( when silence screams arc )
Tears streamed down Hina's eyes. She quickly took out her phone and called Haruki, but Haruki didn't answer. A silence seeped into her heart, and she went quiet.
Souta, in a low voice, said, "He didn't pick up."
She sat there quietly, still staring at the phone screen. Souta, with a hint of sarcasm, said, "I told you, he's not going to come."
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Souta stood up and said, "I'm going home. If you want, I can drop you off at your place too."
Hina slowly slipped her phone into her bag. "Thanks, but I'll go by myself," she said, hiding her tears.
Souta looked at her with a touch of concern. "In this state, do you really think you can go alone?"
Hina didn't respond. Before leaving, Souta said, "Wait, I'll get your wheelchair."
He went to fetch the wheelchair, while Hina's heart filled with an uneasy restlessness.
---
Hina and Souta were on their way home. Hina looked sad and nervous, like someone who had either lost something precious or had been betrayed by someone close. Souta glanced at her and asked, "Are you nervous?"
Hina quickly replied, "No, I'm fine."
"So maybe you're just not comfortable with me?" Souta asked.
"No, no, it's not like that. I'm comfortable," Hina said, forcing a smile.
"Just not as comfortable as you are with Haruki," Souta added. Hina instantly grew sad again.
Souta continued walking silently, but the gloom didn't leave Hina's face. After a while, Souta stopped; Hina asked, "What happened? Why did you stop?"
Souta, still looking ahead, said, "Isn't that Haruki up there?"
Hina's face lit up like the sun breaking through the clouds. Just moments ago, her face was somber, but seeing Haruki made it glow with joy. She exclaimed, "See? I told you he would come. Haruki never lies."
Souta, in a doubtful tone, said, "Yeah, but why does he look so angry?"
Even though Hina was still happy to see him, a thought crossed her mind: "Hmm, he really does look very angry."
Haruki walked up to her and, in a firm but genuinely concerned tone, said, "Thanks for helping her this far. I'll take it from here."
Souta stepped in, "Why trouble yourself? I can drop Hina home." Haruki, taking the wheelchair from him, replied, "There's no need."
Hina, still happy at his arrival, teased him, "Souta's right. He can drop me home—you should go back to the café."
Haruki shot her a sharp look and said, "I said there's no need."
Hina, a little frightened, said, "Alright, alright, fine." Haruki took the wheelchair from Souta.
In her mind, Hina thought: "Now's not the right time to joke with him."
Haruki began wheeling her away. Souta stood behind, watching them go, and thought: "Maybe Hina was right after all."
Walking down the road, Haruki scolded her, "Are you out of your mind? You know going with a stranger can be dangerous, right?"
Hina, with a mix of fear and guilt, said, "Yes, I know."
Haruki, still angry, shot back, "Then why did you go with him?"
With tears in her eyes, Hina said, "Because he said you wouldn't come."
Haruki's voice was sharp, "He said that, and you believed him? So you don't trust me?"
"It's not like that," she quickly replied. "He said you wouldn't come because of whatever happened to you today, and that made me feel awful. But when you didn't answer my calls or texts, I thought maybe he was telling the truth."
Haruki's tone softened a little. "I left my phone at the café."
There was sadness in his eyes as he added, "We've been together for so long, but you still don't trust me."
Hina's voice trembled, "I told you, it's not like that."
He didn't say a word. Hina pleaded, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
He kept walking in silence. "Haruki, please forgive me," she said softly.
Haruki didn't respond—he seemed lost in thought.
When they reached home, Haruki left Hina in the hall and went straight to the kitchen to start cooking. Hina kept watching him sadly, but he didn't even glance at her. Her heart ached: "Maybe I really hurt him badly today."
She wheeled herself into her room. Once inside, she lay face-down on the bed and began to cry.
After cooking, Haruki called out, lunch is ready, come eat." Hina didn't respond.
He called again, a little more uneasy now: "Hina, come eat your lunch." Still, no answer.
Worried, Haruki began searching the house. He slowly opened the door to Hina's room—but what he saw made his heart race.
To be continued 👀
Now to know what will happen next, read Meladic Love