Is It Okay To Have Dinner With The Spider

【二十八】YGEECNXI

24A Samurai Street... 24A... Reina wrinkled her nose under her hood which covered up most of her face, preventing strangers from reporting her. Technically she escaped from jail. The whole city was pretty big and she had spent two whole days trying to find Kudo-san's house. It was the third day, when she finally came to Samurai Street.

"Finally!" she murmured to herself, jogging past the houses as she quickly flitted her eyes to the numbers, waiting for number 24.

21... 23... She stopped abruptly and sighed. I'm on the wrong side of the street. Shaking her head in frustration, she began to cross the busy street while cars honked and zoomed past her in a blur.

Finally, she was across. Scanning the place, she noticed a boy squatting in front of a field of grass and a billboard. It was strange; Reina felt like she knew him. Approaching him carefully, she looked up at the billboard and gasped. 24A. FOR SALE.

The boy looked up at her. "Spi- Reina-san?" he greeted, surprised at her appearance.

Reina darted her eyes to Chika and closed her mouth, pressing her lips together. "Wha-What are you doing here? Isn't this your grandpa's... old house?" she asked. Reina was quiet, not knowing how to react to Chika. "Where is he now?"

Chika's eyes closed slightly as he looked away. "You didn't know? He's dead. I come here to pay respects, I guess."

Her eyes widened. "He's dead? I... I'm so sorry. He asked me to come here in the letter and I didn't know-"

"Don't worry about it."

She silenced and gazed at the small field. Reina remembered now. The backdoor which she'd first met Kudo-san. She had been hiding out in his backyard, crying in the storm, when he'd come out and took her in. Gave her a nice meal and the fruit too. She recalled its bitter taste. But even that was not as bitter as the shocking news of his death.

I hope that I somehow made you proud, Kudo-san, she thought somberly.

"I feel like I have to thank you. If it weren't for that night, I think I would still be living in lies. Thank you for coming trying to get me. I finally woke up then," Reina said quietly, glancing at him who casted his downwards.

Chika nodded. "I needed to apologise. I came at you for revenge without knowing what really happened. I blamed you wrongly and I couldn't get it off my chest until I properly apologised." He stood up and faced her. "I'm really sorry."

She cocked her head to the side, "It's okay. But to be honest, I had also thought I killed him." Her voice barely audible in the zephyr, yet loud and clear in Chika's ears. "But when you came to me that night. I finally found out that I didn't kill him. You don't know the joy that filled me that night."

"Tetsuki... he really wanted to come see you again. He was so troubled - all those night you weren't there. He needed to thank you as well," Chika explained.

"Yes," Reina replied.

"But that's not enough for him. He still wants you back. Tetsuki still blames himself for when you were tied up to that wall like that. How did you escape that?" Chika wondered.

Reina shrugged. "I'm not that weak."

He snorted. "That's true," he paused, "Please, Reina, if you would. Do something for Tetsuki. He's waging wars against himself and it hurts to see him like that." He stared into her deep pupils. "You're the only one who can help him now."

"Help him? What do you mean? You can just tell him that I'm alive and well-" Chika interrupted her.

"Go and see him. He misses you. A lot."