Chapter 9: The Aftermath

It rained for a good few hours. The sound that I had once liked now felt like a kind of mental torture.

How is anyone supposed to sleep through this?

Memories kept surfacing.

“I’m with Daiki-kun!”

The image of Yuki’s face, the rain drumming on the tent canvas, the whole thing playing on a loop.

“They’re… probably friends, onii-chan.” Sachi’s voice from the day before.

The way Kenji, Hana and Sachi had exchanged glances at the Inoue house two days ago.

It all added up now. Everyone had known. Everyone except me — the only one still clinging to a promise he’d already broken.

“You broke your promise first!”

I pressed my hands over my ears.

* * *

The sun was already high when I finally got out of the tent. The forest air was cold and clean after the rain. It did nothing for my mood.

The others were already moving. Kenji crouched over the campfire ashes, checking they were fully out. Sachi and Yuki dismantled tents. Hana packed the remaining supplies. One thing was different from every other morning of the trip.

Nobody was talking.

Kenji, Sachi and Hana glanced up as I emerged. Shellshocked was the only word for what I felt.

The silence held at the bus stop. Sachi stayed close to me, Kenji beside her. Hana looked conflicted. Yuki did not look anywhere near me.

The bus came. Yuki boarded first, picked a corner, folded her arms, and turned to face the window. Sachi and Kenji took the seats in front of her.

Kenji was having a difficult time. He was protective of both his sisters and of Sachi, and there was no safe side to land on. Sachi had made her position clear — she’d given Yuki the cold treatment since the campfire, and wasn’t hiding her frustration that Kenji hadn’t done the same.

Hana waited for me to board. I chose the opposite corner, as far from everyone as the bus allowed. I wanted to be alone. I sat down and looked out the window.

“Ryo-kun. May I sit here?”

Hana stood beside the empty seat, eyes moving around nervously.

“Are you sure, Hana-chan?” I muttered. “I’m not in a good mood.”

She held my gaze. I looked away first.

“Sure… if you want. I’m sorry — I won’t be good company.”

She sat down beside me at a respectful distance and said nothing.

The ride back was quiet. Kenji and Sachi exchanged glances between themselves and me. Yuki stared out her window, occasionally typing on her phone.

After a while, Hana started nodding off beside me. She apparently could not stay awake in any moving vehicle. I watched the trees pass and let my thoughts go where they wanted, which was nowhere good.

Daiki Matsuda… why did it have to be him? What did I ever do?

Then, from beside me: a soft

thonk.

Hana was rubbing her forehead. She bumped her head on the handlebar while she nodded off. I winced. That had to hurt.

She nodded off again. Then, with the unerring accuracy of someone who had done this many times before, she aimed her head directly at the handlebar again. I moved my hand just in time. She bumped against my wrist instead and stayed there, forehead resting on it, breathing slow and even.

“Hana-chan.” I said quietly.

Her eyebrows twitched. Nothing else.

I looked at her. The earrings caught the light. Her breath was steady.

Must be nice, having no worries.

The bus took a curve and her head shifted with it. Without thinking too much about it, I moved her gently to lean against my shoulder instead.

There. That should keep her from collecting any more bruises.

My thoughts started pulling back toward the spiral. Then Hana shifted slightly, and I looked at her again.

Why did she want to sit beside me?

I didn’t have an answer. After a while, the night’s lost sleep caught up with me, and I drifted off with my head resting on hers.

A pair of eyes watched from behind us, and said nothing.

* * *

Hana woke first, gradually. Something heavy was resting on her head. It took her a moment to register what it was. Her eyes went wide, then softened, then closed again quietly.

The bus slowed to a stop outside our street. Yuki got off without stopping. She glanced at us once as she passed.

Sachi and Kenji took their time.

“Should we wake them?” Kenji whispered.

“I’m tempted to leave them on and see how far the bus goes.” Sachi said.

Underneath me, Hana’s eyes were still shut. Her face, however, was not.

Sachi caught it and smiled.

Kenji sighed. “We can’t do that.” He knocked on my head. “Oi. Ryo. Home. You can sleep in your own bed.”

“But you’ll have to ask Hana-chan if she’d like to join you,” Sachi added pleasantly.

Hana went off like a mousetrap. I jolted awake.

“Wha — what happened?!” I looked down at Hana, face fully crimson, then up at Sachi, who was smirking, then at Kenji, who was studying the ceiling of the bus. The difference in their expressions told me everything I needed to know.

“Alright, everyone off.” Kenji went to apologise to the driver for the delay.

Sachi stepped off the bus in a sing-song voice, glancing back at Hana. “Someone had sweet dreams.”

For a moment, it was as if the previous night hadn’t happened at all.

We all stood outside. Yuki had already gone in. Hana, Kenji, Sachi and I lingered on the pavement.

“Ryo. We’ve got your back.” Kenji put a hand on my shoulder.

Hana gave me a small nod.

“Thanks.” I smiled, as best I could. “Give me some time.”

I turned and walked home. Sachi waved to Kenji and Hana and fell into step beside me, watching my face.

“You’re not fine, onii-chan. But you’ve survived worse.”

Gee. Tough love.

I let out a long sigh.

“Chin up. All isn’t lost.” She smiled at me.

I could see she was genuinely trying. But I wasn’t there yet.

I pushed her head sideways, the way I used to when we were kids. She went with it, then slapped my arm.

“See. Plenty of fish in the sea. One of them very close by, in fact.”

I looked at her. “I want a word with you later.”

“What for? Fishing tips?”

“You knew. About Yuki-chan and Matsuda-san.”

All of a sudden, Sachi had somewhere urgent to be. “Goodness, I smell terrible. Bath first. Catch you later!” She disappeared down the corridor at speed.

I heaved another sigh.

I’m not letting this go. I haven’t come all the way from Sendai to leave things unsettled.

* * *

— The Inoue Residence —

Kenji and Hana came in through the front door. Yuki was on the living room couch, head in her hands.

They looked at each other, then went over.

“Yuki-chan. We didn’t get the chance to ask last night — what happened during the Trial of Courage?” Kenji said.

Yuki looked up. Her face was tired and pained. She started to explain.