Who Are You? - Part 3
“Ohchan, can you please open the door? It’s too noisy,”
Ohno stirred in his sleep when someone pushed him lightly. He was too sleepy to think who it was but it must be one of his uninvited guests. It was indeed too noisy. He can hear the doorbell rang as well as the phone ringing. He was too lazy to open the door and hoping the person at the other side of the door will stop and go home. But, it seems like the other person wouldn’t give up.
With a heavy step and loud yawn, he stood up from the couch… eh… when did he buy a couch? He suddenly thought of it. Ignoring the thoughts, he opened the door to reveal Jun and Sho who frowned upon seeing him.
“What are you doing here early in the morning?” Asked Ohno as he glanced at the clock, noting it was only 7 am.
Since when did I put the clock…..? He didn’t feel sleepy anymore when he finally realized why Sho and Jun were surprised to see him, as well as the existence of the couch when he was sure he didn't buy any for his small apartment. More importantly, the hand which pushed him earlier wasn’t as cold as his usual guest. He turned to the couch to see Nino sleepily rubbed his eyes and the memory of what happened yesterday came back to him.
Ohno was surprised when Nino suddenly hugged him. The last time he hugged the other guy, it led to their first and last kiss. With the way Nino was staring at him right now, he doubted he could control himself from kissing the other guy again.
Nino finally let him go when he agreed to what was suggested by Nino. He was convinced the other guy thought he was crazy after catching him talking to himself for the second time. Surprisingly, Nino didn’t freak out. Instead, he pretended as if nothing had happened between them.
“Let’s go,” Nino took his hand and led him outside. It wasn’t the first time they hold hand but it certainly felt different than the previous times.
They didn’t talk much as they walked together. They went to Ohno’s destination first to meet a friend of a friend. Thankfully, the apartment of the guy he was supposed to meet was only two stops away from their office. Ohno talked with the guy outside of the apartment but Nino stood a bit far from them, not listening to what they were talking about. He was thankful for that because he didn’t want Nino to know what he can do.
After he finished delivering the message, he brought Nino to a restaurant. The restaurant was really special for them but he doubted Nino would recognize it.
“It’s weird…” Nino said as he observed the restaurant. “I think this is my first time here but it looks familiar,”
Ohno didn’t say anything. He simply pulled Nino to his favourite spot.
“Ah, you finally bring a friend here!” The waitress greeted them. As Ohno frequently visited the restaurant, she had recognized him. But, what she said wasn’t true. Ohno always brought Nino, and sometimes Aiba to the restaurant.
“You always come here?” Asked Nino and Ohno nodded in return.
“Then, can you choose for me?”
Hamburger was what Ohno ordered for them.
“It’s delicious!” Nino exclaimed. Ohno decided to keep it a secret that the hamburger was something that Nino always wanted to eat when they came to the restaurant. He was happy that Nino finally had a chance to taste it. “Thank you for bringing me here,”
Throughout the dinner, the two of them talked about each other. He had experienced this before but he didn’t mind to get to know Nino again.
After dinner, they walked together to Nino’s apartment. Even though the apartment was quite far, Nino didn’t want to take the train. Ohno didn’t complain because he will have more time to spend with Nino. However, Nino wasn’t as chatty as he was in the restaurant. He was silent as if something was bothering him. Ohno didn’t want to ask, afraid of what Nino would answer.
“Ne…” Nino suddenly stopped walking. “Can I ask you something?”
Reluctantly, Ohno nodded his head. Even though Ohno permitted him, Nino still looked unsure to continue. So, Ohno braced himself to talk about things that made people thought he was crazy.
“Do you want to ask me who I was talking to in the office just now?” Said Ohno. In response, Nino nodded his head.
“Would you believe me if I said I can see things that other people can’t see?”
“Like a ghost?” Nino didn’t seem surprised. Perhaps because he already think of that.
“I prefer to call them spirits,”
“You’re not afraid of them?” Asked Nino. Ohno shook his head. He was surprised when he first saw them but he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he felt sorry at them for not being able to move on. That’s why he decided to help them even though some of them are stubborn.
Nino didn’t say anything after that. They walked in silence until they arrived in front of Nino’s apartment.
“Thank you. Would you like to get inside?” Asked Nino. Ohno shook his head. It’s getting late. If he didn’t leave now, he might miss the last train.
However, Nino seems to be disappointed with his decision.
“I will miss the last train if I stay,”
“Ne, don’t laugh but I am a scaredy-cat. Can you check if there are any ghosts in my apartment?”
