And so, in that moment of disbelief, I realized who was there with me. It wasn't Evangeline or Suzuki, either.
"This is... Kazuha...? How?" I wondered incredulously.
My eyes widened with disbelief.
I was surprised.
Kazuha was the last person I expected to find there with me.
She was sleeping, but as soon as my leg moved, she woke up instantly.
"U-Uh?!" she exclaimed, lifting her head and turning towards me.
"Fumihiro! So you're okay!" she added, moving closer to me to give me a hug.
Kazuha's eyes were shining with a beautiful crimson red.
She was in her work uniform.
I was too surprised to speak, so I let her embrace me.
But the hug lasted only a moment, after Kazuha realized she had overstepped.
She then pulled away, blushing.
"O-Oh sorry...! Ahah~ I was just so happy that you were okay." She said. "How are you feeling?" she then asked with a gentle and calm tone.
I had many questions in my head, and I was really confused, but at the same time, I needed explanations.
"W-Well... I'm surprised to see you here, Hasegawa-san." I said, with a very calm tone.
"I'm feeling quite okay, although I feel a little dizzy and weak. Do you happen to know what happened to me? I don't remember anything anymore." I asked, scratching my head.
Kazuha chuckled softly.
"Y-Yes, I imagine you have a lot of questions. Let me tell you," she said, taking a deep breath.
"It was 7:30 in the morning, and I was leaving my house to go to work. I pass by that street every morning where the ambulance was," she said.
"Really? That's Ema's house." I interrupted her.
She nodded.
"Yes, they told me later. They thought you had hurt Ema. It was a very hilarious scene. I was far away but I saw everything," she replied, laughing playfully.
"So... you saw everything?" I asked, embarrassed.
Kazuha nodded again, with a little laugh.
"Yes! Ahaha! Everyone was scared but I knew it was all a misunderstanding. After that, they injected you with an anesthetic to make you fall asleep and brought you here," she added.
"And then? What else happened?" I asked.
"Mmmm... Then I approached to see and I met your friends. They're very nice. They were very scared that you might have hurt Ema," Kazuha said, looking at me with a serene expression.
"Ah... How embarrassing... You saw me in a pathetic condition..." I said, blushing.
"But it doesn't end there!" She said.
"What else happened?" I asked.
Kazuha's gaze then became more serious.
"Ema came down to the entrance of her house and saw the doctors carrying you into the ambulance." Kazuha's tone became much darker.
"Ema felt very guilty and thought something serious had happened to you. She ran to the doctors with so much concern, begging them to let her get in with them, but they denied her, explaining the situation. At that point, she started crying and screaming your name. She didn't want them to take you away..." she said, lowering her gaze to the ceiling.
"..." I started to worry about what might have happened.
"And then?" I asked.
"And from there... Benjiro and Suzuki lashed out at her, while Evangeline watched the scene with a sad look." Kazuha then looked me in the eyes.
My eyes widened.
"What? Ema argued with Benjiro and Suzuki?" I asked with a really worried tone.
Kazuha nodded.
"Yes. They insulted her a lot and Ema didn't know what to say. She just cried. It wasn't a nice scene... but knowing what she did, I'm not surprised by your friends' reaction," she said.
"Wait a moment." I interrupted her, grabbing her arm.
"How do you know what she did to me? Who told you?" I asked, looking her straight in the eyes.
Kazuha blushed.
"E-Hey... wait! Evangeline told me," she replied, freeing herself from my grip.
"S-Sorry... haha... I didn't think about it." I said, scratching my head.
"I-It's okay. Don't worry," Kazuha said in a calm tone.
I was very agitated, but I tried my best to hide it. Of course, it was impossible, since my accelerated heartbeat was displayed on the monitor.
"Calm down, Fumihiro..." Kazuha said, gently stroking my arm.
"But why is she so kind to me?! What's happening this period?" I wondered, not understanding the reason for so much kindness towards me, who was a stranger.
For some reason, her touch calmed me slightly, and my heart rate returned to normal.
"Sorry again," I said, sounding sorry.
"It's all okay. Don't worry. Do you want to know what else happened?" she asked then.
I nodded and remained silent.
