I'm not sure how long I walked. An hour, maybe? A bit more? It was hard to tell due to the gaps in my short-term memory. I can at least recall buying myself a drink from a vending machine, stopping by a side alley to relieve my bladder, and wishing 'happy New Year' to a few bypassers like some drunken moron... Oh, wait, I am a drunken moron, heh. In retrospect, I'm glad no one cared to report a drunk teen. In any case, the time seemed to pass in an instant, and I finally arrived at my destination; the Hirasawa residence. I stood in front of it, wobbling from side to side. The small light illuminating the front door was like a helpful guide in a video game. Or maybe I am in a video game. I could just reload a save I made before drinking that fucking whiskey, if I could just find the pause menu... Ah, fuck it, let's just go with this save. Heh, just kidding, this ain't a video game. In video games, things are always easy and go your way, but instead I always manage to fuck everything up.
I opened the door, stepping inside. The house's warmth felt pleasant, as I had just walked over an hour in that cold weather. Oh, shit, both my coat and my hoodie are unzipped. Huh, didn't even notice that... Heh, probably gonna catch a cold or something. Eh, whatever. I shut the door, taking a few steps further into the foyer.
"Yo to the house!" my yell echoed in the foyer.
I crouched down to get my shoes off, but lost my balance, and fell on my ass. My first reaction was to laugh under my breath. I continued taking my shoes off, quietly and humorously bemoaning all the way, when I could hear someone walking down the stairs. That someone turned out to be Ui. She peeked into the foyer, confused a bit.
"Eiji-kun?"
I jerked my head upwards to get a look at her. My head kept bobbing back and forth like it was attached to a spring, decorated with a stupid smile.
"Yo, my favorite girl. I-I told you I'd be coming, didn't I?" I spluttered, and grinned. A hiccup escaped my mouth.
Ui's expression became even more confused, before she realized what was going on: "Eiji-kun... are you drunk?"
"Wha? Me? Nooooo, nah, never..." I said with a chuckle, before cocking my head and clicking my tongue. "...Okay, maybe a-a bit."
Walking out of the corner into a better view, Ui frowned slightly. "Were you out drinking?"
Man, what's with the interrogation? ...Oh, wait, better not say that.
I finally managed to take off my shoes, which proved a bit difficult due to the current circumstances. "Eh, yeah, with the, uh, the guys."
"Oh, Eiji-kun..." Ui muttered, slowly shaking her head, looking a bit disappointed. If I wasn't so drunk, I guess I would've been ashamed.
Ui watched as I was setting my shoes neatly in front of the foyer's step, when she suddenly noticed something, and gasped. "W-What happened to your face?"
I stopped what I was doing, looking at her confusedly. "Huh?"
"The corner of your eye... It's bruised," she said, some shock in her voice, whilst pointing at me.
Ah, yeah, that's where that fucker punched me a moment ago. I carefully felt the corner of my eye, and found some freshly formed scab to my surprise. Huh, he actually managed to break my skin with that punch. Have I been bleeding all this time?
"...Oh, that? Yeah, I... Uh, the guys and I j-just messed around a bit," I said, my smile disappearing as I was concentrating on coming up with a lie. "Got a little carried away."
I knew I just couldn't tell Ui that I got into a fight, and I definitely couldn't tell her that it almost got ugly. Not sure how convincing I can be whilst drunk, but it seemed to do the trick, as Ui calmed down a bit. She sighed, still looking a tad worried.
"You really should take it easy with alcohol," she lectured me, though not in a nagging tone.
Knowing that she bought my bullshit, I could smile again. "I know, I know... But we were in high spirits, s-so, yeah."
Ui looked at me, rubbing the back of her hand whilst thinking. "...Well, just be sure to tell me if you're feeling unwell or tired."
I'm sure she had a lot more to say to me, but seeing the state I was in, she probably thought that I wouldn't even remember half of the things she'd say. Which, honestly, might be true. Anyway, I was relieved to be spared from Ui's angry lectures.
"Yeah, sure..." I muttered, shaking my head a bit, as the snow on my hair had melted into water.
Ui leaned in a bit. "Do you want me to take a look at that bruise?"
"Nah."
"...Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yeah."
Giving her a quick glance from the corner of my eye, I slowly started to get up, all the while trying to keep my balance. Guess my progress was so shaky that Ui had no other option but to step in. She walked over to me, putting one of her hands under my armpit, and offering the other one to me.
"Here," she said.
I felt like denying her offer, but quickly came to a different conclusion as I grasped her hand. Using her as support, I slowly but surely got back on my feet. Ui, however, didn't let go immediately, instead leading me closer to the stairs. There, she noticed something, finally letting go, and slipping behind me.
"Oh, wait a second, let me take your coat."
She didn't even give me the chance to take the coat off myself, instead starting to slowly peel it off of me. I spread my arms to make it easier for her. Having taken my coat off, Ui stayed behind me, out of my vision for a bit. I was just blankly staring at a wall with half-open eyes, slowly swaying from side to side.
"...Ah?"
Hearing a confused utter, I turned to look over my shoulder. "Hm?"
Ui was holding my coat, looking a bit surprised. As she noticed me looking at her, she shook her head.
"N-Nothing, it's just a... bit dirty."
Well, I spent more seconds lying on that house's floor than any hygiene inspector would recommend, so no wonder. Ah, shit, hope she didn't notice the reek of cigarettes... Nah, she most likely did, but I can always blame Tadaaki for that... Huh, weird; mentioning him made me think that I'm forgetting something...
Ui hung my coat in the foyer's closet, before returning back to my side. She glanced at the stairs, and then at me.
"Can you walk upstairs?" she asked.
I was getting a bit tired of all her worrying, even going as far as rolling my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, it ain't like my leg is broken..."
Right after, I was overcome by a small sense of regret for talking to her like that. Thankfully, Ui didn't seem to mind it too much, taking it only as my drunkenness talking. Regardless, Ui motioned me to go on ahead, and as I began climbing the stairs up, she followed close behind me, probably in case I'd trip or something. Seriously, gal, stop worrying too much. At least let me get a few more bruises to teach myself why I should never drink a fuckload of whiskey in one sitting...
Getting upstairs, the first thing I noticed was the pleasant and tasty aroma of food, which made me realize I hadn't eaten anything in a while. I turned to look at the living room, and sure enough, the kotatsu was set full of snacks. Around the kotatsu sat Yui, Jun, Azusa, and my sister, Tamiko. I actually managed to forget that they'd be here, too, so I was taken by surprise for a second. As they all turned to look at me, I gave them a wave.
"Evening, evening," I greeted them with a smile.
They, however, didn't seem as happy as I was. In fact, they looked unamused, maybe a bit frustrated. Well, all of them except for Yui, who was just puzzled. It wasn't long until the snarky comments began flying across the second floor.
"Yup, I called it, our boy's wasted," Jun remarked, resting her chin on her palm.
"Seriously, he's just asking for trouble," Azusa added, frowning.
Tamiko shook her head, pinching her eyes shut. "You idiot... I'm so ashamed."
Oh, come on, it's not such a big deal. Just a dude having a drink or two... Damn drama queens, always having to make a scene of even the slightest of my mishaps. I managed to not voice my thoughts out loud, instead just flashing them a shitty grin, and – with stumbling steps – walked over to the kotatsu. I sat down at my usual spot, slipping my feet under the blanket and letting out a deep sigh as the climb upstairs had worn me out. I glanced at the girls, finding them still staring at me with expressions that would usually make me uncomfortable, but now they only made me feel a bit annoyed.
Meanwhile, I spotted Ui heading towards the kitchen, glancing at me from over her shoulder. "I'll fetch you some water," she said.
Eh, right, good to be hydrated. I kept looking at the kitchen's doorway for a few seconds, before turning my attention to the kotatsu's top and all the snacks it held. I wasn't feeling hungry at all, but I thought that it'd be better to eat at least something, so I snatched myself a couple of biscuits, throwing them in my mouth. While munching on them, I raised my gaze, which happened to reach Jun, who was sitting across from me.
