told me. I’ll help you. What is it that’s botherin’ you? When we first met that night in the storm, you were wearin’ an old sailor suit and ridin’ the swings… Why were you doin’ that?”
Ryuto peppered her with questions.
“Is it connected to your guardian somehow?”
Amemiya shuddered, but she kept her head down. My heart ached to see her bite down on her bottom lip so hard.
“Maybe I should go,” I offered quietly, but she shook her head.
“No… you stay, Inoue. I’m… going home.”
Then she looked at Ryuto with her beautiful eyes brimming with deep sadness.
“Thank you for being with me all this time, Ryu. I came here today to tell you I want to break up. I think this should be the last time we see each other.”
Ryuto’s eyes widened, and he threw himself at Amemiya in a panic.
“What are you talkin’ about?! Why all of a sudden? Did your guardian say somethin’ to you? That guy in the sunglasses who followed me around was your uncle, wasn’t he? And wasn’t he the one who had those punks attack me? It was, wasn’t it? Hotaru?”
Amemiya answered in a thin whisper, “You haven’t left me… like all the other boys I’ve dated. So it would be bad… if we kept going.”
“What do you mean?”
“… I’m sorry.”
Amemiya picked up her bag and stood, just as the food arrived. Ryuto grabbed Amemiya’s arm and pulled her back into her chair.
“Eat. If you eat the whole thing, maybe I’ll think about breakin’ up.”
His face was wild, filled with naked rage. Amemiya looked back at him with tears in her eyes, but finally she hung her head and picked up a spoon.
As soon as she dipped the silver spoon into the creamy yellow soup, Amemiya’s grip on the spoon tightened. She probably would have dropped it otherwise.
She seemed to waver at that point, but apparently resolved, she ladled up some soup and brought it to her mouth.
Something strange happened then: Amemiya covered her mouth with her hand, as if she’d just swallowed poison, and she fell out of her chair and onto her knees on the floor.
The spoon made a cold sound as it fell from her hand and struck the floor.
Amemiya pressed her hands over her mouth; her eyes widened and her body convulsed.
“Hotaru, are you—?”
Ryuto knelt on the floor beside her and put his arms around her.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Shaking her head, Amemiya assured him that she was fine. She glanced toward one corner of the restaurant, and her eyes grew wider again.
Terror was written clearly on her face.
Amemiya shoved Ryuto away powerfully and grabbed her bag.
“I’m sorry. I have to go. I’m sorry, I really am,” she murmured repeatedly, her face ashen, and she ran toward the door.
Ryuto chased after her. I got up and followed them, too.
Before she could get out of the restaurant, Ryuto caught her shoulder.
“Are you angry that I tried to force you to eat? I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have. I’ll walk you home. You don’t look too good.”
“No!” Amemiya shrieked, throwing Ryuto off. She looked desperate to get away from us and escape the restaurant as soon as she possibly could.
“You can’t ever talk to me again. Good-bye.”
With that, Amemiya ran out the door.
“Dammit…”
When we got back to our table, Ryuto hugged his head and fell across the table.
“Looks like I messed up, Konoha. I didn’t mean to back her into a corner like that.”
The sight of Ryuto in such low spirits made me realize that he really was a boy in high school, despite how much bigger he was than me.
He may have been a smart aleck and a hit with women and decisive and someone who got things done, like the butt-kicking hero of a detective novel, but there were some things that even he couldn’t do, and even he could get depressed.
I felt closer to him than I had before.
“Cheer up, Ryuto. I think you showed Amemiya that you’re honestly worried about her. I’ll try talking to her tomorrow at
Ryuto peppered her with questions.
“Is it connected to your guardian somehow?”
Amemiya shuddered, but she kept her head down. My heart ached to see her bite down on her bottom lip so hard.
“Maybe I should go,” I offered quietly, but she shook her head.
“No… you stay, Inoue. I’m… going home.”
Then she looked at Ryuto with her beautiful eyes brimming with deep sadness.
“Thank you for being with me all this time, Ryu. I came here today to tell you I want to break up. I think this should be the last time we see each other.”
Ryuto’s eyes widened, and he threw himself at Amemiya in a panic.
“What are you talkin’ about?! Why all of a sudden? Did your guardian say somethin’ to you? That guy in the sunglasses who followed me around was your uncle, wasn’t he? And wasn’t he the one who had those punks attack me? It was, wasn’t it? Hotaru?”
Amemiya answered in a thin whisper, “You haven’t left me… like all the other boys I’ve dated. So it would be bad… if we kept going.”
“What do you mean?”
“… I’m sorry.”
Amemiya picked up her bag and stood, just as the food arrived. Ryuto grabbed Amemiya’s arm and pulled her back into her chair.
“Eat. If you eat the whole thing, maybe I’ll think about breakin’ up.”
His face was wild, filled with naked rage. Amemiya looked back at him with tears in her eyes, but finally she hung her head and picked up a spoon.
As soon as she dipped the silver spoon into the creamy yellow soup, Amemiya’s grip on the spoon tightened. She probably would have dropped it otherwise.
She seemed to waver at that point, but apparently resolved, she ladled up some soup and brought it to her mouth.
Something strange happened then: Amemiya covered her mouth with her hand, as if she’d just swallowed poison, and she fell out of her chair and onto her knees on the floor.
The spoon made a cold sound as it fell from her hand and struck the floor.
Amemiya pressed her hands over her mouth; her eyes widened and her body convulsed.
“Hotaru, are you—?”
Ryuto knelt on the floor beside her and put his arms around her.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Shaking her head, Amemiya assured him that she was fine. She glanced toward one corner of the restaurant, and her eyes grew wider again.
Terror was written clearly on her face.
Amemiya shoved Ryuto away powerfully and grabbed her bag.
“I’m sorry. I have to go. I’m sorry, I really am,” she murmured repeatedly, her face ashen, and she ran toward the door.
Ryuto chased after her. I got up and followed them, too.
Before she could get out of the restaurant, Ryuto caught her shoulder.
“Are you angry that I tried to force you to eat? I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have. I’ll walk you home. You don’t look too good.”
“No!” Amemiya shrieked, throwing Ryuto off. She looked desperate to get away from us and escape the restaurant as soon as she possibly could.
“You can’t ever talk to me again. Good-bye.”
With that, Amemiya ran out the door.
“Dammit…”
When we got back to our table, Ryuto hugged his head and fell across the table.
“Looks like I messed up, Konoha. I didn’t mean to back her into a corner like that.”
The sight of Ryuto in such low spirits made me realize that he really was a boy in high school, despite how much bigger he was than me.
He may have been a smart aleck and a hit with women and decisive and someone who got things done, like the butt-kicking hero of a detective novel, but there were some things that even he couldn’t do, and even he could get depressed.
I felt closer to him than I had before.
“Cheer up, Ryuto. I think you showed Amemiya that you’re honestly worried about her. I’ll try talking to her tomorrow at
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