nice to be as carefree as them," he murmured.
Touji's mind started to scintillate different thoughts. He wanted to break the ice and talk to Kazuyuki - but he had no idea how to start a conversation. He continues to think and think of a way to choose the correct words to say when Kazuyuki suddenly speaks.
"Uhmmm.." Kazuyuki murmured. "Mahito-kun…I…" he scratched the back of his neck and started to smile for no reason at all.
"Just say it if you're going to say something." Touji replied. He knew. Yes, he actually knew that those weren't the words that he wanted to say. They just came out automatically out of his mouth. Touji took a glimpse at Kazuyuki, and saw something beyond that smile. Touji felt some intense feeling of pain. Kazuyuki's smile seems different from before - something's wrong, something isn't right, and Touji doesn't know what he should do.
"Actually Mahito-kun, I just wanted to say that I'm going to home early later after the afternoon practice so…" Kazuyuki's words as he closed his eyes and smile, looking at his friend while scratching his nape.
"Okay." The only word Touji can think of to reply.
Shortly afterwards, Kazuyuki asked Touji to go and buy some milk bread in the store they used to go to since childhood. With some extra time and money before their morning practice begin, they savor the moment as they live in a moment of nostalgia.
"Isn't this nice, Mahito-kun?" Kazuyuki asked him as he grabbed his hands and entered the store. Touji was left speechless as he looked and held Kazuyuki's freezing hand.
"Your hand is freezing Yuki." he replied which startled the other boy.
"Oh? Is that so? Sorry I-" Kazuyuki didn't finish what he's saying when Touji interrupted him.
"I told you, it's freezing. So don't let go of my hands, or you'll be cold again." Touji looked down while hiding his other hand on his pocket.
A bright and shining smile formed on Kazuyuki's face after hearing such word.
"Thank you, Mahito-kun!" he cheerfully replied as he bought the bread he's been craving.
Right after getting their order, they bid their farewell to the old-man-owner of the shop as they continue to walk their way to school. It was so quiet - the streets barely had any people when Touji remembered what he saw the other day. Suddenly, he felt nervous and cold. He placed his hands on his pocket and played the ball on his palm to calm himself.
"Hisashi, listen." he called his friend with an earnest voice, stopping the boy from eating.
"Mahito-kun? Did I do something wrong?" Kazuyuki looked directly at his friend, whose eyes covered by his hair.
Touji took a deep breathe before answering Kazuyuki. After letting go of a sigh, he answer, "I don't know what is going with you. If there's something that is bothering you, then tell me. You're the only friend I have, Hisashi. If you ever feel like you don't have anyone to talk to, I'll always be here to listen. I may not be able to help much, but at least I can listen."
Kazuyuki smiled and hugged Touji from behind. "What that? Being all grumpy out of the blue, you made me nervous by calling my name." he said as he let go of a laugh.
"No, I mean-" Kazuyuki interrupted his friend before he can say anything else.
"I'm fine, don't worry. You're such a worrywart Mahito-kun." he said before riding Touji's back.
"Okay Captain! Let's go to school like this." he added as he pointed out his finger towards the direction of the school.
"You're heavy, you know. Get down." Touji complained as he slowly walked with his noisy fellow on his back.
"Quit com-plai-ning and get your horses up or we'll be late!" Kazuyuki shouted as he grabbed the remaining milk bread on his bag.
"You asked for this, don't go falling now." Touji replied as he rushed to run with a smile on his face. He felt so relived after hearing those words from his Kazuyuki himself.
"Guess I'm just overthinking things." he thought on his mind.
Little did they know, the rain finally stopped pouring, the tear of the clouds finally stopped dropping, but the sea of dark sky still won't clear. It's not over yet. There's still more - just getting ready to pour even harder than before.
The two of them continue to walk while enjoying the milk bread they bought, seeing some nostalgic places where they hang out as a child. As memories glimmer in their mind, they can't help but feel a little wistful. Touji and Kazuyuki stare at the playground where they usually meet every morning and afternoon to build a sandcastle. They are truly thankful that these places still exist even after a long time.
The old lady's store is still standing; it's where they buy their snacks when they don't have anything to eat while playing. Even the trees they used to climb to play some games still exist. The rides, slides, sandboxes, swings, and many other things they used to mess up with are still getting used. Despite the sadness of the rain, they can see a clear and bright view of these places, a sight that they will remember for all of their life.
As time passed, the rain began to pour lighter, and the two of them continued to walk as they enjoyed remembering each other's past. Kazuyuki can't stop laughing and smiling as he thinks of his stubbornness back in the days, the exact opposite of emotionless Touji walking beside him.
More minutes passed in a blink of an eye; Touji and Kazuyuki didn't even notice the time as they enjoyed themselves in the rain. At last, they finally reached their school gate, once again entering a one-day of ordinary school life - or at the very least it should be.
Several moments later, they reached the building of their clubroom. Kazuyuki opened the door, but Touji won't enter. The boy instead stared at the sky once again. Kazuyuki let go of a sigh and stood beside him as they both gazed at the sky.
The brown-haired boy then wraps his arms around Touji's shoulder and smiles as he asks a question, "What's up? Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing special." Touji's tedious reply left Kazuyuki's mind confused.
"It's warm," he added before stretching his hands out.
"You're really weird sometimes, you know Mahito-kun." Kazuyuki described his friend as he entered the clubroom, leaving Touji alone.
"And you're a really heartless brat." Touji replied back as he followed his friend.
As they changed their clothes into their practice uniforms, rain started to pour again. Little by little, winds and dropping water becomes heavier and heavier.
"I wonder when all of this rain will stop from pouring." Kazuyuki said as he tidied his things up.
"Well, that's that. Mahito-kun, I'll go fetch some balls. I'll be going on first but make sure you don't get hooked up and stare the sky again. It's raining really hard, you know." he added before rushing out of the clubroom.
Touji nods as a reply right before Kazuyuki is out of his sight. He stood up in front of the mirror in their room and took a closer look at the scratch on his abdomen. "I wonder what's going to happen if I didn't survive that accident back then." he thought as he put on his clothes.
"I guess people do really die." he added before exiting the clubroom.
to be continued...