"You look stupid," she remarked without a second doubt.
I frowned. "You look stupid, you dual-ball-hair."
Guess my comeback wasn't good, as Jun didn't even budge, instead pointing at me. "You're all flushed, your eye is bruised, and you can't even sit without swaying. That if something looks stupid."
"...Hell, you g-got me there," I muttered, glancing elsewhere, and snickered. "Dual-ball-hair, heh..."
Laughing at your own jokes sure is stupid, so she's got a point. Man, I'm wasted.
Tamiko was looking at me sternly, soon voicing her thoughts: "You got into a fight, didn't you?"
"Wha? Me? Fight?" I asked in a quick succession, looking surprised. "Nah, nah, just... just messed around with the guys."
Not sure if that convinced her, as she once again shook her head with a sigh. "You're seriously hopeless, big brother..."
"Eh, well, good thing it doesn't run in the family," I noted, and reached to give Tamiko some pats on the head. "Y-You'll make us proud, I know you will, right?"
She slapped my hand away, backing away a bit. "Ew, you reek of booze!"
"Yeah, yeah, love you too," I snickered whilst retracting my hand.
All this lack of shame made me wonder if it'd all hit me at once tomorrow. At the moment, though, I didn't realize to care. I just said and did whatever I felt like, not worrying about the consequences. Like now, for example, when I found Azusa just angrily glaring at me.
"The hell you looking at?" I muttered. "Ain't you the-the, fucking, uh, music prodigy? Ain't this the life of a rockstar, eh?"
She rolled her eyes, unamused. "Oh, don't you start... That's not really a good excuse, you know."
"Yeah, well, what even is a good excuse?" I said, swaying my head from side to side. "Why always excuses, anyway? Why can't we be-be honest for once? Can't we just fucking agree that a-a thing happened, plain and simple, and that's that? Why come up with some damn pretext bullshit to back it up, huh?"
"It's called being a decent human being and not doing stupid things," Azusa retorted, getting rather annoyed of my shit. "And stop swearing so much, I don't want to hear it."
The fuck you gonna do about it, I felt like asking, but my rational thinking – buried under all the whiskey – managed to tell me to knock it the fuck off and not push my luck. Eh, I guess I could try to keep my language in check, don't wanna frighten these gals too much... Speaking of frightening them, Yui was looking a tad uneasy, as if trying to avoid me. Hm, what's that about? I'm gonna find out.
"Yo, big sis Yui."
She twitched a bit, taken by surprise. "O-Oh, uh, yes?"
"Whaat is the maatter?" I asked, needlessly stretching the vowels.
"...Ah, well, it's just that..." she muttered, looking down whilst rubbing her hands together. "You're... a bit more of a hooligan than usual."
...Oh, shit, that's right. Yui's not really fond of delinquents, at least the kind that acts stupid... just like I'm doing right now. Man, the last thing I wanted to do was scare anyone. Even though you might feel all warm, fuzzy and jolly while drunk, the people around you definitely don't see you as such. They only see a moron spewing whatever shit they have on their mind, having turned into a completely different person. I guess it's actually kinda scary, now that I think about it: Someone you've known for years, suddenly acting and speaking differently, and you're not sure what to do, what to say, so the only reaction is to avoid them. Just like Yui is doing right now... I was joking around only a second ago, but now I felt like shit.
"...Sorry," I coughed up, my slight smile being nothing but half-assed. "Don't worry, I'm still me, I'm just... more idiot than usual."
"That's an understatement," Jun quipped, hiding her smug smile behind her hand.
I glanced at her, too tired to get riled up. "Yeah, yeah, message received. Enough out of you..."
She switched the palm on which she rested her chin to, looking at me like a mother looks at her cranking child. Not sure if she was amused or feeling sorry for me, and to be honest, I didn't care enough to ask. Eh, guess I should try to change the subject. I turned to face Yui, trying my best to act less drunk.
"So, uh, how's the studying?"
"Oh, that? Um, good, I think," she said, still feeling a bit nervous. "I've been studying hard for the past few days, so Ui allowed me to take a break today."
"Huh, sweet. Good job," I complimented her. "Y-You'll make a great teacher, I know you will."
Not sure if my compliments came across as genuine, or if she took it only as drunken nonsense. Whatever the case, she nodded for answer, returning to glancing elsewhere. Yeah, she clearly needs way more time to get used to me in this state... Guess I'll give her the space she needs until she's willing to talk to me herself. I can't help but feel strange, as Yui's always been open and carefree around me, and now she's suddenly avoiding me. Hell, not only strange, but maybe a bit blue, too. I really hope it won't ruin her image of me completely...
Ui finally came back from the kitchen, carrying not only a glass of water, but a bowl, too. Setting the bowl in front of me, I found it containing a portion of soba noodles. Ah, right, there's no New Year without Ui's noodles. She also set down the glass of water, and a pair of chopsticks.
"We had New Year's noodles earlier. I saved this for you, though it's not so warm or fresh anymore," she explained, sounding a bit sorry. "You definitely should eat something, it'll make you feel better."
I immediately picked up the chopsticks. "Hell, I wouldn't care if it was frozen solid. I'll eat anything a-as long as it's made by you."
A small chuckle escaped Ui's lips. "Why, thank you."
Struggling to hold the chopsticks properly, I immediately began stuffing my mouth. Yeah, it was a bit lukewarm, and the noodles were soggy, but I couldn't care less. It was still tasty as hell. My messy eating caught Ui's attention. She barely had time to sit down before pulling out a handkerchief, reaching towards me with it.
"Eiji-kun, you have broth all over your face," she said.
"Well, yeah—Mph..." I was about to say, but was interrupted by a handkerchief patting me across my mouth. "...It's just tasty."
Ui retracted the handkerchief, giving me a slight smile. "Glad to hear that."
I glanced at her, also smiling a bit. "Did it make me look tasty?" I'm not sure where I was going with that question, guess it was supposed to be a flirt.
Giggling at my absurd question, Ui shook her head. "Oh, no, hardly. Personally, I prefer a clean and tidy Eiji-kun."
"Eh, well, s-sorry to disappoint you," I quipped, returning back to the noodles.
As I was eating, I couldn't help but wonder how, well, unfazed Ui was, treating and talking to me like usual. I mean, yeah, I'm most likely gonna receive a long lecture tomorrow, but still. However, it made me feel relaxed, and not sour like some people get when drunk. Best of all, she's not constantly throwing witty remarks at me like some people... Though, to their defense; Jun's just being her usual self with her teasing, Azusa already had a low opinion of me, I'm a disappointment to my sister, and Yui, well, is Yui, without any actual malice behind her words. Hm, what a nice group of friends these gals are... Ugh, is the drunk me being sarcastic or not? I can't tell.
...
Some time passed, I ain't sure how much, but the end of the year was just one lousy hour away. I kept snacking whatever was on offer, and Ui made me drink a glass of water from time to time. Doing some casual chit-chat with the gals, they soon got used to me in my current state, and didn't pay my drunken bullshit much mind, though I could hear a few sarcastic remarks from time to time. Yui, on the other hand, still needed some time, but I managed to make her laugh with one of my shitty jokes, so that's something, at least.
We were watching the TV. It was some New Year's live special. I've never been too interested in reality television, and my opinion didn't differ now, either, so I just lazed around, my upper body slumped on top of the kotatsu. I stole a glimpse at the TV from time to time, just to check if the program had gotten any more interesting, but to no luck. I was also getting strangely sleepy, but forced myself to stay awake until the year would change. That, however, needed something to keep my mind occupied...
"Ui~."
Ui turned to look at me. "Hm, yes?"
Yup, conversation's a good way to stay awake... The hell was I even gonna say to her? Can't remember... Eh, whatever. There's one thing I felt like saying to her, though.
"I love you."
