Circle of Friends: Chapter 15
Title: Circle of Friends
Pairing: A pairing that consist of five people....
Rating: Pg-13
“Why are you making this kind of decision, don’t you want to graduate with us?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore…this is where I’ll stay”
“But I want to graduate with you, Aiba-chan” They paused and looked at Ohno, who seemed not to realize what he had said as he began to eat again. Aiba made a small sigh, too slight and small for the other two to hear as he went back to wiping the plate in his hand.
Nino looked at his untouched food, before he looked around the restaurant again. He would occasionally steal some look towards Aiba, but he wouldn’t dare say a thing. It felt weird to him watching Aiba like that. It felt so weird watching for him to watch Aiba Masaki, the person he had known to cling to them the most… the one that want them to be together the most, was the one that decided to leave them first.
“Aiba-chan…how long can you stand holding on to just this? You’re-“
“It’s ok” Aiba cut him firmly, before he looked at Nino and gave him his usual smile. “I know I can do this.”
“That’s not what I mean” Nino said at last. He wanted to continue but he knew that he couldn’t; to that strong decision that he didn’t expect, he just had no words to encounter it.
“So far all I can think about is that I want us to graduate together…to have us like this again is like a dream.” He said slowly. “But standing here…helping my father…it just feels more real. I guess I have to stick to it”
“But looking at Aiba-chan like this…it doesn’t feel real to me” Ohno said, finally looking at Aiba in the eyes.
Nino watched it as Ohno’s words slowly sink in to him, as though watching the brightness of the sun slowly covered by the cloud; that slow motion of darkness that you would expect but surprised you anyway. Nino watched it as Aiba slowly put down the plate in his hand, as his expression changed, as he turned around and covered his eyes with the back of his hand, as small sobs suddenly began to break the calm silent of the night.
“Ac-actually it…kind of…r-really hurts”
****
What is it about not giving up that makes you look so great?
He looked around the place with no interest in his eyes, with no motion on his face. He couldn’t see it why he was there anymore, he just couldn’t see it. It wasn’t the fact that giving up felt good to him. In fact it made him felt sick with dissatisfaction. But he had no will to keep moving on anyway, because the view of moving forward with no end that he felt worth aiming for, he just couldn’t do it.
“What’s up with him? He had been sitting there for a while now. He’s not going to work?”
“I think something happened…did you hear the rumors about Aiba-kun dropping out?”
“Really? That’s kind of sad isn’t it? He can’t really find proper work without graduating. Is that why Jun-kun’s like that?”
“I don’t know…but I can’t think of any other reason…”
Jun made another small sigh as he stood up and headed to the door.
“Where are you going?”
Jun paused and looked back towards the small figure that was standing at the far corner of the hall. He made another small sigh while he began a calculation in his head on how should he explain the pressure of his conflicted self without making that frowning face even more confused.
“I think I’m going home” Jun said mildly.
“Why? You’re not going to do the play anymore? It’s big, right? This is big” Ohno said as he began to show some confusion that Jun did expect to see.
“But… I can’t see why I should devote myself to this. I can’t picture it anymore. Maybe I’ll drop by Aiba-chan’s house and see how he’s doing.”
“What are you going to do? Stay there and be Aiba’s experimental person to try his Chinese food? It’s bad. And I can eat almost everything…but that food he made was bad”
Jun can’t help but smile to that. “I think just to be there with him will be good. Because I can’t see the point of staying here either”
Ohno pouted a little. “But this play…I really want to see.”
Jun paused and looked at that calm face. The strength he gave just by standing there was indescribable that Jun always found himself questioning why a person so unmotivated can actually give him strength. Probably just because watching him Jun would understand that Ohno would be at a place because he wanted to, he would say something because he wanted to, he would smile because he wanted to and he would do something just for the sake of really wanting it to happen.
If not, Ohno probably would rather do nothing, which he was good at.
“You will come and see?” Jun asked with a smile.
“When I come back from my art contest, this is the only thing that I will look forward to.”
“So you’re going to enter the contest? Because you want to do it right? Not just because Nino asked you to”
Ohno thinned his lips. “It’s not the contest that I want…” He said while looking down to the floor. “But…It’s as though he will be disappointed in me if I don’t go”
“Sad to say that he will…But I’m sure Nino is just pointing the direction for you, whether you want to follow or not, I’m sure he wants you to choose it yourself”
“I’m not that sure…” Ohno mumbled. “But since I have nothing else to do…”
Jun sighed.
