Does our future ever cross your mind? (EPISODE END)

After a while of comforting each other, I saw Chii-chan off. Hopefully that helped her, even if just a little.

Before I head back home, however, I need to make another stop-- to check in on someone else. It's a bit far away, but it's important. All that talk about Sonora, all that talk about my mortality, I just... I need to see her right now.

...Definitely going to be up till sunrise. Whatever. At least I told my parents I'd be checking on a friend-- maybe they'll just think I left early.

Making my way through the residential district, I eventually find myself at the outskirts of town. Then, walking through the derelict buildings left in disrepair, I find it.

Micchan's home.

Specifically, it's an abandoned house she's been squatting in. Discreetly, I make my way in, noticing her sat in the corner reading some manga, facing away from me.

I laugh a bit to announce my presence. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Micchan jolts, dropping her book in the process. "A-A-Asahin...! Wasn't expectin' ya to visit. Ya usually text beforehand, don't ya...?"

"I didn't expect you to be up this late, so I figured your phone would be off..." I trail off, realizing something weird.

She's still got her back to me.

"What's wrong... Micchan?" I approach her, starting to get concerned.

She pulls her shoulder away as I attempt to place a hand on it. "I'm... I'm fine. I'm fine, Asahin, I'm fine."

For a moment, I just stand there, not knowing what to say. She's usually so open with me-- what's happening here?

"Why are you scared to face me, then...?"

Silence. Uncomfortable silence.

"I..." She stops, falling back into quietness. Then... she mumbles something, repeats it a few times to herself, then speaks up. "I don't want you to be disappointed in me."

Instinctively, I want to make a joke to cut the tension, but I fight that feeling and respond more earnestly. "I'm in a mushy mood right now, there's no way we can't work it out, at least."

More silence. Then... she sighs, turning around and revealing the massive shiner on her uncovered eye.

I fail to hide a gasp, cursing myself for doing so. "You-- don't tell me...."

"I did. I know I shouldn't've, but I did." She tried visiting her family again. "Seein' everything with Chisaki just made me think I could try and make things work. Guess I was fuckin' wrong, huh?"

I rest my hand beside her face, casting healing magic on her eye. "You've only got one good one left, Micchan. You've gotta make it count." I smile, giving in to my impulses to tease.

She sighs, seemingly not taking it too well. "I know, I know."

I pull her into a hug. "I don't blame you... honestly. I would've done the same, too."

Reluctantly, she returns the hug. "What's... got ya up so late, Asahin?"

"I was just checking up on Chii-chan. I'd felt bad for the note we'd left things on-- I wanted to make things right."

Her expression darkens, lips sliding into a barely-contained grimace. "Right, yea. How'd that go?"

I break the hug up, letting out a big yawn. "Better than I expected. I'd say we patched things up."

"Good ta' hear."

Something... still seems off. I know her parents suck fucking ass, but... there's more to her bad mood than that, right?

"Is there any reason in particular ya decided to visit so late, Asahin?" She asks, preemptively deflecting.

"Well..." I think things over. "It's been a long day, and I've been thinking about a lot of things."

"Such as?"

"You. Me. Our mortality." I sigh. "With Sonora on the loose, and with everything that's happened to Chii-chan, I've... just started thinking about how we're not invincible again."

She nods, clearly unsure where I'm going with this.

"I think I'm done pretending, done acting like what we have is just friendship. I..." My heart starts beating faster. It starts to fully dawn on me what I want to say to her, and the world starts to freeze up in response. C'mon, Kuriyaki Asahi. Say what you want to say to her.

"I think I'm in love with you, Mizuki."

Her eye widens, not expecting the conversation to go that way. "You... you love me?"

"Yeah. I think... no, I do. I do love you, Mizuki. I want to kick ass with you, grow old with you. Kill monsters with you, kill time with you. Y'know...?" I trail off, feeling a tinge of discomfort. I... was expecting her to react with more warmth.

Instead, she looks away, staring at the wall.

"Do you... not feel the same...?"

"No, I-"

...

"I think I love you too, Asahi. It's just..."

"Just what?" I approach her... only for her to back up.

"...I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean..." She sighs. "There's just a part of me that's expectin' ya to turn this into a talk about us moving in together again."

I stammer, nervous. "I-I-I wasn't... going to turn it into that. I know it's not something you like talking about."

"But it'll still come up."

"Yeah-- eventually. But it doesn't have to be right now." I try to approach her again... only for her to back up again. "...I just don't know why we can't just be together and live in separate places. Isn't that perfectly normal?" I move to-

"Stop. Just... stop."

...

...I stop.

She closes her eyes. "...I got fired from my job again. At the MxDonnal's."

"Oh my god... I'm sorry." I lower my head. "Do you want me to give you-"

"NO." She stomps her foot into the ground, exploding at me. "I'm tired of being a fuckin' dead weight! You always help bail me out when I'm between jobs, and it makes me feel fuckin' awful. I want ta' be the one that protects you, the one you can depend on, yet all I ever am to you is a goddamn parasite."

I sit there, carefully choosing my next words. "You'd be willing to shoulder my burdens if the roles were reversed. Just... think of me as making advance payment for all the times you'll be there for me."

She trembles, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. "I can't. I just-- I can't. You deserve better than me."

"I don't, I deserve you. And you deserve me." I approach one last time, trying to pull her into a hug...

Only for her to push me away, knocking me onto my ass.

"I can't- I can't fucking do this. I'm sorry. I love you too, I just-" She starts to tear up. "I don't want to keep draggin' you down like this. I... I-I want to get my life together on my own terms-- I don't think it'll work out between us until then."

'...Fuck off, Mizuki. I'll be with you until that day comes, whether you like it or not.'

That's what I want to say. But... the words fail to leave my lips.

She extends a hand to help me up.

"I... understand." I stand up on my own. "I'm sorry. I... I'm so sorry. I'll just... leave."

"A-Asahi..."

I walk away, my stride speeding up into a full-blown sprint as tears stream down my face. ...I barely make it halfway home before tripping, collapsing onto my knees and sobbing into the concrete in a fetal position.

God...

...dammit....

God... fucking dammit...

...

...

Fuck!!