Keith and Akira entered the kitchen in a fluid motion. Akira continued eating her unfinished food while Keith washed the dishes, a thoughtful expression flickering on his face.
What Akira had told him earlier was still stuck in his head—specifically, the part where she said, "He… has a lot going on right now."
It twirled around in his mind as he wondered just what heavy pain Kyoutaro was going through. A pitiful, sympathetic look overwhelmed his visage.
Keith, being the person that he is, didn't like seeing others in pain. Even though he didn't care all that much about people, he still didn't like seeing them miserable or, rather, in anguish.
'I don't usually get involved, but... there's something about him that seems different. He's struggling, and I can see it. That would explain his crash out earlier. Maybe I'm just drawn to people who understand pain, I guess, but not in a weird way or anything.'
Keith meditated as he finished washing the last dish. He took off the apron, folded it, and placed it back where he found it. Then, he sat down in front of Akira.
"Hey, Akira-san."
"Yeah?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question. It's about your older brother."
"Of course. What do you want to ask?"
"Well, uhm... earlier you said he's going through some things... but from my point of view, it seems as if he's going through something specific... uh, but I'm not trying to be nosy or anything—"
"Hehehe, don't worry, I know... well, you're right," Akira giggled softly, then she said, her face turning slightly serious but still warm, "He's going through a lot."
"Oh, I see."
"I told you that he was visiting a friend in the hospital, right?"
Keith nodded slowly as if hesitating. His eyes focused on her as he listened attentively.
"Well, that friend is actually a girl. To be more specific, she's basically my brother's reason for living," she murmured while smiling, her eyes closed, but only for a few seconds. "Her name's Minami, and she's my Onee-chan. Or at least, that's what I call her. Onee-chan is… sick, and from the way Onii-chan was acting, it seems it's getting worse."
"That's pretty rough."
"Yeah... it's pretty bad. And unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it. It's out of my hands. That's why I'm putting my faith in the doctors. They will save Onee-chan's life, I just know it."
Akira's face deviated from a warm expression to a much sadder one. Minami was a big part of her brother's life and her own. She was the reason why Kyoutaro actually started living life for the better. Knowing that she was sick made Akira's heart bleed, but unknown to her, it was about to get incredibly worse.
Akira stood up and picked up her plate. Then she looked at him and smiled, her smile looking quite lifeless.
"Don't worry about my brother. He'll be fine."
As she said that, she headed towards the sink and washed her plate. Then she went upstairs, leaving Keith sitting there looking dumbfounded.
Keith's thoughts came back to him as he leaned back in the chair. While looking at the ceiling, the moment he parted with his aunt at the train station played in front of him like a movie that was being projected by his mind.
'Where are you right now? Are you safe? Have you made it to America?" he pondered silently, his face a blank slate, as if incapable of making any kind of expression. "It seems all I'm good for is asking questions… How pathetic.'
Soon, Keith stood up, walked out of the kitchen, and went to the bathroom. Then he decided to take a bath as he washed away his troublesome thoughts.
While Keith was soaking in the bath, Akira stood in front of Kyoutaro's door. She knocked multiple times, but no one answered. The room was quiet—too quiet.
With this in mind, Akira opened the door carefully and peeked inside, only to see her brother out cold on the bed as he lay on his back, facing the white ceiling.
Akira smiled, entered, and took a folded blanket from the very bed he was sleeping on. She draped it on top of him, but then she saw something she shouldn't have.
His phone had turned on by mistake when she covered him with the blanket. She looked at the screen and saw a somewhat interesting list.
List of things to do before it's too late:
– Take her on a date to eat her favorite food
– Take her to the movies
– Go to the beach with her
– Go to an amusement park
– Take her shopping
– Look at the stars with her
– Take her to our tree one last time
The list was overly specific. Anyone would understand what it meant with just one glance, and Akira was no exception. A specific part of the list stood out to her, and it was the last line: the 'one last time' note. She froze, gazing intently at the smartphone, as if her eyes could burn a hole through the device as they widened in horror.
Her lips parted slowly, like a mountain being sliced in half by Excalibur. She raised her eyebrows and dropped the phone on the bed, then took a step back, her body shaking uncontrollably.
'No, this can't be real… there's no way!'
As she thought that, she walked out of his room and closed the door behind her. Then she leaned against it and slowly sat down, her face incredibly fearful as sweat dripped down it. Her lungs felt as if they weren't functioning properly as she gasped for air.
The more she breathed out, the less air came in. The green color in her emerald pupils slowly faded as her heartbeat echoed across the hallway.
At that moment, Keith appeared from downstairs as he wiped his hair with a towel, only to see her looking as if she'd stared death in the face.