“You and Aiba-chan are the same…too mellow to the point that you guys are almost stubborn”
****
Aiba waited the last person out of the door and then he waited for the next one to come in even though he knew no one would. He waited for the last sound of footsteps to disappear from the street before he walked slowly to close the door. It was tiring. It was very tiring to wait and kept on waiting, putting hopes on very single footsteps and shadows that appeared outside of the restaurant. He didn’t know what else he should do other than just to wait.
He saw it yesterday, the new building just few meters away from their house. The place that gradually became a famous place for people of that town to hang out and eat. Silently he couldn’t help but feel frustrated while watching the faces he knew that used to stop by their place frequently, smiling and laughing as they spent their money for other people’s benefit. He felt frustrated at the fact that he had his fate dangling at the tip of someone else’s glasses and plates.
“We might have to move away if we can’t get through this” those words had been ringing in his head since he heard it last night. He knew of course that would happen only if they had enough money to move. Except that they couldn’t even made it through the day without scrapping all the money they got just so that they could open the restaurant again the next day.
“What should I do?” He said slowly to himself as he reached for the door to lock it.
“Aiba-chan” a voice came after a small knock on the door.
Aiba made a small frown before he opened the door. Quickly he widened his eyes as he began to smile. “Ohh~! Sho-chan! You came. I mean, why are you here anyway? You didn’t say you wanted to come”
“Must I warn you every time I want to come?” he said, smiling a little.
“Well no…but we’re closing…so I might have to wash the dishes and, clean the tables and-“
“You’re getting used this, huh?”
“I guess I am…” he said brightly, before his eyes darted at Sho’s hand and what he was holding, immediately the smile on his face faltered.
“You’re still bringing me school work…” he said slowly.
“I guess I am”
Those tired eyes were looking back at Sho with an empty expression. “But I’m not going anymore…I told you, didn’t I? It’s not like I was really doing homework when I was at school anyway. You really shouldn’t bother-”
“If I tell you that there might be a chance for you to go, would you go?”
Aiba frowned a little, before his face showed a slightly disturbed expression. “Don’t start giving me promises that you can’t keep” he said, before Aiba started to walk around, picking up dirty dishes. Sho watched silently as Aiba began to pile up the bowls in his hand. Somehow watching Aiba like that gave an uneasy feeling in his stomach. A feeling that he want to throw it out of his insides if he could.
“You have changed” Sho suddenly said, almost choking.
Aiba looked at Sho silently, before he smiled. “Don’t you think I have grown too? The way you see Jun now… Maybe I have grown too, you know”
Sho shook his head; before he smiled at Aiba kindly; to simply hide the devastating words that suddenly overflowed his head.
“No... you have changed”
****
“What are you doing?”
“I’m writing…”
“A diary? How girlie…”
“It’s more like memories I want to pile up…things I want to look back. It’s very useful you know, why don’t you try…Call it a journal if you ever want it to sound manly” Hana mumbled, before she looked at Nino and realized that he wasn’t even half listening. “Ohno-kun is not going to be back until Wednesday. Stop staring at his window, you’ll scare off his mother”
“Shut up. I’m not staring at his widow. I’m staring at the sky”
“Of course”
Nino shifted a little before he cleared his throat. “That night-“he suddenly began. “When Oh-chan suddenly came to your window…what happened actually? Did you say anything to him?”
“Which night? You guys had many nights together I might have lost count”
Nino frowned with disapproval. “That first night, that night when Oh-chan came with colors all over his knees” he said rather calmly, before he looked back at Ohno’s window.
Hana suddenly smiled. “Oh, that night? He came because of your girlfriend’s syphilis, didn’t he?”
“What?”
“He misheard what I said…he thought it was you who had syphilis, so he came immediately”
“He misheard?” he said, frowning slightly.
Hana smiled swiftly to the expression on Nino’s face. “Nino…do you know how fate works?”
“Why are you suddenly asking weird questions? How much more weird can you get?”
“I think fate works to even the smallest thing” She said, ignoring Nino’s question. “Such as misheard words…or misreading some writing…or saying the wrong things…do you know what I mean?”
“I don’t get you at all. Your point is?”
“I just thought…that night, if Ohno-kun didn’t misheard what I said, he might not have come”
“Hmm?”
“If Jun-kun didn’t misread what I wrote he might have not be able to help Sho-kun…”
“So you’re like the person that links us?”
“Who do you think I am? A cupid?”
“What are you trying to say actually?!”
“What I’m trying to say is… I think there are just people who are fated to meet.”
