Sekaiichi Romantica VS. The Real World

Part 2: The Case Of Sekaiichi Trifecta

Chapter 21.2: Going Down A Negative Spiral

*NARRATED IN KIRISHIMA'S POV*

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This incident happened immediately after Anand and Kirishima's return from Osaka. Anand talks to Phellie and makes peace with her after this happens.

I got zero sleep last night. My eyes were wide open throughout. My whole world was shattered yet again. First, my beloved wife died when my darling daughter Hiyori was very young. I tried to move on from my feelings for her by messing with proud people because they are my type. However, I never got serious about any relationship; be it a man or a woman. As I've said several times before, gender doesn't matter to me. It's the personality that I am attracted to. Yokozawa was the only one I wanted to have a serious relationship with after Sakura passed away. He was the only one I could ever see a future in which I would be blatantly happy; something that I have lost and looking for years. And just when I thought that I have it back, it's slipping away from my hand again. I want to grab it, seize it, but it is somehow coming out of my grasp. I'm extending my hand as far as I can but Yokozawa is being pulled away by another man. It's all going away.......... again........ it's going away........ I can't reach it...... I can't see it....... it's too far...... another man is taking him away from me and Yokozawa is going away from me............

"Good morning, here's your coffee!" Anand said as he approached me with a white mug in his hands. I startled out of my thoughts and unintentionally punched him in the gut, causing him to spill the black and hot liquid all over his clothes!

He yelled at me with his clothes drenching with the bitter stench of coffee dripping off, "AHHHHH!!!! KIRISHIMA! What has become of you!?"

"Sorry sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" I apologized. I got up from the bed and offered to help him dry up but he flinched and immediately stepped away from me.

"Don't you touch me, you freak! I don't even have a fresh pair of clothes! Man! I have to go home like this!" He pointed and yelled at me as he grabbed a cloth and tried to wipe off the black stain.

"W-w-wait what? W-why a-re you going home?" I stammered being too obvious about the fact that the last thing I want to do is to go back to my place.

"Kirishima. I know you don't wanna go back but you're a grown man. I know you're hurt but your daughter is returning from camp today. She's gonna be expecting you and Yokozawa to be there. So you'll have to face your love either way." Anand places his hand on my shoulder after removing his dirty shirt and leaving it in the sink with cold water running.

"I'm just... really possessive about him. I mean, if it weren't for you, the guy who was over Yokozawa would have been dead by now." I admitted with my head down, looking at my hands which were firmly balled into tight fists and were fixated on my knees. My hair was coming over my face but Anand placed his hands on my face and lifted it up.

He said, "I'm not the only one who has learned from the Osaka trip. You have too. We both learned the importance to remain calm. The importance of keeping a cool head when you're facing the most unexpected thing in the world." His voice was unbelievably soothing. I thought I was his mentor. The teacher. And the teacher teaches; the student learns. However, in that moment, I learned that in the journey of life, we are all students and we learn from each other. We all have only one teacher and that's the Almighty God. He guides us though life with the people who care about us to be right behind us even in the phase of difficulty.

I nodded my head, went to the store to buy a fresh pair of clothes for Anand, paid the hotel bill, and headed home.

*AT HOME* (SWITCHING TO ANAND'S POV)