As I was on my way to pick up Marika after escorting my girls to their school and meeting up with both Mizuki and Miho who lectured me on my lessons with them, I got a call from an unknown number.
At first, I ignored it just like how I ignored most unknown numbers calling my number. But after three attempts, I decided to check out who was calling me.
The moment I picked up the call, the voice that came from the other end was familiar. Familiar but not one I had heard in the past year or so...
"Ruki..." The voice crackled through the line, low and clearly hesitant as if they were still deliberating whether to press on in this call or not.
But a certain memory flashed in my head. More than a week ago, someone rang our house's doorbell. And the only image the door camera caught was a hooded figure of a short young woman. At that time, I didn't think much of it, considering it couldn't stimulate a memory of someone I knew. But now... that voice.
"... S-say something. Can you hear me?" The voice continued, uncertainty thickening each syllable. My grip tightened on the phone as a face and name superimposed with the blurry hooded figure from the security footage. Tsubame. The elusive girl who disappeared on me.
Right. She's one of the girls who transferred out of school a month after I stole her from her boyfriend. I had no idea if she did that to run away from me but the story that I heard from her classmates was that her father was relocated somewhere else. Hence, she transferred away. She didn't leave any contact information either. She just... disappeared.
It happened after the winter vacation of my 2nd year in middle school. It was actually seen as weird that she transferred out when there were only a few months left for the school year to end. But she did. And I never heard from her again. Until now.
"I can hear you." That's all I managed to say as I decided to figure her out. My voice came out flat and cold. Just like how she remembered me.
"Great! D-do you... do you still remember me?" A short burst of excitement pierced her hesitant tone before it vanished, replaced by a shaky breath. "I know. Chances are... you've already forgotten me but... I... I don't know what to do anymore. This number... You never changed it."
"There's no reason to change. And I remember." The silence stretched, thick with unspoken questions. I heard her gasping slightly. A tiny, vulnerable sound that made my memories of her continue to flash.
I did steal her. She hated how I did that but throughout the month that I had her, she eventually became addicted to me. She started to seek me out. She started to call me. She started to ask me to meet her. She started to crave my attention. And then, she disappeared without a trace.
The reason I couldn't remember her right away was that I considered her to be like those girls who truly hated my guts and ran away from me. Those I ought to ask for forgiveness for everything I did to them.
But this girl... Like Hana, why did she return? And why did she choose to come into contact with me again? I could understand my slight anticipation of meeting Matsuri again through Hanabi. For this girl... I had no idea what to feel. But the moment she called me, I felt that familiar pull. That need to possess her again. To make her mine. To make her crave me again. To make her addicted to me again.
But I knew I shouldn't. Or rather, I shouldn't think that she contacted me to return to my life like most of my girls have. I had to consider the possibility that she was in trouble and needed help. After all, she called me. She called me despite what I did to her. She called me despite the fact that I stole her from her boyfriend and made her addicted to me. She called me despite the fact that she disappeared without a trace. She called me. And that meant something.
"A-are you free this weekend? Can we meet?" The words tumbled out in a rush, followed by a sharp inhale. "I know I shouldn't ask. Not after vanishing without even telling you. But... I tried to knock on your door recently. I chickened out... I don't know what to say. If you agree, maybe I can stay rooted on the spot and wait for you to arrive."
"Alright. Why do you want to meet me? Did you not disappear to get away from me? And if there's someone you should contact, it should be 'him'." My voice remained low, probing. The bus I was in shook as it turned a corner, making the phone press harder against my ear. I could almost hear her flinch at the mention of her ex-boyfriend.
Of course, a month shouldn't be enough to corrupt her completely. In fact, I never even got to bed her, although we did everything else. Like most of the girls I stole before, her boyfriend remained oblivious that I already had her. He was also shocked at the time of her sudden transfer. But why call me? Why not him? Unless... it was the same thing with the girls who returned to me even after every hateful thing I did.
The silence stretched again, broken only by the static hum of the line and the distant rumble of the bus engine. Then, a shaky sigh.
"Him, huh? I... Do I deserve to call him? After what I let you do? After how I felt?" Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. "He must've already moved on. And... I... you're right. I did disappear on you. I could've messaged you before I left. I could've told you why I had to go. But I was scared. Scared of what you made me feel. Scared of what I was becoming. That's why I ran. That's why I thought I could forget you."
"I see... Save your words then. I'd rather hear that story in person." I kept my tone leveled, making sure my voice wouldn't deliver any ripple in my emotion. "This weekend. I'll find the time for you. But... I can't promise I'll be on time."
I might be free tomorrow, Saturday. However, for all I know, Nao and the other two might show up later for their sleepover. Not to mention, there are simply a lot of things I need to accomplish. For the cultural festival and also for my girls. As for Sunday, there's Satsuki's Basketball Club practice match. I promised to come and watch.
Am I thrilled to see her again? Honestly, I don't know what to feel yet. That one time she ran away from our doorstep could've been a sign that she's still scared of me. But now she called. That's a step forward. Or is it? I need to know why she's reaching out. Is it to apologize? To curse me? Or... something else entirely? Did she know the change in me or did she still have the impression of me from years past?
"I'll wait for you in the pet shop where you first approached me. It's still open." Her voice steadied, the trembling replaced by quiet resolve. "I'll be there at 3 PM tomorrow. Even if you're late, I'll wait until closing. I owe you that much."
The pet shop. Right. Because she's quite the animal lover. That's how I got her to open up to me. The opening I used to steal her.
I remembered her bright eyes lighting up as she talked about the puppies and kittens. But now, her voice held none of that warmth. Only a slight tremble of both excitement and trepidation.
"I'll wait," She repeated almost to herself. "Even if you're late."
The line went dead before I could respond. She probably reached her limit. Wherever she was at the moment, she was probably not coming to school, huh? Is she like Hana who returned alone? Honestly, I can only find that out after meeting her.
A few minutes later, the bus arrived at the stop outside Marika's subdivision. I got off and walked the familiar path to her house, the phone call replaying in my mind. Tsubame. Her name felt like a ghost brushing against my consciousness, a specter from a past I thought was buried. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI★Fire.net
How laughable. My past can't really be buried completely, can it?
"Ruki-kun, you're here!" The sweet voice of the golden-ringlet girl pierced through my thoughts as Marika bounded down from the elevated steps to her home. Standing right behind her was her Aunt Kagura with her arms crossed and narrowed eyes.