“…. ”
“If only you could see it from where I’m seeing...” She said slowly, almost longingly. “They kept asking me to do things…to help you guys as though I can. Honestly... I even thought of helping out with all the misunderstanding. But in the end, I thought I learned a lot more just by watching” She looked at him and smiled a little, as though he was telling him a story that was closest to her than anyone else.
“It’s interesting…every time I thought there were no way you guys would see eyes to eyes, suddenly fated things start working. Suddenly there were reasons for you guys to see each other again…and to sit at the same window again”
Nino blinked at her once, before his eyes darted at Ohno’s window once more. “Honestly I’m always worried. When I told him to go, it felt as though I was sending him away. It was as though I was telling him that there is nothing here that is worth living for”
“Conversely you feel differently?”
Nino nodded a little.
“For me too… just to be able to sit at the same window is enough” he said slowly.
“Would you stop staring at his window? It’s creepy”
“It’s either I stay here staring at his window or I’ll go bang some random girl”
“Can I lend you my binoculars so that you can worship that window?”
****
Aiba looked at the ticket in his hand, crumpled. He gripped it tightly again, feeling its presence in his grip, before he opened his hand again and made sure that the ticket was still there and didn’t magically disappeared in to thin air.
“This is the real thing…” he said under his breath.
It was a surprised awakening for him that day, when his father came to his room. His father had a serious expression on his face, and that expression was an ordinary sight to him. But that morning, his face was as serious as always, yet there was something in that expression that made him realized that his father was actually smiling softly inside.
“Get ready, you’re going to school” he said, calmness was soothing in his voice.
“School? What are you talking about…? I’m not going…” Aiba said as he yawned a little while he squinted at his father, slowly trying to adjust to the blinding light.
“We’ll manage” his father said, resting his hand to the door. “Get ready” he said shortly, before he turned.
“You’ll manage?” Aiba asked as he stood up.
“For now…I just want you to go to school and enjoy the rest of it.”
“But-“
“Masaki…“He smiled softly; the small hidden happiness was reflected in that smile.
“Have no regrets”
“Have no regrets…?” Aiba breathed out slowly.
“Oh, Masaki!”
Aiba abruptly turned, just as fast as a wide smile spread across his face. “Sho-chan…a-and Jun…” Aiba said, almost awkwardly. The sight of them together was still traumatizing, even though he had himself convinced that they were friends again. It was almost weird, seeing them together after the whole year seeing them apart. “You guys are together…”
Jun put on a slight smirk. “If it wasn’t for the fact that we are in public, I would have strangle him”
“I’m lucky we’re in public then” Sho said, grinning.
“You guys aren’t sick, are you? Sounds like you guys are flirt-“ Aiba caught Jun’s murderous glare before he could finish his words “Flirtinginism…” Aiba said abruptly, causing Jun to smirk to the sudden change in Aiba’s face. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that his glare actually caused Aiba to rattle.
“Is that even a word? How much more genius can you get?”Sho said, the incidence between Jun and Aiba had completely bypassed him.
“Let’s just go, shall we?” Jun said, half smiling, before he started walking, leading them. “You guys are noisy”
Sho smiled brightly, before he grabbed Aiba by the wrist and followed the leading Jun.
Aiba blinked. Warmth started to wash all over him. It seemed that he didn’t realize how much he had forgotten the feeling of wanting something more. He looked at Jun and his fast paces, before he looked down to Sho’s hand that was tightly securing his. His eyes wandered around the noisy trains and the rustling sound of people running their lives. That view was overwhelming he was closed to tears.
All of the sudden, he realized he had so much more that he wanted in his life.
“Have no regrets”
****
“Sho-kun, I heard it from your father…”
“What?”
“About him helping Aiba-chan’s restaurant…. He said he’ll be supporting the restaurant until they can find another place where they can properly settle down. He told me that he will be supporting them until Aiba-chan graduate-“
“If that news ever reaches Aiba-chan, I’m not going to talk to you ever again, Jun”
“I know. I’m not going to tell him!”
“Is that all? What else did he say?”
“In exchange to that you’ll follow his decision… You’ll go study aboard. Is that true?”
“It’s not like I have other choice. I want Aiba-chan to graduate no matter what. He’ll have nothing for himself if he doesn’t graduate, you know that right?”
“Aiba-chan will be sad if he ever hear such thing”
“That’s why you’re not going to tell him”
“I know”
“Okay”
“Just so you know Sho-kun…to feel sad…Aiba-chan is not the only one…”
“…….”
