Chapter 13.5: Weekend Escape

Chapter 13 — Weekend Escape (Part 5)
The rain continued through most of the night.
Gentle.
Steady.
The sound echoed softly against the hotel windows.
...
No one seemed to be sleeping.
At least...
Not completely.
Kenji lay on his back staring at the ceiling.
"..."
"...You awake?"
Aiko sighed from across the room.
"I was."
"Now I'm answering you."
"...Sorry."
A few seconds passed.
Then...
"Still can't sleep?"
"...No."
"...Me neither."
...
Reina slowly opened one eye.
"..."
She glanced toward Shadow.
His breathing was slow.
His face remained completely relaxed.
"...He's definitely asleep."
Shadow heard every word.
He simply chose not to move.
...
Another flash of lightning briefly lit the room.
Aiko quietly sat up.
"...Want to go to the balcony?"
Kenji looked around.
"...Now?"
"Why not?"
"...Okay."
The two quietly tiptoed toward the balcony.
The sliding door closed behind them.
...
Reina blinked.
"..."
"...Should we..."
She looked at Shadow.
"..."
"...Nah."
Curiosity won.
She quietly got out of bed.
Carefully.
Very carefully.
She slowly approached the balcony door.
Not close enough to be obvious.
Just close enough to hear.
...
Outside...
The rain had become lighter.
The city lights reflected beautifully across the wet streets.
Kenji leaned against the railing.
"...Today was fun."
Aiko smiled.
"It was."
"We should do this again."
"...Definitely."
Silence followed.
Comfortable silence.
The kind shared between people who didn't need to force a conversation.
...
Kenji scratched the back of his head.
"...Can I ask something?"
"Shoot."
"...Do you think..."
"...People think we're dating?"
Aiko blinked.
"...Probably."
"..."
"...Yeah."
Kenji laughed awkwardly.
"I mean..."
"We're always together."
"You drag me everywhere."
"You steal my food."
"You steal my fries."
"You steal my drinks."
"I paid for those."
"You paid after drinking half."
"...Fair point."
Both laughed.
...
Inside...
Reina struggled to hold back her laughter.
"..."
"...They're hopeless."
...
Outside...
Kenji looked at Aiko.
"..."
"...We're not dating though."
Aiko nodded.
"...Obviously."
"...Right?"
"...Right."
Another awkward silence.
...
Inside...
Reina whispered to herself.
"...Sure."
...
Outside...
Kenji slowly leaned a little closer.
Aiko didn't move away.
"..."
"..."
They looked into each other's eyes.
Very close now.
Neither said anything.
...
Inside...
Reina's eyes became wide.
"..."
"...NO WAY."
...
Outside...
Their faces slowly moved closer.
Closer.
Closer.
...
The balcony door suddenly slid open.
Reina folded her arms.
"So..."
Both of them nearly jumped over the railing.
"W-WHAT?!"
Reina smiled innocently.
"...Am I interrupting something?"
"N-No!"
"We weren't doing anything!"
"We're just talking!"
Reina looked at both of them.
"Oh?"
"You looked like you were about to kiss."
Both of them turned bright red.
"KISS?!"
"NO!"
"We're just friends!"
"Why would we kiss?!"
"Exactly!"
"That would be ridiculous!"
Reina couldn't hold it anymore.
She burst into laughter.
"I knew it."
"You two are terrible liars."
Kenji covered his face.
"We're not lying!"
Aiko pointed dramatically.
"We're just friends!"
Reina raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are both of you blushing?"
"..."
"..."
"...It's cold."
"It's twenty-four degrees."
"..."
"...Shut up."
Reina laughed even harder.
...
Behind them...
A quiet voice spoke.
"...You're all very loud."
Everyone froze.
Shadow stood in the doorway.
Half awake.
Hair slightly messy.
Looking exactly like someone who had been sleeping.
"..."
"..."
"...How long have you been awake?"
Shadow blinked.
"...I just woke up."
Reina narrowed her eyes.
"...Liar."
Shadow looked genuinely confused.
"...Why would I lie?"
No one answered.
Mostly because nobody believed him.
...
The four eventually returned inside.
Aiko buried herself beneath her blanket.
"I'm never living this down..."
"No."
Reina smiled.
"You definitely aren't."
Kenji sighed.
"My reputation..."
"You never had one."
"...That's rude."
...
Within minutes...
The room finally became quiet.
This time...
Everyone actually fell asleep.
Even Shadow.
...
The next morning...
Sunlight streamed through the curtains.
The storm had completely disappeared.
Blue skies had returned.
Aiko stretched dramatically.
"Breakfast!"
Kenji rubbed his eyes.
"Good morning to you too."
Reina smiled as she looked outside.
"...It's beautiful."
Shadow quietly packed his backpack.
Everything returned neatly to its place.
The room looked exactly as it had when they first arrived.
Almost.
The memories remained.
...
After checking out...
The four walked toward the station together.
The streets still glistened from the rain.
The air felt fresh.
None of them wanted the trip to end.
...
As the train carried them back toward the city...
Aiko leaned back in her seat.
"Same time next summer?"
Kenji smiled.
"I'm in."
Reina nodded.
"I'd like that."
Everyone looked toward Shadow.
He looked out the window for a moment.
Then...
A very small smile appeared.
"...Yeah."
"I'd like that too."
Reina smiled without realizing it.
For some reason...
Hearing those words made her happier than she expected.
...
Far behind the departing train...
A man lowered a camera.
One final photograph.
Four university students.
Laughing through the train window.
The photographer quietly saved the image.
Then opened his phone.
Another attachment.
No message.
No sender.
Only the photograph.
He pressed send.
A moment later...
Message Delivered.
The screen went dark.
Somewhere...
Someone smiled.
The game...
Had finally begun.