Why Are You Asking So Many Questions? - Part 1: Liar

Mika tried to process what he had just heard while still embracing Saya, who cried even louder after pouring out her feelings. It was as if she was holding onto him with all her strength as if he was the only thing in front of her. Mika pondered for a moment on what to say, but nothing came to mind.

"Did you lose your father? What do you mean?" he asked, trying to grasp the situation correctly, even though he was unsure if he had heard her correctly.

There was a brief silence. Saya's crying had subsided a bit, and she managed to speak with a hint of hesitation, 

"M-my father was s-sick already," she said, struggling to hold back her tears. Her throat was tight, and speaking was painful, but she continued, trying to lift her head to look at Mika.

"Mika, I-I'm s-sorry. I'm sorry." After saying this, she buried her head in Mika's chest and cried even harder.

 They were standing in the middle of the hallway, holding each other. He had never been in such a situation before.

"Why are you apologizing to me, Saya?" he asked, unsure.

"B-because I t-took my anger out on you," Saya said, still crying.

Mika finally understood. Saya wasn't just crying for her father; she was crying for Mika too.

Without thinking, he hugged her tighter. 

"It's okay, Saya. I'm sorry" he said.

Saya paused her crying for a moment and took a deep breath.

They stood like that for a while. Saya's tears had finally stopped. Mika's T-shirt was completely soaked, and Saya's face was also wet with tears. Her eyes were red, and she still had tears streaming down her cheeks. Saya looked down at the ground quietly, lost in her thoughts. Mika continued to hold her, his hands still on her waist. 

Eventually, Saya, still a bit shaken, started to speak, stuttering at first.

"M-Mika, I-I'm s-sorry for l-lying. I-I didn't want to lie to you," she said, becoming more emotional.

"It's okay, Saya. It really is. I'm sure you had a reason to lie. Please don't cry anymore. I don't want to see you like this," said Mika, unsure of what to ask or what to do.

Some time passed, and Saya released herself from Mika's grasp, leaning against the wall, her back against the opposite wall of the corridor. She sat on the floor, supporting her feet with her hands, covering her face. She was thinking silently. Mika looked at her, thinking,

 She's probably trying to collect herself.

He sat down on the floor right in front of her, waiting for her to be ready to talk whenever she was ready.

Saya removed her hands from her face. She was still trembling, but she looked at Mika sitting in front of her. Mika looked back at her, waiting for her to speak. Saya took a deep breath, as if preparing herself, and began to speak.

"My father had cancer, lymphoma," she said, still finding it difficult to say it, swallowing hard. "He had been like this for a long time, and we tried various treatments for years, but as you can see, nothing worked," Saya said with a bitter smile.

Mika was trying to think of what to say. 

How long had he been like this? How much pain did he endure? 

Then he asked Saya,

 "When did this start?"

"I think it's been more than two years. I had many hopes and prayers for his recovery, but it never happened..." Saya's voice sounded full of sadness.

"And what about your parents being separated?" Mika asked.

"That was a lie. My mother was visiting him after work, which is why she came home late. In the last few days, my father's condition deteriorated. He has been in a coma for about a month," Saya explained.

"A month?"

"Yes, during that time, his heart stopped twice. I thought I had prepared myself for the worst, but as you can see, I still turned into a weepy girl," she said with teary eyes.

"It's not your fault, nor is it anyone's fault. I wish I had known earlier, but it's okay," Mika comforted her.

"We lost my father two days ago. The funeral was yesterday. I thought Rin and Eirin would have informed you. I apologize for not inviting you," Saya said apologetically.

"Rin and Eirin? They were looking for you two days ago."

"What? Wait, did you meet them?" Saya asked in surprise.

"Well, something like that, yes..."

"I see." Saya seemed to have calmed down. Mika's wet T-shirt left a cold sensation on her chest.

"I'm really sorry for what happened earlier, Mika. Also, I stained your T-shirt," Saya said, feeling regretful and sad.

"It's okay, but I think it's best not to discuss everything here. Shall we go downstairs? I'll prepare a hot drink, and we can talk comfortably?" Mika suggested.

"That's fine, please, if it's not too much trouble," Saya replied, sounding both sad and relieved.

"It's no trouble. You go downstairs, and I'll change my clothes before coming,"

"Okay, sorry again," Saya said before slowly starting to walk downstairs.

                                             ***

After changing his clothes, Mika went downstairs and prepared the tea left by his grandmother. While making the tea, he noticed that Saya was hugging a pillow in her lap, lost in deep thoughts.

What has this girl been through...

Once the drinks were ready, they both sat down and Mika handed Saya her tea.

"Thank you," Saya said, about to take a sip from her tea.

Both of them took a sip from their tea. The room was very quiet, and neither of them said anything. Finally, Mika started asking the questions he had in mind while preparing the tea.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you for everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Saya replied understandingly. The redness in her eyes and face seemed to be fading.

"Then, if it's okay, I want to ask this. When your father was sick for the last month and even before that, how did you manage to come to me? I mean, did I force you to do it, or..."

"No, of course not! I wanted to come," Saya took a deep breath. "The truth is, we knew that his condition would end up like this for about a year. We spent time together until he became bedridden after the treatments stopped working. I worked hard to prove to him that I would be a good daughter and make him proud. I tried to take every responsibility possible."

"Yes, but was it necessary to do all that? Don't get me wrong, but I think your father would have been proud of you no matter what," Mika said, trying to understand the situation.

Saya looked at Mika for a moment. She seemed pleased with what she heard. 

"Yes, you're right, but I still wanted to do everything. My father had a saying, 'Life is short like the blink of an eye, so be brave enough to not have any regrets, or if you have any, be strong enough to overcome them.' Because of that, we spent time together until he-... until he passed away," Saya said, trying to digest the last part.

"I understand. Did anyone else know about this?"

"No. Rin and Eirin found out two nights ago. Oh, I can't remember what happened yesterday. I just remember they were there for me. My head hurts so much," Saya said.

Mika looked at Saya, and she seemed really affected by everything. "But why didn't you tell anyone? At least there could have been someone with you and your mother."

"I don't know. I just didn't want to. It felt like it was only our business." 

"That's not true. If you had told me, I would have listened to you," Mika said. When he looked at Saya, he saw a great surprise in her eyes.

"Mika..." Saya's eyes teared up suddenly.

"Wait, why are you crying?" Mika didn't understand.

"Nothing. It's not important. Don't worry about my tears," Saya said, swallowing hard.

"Alright then? I have one more question," Mika continued.

"More questions? Shoot," Saya replied with a hint of tiredness and laughter. Her laughter triggered Mika's curiosity to ask more questions.

"Have you ever regretted something about me?"

"What?" Saya looked at Mika in surprise. Then she suddenly burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Mika asked, trying to analyze the question he asked.

"Why are you so dense! Of course not! I'm with you because I don't want any regrets, you idiot! Haha!" Saya laughed. Her tears were now tears of happiness rather than sadness.

"Alright, if you say so... But you could have told me earlier,"  He felt a bit reluctant.

Mika thinked and took a deep breath:

You're such a liar and troublemaker,