Hm, strange, almost as if I could've heard the whole room twitch in surprise... Not Ui, though. Sure, she blushed at first, but it was followed by a sweet smile.
"Why, I love you too," she said, sounding glad.
...You know, even though it was I who said it first, I still got a bit flustered. "Nah, seriously?" I chuckled embarrassedly.
She nodded, still smiling. "Yes."
...Hell, wonder if there's a way to budge that gal.
"W-Well, I... I... uh, really love you," I elaborated, like this was some kind of a competition.
Ui chuckled quietly into her palm. "I'm happy to hear that. And I, also, really love you."
No, no, no, she's just making me even more flustered, just the opposite of what I was trying to achieve. I gave a quick glance at the other gals, peering at us from the corners of their eyes, sitting rather quiet. I returned back to Ui.
"Y-You're just trying to embarrass me, aren't you?" I asked.
"Oh, no, not at all," she said, shaking her head, and cocking it right after with a question: "Are you feeling embarrassed, Eiji-kun?"
Giving another quick glance at the other gals, I shrugged. "...A bit."
"Oh?" she uttered, noticing the looks we were getting, and probably realizing that they were bothering me. "Well, maybe we should save it for later, then?"
I used almost all of my strength to push my upper body off the table. "Oh, no, no, no."
Dragging my ass across the floor to get to Ui, I pointed at the other gals. "Y-You see, these other people? They don't matter."
The gals' looks varied from puzzled to unamused. Jun's confused "...Eh?" probably summarized it perfectly.
I gave my previous sentence a thought, and began waving my hand. "I-I-I mean, they do matter, but not at this very moment, okay? Just you, and me, and this kotatsu, and... whatever that shit is on the TV. Nothing else."
"My, what a romantic..." I heard Azusa muttering sarcastically.
Ui was looking at me, hiding her confusion behind an awkward, if a bit amused, smile. Before she had a chance to say anything, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
"Nah, no, forget the TV, we-we don't need that. Just... Just look outside," I said, pointing at the balcony door. "Y-You see?"
Ui looked out of the balcony door, trying to figure out what I meant. "...Ah, it's snowing."
"Eeeexactly," I snickered, gently shaking Ui by her shoulder. "Who the hell needs some TV when you-you got, uh, you got that?"
Ui nodded, chuckling a bit. "Yes, snowfall is pretty to look at."
"Yeah, yeah, exactly," I said, smiling crookedly. "...Kinda like you."
Damn, that slipped out without a second thought. Kinda surprising, actually. It earned me a warm giggle from Ui. I still wasn't sure if she was taking me seriously, but then again, drunk words are sober thoughts. Oh well, as I'm unable to feel any shame at the moment, I might as well pull her even closer to me. So that's what I did, pushing our shoulders together. I thought Ui wouldn't have any objections, but she actually pulled herself back ever so slightly.
"Eiji-kun, not so rough," she said in a soothing voice.
I loosened my grip on her a bit. "A-Ah, shit, sorry."
Ui shook her head, smiling slightly. "It's fine," she reassured me.
Yeah, gotta be careful, I'm not really controlling my gross motor skills very well at the moment. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jun leaning closer to Tamiko.
"Kinda clingy, that brother of yours..." she muttered to her.
Tamiko nodded. "And not in a good way."
The hell's that supposed to mean, my dear sister? Eh, whatever.
As we cut down with the flirting and resumed watching TV, I still stuck close to Ui, as her close presence was comforting. I tried to occupy myself by listening to the girls' conversation whilst watching the TV. After a few minutes, however, I found myself spacing out, looking somewhere beyond the TV as the girls' voices became muffled and mixed in with the house's ambient sounds. This happened a few times, and I always tried to sober up a bit. At one point, however, I gave in to the tiredness, and laid my head against Ui's. It took her a moment to realize that I wasn't doing it out of affection.
"Eiji-kun?" she called for me in a quiet voice. "Are you feeling sleepy?"
Though her talking woke me up, I still kept my head against hers. "...A bit."
She turned her head slightly. "Would you like me to set up a bed for you?"
"Wha? Nah, no..." I said hastily, lifting my head and straightening my posture. "I... I ain't gonna miss the first seconds of the new—" My sentence got cut off by a big yawn. "...new decade."
She furrowed her brow as she got a better look at me. "But, you look tired."
"Well I am tired..." I muttered, rubbing my eye. "Just... Just try to keep me awake for a moment longer."
Ui seemed to think for a moment, before glancing at the balcony door. "How about we get some fresh air?"
Hm, not a bad idea. Touch of some cold air is sure to keep me awake for a bit longer.
"...Sure," I said, using the kotatsu as support as I stood up with a faint grunt.
Ui stuck close as we headed to the balcony. I grasped the door, sliding it open. I was greeted by a freezing but strangely refreshing gust of wind. I stepped on the balcony, its surface feeling cold against the bottom of my feet. Most of the balcony was covered by snow, so I stayed close to the wall. I shuffled to the side to make room for Ui, who slid the door close. We stood there, turning our gazes upward, and watched the snowfall.
After a few seconds, Ui rubbed her hands together, blowing some warm air into her palms. "It sure is cold tonight, isn't it?"
"Sure..." I muttered, and after thinking for a moment, proceeded to take my hoodie off, planning on giving it to her to wear.
Ui, however, halted my doings by grabbing me by the wrist. "O-Oh, no, I'm not feeling that cold. You'll get sick."
I glanced at her, and reluctantly kept the hoodie on. "Ah, right..."
I breathed in the cold air, watching as it blew out as steam. After a short moment of standing, I slowly crouched down to squat. Running my fingers through my hair a few times, I rubbed my hand across my face.
"I-I fucked up, didn't I?" I asked.
"Eh?" Ui uttered in surprise, turning to look at me.
Keeping the hand on my face, I spread my fingers to see from between them. I thought for a second or two.
"...I know you want to say it. Maybe not right now, but still."
It was my comedown speaking, mixed with my tiredness. I got a sudden urge to sulk in my own shittiness, searching for reasons to feel bad about myself.
Ui kept looking at me, before glancing around in an uncomfortable manner. "Well... It's true there's something we need to talk about tomorrow..."
I snorted, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I knew it."
"However," Ui said swiftly. "I'm not going to blame you for anything, if that's what you're wondering. I'm just..."
She quieted down, turning to look at the dark sky, and the countless snowflakes slowly making their way to the ground.
"...Let's just wait until you're sober."
"Yeeeah, let's do that," I muttered, turning my face upwards, and glancing at Ui. "I... I'm no good when I'm drunk."
"Well, not to be rude or anything, but..." Ui said timidly, avoiding me with her gaze.
She didn't have the heart to finish her sentence. Noticing her reaction, I chuckled quietly. Yeah, can't blame her. Honestly, it's fine for her to dislike my drunkenness. There's no reason for her to accept it. Thus, in the future, I should be careful to not get myself in this condition again. However, Ui's sudden, faint giggle took me by surprise.
"...Though, your affectionateness is something I could get used to," she explained, smiling embarrassedly.
Baffled, I wasn't sure how to react, so I just chuckled awkwardly. "W-What, you like me clinging onto you?"
"Well, yes, that too, but..." Ui giggled, and hung her head low in a shy manner, blushing a bit. "...I meant you telling me that you, um, love me. It... It makes me happy."
...Oh? Well, now that I think about it, I've never said it to her out loud... Yeah, I've always been too embarrassed to do it. Ugh, what a bullshit excuse. I don't like the idea of being able to be honest with Ui only when I'm drunk. Shit, I really need to man up in the future and stop being afraid of my feelings. Just a few words is enough to make her happy, and when she's happy, I'm happy.
"...Well I do love you," I said under my breath, sighing, and spreading my arms. "Not-not just 'cause I'm drunk or anything."
"I know, Eiji-kun," Ui said, smiling at me.
