Impromptu Night

As the night went on, I hadn't calmed down at all, and I probably wouldn't until I shut my eyes.

First, I walked Chihara up to her room, where she grabbed a towel and some change of clothes. She didn't want me to walk back to my room, which was on the other side of the dormitory unit, so she lent me a pair of baggy sweatpants and an oversized crewneck.

After that, we went downstairs to the communal bath for a much-needed hot shower. I had finished first, so I waited outside the women's room.

Only then did it dawn upon me... I'm wearing Chihara's clothes. The crewneck fits me just fine, but the sweatpants don't even reach my ankles. I may have stretched the bottom cuffs as well. Not to mention... I'm not wearing any underwear right now.

I sighed.

It's fine. We're about to go back to our rooms, anyway. I'll make sure these clothes get thoroughly washed before I return them.

Eventually, Chihara came out. Her hair was still damp, but at least it wasn't cold. Compared to before, there was a bit more color in her eyes.

"Chihara. You... feeling a bit better now?"

"...Just a bit."

Her voice, though... The usual delight in her voice was gone.

"Let's go," I said. "I'll take you back to your room."

In total silence, we walked through the dormitory unit till we reached Chihara's room. Before going in, she turned to me, but her eyes were on the ground.

"Chihara. Look at me."

Reluctantly, she did.

"It's okay now, so don't worry. Try not to think about it too much and get some sleep. If you need anything,—"I pulled my phone out—"Text me. I'll be right around the corner."

She nodded. Even though she said nothing, I feel like I'd just heard everything.

"Then... Good night, Chihara."

Right when I turned to walk away, she snatched the sleeve of my sweater.

"...Sleep here..."

I thought I heard her wrong. Tonight had been a long night, so maybe the fatigue was starting to mess with my senses. And I would've believed it if Chihara didn't look back at me with earnest eyes.

"...What?" I mumbled.

"Sleep here, Kinoshita. Just for tonight."

"Do you... even know what you're saying right now?"

"I do."

"Then you should also understand why I can't do that. You just went through something traumatic, Chihara, so you're not in the right headspace."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not. If you were, you wouldn't be asking me that."

Her fingers tightened around the sleeve.

"It's... It's not like I'm asking you to... t-to sleep with me. Just... next to me. Somewhere nearby, so I know you're close."

"Chihara..."

"I'm scared, Kinoshita... I'm scared to be alone. So, please... Stay."

She stepped forward, pushing herself onto my chest.

"...Just for tonight."

Even as she begged me, I still wanted to refuse.

As I said, she's not in the right headspace. I imagine no one would be if they went through what she did. That's why I want to be as careful as I can possibly be. Right now, she needs time to process everything and rest.

However, this... This is not that.

But, more than anything else, I can't bring myself to refuse her. As much as I don't want to do this, I can't make it harder for her. Not when she's clearly wanting to rely on me.

So, I gave in.

"Alright. Fine."

Chihara didn't react. With her head still pressed against my chest, she whispered, "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it."

It's fine. Nothing is gonna come out of this. I'll make sure this stays just tonight.

Chihara placed a futon on the floor. At first, she tried to get me to sleep on the bed, preaching that since she asked me to stay, she should accommodate me. After realizing that I wasn't gonna budge, she relented and plopped onto her bed.

Now, there we were, lying down in the same room.

It wasn't too bad. I've slept on a wooden floor before, so if anything, having the futon and a pillow was a plus.

Suddenly, my phone dinged.

"Ah... Sorry about that," I whispered, but Chihara didn't say anything.

Maybe she's already asleep.

I grabbed my phone, and just as I was about to put it on silent mode, I saw a text icon at the top of the screen. When I tapped it... I didn't know what to think.

[Chihara]: "Hey, Kinoshita. I just wanted to say thank you. If it weren't for you... I don't know what would've happened to me. I know you're right there, and I should probably say it out loud, but I can't seem to find my voice. So, thank you for being there and staying with me. And I'm sorry."

Slowly, I twisted my neck around to see that Chihara was lying on her side, her back facing me.

[Kinoshita]: "Don't apologize, Chihara. I understand. And I told you, try not to think about it too much. You're safe now. That's all that matters."

[Chihara]: "Yeah. You're right. I'm glad you're here, Kinoshita."

[Kinoshita]: "Of course."

I was just about to put my phone down till it dinged once again.

[Chihara]: "Also... I'm sorry for spilling all of my insecurities to you. I didn't mean to. Tonight was really such a weird night for me."

That one made me pause for a second.

[Kinoshita]: "Again, you don't need to apologize for that. If anything... I'm glad that you did."

[Chihara]: "Glad? But why? Aren't I just being a nuisance?"

[Kinoshita]: "What? No, not at all. If anything... Chihara. Can I be completely honest with you?"

[Chihara]: "Of course, Kinoshita. What is it?"

[Kinoshita]: "To start, I guess I'm relieved that we're texting right now. Much like you, I don't think I'd be able to say this with my own voice. At least, not at the moment."

[Chihara]: "Off to a solid start. Totally not ominous or anything."

I sent a panicked bunny emoji.

[Kinoshita]: "My bad. Anyway... I think it's pretty obvious now, but you know I care about you, right? That's why I wanna know you, Chihara Ouka. The good parts. The ugly parts. And if you'll let me, I wanna be there when things get hard."

For a while, there was no reply. The text bubble with three dots icon appeared at the bottom of the screen, indicating that she was typing. But then, it quickly disappeared.

Shit... Was it a mistake to send that? Maybe it was a little too sensitive, especially with what went down earlier tonight.

Well, I guess I'll just rot now—

"Kinoshita..."

My body jolted. When I turned, Chihara was leaning at the edge of her bed, one arm folded under her chin while the other was left to dangle.

"So that's you being honest," she said with a gentle smile.

"...As honest as I can be."

"Hehe. Looks like I'm not the only one who's something else, huh?"

"Hah... I guess not."

With her dangling arm, Chihara turned her hand around and reached for me.

Slowly, I lifted mine and wrapped my fingers around hers.

It was soft and warm — the complete opposite of when we were outside.

"Kinoshita."

"Yeah?"

"Are you free tomorrow after school?"

"Hmm? What for?"

"I wanna go out. Maybe we can hit up the mall again. Ah... But you don't like crowded places. How about a street market? No, wait— It gets crowded during the day, too. Or, we could just go someplace alone. I'm down for whatever... as long as I'm with you."

My heart skipped a beat.

Did she... just say what I think she said?

No, no— She didn't say it directly, but... Indirectly? Especially with how I'd just told her that I wanted to know her better?

Maybe this is her way of saying it. Or maybe I'm just reading too far into it.

"I... I don't see why not."

The moment those words left my mouth, Chihara's lips spread into a bright grin.

"Thanks, Kinoshita."

"Yeah. Let's get some sleep now. Something tells me that tomorrow is gonna be a long day."

Chihara didn't roll back, though. She stayed at the edge of her bed, eyes shut, and still holding onto my hand.