Ohno glanced at his watch before nodding his head. If he ran to the station later, maybe he can still get on the last train.
Ohno closed his eyes, tried to sense if there are any ghost in the apartment. He had been doing this for a long time. He didn’t need to check every room to ensure there is no ghost in the house.
He opened his eyes to see a frightening Nino. He wondered if the guy will freak out if he said there is a ghost in the house. But, he decided to tease Nino some other time.
“Don’t worry. There is nothing in your apartment,”
“Are you sure?” Ohno nodded his head.
Before he could leave, Nino pulled his hand.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!!”
Nino’s scream broke him out of his trance. He looked at Nino, whose ears were pulled by Jun.
“You made too much noise in the morning. People are still sleeping,” said Jun. Nino attempted to do the same to Jun but Jun was quick to avoid Nino’s attack on his ear.
“You are the one who made too much noise in the morning,” complained Nino. “We were sleeping until you came,”
“That’s because we are worried something happened to you,” Sho defended both Jun and himself. It reminded Ohno of why he ended up in Nino’s place. Both Sho and Jun had promised to look after Nino. However, they had left Nino alone yesterday. Fortunately, he met Nino before the guy went home by himself. What if Nino gets into an accident? What if Nino had another headache? Thinking of that made him furious to both Jun and Sho.
“Why did you left Kazu?” Ohno couldn’t stop himself from yelling. “What if something happened to him on his way home?”
The three guys looked at him in a panic because of his sudden outburst. However, Nino’s expression became curious, perhaps wondering why he snapped at both Jun and Sho. That is when he realized that he shouldn’t snap at Jun and Sho, at least not in front of Nino. This Nino wasn’t aware of the relationship they had. He must be thinking why a stranger was worried for his safety.
“Ah, I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately, hoping Nino wouldn’t think so much of it.
“No no. It’s my fault,” said Sho. “I had an emergency yesterday. I was panic so I forgot to inform Jun to bring Nino home. I remembered Nino this morning so I immediately called Jun to ask if he sent Nino home. When he said he didn’t, I tried to call Nino but he didn’t answer the phone. I came here immediately to check if he was home. Thank you, Ohno san for bringing him home and I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,”
“It’s okay,” it was Nino who answered. “We have the chance to know each other, right?”
Nino hugged his arm. Because of that, he couldn’t think of a proper response so he simply nodded his head. Both Jun and Sho looked at them curiously, perhaps wondering why Nino was overly attached to him today. Well, if Ohno had to guess, Nino must be acting like this because of what happened between them yesterday.
After he missed the last train, Ohno decided to stay at Nino’s house. This happened because he wasted his time staring at Nino’s beautiful brown eyes after Nino pulled him. They spent the night watching a horror movie together. Nino had been dying to watch it but he was too scared to do it alone. He couldn't ask Jun or Sho to watch with him because they would make fun of him. As they were watching the movie, Nino hugged him the whole time and asked if the ghost in real life were as shown in the movie. He didn’t answer him for fear that his answer might scare Nino. When Nino fell asleep on his shoulder, he switched off the television. He wanted to carry Nino to his room but the guy suddenly woke up and told him he wanted to sleep on the couch. Ohno asked him if there is a futon that he could use but Nino pulled him to sleep next to him on the small couch.
“I’m still sleepy,” mumbled Nino. “You may stay but if you want to leave, please lock the door,”
Ohno took that as the cue to leave. He was still sleepy and thankful that it was Saturday so he can continue sleeping once he was home. He was about to ask Sho if he could get a ride home when Nino suddenly gestured for him to go to his bedroom.
“Sleeping on the bed is more comfortable, ne?” Said Nino. “Ah, it would be wonderful if breakfast is ready for us when we woke up,”
Ohno couldn’t bring himself to decline the offer. Without thinking, he followed Nino to the bedroom.
Nino kept staring at Ohno who was sleeping soundly next to him. He had lied to his friends earlier. He wasn’t sleepy. He was fully awake since Jun and Sho disturbed his sleep. But, he felt sorry to see Ohno’s sleepy face. Most probably, he couldn’t sleep well because of the couch. That’s why Nino suggested to sleep on the bed. Ohno immediately drifted to dreamland once he lied down on the bed.
As Nino wasn’t sleepy, he decided to stare at Ohno’s peaceful face. He looked like an angel when he was sleeping and Nino love to see it. He could feel that this wasn’t the first time he watched the other sleeping. It must be something that he had done for hundredth times.
