IT'S BEEN A WHILE NOW and after resting, Chifuyu stood up to stretch. "You ready to go?" He asked as you were putting your shoes on.
You didn't respond, but you noticed how red your wrist was with a visible handprint.
Chifuyu must've noticed. "Sorry... Does it still hurt?" He came over to you.
"...No." You shook your head, quickly brushing it off and adjusting your shoes, before picking up your bag as well.
"Hm?" Your eyes noticed something on the floor. It was the box cutter you threw earlier.
You reluctantly picked it up and put it back to your pocket.
The moment you looked up after, you saw a hand.
You raised a brow, staring up at Chifuyu, confused.
"I'd feel better knowing you're right here with me in case you do anything rash." He said.
You sighed, shaking your head. "I'm not about to do anything like that again after what you did." You held your arm. "I know the effort you put in, and if you went that far to help me, then I'm... at least willing to listen."
"All right... I trust you, but just stay close to me, okay?" Chifuyu didn't want to overstep his boundaries, but he was still worried that you really might do something when he wasn't keeping his eye on you.
He walked over to the door, opening it and looking at you expectantly.
Without a word, you walked ahead of him, taking the stairs down first before he did.
Chifuyu internally sighed, thinking back to what happened just a few minutes ago.
I didn't think I would end up confessing like that... What the hell's wrong with me? He felt his face burn up a little.
In that moment, he felt genuine fear when he thought he was going to lose you. If even for a second his grip loosened, you might've really fell and died.
That fear he felt hit him ― he was in love.
For how long though? He didn't even have time to think about love, not with anything going on with Toman, or with you.
It's a miracle that he kept a straight face and didn't clam up during it. He even wondered how he managed it.
In the middle of it, he switched it to "everyone" in a lame attempt to cover his actual confession.
Hopefully she buys it, or it's going to be embarrassing as hell. He sighed, finally making his way down the stairs.
The two of you walked in silence, with Chifuyu trying to make conversation every now and then, though he could tell you weren't much in a mood to talk.
It was odd to see you like this, like you had resigned or accepted your fate.
But in a way, he was also a little happy that you gave life another chance.
Soon, you were at your house.
Even though it shouldn't be a surprise, the house still looked the same the last time he was here.
"Well, um..." You turned back to Chifuyu, averting your gaze nervously. "Sorry about today." You lifted your gaze to meet his. "I'll... see you next time. Bye."
Just as you were heading in, he stopped you.
"Isn't it dangerous for you to stay here when... well..." His eyes glanced over at the broken windows. Even the door was still slightly off its hinges. "Are you gonna be okay?"
You looked back at the house, which indeed looked broken down in some areas, before turning back to him. "The neighbourhood is fairly safe. I heard they strengthened securities around here, so I should be fine." You shrugged it off.
"Really? I don't feel safe knowing you live like this..." Chifuyu frowned, but then it was replaced by a look of excitement. "Hey, let's go somewhere together."
"Huh? But..." It was your turn to frown.
"I... know I was a horrible friend, so I want to make it up to you." He sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Remember when I said after we beat Tenjiku, we should go somewhere? Now is the perfect time so... let me cheer you up, [Last Name]-chan." Chifuyu smiled warmly at you.
You blinked for a moment, before sighing, turning your back on him and walking to the house "...I'll put my bag first."
Meanwhile Chifuyu did a fist-pumped in celebration.
After that, the two of you went over to Chifuyu's place so he could put his bag away too.
He got on his bike, looking over to you. "Just to make sure, you're not gonna jump off the bike, are you?" He asked.
You plopped yourself on the bike behind him, "Of course not." You remarked. "It's not going to do me any good."
Chifuyu started the engine, and it started going to... wherever he had in mind.
"You're being paranoid today." You commented.
"Could you blame me? You did try to jump off a roof."
"Oh..." You were a little speechless at his reply. "Sorry, I'm... a bother, aren't I? I made you worry about someone like me."
Chifuyu seemed surprised, as he suddenly turned his head to you. "Don't say that!"
In turn, you were startled by his actions and you shook his shoulder, "Hey, eyes on the road!"
"Woah!" Chifuyu looked back and just barely swerved past some junk on the side of the road.
You breathed a sigh of relief. "You―... Geez, what's up with you? It's like you're not yourself."
"Haha... Sorry." He chuckled, apologising before his smile faded. You just tried to kill yourself. How can I not be worried? He thought bitterly. "You're not being a bother, okay? Even if you were, I don't mind." He honestly said.
"You're not saying that just to comfort me, are you?" Your hand that was on his shoulder slipped down to his back, and you placed your forehead there. As your eyes closed, you quietly whispered. "...You're so kind like that."
Chifuyu's body stiffened up when he felt your touch. He sucked in his breath, his mind (and heart) stopped working in that moment.
He couldn't even process anything until you suddenly let go.
"Ahem... Sorry." You awkwardly cleared your throat.
"Uh... it's fine." Still somewhat in a daze, he had to force himself to focus as he was driving. Though, he found difficulty to forget whatever he had felt before.
In place of the silence, your eyes wandered the place. It had only been a while, but it seemed like you were going away from the town.
It was hard to tell where exactly you were going though, since you never took walks beyond the town or anywhere as far as where you were heading.
