Her cousin.

Sakiko munched on the cake with bubbly eyes looking at me. Somehow it resembled Ayane's eating, but I like Ayane's one more. This whole time, I have been wondering about her. Somehow, during this time I started to remember all the small details that I had normally missed.

"Here, I will give you a portion." She took a spoonful if cake and leaned over the coffee table, trying to feed me for some reason. "You look like you want the cake."

I was embarrassed. The table we were sitting was next to the glass wall on the roadside, meaning others could see us well. There was rarely any customers inside too.

"Sorry I would skip. Sweet cake with bitter coffee doesn't go well in my taste buds." I refused. "Now about the thing you-"

"Yes yes. I will be telling you that." She sighed. "Just be patient, okay? Haste makes waste."

She took another bite of her cake before talking. "So I have heard about this as a rumour, so it might not be entirely true. Don't blame me if it isn't okay?"

"I won't. Just tell me." I leaned over the desk.

"Rumour had it, Ayane actually had a cousin who read at the same school as her during middle school. That cousin, who was an upperclassman, and Ayane didn't get along well." She paused, starting again with a sad tone on her voice. "Well that didn't matter until Ayane came to her middle school. She despised Ayane so much that I have even heard rumours of her manipulating a classmate of her into severely bullying her. So much so that she had to change schools... it's pretty brutal..."

I froze in silence for a couple of moments. Was the rumour actually true? If it was, then did Ayane-chan knew about this? I don't think so. But if it's true, still then I don't know what to do with this information. I know too little of Ayane's personal life aside from the fact that her dad severely abused her while she was a child, but he left.

Her cousin... her dad who left... her bully... which ones connect to which?? They all seemed too tangled.

"Was the cousin a female or male?" I asked without any proper reason. If something is wrong I will go straight to the cousin and confront that guy.

"A female. I saw her with my own eyes." She replied.

"I see..."

After a while, we both left the cafe, heading to our own homes alone. It was quite peaceful without her around. But I am missing Ayane's presence very much.

"If I come to know more, I will tell you immediately. Okay?" My phone buzzed. Sakiko had just texted me. Well it would be very helpful if she did that.