Since he woke up from his coma, yesterday was the first time he could sleep without dreaming about Riida. In the beginning, he dreamt of chasing after a guy in a very dark place but after he met Ohno, the dream changed to spending time with Riida. Surprisingly, everything he remembered about the dream was connected to Ohno. The drawing of him as the princess. The restaurant he went yesterday with Ohno. The hamburger he ate with Ohno. They were all in his dream. Now that he thought of it, he finally knew why Aiba sounds familiar. He had seen him in his dream. Unlike Riida, Nino could see Aiba’s face. He is a cheerful guy that he loves to bully in his dream. Aiba often complained that Riida neglected him after Nino stayed with them. But he didn’t look like he was jealous. Instead, he seems happy to see both of them.
With all of the clues from his dream, he was fully convinced that Ohno was Riida. Knowing what Ohno could do, he had an idea of when he might meet Ohno but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Ohno to confirm the truth.
He let Ohno sleep in the room alone, worried for what Ohno would think of him if he found him staring. He took a shower and went outside of the room to see what Jun and Sho were doing. He was relieved to see it was Jun who cooked in the kitchen. Sho, on the other hand, was staring at a photo with a pair of sad eyes. Wondering who was in the photo, Nino went behind him and snatched the photo from him. It was a photo of Sho and a guy. Though he never met the guy before, he knew who he was.
“Nino!” Yelled Sho. “Who gives you permission to look at the picture?”
“Is that… Aiba chan?” Asked Nino. He only met Aiba in his dream but he was convinced he was correct. Sho was surprised to hear him say the name.
“How do you know Aiba chan?” asked Sho.
“I’ve seen him…”
“When? Where?”
“In my dream,” answered Nino shortly. Then he remembered what Ohno said yesterday. “Ohchan knows him too. He said he didn’t see Aiba chan at all yesterday,”
“What?” Sho was surprised to hear what he was saying. Then, his eyes became wide before storming off to Nino’s room. Nino followed him from behind, wondering what was wrong with Sho.
“Ne…..” Sho tried to wake Ohno up from his sleep. Ohno immediately opened his eyes. He looked clueless, wondering why Sho disturbed his sleep once again. “Did you lie to me about Aiba chan? Have you met him?”
“How….” Ohno was too surprised to respond. But his reaction gave Sho the answer he was looking for. Ohno had met Aiba. Nino only watched this in silent, wondering why Sho was angry with Ohno for keeping a secret about Aiba.
“Do you know how long Aiba was in a coma? 5 years! The doctor said there was nothing wrong with him, he just refused to wake up. When I found out that you could see spirits, I asked you to look for him and convinced him to come back. You said you cannot find him. But…. You lied to me, right?”
Ohno didn’t say anything. He just listened to what Sho was saying without denying anything.
“Why did you lie?” Sho continued to ask but Ohno remained silent. Guilt was evident in his expression.
Jun came shortly after, asking Nino why Sho was shouting.
“Please answer me!”
“I tried!” Ohno finally snapped after being pushed to answer for a few times. “He is my friend, the first one who refused to move on. I didn’t know anything about him until the first time you came to my house and asked for my help to find his spirits. When I noticed how uneasy he was to see you, I know you are the reason he didn’t want to wake up. He never asks for anything since I met him but when you showed up, he asked me to lie to you about him,”
“But… Why? What did I do that made him refuse to wake up?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been telling him to go back but he didn’t want to. The last time we talked about this, he said he will leave once Kazu comes back. But, since that day, he rarely shows up in front of me and yesterday, I don’t see him at all,” answered Ohno. Nino tried to remain expressionless when he heard Ohno mentioned Kazu. He was convinced that he was the one meant by Ohno. “Ne… Your emergency yesterday…. Did something happen to him?”
“His parents want to….”
A sudden phone call interrupted them. At first, it seems that he wanted to reject the call but once he saw the caller ID, he immediately answered.
“Moshi Moshi, Aiba san,” answered Sho. “Did something happen to Masaki?”
Sho’s eyes grew wider as the person at the other end of the line responded.
“Masaki… Is that really you?” Everyone else in the room, except Nino, was surprised to hear what Sho said. Ohno, especially, seems happy to hear it. “I’m at a friend’s house. I will go there immediately. Wait for me, okay!”
Sho ended the phone call and before he left, he turned to Ohno.
“Do you want to see Masaki with me?”