"Well... then after that argument, Ema ran into her house, and Evangeline tried to chase her, but without success. Now she's locked in the house and doesn't come out according to the latest news... Benjiro and Suzuki instead went to school after that. They asked me to keep an eye on you," Kazuha said.
Now I had another concern in my head. Ema. I was afraid of what she might do, I was terrified that she might hurt herself again.
Despite these feelings, I tried to remain calm.
"Kazuha, thank you for telling me everything. Could you pass me my phone?" I asked her.
My voice was a little trembling.
Kazuha nodded and handed me the phone without adding anything else.
I immediately turned on the display and didn't see any messages from Ema.
But my fear was fortunately dampened by Kanna, who had written to me that Ema was under control and out of danger.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fumihiro, you worry too much about someone who is ruining your life," Kazuha said with a very cold tone.
"Eh...?" My gaze turned towards her.
Her red eyes were shining, but with a blood red, as if she were speaking like a demon.
"A person who behaves like that is selfish. One who doesn't care about seeing you happy. She's hiding so many things from you, how can you trust her after something like this? This is a real betrayal," she said, with a tone of regret and bitterness.
"..." I didn't reply. My silence spoke for me. I didn't know what to say. She had hit the nail on the head with my thoughts.
"Even if she didn't physically betray you, she's making your life a hell. You're a fool if you think situations can change. People change only for themselves. If the love of your life starts lying to you... ask yourself two questions," Kazuha added.
"If I can give you some advice, leave her for your own good and hers too. If it's love, she'll always come back to you as a better person. Otherwise, she'll disappear forever. You're lucky to have so many people who care about you. You're not alone, and you never have been. And you never will be," Kazuha's tone then became much softer and gentler.
Her gaze was fixed on my eyes.
"Kazuha, there are many things you don't know about me and Ema," I replied with a very annoyed tone.
In fact, Kazuha didn't know anything and was only talking about what she had seen.
"Fumihiro, you're not in love with her. You're in love with the idea you have of her, of what you are or what you were," she said.
In that moment, my heart froze.
"I know everything. Or rather, I know everything that i need to know. I know what it means to wait for a change that will never come. I know that feeling way too well. You could even say I've waited my whole life without getting any results," Kazuha said with a normal but equally sad tone.
It was as if she had already found herself in this situation before.
This situation was really too strange.
"First Evangeline, and now Kazuha? Can i have some answers?" I thought.
"Fumihiro, I know it will seem strange to you since i'm a perfect stranger to you. And for this exact reason, I'm trying to make you see reason. Your friends have told me everything. For your own good and Ema's, you should end the relationship with her," she said, taking my hand.
I was very annoyed by her statements.
"Kazuha... Please, don't say anything else and don't interfere in my life. I need to make mistakes on my own," I replied, pulling my hand away.
"Thank you for staying here with me, but I'll be honest: I don't understand why you're telling me all these things as if you know everything about me. And I don't understand why you want to interfere in my relationship, even more i don't understand why you're being so kind to me, I'm a stranger," I added, with a fairly nervous tone.
"..." Kazuha remained silent for a few seconds, looking at the floor.
I felt like I had said something wrong that had hurt her in some way.
"...We're not strangers, Fumihiro," she said with a cold tone. "As soon as you have your answers and come to me, I'll tell you everything," she added, with a melancholic tone.
"But I'm telling you, being a spectator in life hurts a lot," Kazuha whispered as she got up from the chair.
"Ema is just manipulating you, but I hope you'll understand it by yourself. I warned you," she added. "Now I'll go out, I'll let the doctors know you've woken up. I'll be back later."
I didn't even have time to reply to her before she quickly left the room.
I was left alone to think about everything she had told me.
I didn't even have time to tell her what Ema had done, how she had hurt herself.
She didn't know many things.
The only certain thing was that Kazuha was a girl who had definitely been part of my past.
I decided to investigate thoroughly.
I needed many answers.
"She's just manipulating me... huh? I don't think so... We'll see," I said to myself, trying to calm down.
At that exact moment, I just needed to relax and clear my head from intrusive thoughts.
I lay down again, putting my hands behind my head and using them as a pillow.
I started to think.
I needed to change myself, I needed to stop being the good guy who helps everyone without thinking about his own problems.