We spent the following moment in silence. It gave me some time to think. Most of my thoughts were far from positive, but I tried my best to ignore those. Occasional gusts of cold wind made me shiver. I'm not sure how long we were there, maybe a minute or two, before Ui turned to look at me.
"Eiji-kun, what time is it?"
I shook my left hand to get the sleeve out of the way, and checked my watch. "Uh... Fifteen minutes... till midnight."
"Should we head back inside?" she suggested.
I took a deep breath, exhaling sharply, and slowly getting up. "Yeah, l-let's do that."
Sliding the door open, Ui stepped inside, and I followed right after her. The other gals turned to look at us, and Jun took notice of my shivering.
"You're freezing him to death, Ui..." she quipped.
I waved my hand at her. "Nah, nah, I, uh, I've always wanted to be a popsicle ever since I-I was a lil' brat."
For some reason, it's always these half-assed and dumb jokes that pique Yui's interest...
"Oh, what flavor?" she asked.
...And I'm never prepared for her follow-up questions. "Hell, I dunno... Blueberry, I guess?"
"Oh? You seem more of strawberry-licorice to me," she said, scratching her cheek.
Seriously, just how many hours of your life have you spent thinking about what flavor I'd be if I was a popsicle...? Ui and I moved back to the kotatsu, sliding our feet under the blanket. I spent way too long thinking about Yui's words.
Though the cold air was refreshing, it still didn't take long until I was nodding off once again. Thankfully, Ui kept me awake by shaking me lightly whenever I was seriously about to doze off. I think my sleepiness got the best of Yui, as she, too, was close to falling asleep on the floor. Half asleep, I could hear the gals' muffled voices, soon getting louder, and followed by an excited yell. I couldn't make sense of what they were yelling, as I was so close to passing out. That, though, didn't happen, as Ui shook me awake. I raised my head, looking at her.
"The year changed, Eiji-kun," she told me.
With squinted eyes and a drop of drool running down my chin, I blinked a couple of times. "...Oh. Happy New Year, Ui."
She chuckled. "Happy New Year, Eiji-kun."
I turned to look at the other gals, my head bobbing. "Y-Yo, Yui-san, Jun-san, cat girl, my-my lovely little sister..."
Having gotten their attention, I flashed them a tired grin. "Happy New Year. I... I seriously appreciate you all, for, uh, for existing, and—"
"Yes, yes, no need to get all sentimental," Jun interrupted me, and snickered right after. "But yeah, happy New Year."
Azusa wasn't as amused. "Oh, just sleep it off already, you dolt."
"I agree," Tamiko nodded. "Maybe we should also turn in for the night."
"Oh, maybe you're right," Ui said, sliding her feet out from under the blanket and standing up. "I'll go set us some futons."
Azusa noticed me blinking one eye at a time, and glanced at Ui. "...He's gonna sleep on the couch, right?"
"Ah, right. Thanks for reminding me, I'll also fetch a pillow and a blanket for him," Ui added things to her to-do list.
She was about to head to the stairs, when her eyes were drawn to Yui, sleeping on the floor. She crouched down to shake her awake.
"Sis, you should sleep in your bed," Ui told her quietly.
Yui squirmed, her brows furrowing into a troubled expression. "...But Ui~, I don't know what to do..."
Ui cocked her head, puzzled. "Hm, what do you mean?"
Yui continued with her sleepy squirming. "...Eiji-kun's a popsicle, but if we melt him, he will die..."
The other gals let out awkward but amused utters. If I had the strength left in me, I would've probably burst into laughter. Instead, I just kept leaning against the couch, slowly closing my eyes again as the weariness got the best of me.
...
"—ji-kun. Eiji-kun."
Opening my eyes, I found myself in a dimly lit room, as almost all of the second floor's lights were turned off, save for the small one on the wall. One of my arms had gone numb from a bad sleeping position. It took me great effort to push myself away from the couch, and I sat up straight. I turned to look at Ui, who had woken me up. She had untied her ponytail and was dressed in her orange pajamas.
"...Hi," I said to her under my breath, my voice being raspy in a sleepy manner.
"I set a bed for you on the couch," she told me, keeping her voice quiet. "It's much more comfortable than the floor."
I slowly turned to look at the couch behind me, finding a pillow and a blanket set on it. Staring at it for a few more seconds, I turned to face forward again, hanging my head low. As I didn't show any signs of getting up, Ui realized something was wrong, and leaned closer.
"...Eiji-kun, are you feeling okay?" she asked, looking worried.
"...I don't..." I muttered, shaking my head. "...I don't know... I, uh, I think I had a bad dream."
Ui placed her hand on my back, rubbing it. "Oh, it's okay. It's just a dream."
She kept gently rubbing my back in an attempt to comfort me for a solid minute. But as I soon learned, it didn't fix things, it only delayed them. As she stopped the rubbing, she moved her hand on my shoulder. Using her other hand, she gently grasped my chin, carefully moving my head to face her.
"...Alright, Eiji-kun. You should go to bed now," she whispered to me in a soothing tone.
I kept looking at her eyes for a few seconds, before finally starting to stand up. My jeans felt damp due to my legs sweating under the kotatsu. I didn't need to get fully on my feet, however, as the couch was right behind me, so all I had to do was stand enough to be able to sit down on the couch. Directing me, Ui helped me get to a lying position. Usually, I'd take my hoodie, belt and socks off, but I was too tired to do that, so they were left on. Pulling the blanket on top of me, Ui tucked me in, before taking a step back.
"Are you feeling unwell? Do you need a bucket next to the couch?" she asked me.
I stared at the ceiling, slowly shaking my head. "...Nah," I said in a barely audible voice.
"Okay, then. You know where the bathroom is, in case you need it," she said.
From the edge of my vision, I could see Ui standing there for a minute. She was quietly rubbing her hands together, looking at me. Not sure if she wanted to say something, or if she didn't want to leave me by myself. After a long moment, Ui finally took a step back, and then another, and so on, until she stood in front of the stairs, completely out of my vision.
"...Well, goodnight, Eiji-kun," I could hear her saying.
...
I pushed my back off the couch, and wrenched the blanket off of me. My feet reaching the floor, I stood up, but my tired legs immediately gave in, and I stumbled, standing on one knee. One hand on the couch and another hand on the kotatsu, I used my arm strength to get myself on my feet with a faint grunt, all the while taking small steps forward.
Hearing my struggling, Ui had turned around, alarmed.
"E-Eiji-ku—!?"
But, by the time she turned around, I had already reached her. Wrapping my arms around her, I hugged her tightly, pulling her close to me. Hanging my head low, I rested my face on top of her head. Ui gasped out of surprise, I could feel her heart's fast and heavy pounding. I kept her in my embrace, slowly lowering my head even more.
"...Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me..." I began whispering. "...D-Don't leave me, I'm... I'm sorry... Don't leave me..."
Stiff at first due to the sudden hug, Ui's body slowly relaxed.
"...Please, no, please, don't, I... I..." I continued my mumbling, slowly shaking my head and almost hyperventilating. "I... I'm sorry, please, I..."
"...Eiji-kun?" Ui muttered.
I could feel her hands pressing against my lower back, slowly making their way upwards. She answered my hug with one of her own. She pressed her cheek against my chest, doing slight nods.
"Eiji-kun, it's okay. I'm right here, I'm not leaving you," Ui soothed me in a low voice.
I swallowed, tremblingly drawing breath. "Ui, I... I, I'm... Don't... I..."
Ui tightened her hug ever so slightly, continuing with her attempts to calm me down: "It's alright. Everything's okay. I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here, Eiji-kun. All is fine, just breathe."
We stood there, embracing each other, Ui comforting me whilst I was having a breakdown. After a short moment, my panicked chanting finally ceased, but Ui still kept talking to me in a soothing voice, telling me how everything's alright, and how she's not going to leave me.
