Your Lie In April - The Second Sonata

Chapter 25: Just Rivals

Never in my life, as a student of standard education, thought that there were two different, but identical powerful shades of red. It was all thanks to the clarity of a disinfected hospital room that helped me distinguish the difference. The two ladies' stares were so intensely cold that ironically, it burned me. One was coming from the other end of the room, by the window. And the other was coming from the doorstep. I was right in the middle of it.

Without thinking, I simply acted on impulse. "Let's go up the roof, Emi. We have to talk", I said as I grabbed her by the arm and walked outside.

"Wait.. Kousei, you don't have to..", Emi answered while we walked down the hallway leading to the stairs.

"Have to what?", I asked without even looking at her as we walked. "Hold you? So you'll come quietly without running away? I doubt that."

Emi did come quietly, but I never let go of her arm. She did not speak a single word to me the whole time we were going up the stairs. She just looked down as we climbed the steps. It made me wonder what she was thinking. I did hope at that time that she would change her mind about us, but I guess it became wishful thinking.

"You really did come quietly", I said as we arrived at the rooftop.

"I was catching my breath. That was a lot of stairs. There's an elevator, idiot", Emi said while she bent down to hold her knees. A bead of sweat rolled down on my head.

"Oh, sorry.. I just got used to the stairs.."

"So.. what did you want to talk about?"

I have known Emi since we were children. Technically, I've been together with her for most of my high school life. It should be known for a fact that I knew her very well at this point. And I swear, there was no longer any form of sympathy in those eyes when she asked that question.

"What the hell are you doing, Emi?", I asked, a little irritated.

"Me? I'm just here.. visiting a sick friend. How else should it be?", she replied, firing her own question as well.

"I don't believe you. You're scheming something again.."

"Scheming? And again? What the hell does that mean, Arima Kousei?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean. You bringing Miyazono-san into this.."

All of a sudden, Emi's eyes started to shine again, but her facial expression remained cold. I guess I might've tapped something in that mind of hers. It was also quite relieving that she still was human because I was beginning to think that she was capable of erasing all those feelings for me in an instant.

"Is this your brilliant plan of trying to get back together with me, Kousei?", Emi asked with her voice starting to shake and her eyes beginning to well up.

I looked at her with wide eyes for a few seconds. Seeing her like that made me regret what I just said. It somehow gave me a reminder that I had been unfair to her, and I was being a jerk again.

"I'm sorry.. I got carried away. I just wanted to clarify some things..", I replied while I looked down with regret. "Because I didn't know what to say to you if I try to get back with you."

"Do you really want to know why I brought Kaori-chan in?", she asked without breaking her blank expression. "Because I wanted to see for myself what is it to be the great love of the man I loved..", she added while tears started to stream down on her cheeks, which broke my heart again.

"Emi-chan.."

"It was the best time to invite her over. We needed her help. She needed ours.. but did I get something from it? Yes. I got to realize that I just can't be like her..", she said as she continued to cry, but her face remained stern. "Kousei, you're only fighting to keep our relationship alive because of guilt. Don't do that. It makes me feel even more that I'm being unfair to you."