Chapter 56: Exposed.
Hearing about Akeshi's deduction, it was clear that Ren was seen through. Now that he thought about it, Akeshi seemed to have already known about his 'child-like crush' on their teacher, Mahiru Yuuta.
This crush was a hormonal thing. Something that happened because he was back to being a teenager. The brain of an adult had stopped working, and the brain of a teen was now in control.
But what happened was good. It was a valuable lesson. He learned that being a child is hard. Being a child isn't something someone should be doing in this era, where competition is at its peak right after a person enters high school. High expectations from others and from themselves are placed on the shoulders of high school students. Many have to bear the weight of expectation, much more than people acknowledge.
No one is there to share your pain. You have to endure it all by yourself. That's the reality. There's no time to fall in love. So even if falling in love is something that can't be stopped, one must aim for marriage. Although that's not something most teen boys and girls do.
He learned this lesson because of what happened that day, and he was happy when he had his mind calmed down and recalled the memory of confirming that Shimo would stay with him. Although fate is something one shouldn't trust that much.
But those thoughts were for later. Now, Ren was in a position that was quite embarrassing. He needed to make Akeshi back off before someone saw them in this situation.
"Uhm... can you move? It's sort of embarrassing..." Ren said. Though he was worried about his reputation, he wasn't actually embarrassed—not even a little.
Akeshi let a chuckle escape his lips. He moved back to his previous position, spreading his arms out, with part of his hair soaking in the water and the other part sticking to the surface of the bathtub.
"So...?" Ren looked at Akeshi, who began speaking again. "Are you a time traveler?"
"You know you shouldn't talk about stuff like this..." Ren said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, yeah." A small pause. "Spill it!"
"Okay, okay, geez..." Raising his hands in a defensive posture, Ren let out a sigh. "In a way... yes."
"Well, how about we go out and talk about stuff?" Akeshi suggested, fixing his hair.
"Sure. Sounds great." Ren nodded and got up from the bath, cracking his arms.
.
.
.
.
The two boys sat outside on one of the chairs, each holding a milkshake they had bought in the bathhouse. There was a heavy silence between them.
Ren tried to focus on his drink, but his eyes kept drifting towards Akeshi, who seemed deep in thought. Ren couldn't help but worry.
Will he get accepted?
Or...
Will he be thrown away?
If Ren was honest with himself, he didn't want to be thrown away from their lives. He still had a lot he wanted to do. Enjoy the youth he missed. Experience the days he could have spent differently. And there was another thing...
He wanted to ask why Akeshi would leave their lives.
He wanted to know if something happened that made him do that. But he couldn't ask that now. Even though he had admitted being from the future, it still wasn't enough.
He needed to deepen their relationship. Only then would he feel comfortable asking him why he left.
"Hey, Tokusake!"
Akeshi called, but Ren was still lost in his thoughts.
"Oi! Tokusake!"
Ren still didn't answer.
"Ow!" Ren held his forehead, rubbing it where Akeshi had flicked it, feeling the sharp pain.
"Why did you do that?!" Ren questioned, looking at Akeshi who sighed.
"Because you were in a different world," Akeshi reasoned, shrugging. "So I had to do what I had to do."
Ren felt a flash of anger but controlled himself by taking a deep breath.
The two boys began talking about trivial things, trying to ease the tension between them.
*Thud!*
Both boys' attention was stolen by the unexpected sound.
They turned to see a girl, maybe a couple of years younger than them, had tripped and fallen. Groceries were scattered around her, and she looked up with a mix of embarrassment and pain.
"Are you okay?" Ren asked, immediately getting up to help her.
Akeshi followed suit, the serious atmosphere between them momentarily forgotten. The girl nodded, her face turning red as she tried to gather her things.
"Let us help you," Akeshi said, his tone gentle.
Together, they picked up the groceries and helped her stand. She thanked them profusely, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you so much. I'm really clumsy," she said, bowing slightly.
"It's no problem at all, we all make mistakes." Ren replied with a reassuring smile.
As they watched her walk away, Ren turned to Akeshi. "You know, helping people like that... it feels good."
Akeshi nodded. "Yeah, it does. Sometimes, a spoonful of sugar can make the diabetes jump in the air and cause death." he laughed out loud and said so which made Ren slightly question why the hell should he trust this maniac(?).
They sat back down, the tension between them now a bit lighter.
"So, back to our conversation," Akeshi said, taking a sip of his milkshake. "You're really a time traveler, huh? Honestly that pretty amazing."
Ren nodded. "Yes, but it's complicated. There are things I can't change–probably ,no matter how much I want to. And there are things I need to do to make sure the future is better. Although there is a bitch called butterfly effect ready to fuck me up."
Akeshi listened intently, smirk on his face as he heard Ren curse , "What's it like? Knowing what's going to happen?"
Ren took a deep breath. "It's a burden. Knowing the future means knowing the tragedies as well as the triumphs. And sometimes, you feel helpless because you can't change everything."
Akeshi leaned back, pondering Ren's words. "But you still try, huh?"
Ren nodded. "Yeah, I still try. Because if I can make even a small difference, it's worth it."
Akeshi smiled. "You've always been like that, you know. Always trying to make a difference, even if it's just in small ways."
Ren felt a warmth spread through him at Akeshi's words. For the first time, he felt a sense of acceptance.
"Thanks, Akeshi," Ren said, his voice filled with gratitude.
Akeshi waved it off. "Don't mention it. Just keep being you, Ren. That's all anyone can probably can ask for."
The probably in Akeshis voice wasn't something she liked. But chose to ignore it.
They finished their milkshakes in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The bond between them had grown stronger, and for the first time, Ren felt hopeful about the future.
He knew there would be challenges ahead, but he now felt like he could face those said challenges.
As they stood up to leave, Ren looked at Akeshi. "Let's make a promise."
"A promise?" Akeshi raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Ren said, his voice firm. "Let's promise to always have each other's backs, no matter what happens."
Akeshi smiled and extended his hand. "You got it, Tokusake. No matter what."
They shook hands, sealing their promise.
"You know, Akeshi, I never really got to thank you properly for always being there for me," Ren said, his voice sincere. He knew that Akeshi was there , for both past and present rens.
Akeshi looked surprised but then smiled warmly. "You don't need to thank me, Tokusake. That's what friends are for."
Ren nodded, feeling a lump in his throat. "Still, I appreciate it. More than you know."
They continued walking around the place , the sound of crowd was evident. Ren's thoughts wandered back to his time travel, and he wondered if he should tell Akeshi more. After all, Akeshi had proven to be trustworthy and understanding.
"Akeshi, there's something else I need to tell you," Ren said, stopping in his tracks.
Akeshi turned to face him, his expression serious. "What is it?"
After sometime Ren spoke, "Nothing much."
Akeshi felt a vine pop up, "Are you messing with me?!"
"Come on I can't!"
"I have your secret."
"No evidence."
"Yeah... But I heard what you said and can write it down in the same way you do."
"..You are going to copy my handwriting?"
"I will try I guess."
"You know your handwriting is more elegant while mine is nowhere near it , right?"
Akeshi chuckled and shook his head , "Yeah but trying is something you should always do. No matter what giving up is equivalent to death. If you give up it's means you are dead. Giving up isn't something you should do."
"Yet so many people give up regularly , are they dead as well."
"They kind of are. Yes , they are dead."
"Man that means so many students in our school are dead. Haha!"
"Not funny and I feel like the school should give some leisure –!"
*Thud!*