Least to say, I was having a panic attack. Being half asleep and still a bit drunk played a part in it, sure, but it was mostly caused by that bad dream I managed to have in the short time I was left alone in the living room. I can't exactly recall it, but I vividly remember Ui leaving me, disappearing from my life forever. It was... horrible. And, as Ui woke me up, I couldn't tell whether I was awake or asleep. I was trapped in a waking dream, believing my nightmare to still continue. Ui disappearing from my vision and wishing me goodnight... I panicked, I was terrified. I thought she was going to leave me again, this time for real, so I... reacted, so to say.
I don't remember much of what happened after that. I think Ui managed to escort me back to the couch, where I fell asleep. At least I assumed as much, as I woke up from the couch the next morning. I stared at the ceiling with tired eyes, still a bit sleepy. First thing I noticed was how dry my mouth felt. Next, a headache started creeping in, its intensity increasing with every time my heart pumped blood through my head. It also helped me notice how sore the corner of my eye felt.
And then, it all started coming back to me. One painfully embarrassing memory at a time, like a fucking rifle shooting holes through my very soul. It kept torturing me physically, making me long for the sweet kiss of death. I was already starting to feel a bit nauseated due to my yesterday's drinking, but all the damn memories made me want to puke even more.
Slowly covering my face with my hands, I groaned quietly.
"...God damn it, Sugimoto, you damn moron..."
I kept my hands on my face, trying to hide from the world, but to no avail. The pounding headache was a constant – and painful – reminder that I'm still here, I'm still alive, and I still have to face the day. Letting out a deep sigh, I slid the hands off my face, allowing them to fall to the sides of my head.
...Hm? My fingers are feeling something. Is that.... hair? It definitely ain't mine, so... Wait...
I turned my head, only to find another head. It was... Ui? She was sound asleep, also lying on the couch. As this was a corner sofa, both of us could share it without having to sleep side by side, but our heads would still meet at the corner. Why in the world is she sleeping here...? I stared at her in pure confusion. At first, I thought about waking her up, but she was sleeping so soundly I didn't dare to do it. I spent a moment just watching her sleeping face, until my headache suddenly worsened. So, I just turned my head back in an attempt to apply pressure to the back of my head. It helped a bit, though not much.
Man, what time even is it? Where's my watch, anyway...? Oh, I'm still wearing it on my wrist. I raised it for a closer look, finding out it was early in the morning. I was still feeling tired, but I don't think I can fall back to sleep with this damn pounding in my head. Ugh, maybe I'm just dehydrated, I guess I should drink a glass... no, a jug of water. But I just can't find the strength to get up...
...
...No, no, I... I gotta get up... Yup, I definitely need to get up!
My strength returning in an instant, I kicked the blanket off of me and made a beeline to the bathroom, crouching in front of the toilet like a salaryman apologizing to his supervisors. I closed the door for some extra soundproofing, though I doubt it helped much.
...
After giving the toilet a technicolor yawn and spending another minute just spitting into it, I moseyed to the kitchen, where I gargled some water to get the vile taste of gastric acid out of my mouth. I then drank many glasses of water to fill my now-empty stomach. Sighing tiredly, I made my way back to the couch. As I got there, I glanced at Ui. She was awake, at least judging by her ajar eyes. Yeah, worshiping the porcelain god is rarely a quiet activity, no wonder she woke up. It didn't take long until those eyes turned to look at me.
"...Morning," I greeted her in a quiet voice.
She blinked. "...Good morning."
I sat down on the couch, scratching my head, and taking a deep breath. Meanwhile, Ui slowly sat up, stretching with faint, rather cute grunts. As I was lying back down, she turned to look at me.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
I stared at the ceiling, unemotional. "I wanna die."
Ui stood up, beginning to fold up her blanket. "Well, let's hope that won't happen," she said in a joking manner, knowing I wasn't actually serious.
Getting the job done, Ui placed her pillow on top of the folded blanket. She left them on the couch as she headed to the kitchen, soon coming back with a glass of water, and holding something in her other hand. As she presented it to me, it turned out to be a small pill.
"Here, for the headache."
I sat up and took the pill, looking at it as I fiddled with it. "Hm, was it that obvious?"
"At times, my father goes out drinking with the other supervisors of his company," Ui explained, handing me the glass. "And he's always asking for a painkiller the next morning."
"Huh, okay..." I muttered, having learned something new about Mr. Hirasawa. "Thanks."
I popped the pill into my mouth, washing it down with some water. It's gonna take a while before the pill starts working, so I better just lie down for now. Getting back to a horizontal position, I stared at the ceiling for a second, before turning to look at the neatly folded blanket.
"Why, uh, were you sleeping there?" I asked.
Ui looked a bit surprised. "Oh? Um, don't you remember much of last night?"
I pinched my eyes shut, pursing my lips. "...I do, unfortunately."
She took a seat on the couch, right next to my head. "Well, what about when you were, um, going to sleep?"
I shrugged, glancing at her. "Only me hugging you as I was having that mental episode of some kind. The next thing I knew was me waking up a moment ago. Why?"
"Oh, no, nothing, I figured as much. You fell asleep right after I got you back on the couch," Ui explained. That, however, didn't exactly answer my question, but she was quick to continue: "I, um... got a bit worried, to be honest. I didn't want to leave you alone, so I decided to sleep next to you."
A faint blush formed on her cheeks as she glanced downwards. The more I processed her words, the more embarrassed I got, so I turned my head away.
"I, uh, see..." I muttered.
The following silence felt awkward, and my headache didn't help it at all. Man, I vividly remember promising myself that I'd man up and not be so afraid of my feelings in the future, but easier said than done, I guess.
Ui turned to look out of the balcony, watching as the rising sun continued to paint the town with its light. "It's still a bit early... I think I'll let the others sleep a bit more before making breakfast."
"Don't mention food, please..." I said under my breath, placing my hand on my stomach.
"Oh, right, sorry," Ui apologized, chuckling quietly.
The silence continued. The house's ambient sounds seemed louder than usual, to the point they actually started to irritate me. I had this constant feeling which I can't quite describe... It was like an inflated balloon with a rubber band on it, or something, I don't know. Anyway, it was hard to focus on anything, and at the same time I found myself overthinking the stupidest minor details. Yeah, I've had a hangover a few times before, but never one this bad. I don't think greasy food and a nap are enough to fix this one, it's probably gonna be a pain in my ass for the whole day.
I noticed Ui nervously fiddling with her hands, and it wasn't long until she turned to look at me. Her expression, though, was what caught my attention: She looked stern.
"Eiji-kun," she said. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
I averted my gaze for a second. "Is it about my drinking? Because if so, I—"
Ui interrupted me by shaking her head. "No, it's not about that."
Huh, it isn't? Then, what's that stern expression about?
"...Okay. What, then?"
Ui opened her mouth, but soon closed it, clearly needing more time to think. I saw her peering at the kitchen's doorway, and it wasn't long until she stood up, heading to the kitchen. I could hear a cupboard's door, and Ui soon returned back to the living room. She stood in front of me, one of her hands behind her back. Her expression had become even more serious.
"Eiji-kun."
She called me with a voice that made me give her my undivided attention. It's... almost like she's angry. Almost, but not quite. But dead serious, nonetheless. Glancing around unsurely, she finally locked her gaze with me. And then, she revealed the hand she was holding behind her back.
"Why was this in your coat's pocket?"
...
She was holding it.
The thing Tadaaki asked me to bring along, and the thing I almost used last night.
My folding knife.
I lied there, stunned, speechless. Seconds passed as I kept staring at the knife in Ui's hand. It took way too long for my brain to register what's happening, and when it finally did, my heart rate spiked. I breathed sharply, blinking many times, trying to figure a way out of this. My first reaction was to reach for the knife, as if that would help me anymore. Ui was quick to react to my movement, pulling her hand away from my reach. My hand was left just hanging there, and I slowly retracted it. Me trying to run away from responsibilities seemed to give Ui the courage to repeat her question.
"Eiji-kun? Why was this in your coat's pocket?"