In life, you also need a bit of wickedness, otherwise you end up in my situation.
"Kazuha... I need to know more about her," I started thinking about that girl again.
Red hair and eyes, a rarity in Japan.
She had really delicate features, and her face conveyed a lot of sweetness but at the same time also with a glimpse of sadness.
If you looked closely at her face, you could tell she had suffered a lot in her life.
Even in the way she spoke, it seemed that the situation between me and Ema concerned her personally, to the point of making her say all those things.
It was as if she had been through it herself.
"I'll get to know her better. But now I want to solve the Ema situation first," I told myself as I looked at the ceiling.
My thoughts were then interrupted by a "Ding" coming from my phone, which was next to me.
I picked it up and saw a message from Ema.
I smiled a bit bitterly.
The message read "Sweetheart, how are you feeling? I hope you're okay, as soon as I can I'll come to see you with Kanna, okay? Kisses~ :)))".
She was worried about me.
"As soon as I can."
"Shouldn't her priority be to come here if she had that reaction according to Kazuha?" I asked myself.
After this little reflection, I replied to her.
"I'm fine, just a little weak," I texted back.
The message didn't take long to arrive.
"I'm glad! Kanna and I are about to come and visit you. We've prepared a nice bento for you! See you in a few hours!" Ema replied, sending me a picture of her and Kanna smiling.
I just wrote back a simple "See you later!".
"All this seems so absurd to me. I'm at my limit. I should just leave my whole life and go live in a monastery with the Shaolin monks in China," I thought.
"My life is gonna change starting from the next days. I'm 100% sure about that."
And with that, i closed my eyes, knowing that i had to work on a lot of things such resolving mysteries about Kazuha and Evangeline and resolving the situation with Ema and Chiko.
"Maybe it's the medicine but... i feel so weak. I don't care about anything anymore... *yawn*" I then let myself go into a peaceful sleep...
~~~~~Ema's point of view before the event with Chiko~~~~~
As soon as Fumihiro left getting into that taxi, my parents looked me straight in the eyes.
"Ema. That boy loves you too much," my mother said, with a very serene tone. "You're very lucky to have him."
My father nodded in agreement with her.
"I hope you two get married soon. Fumihiro is really perfect for you. I'm happy that my daughter is loved so much," he said.
"You're right," I replied coldly, then walked to my room.
I felt a lot of insincerity in their words.
I was sure they didn't truly love Fumihiro, but were saying these things only to avoid making me feel burdened for being with him.
But that's not all.
They treat Fumi better than a son, in such a beautiful way that it seems unnatural.
They've never treated me like that, in fact, they've often made me feel the weight of being born a woman.
Kanna told me how many times my mother and father had hoped for a boy.
In practice, Fumihiro is as if he were the son they never had.
While on one hand I'm very happy that Fumihiro is welcomed by my parents as a family member, on the other hand, I'm also jealous because I've never had such a close relationship with them despite my efforts.
After entering my room, I lay down on the bed, thinking about what to cook for Fumihiro.
So many, too many things have happened lately.
My mind was overflowing with thoughts, anxieties, and fears, and Fumihiro was my only salvation.
I was so lucky to have an angel like him by my side.
I felt so sorry for lying to him so much, and I really felt guilty for doing so.
But I didn't want to cause him any more trouble, I wanted to be a better girl for him.
He deserved it.
I kept tossing and turning in bed for a few minutes, overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts and guilt.
The situation with Chiko had been going on for a long time and was reaching its limit.
I couldn't hide anything from him anymore.
Sooner or later he would find out, and he could react much worse.
I had to get rid of that criminal as soon as possible.
He threatened me, him, and even my family.
I was lucky I never did anything with him.
I couldn't imagine having sex with another man outside of Fumi.
Just the thought disgusts me.
Just lying to him to hide everything made me feel very bad.
Every day I felt like I had betrayed him, and I always sought his presence for comfort.
I wanted to talk to him about my situation but I didn't have the courage.
"It doesn't matter if he doesn't know, since I never did anything with Chiko...," I thought, to alleviate my guilt.
I always felt the need to keep Fumihiro under control, every time I saw him interacting with a girl, my heart pounded with anger and jealousy.
