How Would You Possibly Know?

Mika found himself completely bewildered. There had been times when Saya suddenly left his side in a hurry.

 Could this be related to that incident? But discussing it here would imply a close friendship between him and Saya. 

"I didn't know about this," Mika whispered back to Mana. 

"Well, now that you know, is Mika hanging out with this famous girl?" Yuki asked curiously.

 "Well, we thought so, but we can't know for sure until we hear it from Mika," Rin said, taking a deep breath.

Everyone was looking at Mika.

 "Hey, Mika, how did you meet Saya?" Mana asked.

I guess I have no choice.

 "I and Saya randomly bumped into each other on the street. I don't know if she goes to this school or why she suddenly leaves like that. We don't know each other that well," Mika replied.

There was a moment of brief silence. Eventually, Yuki looked up at the sky and spoke,

 "Well then, I guess the issue should be resolved?"

 "Yes, I think so. We apologize for following you," Rin said, bowing her head, with Eirin quickly following suit.

"No problem, as long as you didn't have any bad intentions," Kai said calmly.

Now, a small conversation began among everyone. They were getting to know each other more comfortably. Eirin and Mana were chatting with Mika while sitting next to him. Mika looked at the time.

"I really have to go now," he said, standing up.

"What? There's no need to rush," Yuki said.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to leave. I have an important matter to attend to."

"But-" Yuki was trying to speak, but Kai interrupted her.

"It's alright, Mika. Thanks a lot for today. We had a great time," Kai said.

"Yeah, thank you," Yuki and Mana added.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Mika started walking home.

***

Two days had passed. It was the last day of the week. Since Mika's exams were over, he managed to increase sales and add new products to his website.

 Everything was going smoothly. Tired of sitting in front of the computer for a long time, he leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms, yawning. As he did, he noticed the drawing tablet resting on the edge of the desk.

 Oh, he hadn't talked to Saya in weeks. Had Saya forgotten her tablet?  They hadn't seen each other for a long time either. Mika lay down on his bed, picked up his phone, and decided to send at least a short message.

"Hi Saya, I hope everything's fine. It's been a while since we last talked... Also, I wanted to remind you about your tablet." he wrote, pondering his words.

Right, after the hospital, I had completed them myself

Leaving his phone on the bed, Mika went downstairs to have some food. When he returned, there was a message from Saya.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I left the tablet with you. If you're available, I can come over right away," the message read.

"Yeah, no problem, you can come. I'll get it ready," he replied.

Before Saya's arrival, Mika placed the tablet in a bag and tidied up the surroundings so that everything looked neat.

 About twenty minutes later, Saya knocked on the door, and Mika welcomed her.

"Welcome."

"Hi Mika, I won't come in. I just came to get the tablet," said Saya with a melancholic smile.

There's something odd about Saya,

She was wearing a hood., had a weary smile, and no makeup. Her eye bags seeme swollen, but it might have been because of the lighting, 

"Mika?" Saya said, her voice still hesitant.

"Oh, sorry, I'll get it right away," Mika said and hurried to his room. He grabbed the bag and brought it downstairs to give to Saya.

"Thank you. By the way, is the pen inside?" Saya asked, checking the bag.

"What? Oh, right, there should have been a pen too, right?" Mika had completely forgotten about the pen, not even remembering where he had seen it before.

"You haven't used it after me, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

"In that case, I know where it is. Is there any problem if I go inside?"

"No, of course not, come in," Mika said, stepping aside from the doorway.

As Saya climbed the stairs to Mika's room, Mika was still pondering,

She's really quiet, and her previous energy and cheerfulness are gone.

Saya reached for the top shelf in Mika's room, and there it was the pen. She took it.

"I'm sorry I forgot the pen."

"No problem. I put it up there to make sure it doesn't get lost," Saya said, her voice sounding somewhat lifeless.

Mika felt conflicted about whether he should ask, but this wasn't the Saya he knew. Saya was getting ready to leave without saying anything. 

