Strange. Even after everything, seeing her defenses waver felt oddly satisfying. That familiar spark in her eyes flickered, then dimmed as her gaze drifted downward. She wasn't just pale. She also looked thinner. Her cheekbone seemed sharper than I remembered. I used to pinch her cheeks to annoy her. Would she even react now?
"No," she whispered, voice thick. "It suits you... too much." A weak laugh escaped her as she rubbed her temples. "I shouldn't have called."
"Stop saying that. You already did. And I already promised to meet you tomorrow. But Tsubame, I know I said save your story for when we meet..." I paused, leaning closer to the screen. Her eyes darted away, avoiding mine. The faintest bruise shadowed her temple, partially hidden by her hair. "But tell me who's responsible for that bruise. Now."
The girl hurriedly fixed her hair, fingers brushing over the bruise as if hoping it would vanish. Her laugh was brittle, unconvincing. "It's nothing. I fell in the garden yesterday."
The lie hung between us, thin and frayed at the edges. I remembered how she'd once teased me about my own clumsy excuses. How her sharp eyes missed nothing. Now, those same eyes were clouded with fear.
"Don't you trust me? Isn't this why you reconnected?" My voice stayed low, deliberate. Although already covered again, the bruise I saw was too neat for gravel, too angular for a fall. It was caused by something else. "I've seen every kind of excuse before. That's not a garden bruise."
"... I. No. Ruki, this isn't the reason why." The way she shook her head was too frantic. Likely, she was truly telling the truth or she just didn't approach me again for that reason.
"Alright. I'll believe you." I said, dropping the subject for now. Her relief was palpable over the screen. Her shoulders slumped and her breath escaped in a shaky sigh.
"T-thank you. Uhm... It's good to see you again. Really." Tsubame's fingers nervously traced the edge of her phone screen, her gray eyes finally meeting mine. That dullness slowly faded, replaced by a flicker of the sharp wit I remembered. "You haven't changed at all. Still... dangerously charming."
"You know compliments don't work on me, right?"
"Obviously. You're Mr. Stoneface." Her chuckle sounded more genuine this time, almost echoing the playful girl I'd stolen from her boyfriend's arms years ago. "I'm sorry for calling at this time of the night."
"Stop apologizing. I did forget about you when you suddenly disappeared, after all. I'm not a saint. And neither will I be one."
"Y-you're right. I'm just one of the girls you stole." Her voice softened, "But... I remembered you. Every day."
"You did? Yet you didn't even tell me where you went."
"I told you I was afraid."
I nodded to that and then leaned back. "Mhm. A valid reason."
She chuckled again as her lips curled upward slightly. The familiar spark flickered brighter. "You haven't lost your bluntness. That's comforting." Her fingers traced her bruised temple unconsciously before she caught herself. "I'll see you tomorrow?" The question trembled with hope.
"I'll be there. I promise."
Tsubame nodded, her smile widening. She probably thought I was acting the same as before. She still had no idea about my change but I guess... it didn't cross her mind. After all, if I were the same as before, I'd probably not answer her call at all.
"Thank you, Ruki." Her voice steadied, though her fingers still trembled. "That pet shop... I'll wait for you inside. And I... still trust you."
"Alright. Take a rest now, Tsubame."
Her relieved exhale hissed through the speakers as I ended the call.
The screen went dark, reflecting only my own shadowed expression. Yeah. Nothing was truly answered but seeing her truly brought back more of my memories with her. As for that bruise... even if it was true that it's not the reason why she called, I had this urge to find out.
I don't know. It was probably my selfishness. My desire to earn her forgiveness for everything I did to her.
Like most of the girls around me, I truly cared for her back then, even though I remained oblivious to it myself. Yeah. I was really a bastard.
After staring at the screen for a while, I fiddled with my phone again, this time, to check on my girls' messages. And maybe to wash away the lingering bitterness of Tsubame's unspoken pain. I also didn't want Akane and the others to worry about it. I should come to them with my usual smile, no?
Anyway, Maaya sent me pictures of the alpaca plushie tucked between her pillows with the doting Himeko patting her sister's head. Then there's Aya happily showing me a few lines of her detailed review for that light novel she was currently reading. Yae sent me another one of her photos, posing so enticingly on her bed.
I also checked Ayu's message. I told her about my schedule on Sunday and how I might not be able to hold a lesson at the gym. I gotta make it up to her. There's also a private lesson with Ichihara-san's daughter, Koharu, which would be postponed as well.
Luckily, Ichihara-san decided to just move it tomorrow. Her daughter was too eager to skip a lesson now. Koharu-chan still wanted to punch her cousin, after all. Since it would still be bad for me to show up in the Ichihara compound, they'd come to the Boxing Gym again. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveIꜰire.net
That's good too. I should tell Marika to join them.
I spent fifteen minutes replying to the piled-up messages and by the time I was about to stand up and go up the stairs, I stopped at Futaba's reply to my question earlier.
Right. I forgot to check on it again. She must be anxious, huh?
"At home, my parents won't be home again."
Ah. Another private session where no one else could disturb us... That girl, was she not afraid that I would truly lose control? Or was she hoping for it? Either way, it's not going to be a secret anymore anyway. Akane and Fuyu would know about it. As for Eri... well, I'll leave it to them. They're a close group of friends, after all.
With that, I typed a reply to Futaba:
"Alright. But Futaba, you can still change your mind. Don't forget that."
I was going to pocket my phone again when her reply instantly arrived. That girl, she's really waiting for my confirmation, huh?
"I won't, Onoda-kun. I trust you."
And there we go. No amount of warning would ever change her mind now, I guess?
I slipped my phone back into my pocket, the screen darkening with Futaba's unwavering reply. Her blind trust gnawed at me. But she'd chosen this path. All I could do was ensure she wouldn't regret it.