After Haruki dropped that bombshell, the room descended into a heavy, suffocating silence, as if the air had been sucked out of the space.
End what? With whom?
Kentaro's gaze, fixed on Haru, intensified, adding to the discomfort that already hung thick in the air. His stare seemed to penetrate Haru's soul, searching for answers to unspoken questions.
Haruki cleared his throat, breaking the awkward tension. His voice trembled as he spoke, his words laced with self-awareness and regret. "I realize now how much I've intruded on your life. I forced our friendship upon you, meddling where I didn't belong. I even suggested my school to you, knowing it wasn't the right fit. It was my mistake, and I apologize..."
Kentaro's shock lingered, his voice filled with disbelief. "Why would you say that?"
"But it's true, isn't it?" Haruki suddenly felt a little confused and uncertain. "Even I know that."
"What the hell do you know about my thoughts?"
Haruki stood there, speechless, taken aback by Kentaro's unexpected reaction. He had expected relief or happiness, but this was something entirely different.
Ginger lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. His muttering came out as a resigned whisper. "Fine, do whatever you want. I don't care."
Noticing the other person's discontented demeanor, Haruki let out an exhausted sigh. "I don't understand why you're so upset. It's not like I was ever a real friend to you..." He barely had time to react as a pillow was hurled at him, leaving him bewildered. "What's with you all of a sudden?"
But Kentaro ignored him completely, flinging a second pillow furiously at the confused Haruki.
"Wait! Just hold on a second! Why are you so angry?" Haruki raised his hands in surrender, trying to diffuse the situation.
Kentaro's rage escalated, and he reached for Haru's bag, stuffed with his school uniform. With a fierce motion, he hurled it at Haruki. However, Haru caught it effortlessly, his gaze filled with helplessness.
"What? Aren't you leaving?" Kentaro's furious glare pierced Haruki, his words sharp and accusing. "You seemed so eager to go earlier!"
"I never said I was leaving 'right now'—"
"So, lying a few times and keeping some secrets is enough for you to give up on me completely, huh?!" Kentaro's words cut through the air, filled with hurt and betrayal.
Haruki's anger surged, matching Kentaro's intensity. "What the hell? Weren't you the one who suggested we end our friendship first? Weren't you the one who treated me like a nuisance whenever I tried to help you?!"
Ginger shouted, his frustration echoing in the room. "So you don't want to be friends anymore just because of a few mean words? You're such a brat!"
"NONE OF THAT IS TRIVIAL TO ME, KENTARO!" Haruki's patience finally snapped, his voice filled with raw emotion.
Ginger's words caught in his throat, his anger momentarily silenced.
"You might think it was insignificant to ignore me and push me away, but it wasn't. It made me feel unwanted. Since I came here, it's been hard for me to open up because I didn't think it mattered. I thought friends would come and go anyway," Haruki's voice softened as his frustration gave way to vulnerability.
Kentaro opened his mouth to respond, but guilt washed over him, leaving him speechless and ashamed.
"But then Ayame left, and it hit me. I realized how lonely I was and tried to connect with my classmates. It was a struggle at first, but I found a few who understood me. Still, there were times when I felt like an outsider, like I didn't belong. Even Takumi and Tadashi weren't exceptions," Haruki confessed, his voice tinged with a sense of longing.
Haru often felt like an introverted transfer student, struggling to fit in.
And when he discovered that Kentaro had transferred to the same school, he couldn't contain his joy and relief. This moody, enigmatic boy had brought excitement to Haruki's life. Reflecting on this, a bittersweet smile curved Haruki's lips.
"I thought I would eventually get used to being shut out by you. I was willing to accept it because I was just grateful to have a friend. The summer vacation was the only time I truly felt happy with you, because I thought you felt the same way," he admitted, his words filled with sincerity.
I was happy; Ken thought as his teeth clenched. I still am.
Haruki shrugged, a forced chuckle escaping his lips. "Now that I've said it out loud, it sounds kinda cheesy. Still, I can't find the right words to describe the feeling."
Ginger finally spoke, his tone wavering slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "You said that's how you felt during the vacation. But what about now?"
"To be honest," Haruki's grip tightened around the bag he held, "I wish you'd open up to me a bit more. I don't need to know every detail about your past, but school stuff? Am I really that unbearable?"
"It's nothing like that..."
"Then what else am I supposed to think?"
"I did it because I didn't want to see that other side of you, not because I thought you..." Ginger trailed, realizing he'd said something very wrong. The words had slipped out before he could stop them, and instantly, regret washed over him.
Other side? What other side? Weren't both characters just Haruki Fukuda?
Haruki nodded slowly to himself. "I see."
Panic surged within Kentaro; Why did I say that? This isn't getting any better.
The other person continued, "I'm sorry, but that's a part of who I am, and I don't regret it. I don't regret standing up to those guys either. But you don't have to worry anymore. After this, I won't meddle in your life."
Kentaro's heart ached, his hands gripping the bed cover tightly, betraying his trembling. Yet, the bitter word that escaped his lips was, "Whatever."
Haruki fell silent.
"Go ahead and leave now. Why wait for me to heal? I can take care of myself, so just go!"
