It was already dusk when Daichi returned home.
"Don't you want to stay the night?" Akira offered.
"No."
"Then... do you need me to walk you home?" Akira asked again, sizing up the still somewhat dazed Daichi. Honestly, this was the first time he had seen Daichi heartbroken. He couldn't help but worry.
"I'm fine." Daichi showed a slight smile.
"Sure? I'm afraid you'll act recklessly later."
"Am I that weak?" Daichi denied.
Akira mimicked Daichi's facial expression. "Your face looks like you want to cry."
"Shut up. Don't make false comments about my face!" Daichi waved his hand. "I'll go first."
After having his kindness rejected twice, Akira said nothing more.
-
Daichi also walked with slow steps.
Because of Daichi's slow pace, over time, the sky darkened and the street lights began to come on. It was already nighttime but he took a detour instead of heading home.
The 18-year-old's mind was blank as he walked, not wanting to think about anything, just keep walking. Until he saw someone he recognized standing in front of an vending machine.
It was Shuhei Yoshimoto!
"Damn, why did I have to meet him at a time like this? He'll definitely see my gloomy facial expression and aura!" Daichi cursed to himself.
The distance between Daichi and Shuhei was only a few meters, close enough for Shuhei to realize there was someone around. He turned around, and his dark gaze met Daichi's tense expression.
Daichi, who was about to turn around, fell silent because Shuhei had seen him first.
"It would be more embarrassing for me if I ran away after being seen by him!" Inner Daichi continued to whisper. "I have to hold on!"
Daichi obeyed his heart, standing his ground. He even raised his chin slightly to look arrogant and domineering.
However, the look on Shuhei's face didn't change. He was silent, Daichi was silent too, so no words were spoken between them. Each of the popular Sakuraoka Gakuen youths stood with their eyes fixed on the other.
Shuhei was the first to look away after the two had stared at each other for who knows how long. He crouched down to get a can of drink from the automatic drink machine, then casually walked past Daichi as if there was nothing noteworthy there.
Daichi, who was passed unceremoniously, was stunned. He turned around in confusion, staring at Shuhei's broad back while knitting his eyebrows together.
"He's so ignorant! Doesn't he see that I'm here? Why not say hello?" Daichi grumbled. A second later, he corrected himself. "Oh, no, no. Since we're rivals, it would be really weird if he greeted me!"
Daichi nodded after coming up with a reason that was acceptable to his chunibyo god tree.
After he took a step, a few seconds later Daichi stopped again. He looked back at Shuhei who was already so far away.
"Even though we're rivals, I'm his senior! For the sake of manners, he should greet me, right? At the very least, give a slight nod! Respect this handsome senior!"
This time, Daichi ranted in a slightly louder voice than before. Some pedestrians who happened to hear his rant shook their heads while giving Daichi a scornful look.
However, who was Daichi? He was an acute chuunibyou sufferer from Sakuraoka Gakuen who was full of himself and thought he was the best! The young man didn't care about people's cynical stares and continued to grumble until he got home.
Surprisingly, Shuhei Yoshimoto's 'incivility' dominated his thoughts far more than Yua Miyagi's scandal with an old man.
It was only the next day that he remembered about Yua.
Daichi hurriedly called Yua Miyagi, asking her to meet him.
•~•
In a mini park, a handsome but rather pretty young man was sitting on a swing. The slightly rusty iron chain made a noise as the swing moved back and forth. The young man didn't care, and continued to push the swing faster.
"Nishiyama-senpai!"
A girl's clear voice jolted the young man. He swiftly lowered his foot to stop the swing.
"Ah, Miyagi-san, you've come?"
Yua smiled sweetly. "Yes. Sorry I'm a little late."
"That's okay. Have a seat. I have something to talk to you about." Daichi made a makeshift inviting gesture.
Yua was somewhat surprised by Daichi's attitude. But she didn't complain and chose the same swing next to Daichi. The girl started pushing the swing slowly.
"What do you want to talk about, senpai?"
"I... I want to know if you really love me or not."
"Eh? Why suddenly you ask me like that?"
"I'm just curious, so just answer."
"Of course I love you. Really, really, really love you, Nishiyama-senpai!"