You decided not to be that person who asks if you were there yet, and stayed quiet, enjoying the cool breeze.
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Soon, the moving stopped and you opened your eyes, seeing Chifuyu getting off the bike.
You followed suit.
"Where are we?" You asked.
It looked like a small hill with a slope leading up. The path is covered in stones and overgrown grass. It doesn't look very remarkable at first glance.
Chifuyu grinned smugly, visibly excited. "You'll see."
His vague but clearly enthusiastic tone had you very curious, as you followed him upwards.
"We'll be trekking up for a bit. The ground here is uneven and there's a lot of rocks, so be careful not to trip." He warned, his eyes paying attention to his feet.
By this time, it was already around 5 pm, so the sun has started to set, making the lack of light a little harder to look at where you were stepping on.
"Woah...!" Your foot stepped on one unsteady rock, which rolled down and you stumbled.
Then you felt a grip on your forearm, and you realized that Chifuyu had caught you.
"Are you okay?" He asked, pulling you forward a little to balance yourself.
"Yeah... Thanks." You nodded.
He held out a hand, similar to how he did back at the roof. "Here, hold my hand." He said. "It rained earlier today, so this slope makes it easy to slip and fall."
"But what if I do fall? You're gonna come barrelling down this hill with me." You frowned at him.
"That'd be awesome, actually." He grinned, as if slightly intrigued.
"You're going to get dirt all over you." You deadpanned this time, hoping he listens.
"I've been through worse." He playfully rolled his eyes, still gesturing his hand out. Then, he gently spoke, his eyes becoming softer. "So, come on."
A part of you was still worried, but somehow, you couldn't refuse his offer.
You took his hand, but made sure to grasp onto his fingers.
Chifuyu felt his heart do a flip for a moment when you did.
Your touch felt gentle and soft, as if you were still worried about falling and taking him down with you. At the same time, your hold had some pressure to make sure you don't fall yourself.
His fingers gently squeezed yours, reassuring you as you both moved forward and upwards.
While you walked, Chifuyu kept looking back to make sure you didn't trip a second time, but your head was entirely facing down, focusing on your feet instead.
His eyes trailed to your hands ― or rather, fingers ― that were holding.
He had to quickly face back to the front when he felt his face turn hot.
I can't believe I'm getting so embarrassed at just holding hands. He bit his bottom lip, letting a sigh slip out and continuing to trek.
At the top, the sun is visibly shown in front of you, turning the skies red and orange. You felt as if a big, warm light engulfed you as you bathed in that view.
"Amazing, right?" Chifuyu murmured, basking in the same sunlight as you.
He suddenly tugged you forward, bringing you closer up while you sprinted to keep up with his pace.
Once there, you could see the view below, which was a view of the entire town.
"Oh, they've started to turn on the streetlights." Chifuyu commented, seeing some lights shining faraway.
Before you could even reply, he quickly pointed at another thing. "Look, there's the building I live in." His eyes squinted, "It looks boring compared to other buildings though." Then, he turned to you, "Anything that stands out to you?"
"Um..." You carefully scrutinised the town, seeing lots of places you were familiar with. "I see the school where I almost killed myself, I guess." You flat out stated.
"No, I mean..." Chifuyu looked mildly uncomfortable as he spoke. "See any places with happy memories?"
You looked again, "I see... the shrine."
"Shrine?"
"The Musashi Shrine, where..." Your voice quietened, your mind feeling oddly calm. "Where I met all of you."
Chifuyu turned to search your face, which was blank, but somehow... soft.
"There's the road I always walk, and the convenience store where we met a second time." You pointed at each place. "I see the restaurant my aunt used to take me."
"And then there's the park... Oh, I can see the beach too."
You turned to Chifuyu, pointing at another place but stopped when you realized he was staring back.
"Were you listening to what I said?" You asked.
Chifuyu's eyes widened a bit, and he faced the front, his face a little flushed. "Yeah, I was." He said. "I was just thinking that you look happy."
"...Was I happy?" You asked again, raising a brow.
"That's the feeling I got." He smiled, his words laced with confidence.
You mused, guessing that you were sort of happy, seeing as you were pointing out places with good memories.
Your eyes then noticed the hospital, where your aunt stayed.
"Auntie's still... hospitalised." You murmured.
Chifuyu placed a hand on your shoulder. "She's going to be okay, [Last Name]-chan. Your aunt's strong, she'll get through this." He smiled. "You just gotta believe and wait."
"You're right... but..." You closed your eyes, your breathing shaky. "Is it... going to be my fault if she doesn't survive?"
He looked surprised for a second. "No, it's not." Chifuyu asserted. "No one could've predicted what happened."
You didn't respond. "...Also, I'm... sorry about what I said to you at the hospital." You turned to him. "You were only trying to help me and yet I... was just putting the blame on meeting you."
Chifuyu's gaze teared away from yours. "I admit, I was hurt, but it doesn't matter now." He tried to smile, though it didn't look very convincing. "I mean, you feel bad, right? That's enough for me."
"You―..." Your face looked visibly shocked, but then you turned away, clenching your shaking fists.
"[Last Name]-chan?" Chifuyu looked at you, puzzled.
"No, it's nothing. Forget it." You turned away, sighing.
The subject was dropped after that, and while the silence would either be mistaken for awkward or comfortable, the two of you just opted to enjoy the scenery.