The weight of the world pressed down on my shoulders as I slumped on the local park's bench, my face buried in my knees. The heat of the scorching sun made me sweat but I never bothered minding it. Every part of me just felt heavy. I didn't want to face anyone, not even the sky.
But then, I felt it. A presence. A familiar energy that wasn't mine. Someone was sitting beside me.
I've always been proud of my senses, an almost supernatural awareness of everything around me. I could tell without even looking that someone had joined me.
Slowly, I lifted my head, blinking away the dampness in my eyes, trying to pull myself together. When my gaze landed on the figure next to me, I froze.
There she was. Yui.
Her hair was slightly messy, the strands falling around her face as if she had been rushing. But what really threw me off was the expression on her face. Worry. Genuine concern.
"Yui?" I said. It was a shock to see her, of all people, beside me in this miserable moment.
She flinched, eyes wide as if surprised by my voice. "W-Why didn't you go to the lectures this morning?" she asked, her voice wavering, as though she wasn't sure whether to be mad or concerned.
Did she just stutter?
I couldn't help but blink in disbelief. Yui was now sitting here, fumbling over her words.
But nevermind that.
Why was she here? Why now?
I straightened up slightly, wiping my face with the back of my hand, trying to hide the fact that I had been in such a state. I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that there was more to this than I understood.
"Yui? What are you doing here? And most importantly, how did you find me?" I asked, my voice barely louder than a whisper, still from the shock of her sudden appearance.
Yui blinked at me, her cheeks flushing a soft pink as she hesitated. "I think you should answer my question first," she replied, her tone both shy and slightly nervous.
Well, I wasn't sure whose question needed answering first, but I supposed I should at least explain myself. Not that I owed her anything, but still, I couldn't leave her hanging.
I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair, still feeling a bit embarrassed about the mess I'd made of the day. "You see, I was on my way to school, really. But something bad happened." I fell in silence for a moment, unsure how to continue.
Yui's eyes widened in surprise, as if the idea of me not going to class was out of the question. Maybe she thought I skipped lectures regularly, like some kind of rebel.
"I don't skip lectures and classes to be honest, unless I'm sick," I added quickly, as if that would clear up any misconceptions. "But today was different. I lost my phone."
Her expression shifted to one of surprise, her brow furrowing.
"I realized too late that one of my pockets had a hole in it. It was a stupid mistake, really, just a small tear, but enough for my phone to slip out unnoticed. So I spent hours looking for it. But, well.." I paused, biting my lip, as the reality hit me again. "I ended up completely lost. I don't even know where I am right now. And thank God you found me."
Yui didn't say anything for a moment, staring at me like I had just told her I had lost my way into another dimension. But then, she shook her head as if she couldn't believe my predicament.
"Well, first of all," she began, her voice a little more teasing, "I forgot that you still aren't familiar with this area." She let out a soft laugh, as though it was all so simple. "Second, I hate to break it to you, but you're literally a few minutes walk away from your house."
My jaw nearly hit the ground. "So, you mean I'm still in the same neighborhood?"
Yui nodded, smiling in a way that made me feel like an absolute idiot. "Yeah, pretty much."
I stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. All this time, I had been so convinced I was lost, when I had barely even moved beyond my own backyard. I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Well, that certainly made things a little less dramatic.
"I really need to stop overthinking everything," I muttered under my breath, and Yui's smile grew a little wider.
After a few minutes of sitting on the park bench, trying to regain my composure, Yui and I decided it was time to get back on track and find my phone.
"Are you sure? We might take too long and miss some of our lectures," I said, guilt creeping into my voice. The last thing I wanted was for her to miss out on anything because of my careless mistake.
Yui, however, just smiled warmly and waved off my concerns. "We can just hold a study session afterward for the lectures we'll miss. So let's just go and find that precious phone of yours," she said, nudging me to follow her.
Her smile was comforting, and for the first time that day, I felt a little less burdened. We walked through the neighborhood, asking anyone we could find if they had seen a lost phone. But after nearly two hours of searching, there was still no sign of it. I was starting to feel the hunger creeping in, my stomach growling.
"Do you want to have lunch before we continue? I'm getting kind of hungry now, to be honest." I suggested, hoping a break would help us both recharge.
Yui's eyes brightened at the mention of food. "Sure. Let's stop by a fast food place nearby. I know a great spot."
And just like that, I was following her again. I couldn't help but feel a little bad about it. It felt like I was always the one being helped, always the one being taken care of. I wondered how I could ever repay her for all she had done. I mean, what could I really do for her right now?
I could treat her to a meal, sure. But after that, I needed to step up. I couldn't just sit behind and let her do all the work. I should be the one asking people about my lost phone.
As we entered the fast food restaurant, I turned to Yui and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"I guess a chicken burger will do it for me," she replied casually, handing me the payment. "Here's my share."
"No, I got it," I said quickly, pushing her hand away. "It's a thank you for helping me out so much."
Yui shyly bowed her head, her cheeks turning pink. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice soft.
I couldn't help but smile at her. I had noticed it yesterday, but it became a lot clearer now. Yui was really cute.
I mean, sure, she was small in frame, but that only made her more adorable. The way she shyly bowed her head and muttered her thanks made my heart skip a beat. I was thankful that my face wasn't betraying my thoughts, because I definitely felt a blush creeping up. I really hoped it wasn't visible.
After I grabbed our food, I made my way to the table where Yui was already sitting. We spent the next hour chatting about random things, the conversation flowing effortlessly. I told her about my life back home, and she shared stories about hers here. The differences in lifestyle were significant, but when it came to the way we handled our lives, it felt surprisingly similar.
We found ourselves laughing at little things, smiling at how much we had in common. It felt nice. Comfortable.
"So?" Yui asked, finishing her last bite of burger. "Shall we continue and go find your missing phone?"
I nodded, wiping my mouth. "Yeah. I think we should before anyone else finds it."
With that, we stood up, ready to continue the search. But this time, I didn't feel so alone. I wasn't just some careless guy who had lost his phone. I had Yui by my side. And maybe, just maybe, I was starting to think that was enough for now.