Dishonesty

"Are you awake, Hinata?" Fulvius asks.
"I have just woken up, yes. Why?” I brushed him off rudely.

Fulvius worries about my possible response as he says, "Well. I want to let you know what happened. I'm through with the experiment and I have effectively imprisoned the plant."
He undoubtedly realizes how impolite he was.

"I don't care, really." I answer by getting out of bed while keeping my eyes away from him.
"Wait a minute, I didn't mean to hurt you earlier." Fulvius says this as he stops to hug me.
"I am really sorry," he continues.

"Huh, really? Why didn't you warn me of what might happen? It is clear that you have performed the experiment at least once before. You were well aware." I respond angrily and pull my hand away from him.

"My beloved Hinata, I wanted to keep you safe. Knowing what might happen would make you uneasy from the beginning. That could lead to considerably worse outcomes." He grasped my hand as he explained himself.

"Who knows if I would have been willing to do that if I had known would have happened. In addition, if I ultimately decided to do it, I would be mentally ready," I tell him, lifting my head to look into his face.

“Alright. I was impolite and I lied to you. I was careless. It will never happen again. I swear" Fulvius gives me a direct look when he utters those words.

"I forgive you. Don't keep anything from me, though. Never again." I speak my mind honestly. Despite the fact that he has upset me and I will not forget it.

"By the way, where is your mother?" It's half past ten already. By now, she ought to have returned from work." I ask him as we are putting the shoes on.

"Oh, you know, sometimes it takes her a lot longer to get home. She won't be back till after midnight. I guess this is one of those days," he adds, scratching his head and leaning against the wall while gazing down at the ground.

"She has a demanding job, doesn't she? I wouldn't want to be in her shoes... Anyway, let's go." I double-check that I have taken everything with me, and we are on our way to my place.

I think about yesterday's events throughout the most of my school day. Even though the ritual has been a really terrible experience for me, I feel compelled to give it another shot. I want to show Fulvius that I am capable of doing it. Now that I know what is possible, and even if the worst happens, Fulvius will come to my rescue once more. Although he is seated next to me, we don't talk much today. He too seems to be in deep thought.

It's already lunch time.

"Hello Hinata, please come with me; I have something to tell you." Before I even have a chance to speak, Emiko pulls me closer. "What is it?" I ask hurriedly.

"I will tell you. We're going to the girls' restroom." It's critical," she declares.

“Alright. Be quick with it." As we reach the restroom, I start to wonder what it might be, and I immediately check to see if anyone is inside by looking for feet.

"I have been debating whether or not to tell you this for a while. I am not the sort to wreck people's relationships." Emiko-san tries to protect herself in case I react negatively.

"What's going on, Emiko? Just say it!" As soon as I learn that it has to do with my relationship, I start to lose patience even more.

"I heard the gossip. According to rumours, Fulvius is a guest in his aunt's house because his father allegedly evicted his mother and him." Not suppressing her excitement too much, Emiko says.

"What is so unusual about it? We don’t know what actually happened and it’s not like it's their fault," I remark, yet at the same time, I see that Emiko seems strangely pleased to have the news to share with me.

“Well but that is not even the worst thing I have heard.” She adds.

"What else?" I ask, pretending not to see anything out of the ordinary.

"It must undoubtedly be challenging for Fulvius because they claim his parents have divorced last year." Emiko exclaims in an effort to seem remorseful.

"You didn't bring me here just for that, I'm certain of it. Emiko-san, please tell me all you know about Fulvius. Since you appear to know so much more," I say ironically.

"They claim he has a history of using girls." She replies while dodging my gaze.

“Enough. I'm not buying it. I don't blame you for lying to me. Whoever you learned this from is to blame. He has a trustworthy, honest vibe about him. He would never put me through such a thing." I say it with assurance while trying to hide my growing rage.

I quickly leave the bathroom and head outside to eat in the courtyard, wondering where Fulvius is. Fulvius has some major explaining to do. He ought to have revealed to me that he resides in his aunt's home, but more importantly, he was acting strangely when I brought up his mother. Particularly when I remarked that it was already late and she was meant to be home. I had the impression that she may not even be residing with him there. If it is true that they were evicted, who knows what had happened? I don't have a good feeling about him because of his behaviour from yesterday and his intense secrecy. Maybe I am just overthinking and the rumours are all untrue, or maybe everything is a lie.

"We did an excellent job. She appeared rather ticked off," Mitsuko chuckles as she exits the toilet.

"Yes, but I'm hoping she won't be angry with me. If it turns out that the rumours are completely false, she might lose trust in me," Emiko sighs.

She then chuckles and says, "Good thing that toilet shell did not shatter how long you were standing on it."

"Hey, I'm not that chubby. Just look at how skinny I actually am." Mitsuko plays off being little offended.

In response to Mitsuko's alleged offense, Emiko giggles and states, "I know, I know. My girlfriend is the hottest."