.
Pairing: A pairing that consist of five people....
Rating: Pg-13
“Why are you making this kind of decision, don’t you want to graduate with us?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore…this is where I’ll stay”
“But I want to graduate with you, Aiba-chan” They paused and looked at Ohno, who seemed not to realize what he had said as he began to eat again. Aiba made a small sigh, too slight and small for the other two to hear as he went back to wiping the plate in his hand.
Nino looked at his untouched food, before he looked around the restaurant again. He would occasionally steal some look towards Aiba, but he wouldn’t dare say a thing. It felt weird to him watching Aiba like that. It felt so weird watching for him to watch Aiba Masaki, the person he had known to cling to them the most… the one that want them to be together the most, was the one that decided to leave them first.
“Aiba-chan…how long can you stand holding on to just this? You’re-“
“It’s ok” Aiba cut him firmly, before he looked at Nino and gave him his usual smile. “I know I can do this.”
“That’s not what I mean” Nino said at last. He wanted to continue but he knew that he couldn’t; to that strong decision that he didn’t expect, he just had no words to encounter it.
“So far all I can think about is that I want us to graduate together…to have us like this again is like a dream.” He said slowly. “But standing here…helping my father…it just feels more real. I guess I have to stick to it”
“But looking at Aiba-chan like this…it doesn’t feel real to me” Ohno said, finally looking at Aiba in the eyes.
Nino watched it as Ohno’s words slowly sink in to him, as though watching the brightness of the sun slowly covered by the cloud; that slow motion of darkness that you would expect but surprised you anyway. Nino watched it as Aiba slowly put down the plate in his hand, as his expression changed, as he turned around and covered his eyes with the back of his hand, as small sobs suddenly began to break the calm silent of the night.
“Ac-actually it…kind of…r-really hurts”
****
What is it about not giving up that makes you look so great?
He looked around the place with no interest in his eyes, with no motion on his face. He couldn’t see it why he was there anymore, he just couldn’t see it. It wasn’t the fact that giving up felt good to him. In fact it made him felt sick with dissatisfaction. But he had no will to keep moving on anyway, because the view of moving forward with no end that he felt worth aiming for, he just couldn’t do it.
“What’s up with him? He had been sitting there for a while now. He’s not going to work?”
“I think something happened…did you hear the rumors about Aiba-kun dropping out?”
“Really? That’s kind of sad isn’t it? He can’t really find proper work without graduating. Is that why Jun-kun’s like that?”
“I don’t know…but I can’t think of any other reason…”
Jun made another small sigh as he stood up and headed to the door.
“Where are you going?”
Jun paused and looked back towards the small figure that was standing at the far corner of the hall. He made another small sigh while he began a calculation in his head on how should he explain the pressure of his conflicted self without making that frowning face even more confused.
“I think I’m going home” Jun said mildly.
“Why? You’re not going to do the play anymore? It’s big, right? This is big” Ohno said as he began to show some confusion that Jun did expect to see.
“But… I can’t see why I should devote myself to this. I can’t picture it anymore. Maybe I’ll drop by Aiba-chan’s house and see how he’s doing.”
“What are you going to do? Stay there and be Aiba’s experimental person to try his Chinese food? It’s bad. And I can eat almost everything…but that food he made was bad”
Jun can’t help but smile to that. “I think just to be there with him will be good. Because I can’t see the point of staying here either”
Ohno pouted a little. “But this play…I really want to see.”
Jun paused and looked at that calm face. The strength he gave just by standing there was indescribable that Jun always found himself questioning why a person so unmotivated can actually give him strength. Probably just because watching him Jun would understand that Ohno would be at a place because he wanted to, he would say something because he wanted to, he would smile because he wanted to and he would do something just for the sake of really wanting it to happen.
If not, Ohno probably would rather do nothing, which he was good at.
“You will come and see?” Jun asked with a smile.
“When I come back from my art contest, this is the only thing that I will look forward to.”
“So you’re going to enter the contest? Because you want to do it right? Not just because Nino asked you to”
Ohno thinned his lips. “It’s not the contest that I want…” He said while looking down to the floor. “But…It’s as though he will be disappointed in me if I don’t go”
“Sad to say that he will…But I’m sure Nino is just pointing the direction for you, whether you want to follow or not, I’m sure he wants you to choose it yourself”
“I’m not that sure…” Ohno mumbled. “But since I have nothing else to do…”
Jun sighed.
