VIVIDWords | AkiToya (Project Sekai)

Withering {4}

     He stood in front of the house, glancing down at his phone and up at the structure. It was small, surprisingly so, with a rather tame appearance. It didn't seem like it was An's home, instead it felt more like a block built just to waste empty space, to fill up a blank plain. If anything, it seemed like it'd be that other girl's- what was her name, Kohane?- house. Bland and boring.

     He shook his head, clearing his empty thoughts as he walked to the door, lightly knocking on it before it swung open, revealing the starry haired girl. He froze, almost stunned from a flash of embarrassment consumed him.

     He shouldn't have come.

     He shouldn't have come.

     He should've kept writing a bullshit song for some unknown event, he should've kept flailing around desperately, he should've...

     "Hey, Akito! I've been waiting," she abruptly said, grabbing onto his sleeve as she pulled him inside, causing him to stumble. "How've you been?" Her voice was calm, concernedly soft. At least, compared to her usual energetic tone.

     He hated it.

     "I'm fine," he said, teetering on the edge of a whisper or a murmur. He was mentally cursing at himself for saying it like that, wondering briefly why he couldn't just sound normal like before. "What about you?"
     "I've been good! I'm preparing for Kohane to move in right now, so don't mind how uhm, boring my house looks right now," she ended it with a nervous chuckle, before walking deeper into the house as the ginger followed. "Hey, I have a question."
     "Mm?"
     "Is your sister also here?" He furrowed his brows as he looked at her, nearly immediately tensing up. Why was he bringing her up?
     "Yeah."
     "Okay."

     That was the only conversation, the silence lingering between them as An led the taller boy somewhere deep inside the house.

     Despite how tense and awkward Akito felt, the silence felt comforting, in a way. It didn't appear to have any sort of aggression or discomfort on An's end, but only his own. And that somehow felt calming. That it was just in his head.

     Was that it, though?

     That didn't feel right, to claim it was just because it was in his head.

     But he didn't want to act like it was just because it was An, he didn't want to admit that.

     So, he wouldn't. Because, it was just in his head.

     Finally, An led him into a comparably much more vibrant room, presumably her own bedroom. She seated herself on her bed, patting next the space next to her as if to invite him over there. He, alternatively, leaned against the wall, a distant expression displayed on his face.

     "Hey, you're gonna be partaking in that one event, yeah?"
     "How the fuck are people already hearing about any of that? It's been only a couple days," he said, not clearly answering the question, causing her to just stare at him for a small moment.
     "It's a yes or no."
     "What?"
     "What?"
     "Oh. Yeah, the dude invited me," he said, yet something felt amiss.
     "Nice. You got anything prepared?" Her previously gentle tone completely gone at the mere note of a live show. Passion flooded her voice, coating it in thick layers.

     Akito unconsciously wondered where his love for it went.

     "Yeah," he lied, speaking with such feigned excitement that it felt painful.
     "I'm excited to see you at it. You better not let me down with all the rumors I've heard, got it?"
     "Yeah. Sure."