Chapter 36: Don't Leave Me
Before going to bed, Sakurai Saki spent a bit of time finishing his homework, then grabbed a thin blanket.
Tonight, he planned to sleep on the sofa.
With the blanket in hand, he walked out of the room.
"You go to the bedroom," Sakurai said, but he noticed she was still sitting motionless on the sofa.
"..." Nakano Nino looked at him.
(｡•́︿•̀｡)
Right now, she was a little afraid of falling asleep.
What would happen after she slept? Would everything go back to the way it was tomorrow? Or would nothing change at all?
What if… tomorrow… he couldn't see her anymore either?
"I don't want to sleep," she said.
(ಥ﹏ಥ)
"But it's already 11 o'clock."
"( - ⌓ - )
Sakurai Saki usually had a habit of going to bed before midnight.
Nakano Nino glanced at the clock on the living room wall.
Normally, she would have gone to bed by this time too.
Staying up late wasn't good for the skin. She used to always put on a facial mask before bed.
Thinking of that, Nino reached up to rub her eyes—they were swollen.
She had cried too much today, like she had poured out all the tears of her life into one day.
If that were true, it would be nice… then she wouldn't have to cry anymore.
Sakurai Saki placed the blanket down on the sofa, then sat at the small table by the living room window—the spot where he usually read.
Nakano Nino couldn't see clearly what he was doing.
"What's up? I'm just reading," Sakurai said when he noticed her curious expression.
"Just some light novels, nothing serious. I usually read a bit before bed."
Nakano Nino didn't like books.
Especially after her fight with Sakurai Saki… she hated them even more.
"Reading to relax is a good habit," Sakurai added when she fell silent again.
Kids who shut themselves off were really hard to approach…
Was he this kind of annoying creature last year too?
"Books are boring," Nakano Nino mumbled.
(`−ㅿ−´)
And hard to understand, too. But if it were a math book, maybe it'd work better as a sleep aid.
"But they're useful. Otherwise, when you like someone someday, you won't even know how to write a love letter to express your feelings,"
Sakurai said with a smile.
"'The moon is beautiful'—you know that one, right?"
"Do you think I'm stupid or something?"
( ,,⩌'︿'⩌,,)
Nino turned to lie on her side on the sofa, pulled the blanket over herself, and closed her eyes.
"That's the famous line by Natsume Sōseki. But it's old-fashioned now. Nobody confesses like that anymore," Sakurai added, changing the subject.
This girl really was kind of silly.
Even though she didn't show it outwardly, every little gesture gave off a faintly foolish vibe.
Just like those four students yesterday.
(Note: You may know but I still take notes: "The moon is beautiful" = Tsuki ga kirei; Tsuki sounds like Suki = Like. So, The moon is beautiful = I like you.)
...
Time slowly passed.
Looking up at the wall clock, it was nearly midnight. In that moment, the world around them grew quiet.
In the small living room of the rental apartment, the only sound left was the steady breathing of the two of them.
Sakurai Saki had read nearly half the book in his hands before noticing that Nino had fallen asleep.
She was curled up in the blanket that was originally his, sleeping on the spot where he was supposed to lie.
"Was this a ploy to steal my spot on purpose so I couldn't sleep on the sofa?"
( ╹ -╹)?
Even Shinomiya Kaguya—who Sakurai remembered as one of the most unpredictable and indirect people—wouldn't pull something like this.
She always said things outright. Sakurai never considered her inability to read the atmosphere a flaw—on the contrary, her way of laying things bare through words was perhaps her form of intimacy.
Thinking back to when they worked together in the student council last year, remembering that sour and prideful attitude, Sakurai felt another headache coming on.
Good thing she had changed quite a bit lately.
Otherwise, the student council wouldn't have gotten anything done—they'd be arguing every single day.
Sakurai put away the book and turned off the desk lamp.
He was about to accept the girl's "goodwill" and return to the bedroom when a mumbling voice came from the sofa—
"Don't go… don't be silent with me… please… don't~"
(っ˃̣̣̥ -˂̣̣̥ς)
A nightmare? From those muttered words, Sakurai could more or less guess what had happened.
This girl was probably ignored by friends or family, treated as if she didn't exist.
Teenage girls were sensitive. Even something small could leave a deep scar.
She was probably going to cry again.
Sakurai Saki picked up a box of tissues. Since the moment he met her, she had already cried who knows how many times—definitely a full-fledged crybaby.
Sakurai gently wiped away the tear rolling down her cheek.
Her eyes were already swollen from crying too much.
"Don't go~" — she suddenly opened her drowsy eyes.
Her hand reached out and grabbed his.
Once she had a hold of something, it was like she felt safe again, and went right back to sleep.
"You want me to go to the bedroom but won't let me leave? What do you want me to do…"
Sakurai tried to pull his hand back without waking her.
But she was gripping it tightly. Just like earlier when they came back, as if clinging to her last lifeline.
Every time Sakurai Saki tried to withdraw his hand, her face twisted in discomfort, looking so pitiful.
In the end, he gave up and let her hold his hand while she slept through the night.
...
The next morning — Wednesday.
At the breakfast table.
Nakano Nino's face turned red as she quietly said,
"About last night… I'm sorry."
(,,¬﹏¬,,)
"It's fine," Sakurai replied calmly. He was confident in his physical stamina—pulling an all-nighter didn't faze him.
Nino lowered her head, still feeling embarrassed.
It was the first time she stayed overnight at a boy's house, and she even clung to his clothes to stop him from leaving...
Wasn't that the behavior of some perverted nymphomaniac?
She picked up a slice of bread from the table and nibbled on it bit by bit, like some kind of rodent.
As expected, as long as it was something he had touched… she could touch it too.
"You're really nearsighted, huh?"
Nino softly replied:
"Umu, I usually wear contacts. Yesterday, for some reason… I lost them and couldn't find them."
No wonder she seemed so lost yesterday.
But… wasn't her nearsightedness a bit extreme?
Can't recognize family from one meter away, can't tell people from dogs at three meters—Sakurai had thought that was just a joke, but turns out people like that actually exist.
"Can you go home by yourself today?"
Faced with the question, Nakano Nino gave the same answer as yesterday:
"I don't have a home."
Sakurai Saki felt that her answer was a bit too much.
No matter how mad you are, running away from home for one day is enough, right?
"I can't stay with you. I've got to go to school later," Sakurai changed the subject.
Nakano Nino paused, looked up at him with cautious, searching eyes:
"Can you… not go?"
If he wasn't here… she wouldn't be able to touch anything.
This morning, Nino had confirmed it again—only when she was near Sakurai Saki could she touch the things he had touched.
Sakurai started feeling irritated at her stupidity.
How could anyone be naïve enough to make such an absurd request?
"Miss classmate, you and I don't even know each other. I brought you home yesterday out of a moment of kindness. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Nino bowed her head, face on the verge of tears:
"But… I don't want to die."
"Even if I leave, you won't just drop dead."
What the hell was going on in her head?
Even Sakurai Saki was starting to feel confused.
"If you're not here, I really will die…" Nino said, tears falling as she nibbled on her bread.
"Don't abandon me… please…"
Faced with such a plea, Sakurai felt no emotional sway in his heart.
"If you come to your senses, go home later. If not, just wait here."
He couldn't skip school for a girl he barely knew.
Even if… she really was very "big."
（￣へ￣） ( • ) ( • )