“You and Aiba-chan are the same…too mellow to the point that you guys are almost stubborn”
****
Aiba waited the last person out of the door and then he waited for the next one to come in even though he knew no one would. He waited for the last sound of footsteps to disappear from the street before he walked slowly to close the door. It was tiring. It was very tiring to wait and kept on waiting, putting hopes on very single footsteps and shadows that appeared outside of the restaurant. He didn’t know what else he should do other than just to wait.
He saw it yesterday, the new building just few meters away from their house. The place that gradually became a famous place for people of that town to hang out and eat. Silently he couldn’t help but feel frustrated while watching the faces he knew that used to stop by their place frequently, smiling and laughing as they spent their money for other people’s benefit. He felt frustrated at the fact that he had his fate dangling at the tip of someone else’s glasses and plates.
“We might have to move away if we can’t get through this” those words had been ringing in his head since he heard it last night. He knew of course that would happen only if they had enough money to move. Except that they couldn’t even made it through the day without scrapping all the money they got just so that they could open the restaurant again the next day.
“What should I do?” He said slowly to himself as he reached for the door to lock it.
“Aiba-chan” a voice came after a small knock on the door.
Aiba made a small frown before he opened the door. Quickly he widened his eyes as he began to smile. “Ohh~! Sho-chan! You came. I mean, why are you here anyway? You didn’t say you wanted to come”
“Must I warn you every time I want to come?” he said, smiling a little.
“Well no…but we’re closing…so I might have to wash the dishes and, clean the tables and-“
“You’re getting used this, huh?”
“I guess I am…” he said brightly, before his eyes darted at Sho’s hand and what he was holding, immediately the smile on his face faltered.
“You’re still bringing me school work…” he said slowly.
“I guess I am”
Those tired eyes were looking back at Sho with an empty expression. “But I’m not going anymore…I told you, didn’t I? It’s not like I was really doing homework when I was at school anyway. You really shouldn’t bother-”
“If I tell you that there might be a chance for you to go, would you go?”
Aiba frowned a little, before his face showed a slightly disturbed expression. “Don’t start giving me promises that you can’t keep” he said, before Aiba started to walk around, picking up dirty dishes. Sho watched silently as Aiba began to pile up the bowls in his hand. Somehow watching Aiba like that gave an uneasy feeling in his stomach. A feeling that he want to throw it out of his insides if he could.
“You have changed” Sho suddenly said, almost choking.
Aiba looked at Sho silently, before he smiled. “Don’t you think I have grown too? The way you see Jun now… Maybe I have grown too, you know”
Sho shook his head; before he smiled at Aiba kindly; to simply hide the devastating words that suddenly overflowed his head.
“No... you have changed”
****
“What are you doing?”
“I’m writing…”
“A diary? How girlie…”
“It’s more like memories I want to pile up…things I want to look back. It’s very useful you know, why don’t you try…Call it a journal if you ever want it to sound manly” Hana mumbled, before she looked at Nino and realized that he wasn’t even half listening. “Ohno-kun is not going to be back until Wednesday. Stop staring at his window, you’ll scare off his mother”
“Shut up. I’m not staring at his widow. I’m staring at the sky”
“Of course”
Nino shifted a little before he cleared his throat. “That night-“he suddenly began. “When Oh-chan suddenly came to your window…what happened actually? Did you say anything to him?”
“Which night? You guys had many nights together I might have lost count”
Nino frowned with disapproval. “That first night, that night when Oh-chan came with colors all over his knees” he said rather calmly, before he looked back at Ohno’s window.
Hana suddenly smiled. “Oh, that night? He came because of your girlfriend’s syphilis, didn’t he?”
“What?”
“He misheard what I said…he thought it was you who had syphilis, so he came immediately”
“He misheard?” he said, frowning slightly.
Hana smiled swiftly to the expression on Nino’s face. “Nino…do you know how fate works?”
“Why are you suddenly asking weird questions? How much more weird can you get?”
“I think fate works to even the smallest thing” She said, ignoring Nino’s question. “Such as misheard words…or misreading some writing…or saying the wrong things…do you know what I mean?”
“I don’t get you at all. Your point is?”
“I just thought…that night, if Ohno-kun didn’t misheard what I said, he might not have come”
“Hmm?”
“If Jun-kun didn’t misread what I wrote he might have not be able to help Sho-kun…”
“So you’re like the person that links us?”
“Who do you think I am? A cupid?”
“What are you trying to say actually?!”
“What I’m trying to say is… I think there are just people who are fated to meet.”