She was waiting for me to answer, which I never did. She cocked her head.
"Do you usually carry this with you?" she asked.
...
I shook my head. "...Nah, no."
A small part of me regretted opening my mouth, but then again, it's not like I can just avoid her questions for the rest of my life. I guess I'll try to figure out a way to get myself out of this mess without admitting to her that the guys and I are preparing for a revenge mission.
Ui looked at the knife, and then at me. "Then, why did you have this with you?"
Okay, think for something. Anything.
"...The holidays, when people are out celebrating, always draw out the worst this town has to offer," I explained, quoting Tadaaki a bit. "It's just to make me feel safe, that's all."
"I'm... not sure I understand," she said.
I thought for a bit, resting my wrist on my forehead. "Remember how I told you that the guys and I always stay out of public? Well... There are other people who'd also like to stay out of public, but for different reasons. There's a low but still existing chance that our paths will cross."
I turned to look at the knife, nodding towards it. "It's for self-defense."
Ui's reaction was shocked, to say the least. I felt bad for making her feel that way, I wanted to take back everything I just said, but there was no way out of this without at least some kind of an explanation. The one I came up with was way better than confessing that I was at a delinquent house party with dozens of people ready to beat me to death out of the slightest provocation.
Ui glanced at the knife, speechless. "...E-Eiji-kun..."
It was quiet. My headache started to get worse, so I pinched my eyes shut out of pain, carefully massaging my forehead. The pain worsened even more as I slowly realized that I had just given Ui the idea that I'm willing to use the knife against people, even if it's just self-defense. Ah, shit, my thinking is far from its best right now...
I raised the hand on my forehead, indicating that I was gonna talk: "...I don't even know if I could do it, to be honest. To... you know... use it, even if my life was on the line. It's just..."
I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling. I slowly shook my head.
"...No, I couldn't," I summarized my train of thought.
I wanted to believe that what I just said was true, but seeing how yesterday's fight turned out... I'm not so sure. I mean, yeah, I was drunk and panicking, but still. No, I definitely don't have it in me. I can hurt another person, sure, but not in that way.
Lowering the hand back on my forehead, I sighed, glancing elsewhere. "I didn't think clearly when I took it with me. It was just a stupid idea I came up with on a whim, and didn't give it any thought."
Ui listened to me, still looking rather startled. I felt like adding more to my bullshit of an excuse, but I guess I've said too much already. The silence felt anxious, I wasn't sure what to expect.
"...Then, Eiji-kun?" Ui finally spoke.
I turned to look at her. She had cocked her head, furrowing her brow in worry.
"What really happened to your eye?" she asked.
Moving the hand on my forehead downwards, I carefully felt the bruise I got last night. It hurt to touch it.
"...As I said, I just messed around with the guys," I muttered.
Ui let out a small sigh of disappointment. "Eiji-kun..."
She knew I was lying. Maybe she had known about it since yesterday, I don't know. But I am not going to tell her that I got into a fight. Me being drunk, and that whole knife thing... She has enough to worry about already, and I ain't about to twist the knife any further... No pun intended.
After standing there for a second longer, Ui sat back down on the couch, right next to my head again. I wasn't sure what to say to her. Sorry? That isn't going to cut it. She's been way more tolerant towards my shenanigans than any person should be, and I'm afraid she may be at her limit. For the past years, I've tried to convince not only myself, but pretty much everyone around me that I've changed. And this sure doesn't look like change to me. It's slowly starting to turn into one big lie, one mishap at a time.
I turned to look at Ui, raising my hand towards her. She noticed my movement, and was left looking at me, a bit confused.
I pursed my lips, glancing elsewhere for a second, gathering courage. "...Sorry."
It was a start, if something. And I truly felt bad for the worry I had caused.
Ui looked at me, and then at my hand. She glanced at the folding knife she was holding, and after a moment of thinking, she reached to give it back to me. I took it, gave it a quick look, and tossed it on the floor to Ui's surprise. It wasn't what I was after: I grasped Ui's hand, which was still hovering next to mine. I squeezed it, slowly running my thumb across its back. It was meant to be an apology. Taken by surprise at first, it didn't take long for Ui to answer the squeeze with one of her own. However, it didn't take long for her hand to droop, and our hands to fall on her lap. She hung her head low, seemingly in thought, trying to figure out what she should do.
It was enough to make me understand that I had messed up big time. I'm sure there were lots of things she wanted to say to me. In turn, I also had lots of things I wanted to say. Neither of us, though, could figure out the right words to do so, so we stayed quiet.
Then, I felt her other hand also grabbing mine. Ui looked at my hand as she gently squeezed it with both of hers. Was she going to forgive me? In all honesty, I'd understand if she doesn't.
...Doesn't forgive me? Why does that sound so familiar?
I was frowning as I tried to recall the eerily familiar thought, but lost my train of thought when Ui suddenly spoke.
"Eiji-kun."
Pushing my thoughts aside, I turned to look at her.
She had tried to put on a serious expression, though remnants of worry could still be visible. "I... I hope you've learned your lesson."
She never answered my apology, but as I said, I wasn't waiting for her to do so. She's still holding my hand, meaning everything's fine for now, but I know I'm treading on some mighty thin ice, and need to be more careful in the future.
I looked her in the eye, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm not planning on repeating any of that any time soon."
I shut my eyes, turning my head away, and groaned quietly. "...The drinking at the very least."
"Oh? Are you feeling remorse for yesterday?" Ui asked.
I nodded, grabbing the bridge of my nose with my free hand. "To put it lightly."
Ui stroked my hand a bit. "Do you remember much of what happened?"
"Way too much," I muttered, not sure if it was the headache or the embarrassment that was killing me. "Please, don't even talk about it."
She giggled a bit. "Okay, I won't." It felt nice hearing her laugh after that previous ordeal.
I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling. "...Your sister's scared of me, my sister is now even more ashamed, Azusa-san wouldn't even spit on me, and Jun-san's going to tease me for the rest of my life," I said under my breath, frowning.
"Oh, no, I'm sure Sis isn't actually scared of you," Ui reassured, giving my hand a few comforting pats. "As for the others, well, I'm sure they still like you as much as before."
Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
"I guess," I said, shrugging.
Ui started chuckling amusedly all of a sudden, confusing me. It wasn't long until she told me what was so funny.
"Do you remember how you—"
"Oh, no, no, no, I don't want to hear it," I whined quietly, grimacing.
Ui didn't let my interruption stop her. "—snuck behind Azusa-chan, and yanked her pigtails?"
I blinked a couple of times. "...I did that?"
"Yes, you did," she giggled. "She shrieked like a cat."
There were gaps in my memory, so I couldn't recall it. Which I actually felt kinda bad about, as I definitely would've wanted to remember something like that.
I snickered quietly at the mental image. "...I, uh, didn't actually hurt her, did I?"
"Oh, no," Ui shook her head, and giggled again. "Only her pride."
"God damn it..." I muttered.
I tried to be disappointed in myself for doing such a thing, but couldn't help but burst into laughter, which I tried to mute by covering my mouth with my free hand. Ui joined me in laughing, giggling into her pajama's collar.
And then, it was quiet for a moment. Ui's hands felt warm and comforting as she kept holding my hand. Though I really wanted to forget everything that happened yesterday, I recalled one, certain thing. Something that felt embarrassing at first, but the more I thought about it, the more pleasant it became. I blushed slightly as I was thinking about doing something, but felt uncertain. I then remember the promise I had made myself last night: Man up, you moron.
"...Ui," I said in a low voice.
She turned to look at me. "Hm, yes?"
"I love you."
Ui chuckled with a warm smile. "I love you too."
...
It's early in the morning, everybody else is sleeping upstairs. It's just the two of us in the living room, nothing to do but to offer company to each other. Whatever indifferences we had were temporarily forgotten as we shared the moment. We're holding hands, feeling the warmth of our bodies. A mystical gravity pulled us towards one another, and we gave in to it. There's no one to disturb us, anyway. So... I guess...