He had never seen her in such a state, which made him feel shocked and confused as to what was going on or, rather, as to what had happened.
Keith placed the towel on the back of his neck hastily as he rushed to Akira. He kneeled in front of her, his hands hovering toward her. He asked, his tone low and panicking, "Akira-san, what's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?"
Akira didn't reply. It was as if she was deaf as she continued her panic, the world fading into nothingness right in front of her. All Keith could do at that moment was ask questions. There was nothing else he could do except wallow in his uselessness and insignificance.
'What do I do? She's panicking, dammit—do something! Anything! Come on, move! Be useful for once in your pathetic life!!' Keith shouted at himself in his musings, ordering himself to do something.
She had done so much for him in just the few hours since they met. He was determined to pay her back for her kindness, and this was his chance. Unfortunately, he kept hesitating while debating what to do.
A surge of worthlessness and redundancy ran through him as he punched himself hard on the cheek in order to snap out of his dilemma.
Then he decided what to do, but it required him to be bold—much bolder than he'd ever been. Keith stumbled over his words as his face reddened.
"I-I'm… sorry in advance for this, Akira-san."
And with that said, he pulled her close and held her in a warm embrace. It was an embrace she hadn't received in a long time.
In fact, the last time she got a hug was when she was younger, but this was the first time she'd gotten a warm embrace from a boy.
She felt the warmth, then; she hugged him back, while her body still trembled as she continued breathing heavily.
Keith noticed she wasn't calming down, so he brushed her hair gently and rhythmically, as if playing a calming tune on her head.
"It's okay, Akira-san, everything's gonna be fine. You don't have to worry. I… I'm here for you, so don't be scared… I-It's gonna be okay, just breathe…"
Akira gradually started to breathe a little less fast than before. Her heartbeat also returned to stasis, though still beating at a slightly abnormal pace. The green in her eyes also returned as the world slowly came back into shape, having heard the sound of his soothing voice.
Akira clung to him tightly as she let out a final, shuddering breath. Then, she realized that they were embracing one another.
Akira hastily let go of him and stood up. She bowed, her bow elegantly showcasing her manners while he remained on the ground, his face a flustered spectacle.
"I'm so sorry for worrying you like that, Keith."
"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong," he reassured her as the flush on his face slowly disappeared. Then, a thought poked at his head as he looked at her.
'Well, this is ironic. Just yesterday, she was the one telling me not to apologize, and yet here we are.'
As he thought that, he stood up while she stopped bowing, and then they looked at each other. Keith blushed again while she had a worried look on her face.
"Akira-san… I… I don't know what happened, and I'm not gonna ask, but just so you know… I'm here for you… I want to help you in any way I can… so don't hesitate… to ask me for help."
Their eyes locked in a gentle gaze as Keith said this. Her worried look died down as it turned into a surprised expression. Her cheeks turned slightly pink as her eyes widened.
This time, they widened in relief instead of shock. Then she smiled weakly as she whispered, her tone measured, "Thanks, Keith… that means a lot—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she fainted and fell toward him. Keith realized and reacted quickly as he caught her mid-fall. He checked her pulse, coming to the conclusion that she was not dead, just unconscious.
Keith exhaled a breath of relief as he lifted Akira, holding her securely in a bridal carry. Seconds later, he walked to her room, entered, and placed her on the bed.
He went to her table and took a pen from a stack of pens that were in a cup-like container. Luck was on his side at that moment because there was a notebook right on top of the table. Relieved, he ripped a blank page out and wrote her a message.
He fumbled it and turned the page to write a new one. When he finished writing, he took multiple steps toward her, then he placed the paper right next to her.
And with that, he left her room, sauntered across the hall, and went downstairs. As he was passing by the kitchen, he stopped, then gestured around the house, immersing himself in yesterday's and today's drama.
As the memories played all around the house one by one, he smiled. Then he opened the door and looked back as he whispered, "See you soon… Akira."
He left as he closed the door. The sun was brighter than ever as noon approached. The snow had gradually melted and only remnants remained. The sky was blue again, even though it was mostly pale, with only a few clouds in sight.
"The weather's pretty beautiful today… I really need to find those keys," he muttered as he picked up the pace and ran in the direction they came from yesterday.
The note he left on her bed read:
Dear Akira-san
I left. No, don't write it like that, you idiot, oh whatever. [CANCELED]
Akira-san, thanks for everything you did for me. Not a lot of people would invite a complete stranger into their house, not to mention at night. So thanks for the kindness you've shown me. I'm really grateful to you.
See you soon…
Your friendly stranger,
Keith Yamasaki.
『To be continued』