It wasn't true. Kentaro didn't want Haruki to leave. But he couldn't bring himself to say those words, and Haruki was left to believe otherwise.
Sliding his bag over his shoulder, Haruki turned to leave the room. He paused at the doorknob, whispering words that barely reached Kentaro's ears.
"I can't do that right now, sorry. I don't want to be the bad guy, leaving you to fend for yourself in that state. Your injury was mostly my fault, after all."
"You... You think I'd be grateful for that?!" Ginger choked, his voice filled with emotion.
"Not at all," Haruki glanced back, his eyes meeting Kentaro's. "We might have just ended our friendship, but I won't forget how you took care of me. It's only fair that I return the favor, even if you don't like it. Just bare with it for a while."
With that, he finally left the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. Kentaro stared after him for a long while, feeling as if a dagger had pierced his heart mercilessly.
This had to be some twisted nightmare.
He had hoped with all his heart that Haruki would be the one person who would never abandon him.
And now, it seemed like that hope had shattered.
Haruki is really leaving me.
Most of the hurtful things Kentaro had said were not what he truly meant. So why did he have to be so cruel earlier?
"Face it, Kentaro, you'll never truly connect with anyone."
His heart twisted as he remembered those cold words, but it wasn't Haruki who had spoken them before.
No, it was someone else entirely. Probably someone from his past; from that damned family he wanted to escape.
"Your mother is already sick. Soon, you'll be all alone."
"You'll be left unloved and unwanted, with no one by your side."
Kentaro clutched his head as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks.
"That's not true..." he muttered.
"Do you really think anyone can handle your selfishness? You were meant to be alone."
"Shut up!"
"You're so terrible that even your only friend has abandoned you."
Kentaro's eyes widened.
That wasn't a memory from the past. Was he drowning in so much self-regret that he started hearing voices?
"Back to being alone again," the voice persisted.
"I'm back... to being alone again?" Ginger stared blankly at the floor, as an unbearable heaviness settled in his chest.
He should have grown accustomed to it by now.
Kentaro slowly looked ahead, his gaze empty, as he replayed the entire scene that had unfolded just minutes ago. How Haruki had truly walked out that door, severing their bond.
"Don't go," the ginger-haired boy sobbed, covering his face with trembling hands. "Haru, please don't leave me."
..
Having closed the door behind him, Haruki leaned against it, exhaling deeply. He had come dangerously close to breaking down in front of Kentaro earlier.
The words he had spoken to Ginger were meant to provoke a reaction, to test whether he cared or not, but...
Haru ran a hand down his face, thinking; Man, was I wrong. He really doesn't give a damn.
Witnessing it firsthand felt like a spear piercing his chest.
"I should start preparing his dinner, though there's a chance he won't even touch it," he took a step forward when a faint voice reached his ears from the room he had just left, causing him to pause.
Haruki couldn't believe it: Wait, is he already cursing me out???
Mixed feelings had already consumed him, but they all vanished as he heard the words:
"I'm back to being alone again."
Subconsciously pressing his ear against the door to eavesdrop, Haruki felt his heart race for some inexplicable reason.
It couldn't be. Was Ginger regretting?
There was silence for a while before he finally heard it clearly: "Don't go. Haru, please don't leave me."
Haruki's heart skipped a beat, and before he knew it, he had swung the door wide open, staring at Ginger in bewilderment.
The ginger-haired boy lifted his head, his tear-streaked face flushed and cheeks swollen. Even after crying for a short while, he appeared utterly heart-wrenching.
"Ken."
In disbelief, Kentaro gazed dazedly at the intruder. "...Haru?"
Haruki carelessly tossed his bag aside and immediately rushed to the kid's side, dropping to one knee to examine him closely upon noticing his detached expression. "Hey, are you still here?"
A glimmer of recognition returned to Ginger's watery eyes as he finally realized that what was happening was very much real. "Haruki..."
"Yeah, I'm right here," Haruki assured him softly.
Fresh tears streamed down Kentaro's face as he slid off the low bed and knelt in front of Haru, ignoring the pain shooting up his ankle. "It hurts."
"Of course it does, you're kneeling suddenly before it even has a chance to heal–"
"Don't go, Haru. Please don't leave..."
Haruki was taken aback. "Huh?"
"I don't want you to go. I didn't mean it," Ken sniffled, his sobs growing louder. "I was wrong!"
EHHHHH??
"You were wrong," Haruki repeated, finding it hard to believe that this kid was genuinely saying this.
Ginger nodded fervently, attempting to wipe away the never-ending stream of tears and snot. "I was wrong. I was wrong."
Haruki fought back the urge to smile, though the slight dimple on his left cheek would always betray him. He never thought he would hear those words from Kentaro. He even felt a twinge of sympathy for this pitiful child...
But a mischievous thought to tease him quickly took hold of Haruki. He wanted to give Ginger a taste of his own medicine.
So, he 'coldly' averted his gaze and 'ignored' Kentaro.
Sensing the 'frosty' treatment, panic instantly seized Kentaro, who grasped the other's shoulders and gave them a slight shake. "H-Hey, say something. I was wro—"
"Not interested."
~~~~~~