...I hope I managed to gargle that taste of puke out of my mouth earlier.
...
It took a couple of hours for the others to finally wake up. As I started hearing noises coming from upstairs, I realized to quickly pocket my knife which I had tossed on the floor. However, as I was doing that, I noticed my phone missing. Ui knew to tell it wasn't in my coat's pockets either. In fact, when she had taken my coat yesterday, she had checked the pockets in case I had forgotten something in them, thus why she found the knife. Ui got the idea of calling my phone in case someone had found it. I offered to do it so that Ui could start making breakfast, but in actuality I was afraid the phone would be answered by someone who I didn't want Ui to talk to.
After getting her teeth brushed, changing out of her pajamas and tying her hair into a ponytail, Ui returned back downstairs, handing her phone to me. She then headed to the kitchen, where she put on her apron, and got to work. I watched her doings from the corner of my eye as I browsed through Ui's phone, finding my number. Hm, on my phone, Ui is listed as Hirasawa Ui, but I'm listed as Eiji-kun on Ui's phone. Something in it made me snort out of amusement. I selected the number and called it, simultaneously heading to the kotatsu to sit down.
Honestly, I didn't expect anyone to answer. But, after fifteen seconds, someone actually did.
"...H-Hello?" a sleepy voice could be heard on the phone.
My eyebrows rose in surprise as I recognized the voice. "Tadaaki?"
"Eiji...?" an equally confused mutter could be heard. "W-What the hell? Why did you run off last night?"
"Simply put, I forgot about you. Sorry about that," I said, chuckling awkwardly. I glanced at the kitchen's doorway, and lowered my voice. "...That whiskey was a bit too much after all, it seems. Also, I, um—"
"Got into a fight," Tadaaki completed my sentence. "Yeah, I know, I heard."
"...Oh?" I uttered, puzzled a bit.
I could hear Tadaaki scratching his head as he groaned tiredly. "...Anyway, you're at the Hirasawa gal's place?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding to myself. "With a damn hangover and all."
Tadaaki chuckled a bit. "Figures. Listen, um, I think I'll head over there to drop off your phone and, well, talk, if that's okay."
"Sure, why not," I agreed.
After thinking for a second, I dragged myself across the floor to see into the kitchen. "Ui, Tadaaki's coming over!"
Ui looked at me, nodding with a smile. "Oh? Why, of course!"
I then returned back to the phone, where I could hear Tadaaki's confused muttering: "...Uh?"
I snickered. "You'll get a free breakfast. We'll also be heading to the shrine later, if you're up for it."
"Eh, the breakfast sounds interesting, but I think the gods will smite me if I step on the shrine grounds..." Tadaaki quipped after giving the offer some thoughts.
I laughed at his shitty joke. "Don't worry, I'll sweep your ashes into a fancy cookie jar."
"...Well in that case," Tadaaki chuckled. "Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
Saying our goodbyes, I ended the call. I was left staring at Ui's phone as I thought: Yeah, I completely forgot Tadaaki's existence last night. Attending Ui's party was my drunken mind's first priority, I guess. Though, now I wonder why I couldn't find him at the party, and how my phone ended up in his hands – which I'm glad about, for the record.
As I closed the phone's lid and set it on top of the kotatsu, I could hear footsteps coming from the stairs. A second later Jun, Azusa and my sister emerged from the stairway. I tried my best to avoid making eye contact with any of them, as the shame kicked in. They, too, seemed to be avoiding me, reluctantly coming over to the kotatsu, and taking a seat. The following silence was awkward. Thankfully, Tamiko was the first one to break it.
"How are you feeling?" she asked me.
I blinked slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Let's just say I don't know which I fear more: dying, or not being able to die."
My sister tried her best to act normal, but just the sound of my voice was enough for her to lose her poker face, and she snapped, pouring out all the anger which had built up inside her.
"Oh, you are able to die, you can count on that!" she roared. "You acted like a complete idiot last night!"
I immediately covered my ears as my headache was still present despite the pill I took. "Not so loud, please..."
To my dismay, Azusa, too, joined in: "I know you're an insolent fool, but I never would've expected that from you!"
Guess now that I was sober, and actually able to comprehend the stuff said to me, they finally felt like venting their anger at me.
I carefully glanced at Azusa. "If it's about that pigtail thing, I'm—"
"Don't you even start, you pervert!" she cut me off with her yell. Pervert? Is that how she took it?
Feeling a bit wary, I turned away from the angry cat girl, facing Jun. As I expected, she was just amusedly watching this whole thing unfold like a damn show or something.
"...What about you?" I asked her in a low voice. "You got anything why you'd like to yell at me?"
She glanced at the ceiling, thinking, and ended up just shrugging. "No, not really... Though, you called me 'dual-ball-hair'."
I scratched my brow, looking down at the kotatsu. "...Should I, uh, apologize?"
"Well..." she muttered, giving it a thought. "You know why I wear my hair in quilts, so... I guess you could."
Yeah, I know; her hair is really sensitive to humidity, causing it to curl up, and it embarrasses her a bit, thus why she ties her hair into quilts. Couple of years ago, I actually witnessed her hair's curse myself. I teased her for it, which was a mistake I won't be doing a second time.
I bowed, hanging my head low until it hit the kotatsu's top. "...Sorry."
Jun reached to give me a pat on the back of my head, acting as an unspoken way of accepting my apology.
I stopped bowing as I could hear one more person walking down the stairs. It was Yui, of course. Still dressed in her pajamas, she yawned tiredly as she made her way to the kotatsu.
"You guys are too noisy..." she muttered with squinted, sleepy eyes.
Ui, still in the kitchen, peeked into the living room. "Now, now, sis. It's already morning."
"But vacation should be spent on sleeping," Yui objected, frowning slightly. "Isn't that right, Azunyan?"
"E-Eh?" Azusa uttered, not having expected herself to be dragged into this debate. "Don't ask me..."
Yui seemed to be in disbelief. "What? But, that's the whole spirit of winter holidays!"
She snuggled her hands under the kotatsu's blanket, smiling goofily. "Sleeping as long as you feel like, relaxing under the kotatsu, eating tasty food and snacks... Oh, and don't forget hotpot and hot chocolate!"
"Don't those count as food and snacks, though?" Jun noted.
"Oh, do they?" Yui wondered, but didn't let the mistake bother her. "Well, what if you made a hot chocolate hotpot? It wouldn't be either nor both, it'd be its own thing!"
My sister smiled awkwardly. "That... doesn't sound too appetizing, I'm afraid."
"You don't know if you never try," Yui said in a happy tone, smiling at my sister.
Then, her eyes finally reached me. She stared at me for a few seconds.
"Eiji-kun?" she finally said in an unsure tone.
I shook my head. "No, I'm the imposter-Eiji who came here last night, prepared to ruin another day and stain the Sugimoto family name."
Yui giggled. "Ah, Eiji-kun's back to his usual self," she said, sounding glad.
I broke into a faint smile as Yui giggled at my shitty joke. Yeah, Ui's right: Yui isn't scared of me, and the rest of the gals are the same as usual, though they have a reason to be angry at the moment. Give it a few weeks—no; months... and we'll all be just laughing at this whole thing without any hard feelings... Though, I bet some of the memories will keep me awake at night for years to come.
Ui got the breakfast done, which consisted of toast, fried eggs, and fish. Though I said to her that I wasn't feeling like eating, she still prepared a meal for me. It was absolutely soaked in butter, since her father also asks for greasy food after a night of drinking. I can agree on that, as the few times I've had a small hangover before, nothing's been tastier than an extra pepperoni pizza. Also, my appetite had slowly returned, so I guess I could eat a bite or two.
I ended up eating the whole thing, and asked for seconds.