“…. ”
“If only you could see it from where I’m seeing...” She said slowly, almost longingly. “They kept asking me to do things…to help you guys as though I can. Honestly... I even thought of helping out with all the misunderstanding. But in the end, I thought I learned a lot more just by watching” She looked at him and smiled a little, as though he was telling him a story that was closest to her than anyone else.
“It’s interesting…every time I thought there were no way you guys would see eyes to eyes, suddenly fated things start working. Suddenly there were reasons for you guys to see each other again…and to sit at the same window again”
Nino blinked at her once, before his eyes darted at Ohno’s window once more. “Honestly I’m always worried. When I told him to go, it felt as though I was sending him away. It was as though I was telling him that there is nothing here that is worth living for”
“Conversely you feel differently?”
Nino nodded a little.
“For me too… just to be able to sit at the same window is enough” he said slowly.
“Would you stop staring at his window? It’s creepy”
“It’s either I stay here staring at his window or I’ll go bang some random girl”
“Can I lend you my binoculars so that you can worship that window?”
****
Aiba looked at the ticket in his hand, crumpled. He gripped it tightly again, feeling its presence in his grip, before he opened his hand again and made sure that the ticket was still there and didn’t magically disappeared in to thin air.
“This is the real thing…” he said under his breath.
It was a surprised awakening for him that day, when his father came to his room. His father had a serious expression on his face, and that expression was an ordinary sight to him. But that morning, his face was as serious as always, yet there was something in that expression that made him realized that his father was actually smiling softly inside.
“Get ready, you’re going to school” he said, calmness was soothing in his voice.
“School? What are you talking about…? I’m not going…” Aiba said as he yawned a little while he squinted at his father, slowly trying to adjust to the blinding light.
“We’ll manage” his father said, resting his hand to the door. “Get ready” he said shortly, before he turned.
“You’ll manage?” Aiba asked as he stood up.
“For now…I just want you to go to school and enjoy the rest of it.”
“But-“
“Masaki…“He smiled softly; the small hidden happiness was reflected in that smile.
“Have no regrets”
“Have no regrets…?” Aiba breathed out slowly.
“Oh, Masaki!”
Aiba abruptly turned, just as fast as a wide smile spread across his face. “Sho-chan…a-and Jun…” Aiba said, almost awkwardly. The sight of them together was still traumatizing, even though he had himself convinced that they were friends again. It was almost weird, seeing them together after the whole year seeing them apart. “You guys are together…”
Jun put on a slight smirk. “If it wasn’t for the fact that we are in public, I would have strangle him”
“I’m lucky we’re in public then” Sho said, grinning.
“You guys aren’t sick, are you? Sounds like you guys are flirt-“ Aiba caught Jun’s murderous glare before he could finish his words “Flirtinginism…” Aiba said abruptly, causing Jun to smirk to the sudden change in Aiba’s face. He seemed to be enjoying the fact that his glare actually caused Aiba to rattle.
“Is that even a word? How much more genius can you get?”Sho said, the incidence between Jun and Aiba had completely bypassed him.
“Let’s just go, shall we?” Jun said, half smiling, before he started walking, leading them. “You guys are noisy”
Sho smiled brightly, before he grabbed Aiba by the wrist and followed the leading Jun.
Aiba blinked. Warmth started to wash all over him. It seemed that he didn’t realize how much he had forgotten the feeling of wanting something more. He looked at Jun and his fast paces, before he looked down to Sho’s hand that was tightly securing his. His eyes wandered around the noisy trains and the rustling sound of people running their lives. That view was overwhelming he was closed to tears.
All of the sudden, he realized he had so much more that he wanted in his life.
“Have no regrets”
****
“Sho-kun, I heard it from your father…”
“What?”
“About him helping Aiba-chan’s restaurant…. He said he’ll be supporting the restaurant until they can find another place where they can properly settle down. He told me that he will be supporting them until Aiba-chan graduate-“
“If that news ever reaches Aiba-chan, I’m not going to talk to you ever again, Jun”
“I know. I’m not going to tell him!”
“Is that all? What else did he say?”
“In exchange to that you’ll follow his decision… You’ll go study aboard. Is that true?”
“It’s not like I have other choice. I want Aiba-chan to graduate no matter what. He’ll have nothing for himself if he doesn’t graduate, you know that right?”
“Aiba-chan will be sad if he ever hear such thing”
“That’s why you’re not going to tell him”
“I know”
“Okay”
“Just so you know Sho-kun…to feel sad…Aiba-chan is not the only one…”
“…….”
.