"Hey Saya, can I ask you something if you don't mind?"  Mika said, still unsure. Saya stopped right at the door's exit and slowly turned her head.

"What?" she replied with a lifeless and uneasy voice, her eyes looking weary.

"Is something wrong with you? You don't seem like your usual self," Mika said.

Saya turned her head away, hiding her face from Mika. There was a moment of silence. Then, Saya swallowed audibly, as if speaking was difficult, and responded in a sad and quiet tone.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, her breathing quickening. She took a step forward, about to leave, but Mika stood right behind her and called out to her.

"Are you sure?" Mika couldn't understand what had happened to Saya. Was she really okay, or was she exaggerating? 

"How would you know?" she said. Only half of her face was visible, and her eyes had turned bright red.

"I don't understand?"

"I'M ASKING HOW YOU WOULD KNOW OR CARE IF THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG! UNLIKE YOU, WE ARE NOT EMOTIONLESS. WE ARE DRIVEN BY EMOTIONS!" Saya's voice came out hoarse, full of anger and sadness.

Mika said, looking into Saya's eyes.

"Because the Saya I know wouldn't act like the Saya I see now," 

"The Saya you know, huh? So, there's another version of me that you know? Excuse me for not being as emotionless as you are. Even if you had feelings, you wouldn't understand!" Saya's voice grew even angrier. She still didn't turn around to face Mika.

"What does that even mean?" Mika said, still not comprehending.

Saya yelled in fury, finally turning around to face Mika:
"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? DO YOU JUST OBSERVE PEOPLE AND SUDDENLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROUGH? THIS ISN'T WHO I AM. AS IF I CARE. EVEN IF I HAD EMOTIONS, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!"

Tears started streaming down Saya's face.
Mika couldn't express any shock at Saya's reaction. He lacked that emotion, but what Saya said created a void inside him. It was something he had never felt before, as if someone was stabbing his chest.

 What was happening? 

There was a fire burning inside his chest. His hands started trembling, and he couldn't stop himself. Saya's words echoed in his head, but they didn't make sense. He felt a strange sensation, unable to control himself. 

 Why did I feel this way? 

And he started having violent fantasies. In the end, without even realizing it, he began to yell back.

"WHAT ELSE DO I HAVE ELSE OBSERVING? IS IT EASY TO LIVE LIKE THIS?" 

 There was a moment of silence.

 Saya looked at Mika in astonishment. 

Mika didn't understand what he had said at first. He felt an incredible sense of relief.

What had I just said? Did my voice get a bit too loud?

Saya's eyes were filled with shock. Saya couldn't say anything.

Mika still felt something burning inside him. 

He wanted to burn everything down.

What was happening? Why did Saya's words have such an effect on her? 

No, not just Saya. Why do I suddenly remember people making fun of me for being emotionless and their ridiculous behaviors? 

WHY AM I STARTING TO BE BOTHERED BY THIS?

"Mika..." Saya, with tears streaming down her face, approached Mika as if she had forgotten what she had just said. Her eyes showed immense surprise and horror.
As if she regretted her words, she walked towards Mika. But inside Mika, all he wanted was to let out all the fire.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH. IF I DON'T KNOW, THEN TELL ME!" Mika yelled.

Saya's tears had started to flow down from her eyes 

He finally realized the anger in his voice. Something was really off. Why was he only feeling this emotion? Was this even an emotion? 

Saya, shocked by what she had seen and Mika's words, couldn't control herself and started crying.

"Saya?" Mika finally noticed that Saya was crying. He felt like he had done something he didn't want to do.

Saya suddenly hugged Mika tightly. She held onto Mika firmly. Mika couldn't grasp what was happening. His arms had opened to the sides due to Saya's hug, not knowing what to do. Saya, with her head resting on Mika's chest, continued crying.

Unconsciously, he had hugged Saya back. Saya, as a result of Mika's embrace, tightened her hold even more.

"Mika, I lost my father,"