Minutes after we had finished our breakfast, Ui was serving us tea. To pass the time, I had chosen a random book from the bookshelf, but quickly found out that it's really hard to concentrate on reading in this state, so I set the book on my lap and lied down, listening to the girls' conversation, and sipping my tea once in a while. Pretty chill morning, overall, though I wish I was in a better shape to actually enjoy it.
And then, the doorbell rang, taking everyone by surprise.
"Dr. Nishikawa, I presume," I muttered sarcastically as I stood up.
On my way to the stairs, I thought for a second, and turned to face the living room. "Ui? You still got any of that coffee?"
"Oh, yes, I do," she nodded, and smiled. "Two cups, right?"
"Yes, exactly," I confirmed, answering her smile with a bit of a tired one of my own. "Thank you."
I proceeded to head downstairs to the foyer, opening the door. Yup, it was Tadaaki standing on the other side, though for a second I forgot that he hasn't been dying his hair, so the darker hair confused me for a short moment. He also still seemed to sport the glasses, for some reason. However, besides the hair and the spectacles, the first thing that caught my attention was the band-aid on his nose.
"...Damn, what happened to you?" I asked.
He frowned a bit. "You're the one to talk with the corner of your eye and all."
I chuckled quietly. "Yeah, guess you're right."
I glanced behind me, thought for a bit, and motioned Tadaaki to take a step back. As he did that, I also stepped outside, and closed the door. A bit of privacy was what I was looking for, though now I regret not taking a coat with me.
First things first, Tadaaki dug my phone out of his pocket, handing it to me. "Here."
I took it, taking a second to examine it, and another second to look at the phone charm Ui had given me as a Christmas present. It's just a phone charm, but it's from Ui, so I'm glad it wasn't lost forever. Anyway, I now had the chance to ask my questions.
"Where the hell did you find this?" I asked, meaning the phone.
Tadaaki snorted with a small, dry smile, glancing at the road. "Well, I wasn't the one to find it. Someone else at the party did. He was wondering how much it would sell for... Damn lucky for me to spot it in his hands to begin with."
Oh, so it might've slipped out of my pocket... most likely during that fight.
"And?" I asked him to elaborate, as I suspected there was something more.
"...And, after politely asking him to give it back—" he muttered, and rubbed his eye. He was subtly showing off his bruised knuckles, which may also explain that band-aid on his nose. "—I left the party before I would get kicked out. That's about it."
"Okay... Thanks, man," I said sincerely.
He nodded. "Sure."
Another question: "...You knew I was here, right? Why didn't you come here right after to give my phone back?"
Tadaaki grinned a bit, slipping his hands into his coat's pockets. "You seemed to leave in a hurry, not stopping even when I yelled after you, so I guess it must've been really important for you to get here. I didn't want to disturb you and that Hirasawa gal, so I decided to wait until tomorrow."
I frowned, blushing a bit. "H-Hey, it wasn't like that, our other friends are here, too!"
"...Oh?" he uttered in surprise, raising his eyebrows, and glancing elsewhere. "I just thought it'd be only natural, you know?"
First Ritsu, and now you? Am I really that bad at being a boyfriend? Though, I mean, we had that time for ourselves early this morning, but still... Wait, there was something else in his words.
"...Hold on, you yelled after me?" I asked.
He nodded, a bit amused. "Yeah. The other guy and I were in front of the house, a bit further away. You took off almost running in the other direction, not caring about me at all."
...Oh? The drunk me must've been really determined to get to Ui's place.
His amusement died down quickly, however. "...Though, I managed to spot how bruised the corner of your eye was, so after I got done with the guy, I headed back inside to find out what had happened. I didn't even need to ask anyone, as few of the people were talking about it out loud. That's also when I found your phone."
He glanced at me, fixing his glasses a bit. "Oh, by the way, the guy you were drinking with—"
"—Was the party's host," I interrupted him by completing his sentence. "Yeah, I figured it out when he stepped in to stop the fight. At the end of the day, a pretty cool guy."
"Oh, totally, having you drink almost half-a-bottle of whiskey and all," Tadaaki said sarcastically, and glanced at the front door. "You, uh, managed to behave yourself here, or what?"
Should I tell him about Ui finding my knife...? No, definitely not. Tadaaki was the one to ask me to bring it along, so it'd only make him feel bad. That's not what I want.
I sighed, tilting my head backwards. "You wouldn't believe the drinker's remorse I have right now... The gals probably won't stop picking on me for the rest of the year. You know... do me a favor: The next time I'm about to do something that stupid, punch me in the face, okay?"
He laughed at my answer. "Okay, it's a promise."
I slipped my hands into my hoodie's pockets, shivering because of the cold. Gotta finish this conversation if I don't want to be sick for the rest of my vacation.
"Oh, right, how did it go with that guy?" I asked.
He shrugged, leaning against the wall next to the door. "Well, after he threw up, we had a smoke and talked for, I don't know, fifteen minutes or so about life and such. His father wasn't very nice, he got temporarily expelled for beating up a teacher, and so on... He also had a lot to say about Tsukuda."
He turned to look at me, looking pretty confident. "He's not very popular, it seems. The guy kept going on about how he thought the whole gang thing would be serious, but it's not. No structure, no plans, not even matching clothes or anything. It's just anarchy, and Tsukuda's sitting on the throne, barking orders. But, as we figured out, he controls them with fear, so everyone just kinda puts up with his shit."
I drew air, my breath trembling due to the cold. "Meaning?"
"Meaning, our gamble was spot on. Just gotta prove to them that he's not immortal," he explained, and flashed his mischievous grin. "And we're going to do that soon. I got the guy's phone number, you see."
Huh, no shit? "So, we're on, or what?"
Tadaaki shook his head. "Not just yet... If we set up a meeting, the lot of them are gonna show up there. Just the three of us won't be looking too threatening, so there's still the possibility that we'd all get jumped. So, I'm gonna gather a crew."
"A crew?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in confusion.
He smirked at me. "Yup. Gonna ask around, see if anyone else has a bone to pick with them. They wouldn't need to throw fists, but just stand there menacingly. Hope is, if there's a lot of us, it wouldn't turn into an all-out fight, and we'd be able to have that one-on-one 'conversation' with Tsukuda."
"...Dude," I muttered in disbelief, and couldn't help but grin. "You're a fucking magician."
"Sure, sure," he chuckled. "Anyway, you're starting to turn blue. Also, I'd like to have that breakfast now."
It was my cue to open the door, and we headed inside. Taking his shoes and coat off, we were walking up the stairs. On our way to the second floor, I realized to ask something.
"What's up with the glasses, by the way?"
"Oh, these? I just got so used to them, I didn't even think about it when I woke up half-an-hour earlier. I just put them on, and realized it only a few minutes later, when I was already on my way here," he chuckled.
We got to the living room, where – to my amusement – the others couldn't recognize Tadaaki with his current appearance. Tamiko was quick to blame him for allowing me to get so drunk, and he apologized. Yui, on the other hand, was more open towards him, as 'he wasn't a hooligan anymore'. After Tadaaki had his breakfast and the both of us had some of Ui's amazing coffee, we started preparing for visiting the nearby shrine. Ui got dressed in a kimono, looking rather pretty. Guess I let my thoughts show too much, as the others jokingly picked on me for blushing so noticeably. Moments later we were at the shrine, praying, and making our wishes. As my standing with the gods wasn't that good, I only made a half-assed wish to spend the rest of my life with Ui.
Overall, it was a rather unique New Year, maybe one I won't be fondly remembering, but one can't change his past, so I should just accept it and learn from my mistakes. The third semester would be starting soon, meaning I'd have to attend those classes held by the school advisor, where we'd be going over finding a job or education. That, luckily, wouldn't have to last too long, as Ui's parents would be returning from the 'work-related' trip in a week or so, meaning I'll finally have a chance to ask Ui's dad for a job recommendation. I should prepare for it mentally. But, besides all that, the guys and I still have this mess to deal with. Hopefully it won't backfire.
...
Strange, but the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking about that nightmare I had.
It felt so real, like a memory.