The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the school courtyard as Haruto grabbed Akiko’s wrist, pulling her away from the main building. Students were still streaming out of classrooms, their chatter filling the air, but he needed to get her sowhere private.
"Haruto, what’s wrong?" Akiko asked, stumbling slightly as she tried to keep up with his longer strides. Her school bag bounced against her hip, and she had to use her free hand to keep her skirt from flying up in the breeze.
He led her behind the old gymnasium, where the vending machines humd quietly and fewer students hung around.
Akiko stood there looking up at him with those big brown eyes, and for a mont he almost lost his resolve.
"Listen, Akiko," he began, his voice rougher than he intended. "I think... I think you should go ho. Back to your old life, you know? Before all this ss started."
The words hung in the air between them like a physical barrier. Akiko’s face went pale, and her grip on her bag tightened until her knuckles were white. For a long mont, she just stared at him, as if she couldn’t quite process what he’d just said.
"What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant sounds of students and traffic.
Haruto forced himself to look away, focusing on a point sowhere over her shoulder. "You heard . Go back to your family, your normal life. Forget about all this crazy stuff that’s been happening."
He could see her reflection in the vending machine’s glass surface. Her eyes were filling with tears, though she was clearly trying to hold them back. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly, and she was hugging her bag to her chest like a shield.
"My life..." she started, then stopped, swallowing hard. "My life is so lonely, Haruto. Do you have any idea what it’s like? Every day, the sa routine. Wake up, go to word, co ho to an empty house."
The tears were flowing freely now, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away. "The only ti I feel alive, the only ti I feel like I matter, is when I’m with you. And now you’re just... you’re just throwing away like I’m nothing."
"That’s not-" Haruto started, but she cut him off.
"How can you be so cruel?" she continued, her voice getting stronger even as the tears kept coming. "How can you make care about you, make feel like maybe I’m not invisible, and then just... dismiss like this?"
"Akiko, no, that’s not what I ant," he said quickly, taking a step toward her. "I don’t want to throw you away or hurt you. It’s just... I can’t live with you. We can’t be together like that."
She looked up at him through her tears, confusion mixing with the hurt in her eyes. "Why not? What’s so wrong with that you can’t stand to be around ?"
"Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re amazing, that’s not the problem."
"Then what is the problem?" she demanded, stepping closer to him. "If there’s nothing wrong with , and you don’t hate , then why can’t we be together?"
Haruto struggled to find the right words. How could he explain that being around her was driving him crazy? That every ti she smiled at him, every ti she touched his arm or laughed at his jokes, he felt like he was losing a little more control? That the way she looked at him sotis made him want to do things that would change everything between them?
"It’s complicated," he said laly.
"That’s not an answer," Akiko shot back. "You owe more than that."
Before he could respond, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest. The sudden contact made him stiffen, and he could feel the warmth of her body through his school uniform.
"I can cook for you," she said, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I can take care of you, do whatever you want. Clean your apartnt, do your laundry, anything. Just don’t make go back to being alone."
Haruto’s breath caught as he felt the soft press of her chest against him. She was so close he could sll her shampoo - sothing light and floral that made his head spin. Her arms tightened around him, and he could feel her trembling slightly.
"I don’t need much," she continued, and he could hear the desperation in her voice. "I won’t get in your way or demand anything from you. I just want to be near you. Please, Haruto. Please don’t send away."
For a mont, he almost gave in.
"I can’t," he said softly, his hands hovering just above her shoulders but not quite touching. "I’m sorry, but I can’t."
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, and the expression on her face nearly broke his resolve. Her eyes were red from crying, and there was such raw vulnerability there that he had to look away
"Fine," she said, and her voice was steadier now, though he could hear the hurt underneath. "If you won’t let live with you, then... then you have to see . Three tis a week. That’s my condition."
"Akiko-"
"Three tis a week," she repeated firmly. "That’s not negotiable. If you won’t let be part of your daily life, then at least give that much."
Haruto looked at her for a long mont, weighing his options. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the alternative. Maybe if they had scheduled etings, he could keep better control over the situation. Keep things from getting too complicated.
"Okay," he said finally. "Three tis a week."
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