Daichi glanced at Yua. "Who is Sugiyama-san to you then?"
Now it was Yua's turn to stomp her shoes on the ground to stop the swing. From her face, it was clear she was surprised by Daichi's question.
"Se-senpai, what are you talking about? I-I don't know anyone named Sugiyama-san." Yua laughed to cover her nervousness.
Daichi looked up. It was unclear what object he was looking at, but it seemed that he was looking so far up in the sky.
"I saw you at the mall yesterday...," Daichi said quietly. "...With a middle-aged man. You guys are too intimate for a family relationship. Just tell me, who is he?"
Yua, who originally wanted to refer to Sugiyama as her father to cover up her lie, suddenly felt a chill in her heart. If it was true that Daichi saw her last night, then she couldn't take any random excuse to cover it up.
"Nishiyama-senpai-"
"I also heard your conversation after you picked up the phone from me." Daichi cut off Yua's words. The young man then turned around, looking at the Miyagi girl's beautiful pair of eyes intently. "Do I have to explain what kind of conversation I heard?"
Yua immediately understood which conversation Daichi was listening to.
"Senpai, I... I really didn't mean that... Really, things aren't what you think...."
Unconsciously, Yua reached for Daichi. But it was only the sleeve that she grabbed, as she didn't have the courage to hold the young man's arm directly.
"I admit I was with Sugiyama-san, but it was because I needed money."
"Need money? For what?"
"For my younger sister's medical expenses. She was sick with leukemia from such a young age. My mother is a widow, working hard alone. And I, as the eldest son, have to help out no matter what. Things are getting more and more difficult for us, and my brother's medical expenses are getting bigger all the time." At this point, Yua began to shed tears.
Then she continued; "but, where can I find a large sum of money when I don't have any skills and work experience? That's when I met Sugiyama-san. I agreed to be his mistress and he gave me money."
Daichi fell silent at Yua Miyagi's story, unsure if it was true or not.
Everything was connected and could make sense, which confused Daichi.
After hesitating from thinking about Yua's story, Daichi opened his mouth. "Sorry, I don't know about that."
"It's okay, senpai. It's my fault for never telling you about it."
"I was the one who was wrong. I even thought bad things about you. I'm sorry. I should have found out more before being prejudiced."
"That's normal, senpai. Anyone would think the wrong thing if they saw things like that. But, does senpai believe me?
Daichi nodded. "I trust you."
"Thank you."
Yua smiled as she wiped away her tears. It seemed like she was relieved that Daichi believed in her.
•~•
After meeting with Yua, Daichi went to Akira's house.
"What's going on now?" Akira opened the door. Noises could be heard from the smartphone in his left hand.
"Let me in first."
Daichi waltzed in, as if it were his own home. He sat down on the living room sofa, while watching Akira who also sat down after locking the door. The young man with a slightly cropped hairstyle was busy with a game on his smartphone.
Both of Akira's thumbs were jumping nimbly on the screen, along with the sound of battle effects.
"Does your game have to battle every day?" Daichi asked.
"Not really."
A moment later, Daichi asked again. "Isn't just sitting there staring at the screen like that boring?"
"I don't play it every day, I only run errands when there's a big event like now." Akira replied without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Oh, you're a mercenary player?"
"Yep, exactly."
Daichi nodded as if he understood. "By the way, I'm kind of hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"
Akira pointed towards the kitchen with a pout of his lips, while his eyes didn't leave the screen of his smartphone until a moment later. He was so concentrated that he didn't notice Daichi stirring in the kitchen.
"Dai-chan! What are you doing?" Akira screamed hysterically when she realized what Daichi was doing.
On the dining table, there were dirty empty bowls. Akira hurriedly ran to open the rice cooker. It was empty. The side dishes his mother had left in the fridge this morning were also gone.
"You... You ate all my food?" Akira looked at Daichi in disbelief.
"Uh... It was because I was too hungry...," Daichi chuckled.
"If you're hungry, go back to your own house! Why rob someone else's house of food?" scolded Akira. "Little friends are little friends, but at this rate, I really can't stand it! You'll see, I'll complain to your mom!"