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28: Rooftops and Silly Tears

The sun streaked the skyline with yellows and oranges. I squinted, my hand holding onto the banister as we headed upstairs and aboveground.

"Watch yourself," Kaito said as we walked along a busy path. 

He was the first to talk after our conversation had ended oddly earlier. I was grateful for that, because I wouldn’t have been able to get any sort of conversation going with him again easily, not after what had happened. It just felt strange. I told myself to stop thinking about this and to focus on my surroundings. People were heading in all directions, and traffic was fast moving.

"Is it always this busy?" I asked. Kaito was walking alongside me.

"Well, it’s pretty much downtown," he said. "And it’s rush hour. When I come here to pick her up, it’s not so bad, but always packed, more or less."

We were going to check around Rin’s school first, and then move on to some parks and neighbourhoods. Kaito had said that she might be lurking around the school grounds.

"You really think she would’ve come back to the school?" I asked. We were standing at an intersection, waiting for the 'walk' light to turn on. Skyscrapers and high-rises loomed over me, and the ground was lined with expensive-looking shops.

"It’s possible," he said. "Maybe she’s waiting for me."

I grinned suddenly, which was very weird of me, but I couldn’t help it. Kaito sounded so wistful and mushy when he said that.

Of course, my sudden, huge smile caught his attention. I tried to stop smiling but only managed to do so after he asked me what it was all about.

"Why’re you smiling?" He asked.

"U-Um, well…" I bit the inside of my cheek a little too hard, trying to stop smiling."Ow…it’s nothing, really!"

He frowned, staring at me.

"I’m sorry!" I babbled, shaking my head. "I shouldn’t be smiling at a time like this, I-I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should be serious."

I furrowed my brows and tried to get my serious mode going. It wasn’t working, and he just stared at me as I made weird faces.

"Okay, this isn’t working," I shook my head. "I just thought it was cute."

"Huh?" 

Great, I’m just confusing him now.

"I thought it was cute of you to hope that Rin’s waiting for you," I said quickly. "Like, not in a demeaning sort of 'cute,' but a sweet 'cute,' like, 'cute couple' or something, and…"

"I get it, it’s fine," Kaito said with a dry smile. "Don’t worry about it. Thanks again."

"A-Again?"

"Yeah. Because I thanked you back in the subway, too."

"Right, right," I said quickly, before making a sharp turn in conversation. "It’s so bright, it hurts my eyes…"

"The sun’s reflecting off of the office buildings’ windows," Kaito said. He paused and started rummaging in his pocket. "I have sunglasses, if you want to borrow them."

"N-No, no thank you!" I said, walking faster. He kept looking at me with a strange expression on his face, though I could barely see it, given that the sun was blinding me. Suddenly, I slammed into something large and somewhat soft. "Ow!"

A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. I spun around and saw that it was Kaito, and then I looked at the person I had bumped into: a tall, stiff-looking businessman. He glared at me.