I Want To Talk

“Don’t keep us waiting now,” Tsubaki demanded.

“I… I don’t know.”

As much as I wanted to let them in on it, I needed to do this alone. I couldn’t risk them getting cursed or suffering through what I’m going through. It sucks, but I’ll deal with it. I’ve always been alone, so maybe I should just man up and take care of it myself.

It’s not like I can trust them anyway… No. That’s not true. Of course, I can trust them; they’ve done so much to help me out. Even when I’m not cooperating with them. So why am I even thinking this way? Am I just trying to cope to make myself feel better?

“Don’t you dare lie to us.” Tsubaki crouched down, her glare sharp enough to cut through me. “This is serious, Yakusei. If you’re in real trouble, you won’t be able to handle it on your own. So tell us—”

“Tsubaki,” Akiko cut in, her voice calm but firm, “if he says he’s not sure, then we shouldn’t keep pressing him.”

“Don’t tell me you’re gullible enough to believe that.”

“Even if he was lying, there’s nothing we can do about it. Just let him rest, and hopefully he’ll open up to us.”

“You’re too soft on him.”

“Is that really a problem?” Akiko’s voice carried an edge I’d never heard from her before.

They glared at each other for a moment; there was nothing but silence between them.

“Alright, let’s calm down,” Haruki butted in, stepping between them. “We’ll figure this out later. Let’s let Yakusei rest for now. We can talk it over at lunch or something.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever. It’s getting late anyway. I need to get back to my dorm,” Tsubaki muttered. She stood, walked to the door, then paused. She glanced back at me, her eyes sharp. “I’m letting you off for now. But if there’s something out there that could harm me or my brother, I’ll beat that information out of you.” She slammed the door shut behind her.

Haruki exhaled. “Wow, that was scary.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Who knew she could be that intimidating?”

“I know, right?”

“I’m sure she’s just worried,” Akiko said softly. “Still, she was out of line.”

“You can say that again. But honestly, it makes me happy to see her care that much about someone she barely knows.” Haruki shot me a sympathetic look. “Sorry if she came off too aggressively.”

“It’s fine,” Akiko and I said at the same time. We blinked at each other, then she gave me a faint smile.

“No, really,” I said, turning back to Haruki. “I should be the one apologizing. I caused all of you trouble. I could’ve hurt you—maybe even killed you, and I’m truly sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it, dude. You were cursed. It’s not like you did it out of spite or anything.”

“Yeah, but I still remember attacking Tsubaki. If you guys hadn’t been there… I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. And besides, Tsubaki is pretty strong. I’m sure she can handle herself with us being there.”

“Maybe but—”

“Enough apologizing,” Haruki interrupted. “You’re just bringing the mood down. Everything worked out in the end. Let’s focus on that.”

“Uhm, okay then…”

“It’s getting late, so I’m calling it a night. Don’t stay up too late, you two. Night!” He smirked as he headed to his room.

It feels like he’s rushing to get out. I wonder why. And what does she mean by “you two?”

I glanced at Akiko. Her face looked a little red. She must’ve been worn out from healing me.

“Akiko, are you okay? You look a bit red.”

“Yup! Completely fine!” she blurted immediately.

“If you say so. Still… I owe you an apology, too.”

“You don’t need to apologize for anything.”

“No, I do. I’ve been kind of a jerk to you lately. All you’ve ever done is try to help me, and no matter what I said, you kept persisting. So… thank you for not giving up on me.”

“Of course.” She held out her pinky. “But promise me you won’t give up on us either.”

I tilted my head. “What’s that for?”

“Back in my old life, my family and I would lock pinkies when we made promises. It was our way of making sure no one broke them.”

I reached out eagerly, and she hooked her pinky around mine.

“After locking pinkies, we press thumbs together to seal it.” Her smile was soft and warm, her voice gentle. The way she cherished this little ritual made me want to live up to it.

“Okay. I promise.”

Silence settled between us as we held the promise for a moment longer than necessary, just staring at each other.

“Ahem.” I finally broke the quiet. “It’s getting late. I don’t want to keep you.”

“Y-yeah, it is. Here, let me help you up.” She reached her hand out.

I took it, and she pulled me to my feet. But as soon as I stood upright, dizziness washed over me.

“Not again,” I muttered.

Then everything went black. Again.

I’m getting real sick of passing out…

Light hit my eyes, but this time it wasn’t that endless void. It was sunlight. I blinked awake and realized I was in my bed. Sitting in a chair beside me was Akiko.

“Akiko?” I mumbled.

No response. She was fast asleep, her mouth slightly open, drool threatening to spill. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“You know,” I whispered, “that isn’t very noble of you.”

Her eyes slowly opened into a squint.

Her eyes cracked open, squinting at me. She wiped her mouth and groaned, “W-where am I?” She looked around blearily, then suddenly jumped up from the chair. “HOW DID I GET HERE?”

“You don’t know?”

“Uhm, maybe… The last thing I remember was you passing out. I carried you here, sat down, and… oh.” She lowered her head. “I must’ve fallen asleep. I’m so sorry for barging in. I didn’t mean to!”

“Relax. You were just looking out for me. If anything, I should be thanking you.”

“N-no, it’s fine! Really, don’t worry about it. I couldn’t have just left you there passed out.”

The door creaked open, and Haruki poked his head in. “What’s all the noise this early in the morning?” His eyes landed on Akiko, and a grin spread across his face. “Ahh, so that’s what the commotion’s about.”

“It’s not what it looks like!” Akiko panicked, waving her arms.

“Morning, Haruki,” I said flatly. “And what exactly do you mean by ‘that’?”

“Nothing, nothing.” His smirk widened. “Just make sure you two make it to class on time.” He pulled his head back. “Have fun!”

“Wait—” Before I could say anything else, he slammed the door and ran off.

“Looks like I should get going,” Akiko muttered.

“Wait.” My hand moved on its own, catching her wrist.

She froze. “Y-yeah? Did you need something?”

I swallowed hard. “I want to tell you everything…”