I felt like I could explode at any moment.
I had never been like this... I wonder why at that moment.
Then I also saw him interacting with Kazuha... that damned viper.
Kazuha Hasegawa... another childhood friend of his.
I did everything possible to make him forget her and I succeeded, but fate brought her back unexpectedly.
I'm so afraid she might try to take him away from me.
Luckily she pretended not to know me.
Fumihiro is mine and mine alone. No one else~
After all these reflections, I decided to get up.
I had the idea to stop by Sakura Brew Haven to get the vanilla aroma that Fumihiro loves too.
I wanted to surprise him, so I quickly tidied up a bit and left the house.
Kanna offered to accompany me but I refused.
I walked, with headphones in my ears playing music.
To be more specific, I was listening to Fumihiro's piano compositions.
I felt the need to always have him with me.
As I walked, with the soft spring breeze caressing my face, I saw a shadow approaching me.
I turned, curious, and saw Chiko behind me smiling with a wicked and superior smirk.
My eyes widened in fear.
His overbearing and macho appearance disgusted me.
"Well, well, well... look who we have here," he said, approaching me.
"D-Don't come near me, Chiko," I replied, stepping back.
"Oh, come on! I just want to spend some time with you...! You know what could happen if you don't listen to me, right?" Chiko said, with a very nasty tone.
My body started shaking with fear.
I was on the verge of a crying fit, but I had to hold back.
My luck was that there were many people around me.
Chiko approached me and put an arm around my neck, hugging me.
I was totally disgusted.
I wanted to cry.
"Where are we going, baby?" he said.
"... Sakura Brew Haven," I replied, with a trembling voice.
"Come on, don't be afraid. I'm not going to eat you... maybe..." Chiko chuckled.
"Disgusting," I whispered.
Fortunately, he didn't make any bold moves, and just walked with me.
We walked for about ten minutes until he removed his arm from me since we were almost at our destination.
And it was at that exact moment that we turned the corner and... I saw Fumihiro and Evangeline.
My boyfriend caught us.
I will never forget the expression full of pain he had on his face when he saw us.
It was all a big misunderstanding but he couldn't know.
At that moment it was as if he had seen his girlfriend betraying him.
Actually, it was a real betrayal.
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces.
Fumihiro was boiling with anger.
Even seeing him with Evangeline made me die of jealousy, I can't deny it.
"Who is this? Is he the same one who knocked on your door that night, right?" he asked me.
My eyes widened.
I was trembling with fear.
Fear of being caught...
What happened was tragic.
Fumihiro jumped on Chiko as if he was about to beat him.
Evangeline stopped him.
I should have been the one to do it, but I was paralyzed with fear.
A huge crowd had gathered around us.
Fumihiro was looking for me with his eyes, I remember it perfectly.
I didn't have the courage to look him in the eyes.
I decided to do what I've always done: Run away without facing the situations.
I ran, ran home crying like a child.
As soon as I arrived, my parents opened the door.
Without letting them see me, I went to the kitchen and took a knife secretly.
I arrived just in time, because shortly after my mother and father left because they had to run errands in another city.
My head was overflowing with thoughts.
The only thing I could do was hurt myself.
I felt guilty.
I thought my beautiful relationship with Fumihiro was over...
And that's how the blade touched the skin of my left arm several times.
It hurt a lot. It burned.
A lot of blood came out, but I didn't care.
I even went downstairs to look for some napkins to clean myself, but the blood was flowing and stained the floor.
I went back upstairs and kept hurting myself...
Then I received a message from Suzuki telling me that Fumihiro was in the hospital, perhaps due to a heart attack, but fortunately, he wasn't in life-threatening danger.
At that moment, I felt my heart break again, and to avoid further internal pain, I continued to hurt myself...
It was a terrible day, perhaps the worst of my life.
"Fumihiro... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," I said, crying and sobbing, as the blood fell from my arm, staining even my bed.
I quickly sent a message to Fumi's phone, hoping for a response, but there was nothing.
"I'm so scared... I don't want it to be over..." Those were the only things I could think of.
I was sad... I wanted to die...
Because without Fumihiro, i am nothing.