Ohno shook his head before continuing. “He won’t remember me,”
Sho smiled understandingly at him before rushing to leave the house. Jun told both Ohno and Nino that he had prepared breakfast for them before he left them to follow Sho.
Even though he had spent the entire night being alone with Ohno yesterday, it became awkward to be left like this. Ohno stared at him and he stared at Ohno with no one say anything.
“Let’s eat,” said Nino awkwardly. However, Ohno shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I need to go home now,”
“This is Ohchan’s apartment,” said Jun. He dropped Nino off at an old apartment building. Earlier, Nino asked Jun to send him to Ohno’s apartment. His hunch was telling him that Ohno must feel lonely now that Aiba was gone from his house. That’s why he decided to visit him. “When do you want me to pick you up?”
Nino glanced at his watch. It was only 8 pm. Truthfully, he didn’t want to go home today but…
Well… Let’s see how Ohno reacted first.
“I’ll call you later,” answered Nino.
“Don’t be naughty, okay,” said Jun, smirking at Nino before he left.
“Eh… What is his apartment number?” Nino thought to himself once Jun left, scolding himself for forgetting to ask Jun about that. But… the apartment..., he had seen this apartment in his dream. Perhaps he can figure out Ohno’s apartment on his own. Instinctively, he pressed the elevator to go to the second floor and looked for apartment number 2-6. Once he stood in front of the apartment, he doubted if he should ring the doorbell. What if it’s the wrong apartment?
“Ka… Ninomiya san?” Before he could decide what to do, Ohno suddenly appeared in front of the elevator, carrying a cup of hot coffee. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah…. Just visiting you,”
“Are you here alone?” Asked Ohno.
Nino nodded his head but remembering how Ohno snapped at Jun and Sho for leaving him alone, he immediately added. “Jun sent me here,”
Ohno smiled at him as he unlocked the door. He invited Nino inside before he put the coffee on the table. There weren't too many things in the apartment. Just a bed and a table. This apartment, like other things related to Ohno…. he recognized this as the place where he often spent his time with Riida.
“Sorry for taking too long,” Ohno said to the empty table. He must be talking to a spirit. “So, you will go once you smell this coffee for the last time?”
Nino ignored him as he continued to look around the house. He saw a sketchbook on the bed and sat on the bed to look at Ohno’s artwork. Just like Jun said, Ohno was indeed talented. His drawings… They were so beautiful. As he flipped through the sketchbook, he saw the drawing of himself as the princess again. He smiled as he looked at the drawing before turning to the next page, expecting to see a drawing of Jun as the prince. However, it was a different drawing. It was a drawing of Ohno, dressing like a knight.
Nino was at loss for words as he stared at the sketch. He wondered how long had Ohno drawn this. Was it before he drew Jun as the prince? Or was it for their latest project? The drawing of Ohno as the knight was perfect for the image of the servant he had in his mind.
“Where did you find that?” Ohno asked him as he took the sketchbook from him. His face turned red in embarrassment. At the same time, he seems to be furious.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t look,”
“You were always like this. You always look at my sketchbook without my permission,”
“I’m sorry…” He didn’t know what else to say. “I just think that drawing was beautiful,”
“Making fun of my drawing or making fun of my feeling?” Said Ohno in response.
“Ohchan… I’m really sorry. I thought it was a drawing for our project. It’s per…,”
“This wasn’t for our project. It was something delusional. Just like you requested to have Jun as the prince so that you can be with him in your imagination, I draw this to fulfil my own imagination to be with you,” his voice. It was full of pain and it was all because of Nino. Nino never thought that Riida had an unrequited feeling for Kazu. “Please leave, Kazu. I will quit the company. It must be awkward for you to have me working for you after knowing that I love you,”
Nino didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to lose Ohno, not because of a misunderstanding. It’s true, it must be unrequited feeling for Ohno when they first met. But, after spending a year with Ohno as the spirits, he didn’t realize that he had finally fallen in love with the other guy. Maybe because he wanted to be with Ohno as a true couple, he decided to wake up from his coma. Unfortunately, he lost all of his memories with Ohno but he still has the feelings for Ohno. That’s why he was not interested in Jun anymore and was craving to be with Ohno.
“I don’t want to leave. You are wrong. I… I don’t love Jun. Not anymore,” said Nino as he stood in front of Ohno, holding his hands and refused to let him go.
“I love you, Riida,”
Ohno was surprised to hear the confession and Nino used the chance to kiss Ohno.