Chapter 49: A Bit Weary
Pushing the door open with some urgency, he found the living room shrouded in darkness. Aoki Shi slipped off his shoes and hurried upstairs, stopping in front of Sora’s door. He knocked gently.
“Sora?” he called, his voice tinged with awkwardness.
Would Sora be worried about him? Aoki Shi wasn’t sure. But if he relied on what he knew, one thing was certain: disappearing without a word and losing contact until nightfall would definitely make Sora angry.
As expected, there was no response from within the room. Only a faint, sorrowful melody drifted intermittently to his ears.
“Sora? May I come in?” Aoki Shi knocked again.
Still, no answer.
He pressed his lips together, worried that something might be wrong, took a deep breath, and carefully turned the handle, pushing the door open.
The dim room was illuminated only by the pale glow of the computer screen, which cast Sora’s figure into relief. She sat curled up in the embrace of a giant teddy bear, gazing at Aoki Shi with a blank expression. Her silver hair fell over her shoulders, her delicate arms and pristine dress bathed in moonlight—though he couldn’t tell whether it was her skin or her clothes that reflected it.
Watching her stare silently, Aoki Shi scratched his head in embarrassment, feeling only the roughness of a bandage on his smooth scalp.
“Um…” He hadn’t yet figured out how to explain why he was home so late, when Sora suddenly spoke.
“You… got into another fight?” Her voice was cool and even; though the words were caring, they came out like an accusation.
Aoki Shi shifted uneasily, taking two steps forward to squat in front of her. He glanced at the computer screen, but it only showed a minimalist desktop with a brilliant starry sky as its background.
“Um…” He was about to explain why he’d fought, but Sora interrupted him again, her tone sharper: “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
Her small face remained calm, betraying no emotion, but Aoki Shi felt that if he didn’t explain himself properly, she might truly never speak to him again.
In truth, Sora’s apparent calm was only a facade. Before Aoki Shi returned, she had been awash with anxiety and fear—she’d already asked Kokoro Saotome and learned that he’d gotten into trouble at school again. She didn’t know the details, only that he hadn’t come home on time, and even when she finally mustered the courage to call, there was no answer. How could she possibly remain calm?
Aoki Shi took a deep breath and explained steadily, “Some bad people came looking for trouble, but it’s fine—I’ve dealt with everything. I didn’t ignore your calls on purpose. During the fight, my phone got smashed. All I have left is the SIM card. I threw the phone away.”
Sora still didn’t reply, only gazed at him with those clear, quiet eyes.
He sighed and confessed, “After the fight, I passed out. A friend took me away, and when I woke up, it was already this late. I tried to call you as soon as I woke up, but my phone was broken, and I couldn’t remember your number…”
Her lips parted slightly, trembling as though she wanted to speak. But she pressed them together, swallowing her words, and stood up from the bear’s embrace. She walked over to him, reached out her small hand, and with delicate fingers, gently touched the wound near his brow, tracing the bandage and feeling its roughness.
“Does it hurt?” Her brows furrowed, and her eyes filled with mist, as if reflecting the moon on a pool of water.
He froze, then grinned. “Not at all.”
She said nothing, just sighed, withdrew her hand, and took a step back, averting her gaze to the empty floor. “I’m hungry, Shi.”
His smile grew softer. “Alright, I’ll make dinner.”
She didn’t respond, but a faint blush appeared on her usually pale cheeks.
He reached out, ruffling her hair. “I’ll remember your phone number from now on… Thank you, for worrying about me.”
She turned away stubbornly, staring at the desktop. “I wasn’t… worried.”
Aoki Shi just smiled, stroking her silver hair, marveling at how it was softer than the finest silk. Suddenly, he invited her, “Tomorrow’s the weekend. How about we go out together, do some shopping?”
Sora pressed her lips together, her expression reluctant.
“Come on, it’s no fun if I go alone. We can head out in the afternoon, and have something nice for dinner.”
Her small hands twisted in front of her; she didn’t want to leave the house, but seeing the expectation in Shi’s eyes, she found herself unable to refuse.
He chuckled. “It’s settled, then. I’ll go make dinner.”
Sora watched him leave, unable to make up her mind. In the end, not knowing whether she was annoyed at Shi or at herself for not refusing, she smacked the teddy bear in frustration.
Gazing out at the pale moonlight, her expression was a mix of shyness and reproach as she muttered, “I wasn’t worried about you… idiot…”
She sat in a daze for a moment, then suddenly stood and opened her wardrobe.
Inside were only a few simple outfits—much less than any ordinary girl would have. She frowned in distress. If I go out… what should I wear?
Meanwhile, Aoki Shi stood before the fridge, fretting over what to cook for dinner. His brow furrowed, he realized that with his phone broken, so many things had been delayed—he didn’t know how Maeda Tora was doing, what Director Matsuyama Iwakan would think about him skipping work, and there were still attribute points and items to use…
With a sigh, he decided to leave all those troubles for tomorrow.
Today, he was simply too tired.
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PS: The second chapter will be updated at noon.