・・・ xiii ・・・
That was not the only question he had in his head.
Why are you here?
Why are you doing this?
Why did you suddenly appear?
Why now?
Why like this?
Why aren't you saying anything?
Why? Why? Why? Why?
"—Get away from him already."
But... what about Rie?
He inhaled sharply.
He tried to steady himself by thinking of the ticking clock again.
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
"—Ao," the boy said quietly.
He jolted.
Stop calling my name so easily.
With a shaky exhale, he clenched his fists in a tight grip.
He pretended to act fine by forcing a blank look.
It's okay.
"You're okay."
Very slowly, Ao decided to finally face him.
When he did, he was surprised to see that the boy had a pained look on his face.
All of a sudden,
Ao felt his expression crack.
Why are you like this?
He parted his mouth reluctantly.
His voice was trembling as he finally whispered his name.
"... Leo."
・・・ xiv ・・・
—Kusakabe Leo.
That was his full name.
A name that Ao remembered so well.
A name that Ao had tried his best to forget.
For a moment, all he could do was look at him.
Ah... you're taller than me now...
Aside from his height, Leo still looked like the Leo he had known from before.
The same familiar face.
The same familiar eyes.
The same familiar voice.
Nothing had changed.
Yet everything had.
Leo tilted his head slightly to one side.
It was a habit that Ao recognized whenever he felt uneasy.
Hesitantly, he offered a small, strained smile.
"How... How are you?" he asked.
・・・ xv ・・・
Ah.
Why are you asking that question?
Why are you making that kind of face?
Why are you acting like you care now, after all this time?
Ao blinked, feeling a sudden wave of dread.
He could see that ocean of black swallowing him again.
No. No. No. No.
I need to get away.
I need to get away.
I need to get away.
—Vomit. I need to vomit.
He could not take it anymore.
He turned to look at Rie.
She had been quiet the entire time.
"... I'm going home," he rasped to her. His throat felt dry.
Without waiting for her to reply,
he turned around and began to walk in the other direction.
He could feel their gazes behind his back.
Don't run. Don't run.
He breathed out shakily. He could feel his hands trembling.
He looked up.
Around him, snow continued to fall.
Snow....
"But snow is just another form of rain, isn't it?"
He closed his eyes for a few seconds.
...I want to disappear.