"Sometimes, it's not the silence that feels empty… it's the missing voice you're used to hearing." 🌫️
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"Are you... are you okay now?" Hori whispered. Her face was very close to his face.
Kento looked at her. He saw how much she cared for him in her pink eyes. Even though he was tired, he made a small smile. "Yeah. Honestly... if a girl as pretty as you is staying by my side... how could I stay in pain for long?"
Hori's face changed from being scared to looking flat and annoyed, but her ears turned a little bit red. "You were just groaning like you were dying and you still want to flirt? You are unbelievable, Kento."
"I can't help it," Kento said softly. He was still a bit shaky. "It just happens when I'm around you."
Hori sighed, but she did not move away. "Seriously, where was the pain? Exactly where?"
Before Kento knew what was happening, Hori reached out. Because she was so worried, she forgot about being shy. She grabbed the bottom of Kento's school shirt and pulled it straight up to see his side.
Kento's heart almost jumped out of his chest. The cool air hit his skin. His face turned a bright red color, redder than a tomato.
"H-Hori!" he squeaked. His voice broke like a little kid's.
Hori did not look up yet. She was looking closely at his ribs, trying to see if there was a bruise or a red mark. "What? I am just checking for—" She stopped. Her brain finally realized what she was doing. She looked up and saw Kento's wide, terrified, and very embarrassed eyes looking back at her.
They stayed like that for a moment. It was totally silent. Kento's shirt was pulled up, his body was showing a little, and Hori was leaning in so close she could hear his heart beating fast.
"Hori..." Kento whispered. His voice was trembling. "My... my shirt."
"What about it?" Hori asked. Her voice was very small. Her face was starting to turn as red as his.
SLAM!
The door opened with a very loud bang.
"Hey! The Lawyer says it is time for the lazy kids to move their—" Shido stopped talking. His mouth fell open. His light blue eyes went very wide as he saw them on the bed.
"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Shido let out a high, loud scream like a girl in a movie. He quickly put his hands over his eyes, but he kept his fingers open a little bit so he could still see. "MY EYES! My innocent, pure eyes! What are you two doing in broad daylight?! This is a respectable household! There are parents downstairs! Have you no shame?!".
"It's not what it looks like!" Hori screamed. Her face turned a very deep red. She let go of the shirt as if it were a hot stove. "I was just checking his—I mean, he said—"
Then it got even crazier. Heavy footsteps ran up the stairs. Mrs. Kamitani ran into the room looking very worried. "What happened?! I heard Shido screaming—"
She stopped. She saw Shido covering his eyes, Hori looking like she wanted to disappear, and Kento...
Kento could not handle it anymore. The embarrassment and the pain were too much. His brain just stopped working. His eyes rolled back, his face stayed bright red, and he fell backward onto his pillow. He had passed out because he was so overwhelmed.
"KENTO!" Hori cried out. She grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him. "Wake up! Please don't die because you're embarrassed! I'm sorry!"
Shido fell to his knees on the floor. He threw his arms up in the air like a drama actor. "Kento! My brother! Don't leave me! Don't die before you explain what I just saw! It was too much for my soul to handle!"
"KENTO!" Mrs. Kamitani yelled too. She ran to the bed. Everyone was screaming his name at the same time. The room was full of noise and panic.
After all the shouting and the drama, things finally calmed down—mostly because Kento was still fast asleep and couldn't hear Shido's teasing anymore.
Mrs. Kamitani shooed them both out of the room so Kento could rest. Shido and Hori walked down the stairs, though Hori was still looking at the floor, her face still a little bit pink from what happened.
"Alright, we're leaving!" Shido called out as they reached the front door. He grabbed his umbrella and his school bag, looking as energetic as ever.
Mr. Kamitani looked up from his papers. "Finally. Make sure you get Hori to school safely. And Shido—try to behave."
"No promises, Dad!" Shido laughed. He looked over at Hori, who was putting on her shoes very quietly. "Ready to go, 'Nurse' Hori?"
Hori gave him a sharp look, but she didn't have the energy to argue. She just sighed and nodded. "Let's just go before we're actually late."
They stepped out of the house and into the cool, rainy morning. Shido opened his umbrella with a loud pop, and they started walking down the wet street.
"First stop, Tamiko's house," Shido said, swinging his bag. "I can't wait to tell her why we're late. She's going to love the story about Kento's 'stomach' ache."
"Shido, if you say one word about that, I will never speak to you again," Hori threatened, though she knew it probably wouldn't stop him.
The two of them walked away from the Kamitani house, disappearing into the gray mist of the rain as they headed toward their friend's home.
"You know, Hori," Shido said with a big, evil grin. "This is big news. Huge news! I think the whole group chat needs to know what I saw today. I can already see the headlines: Famous Actress Caught in Room with Sick Boy!"
Hori's face turned bright red again. "Shido! No! Please don't tell anyone!" she pleaded, waving her hands in the air. "I'll do anything! Just please, don't say a word to the others."
Shido stopped walking for a second. He looked at her with a curious look. "Anything? Do you really mean that?"
Hori nodded quickly. "Yes! Anything!"
Shido laughed loudly. "Fine, fine. I won't tell... for now. But I am going to take my time to think of a very good favor." He started walking again, looking very pleased with himself.
He looked up at the gray sky and let out a long sigh. "Man, the weather is so bad. The school should have just closed today. Who wants to study when it's pouring like this?"
Hori looked at the rain and shook her head. "You know that's not how it works, Shido. Rain is common in Tokyo. We can't just stop our lives for a little water."
"I guess you're right," Shido muttered. He kicked a small stone on the ground. "If Kento were here, he would probably say something even more dramatic. He'd be like, 'What if a giant tsunami comes and washes the school away?'"
Hori laughed at the impression. It sounded exactly like Kento. But then, her laugh slowly faded away. Her smile turned into a sad look. "It feels... really lonely without him, doesn't it?"
Shido nodded. He wasn't teasing anymore. "Yeah. It's weird. This is the first time he has skipped school since we were in middle school. It feels like something is missing."
"Do you really think he is okay?" Hori asked quietly.
Shido went back to his nagging tone to hide his own worry. "Oh, he's probably fine! Maybe he just ate something bad. Or even worse—maybe he just had a really bad leg cramp and he's being a baby about it!"
"Shido! Don't say such mean things!" Hori scolded him, hitting his arm lightly.
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" Shido laughed, but he nodded.
As they walked past the main road, Shido saw a few expensive cars driving past. Inside were students from other schools being dropped off right at the gates. He looked at the cars, then looked at Hori.
"Hey, Hori? Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," she replied.
"I mean, you are a famous actress. Everyone knows who you are. Your parents are super rich, right?" Shido asked, looking confused. "So why do you always walk to school in the rain? Why don't you just have a driver take you in a fancy car?"
Hori stopped walking.
Shido took a few more steps before he realized she wasn't beside him anymore. He turned around and saw her standing a few feet back, looking at her shoes. "Why did you stop?"
Hori looked up. Her expression was serious. "Even though I work as an actress, my parents want me to live a normal life. Just like everyone else. They don't want me to grow up being arrogant or pampered by fancy things."
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SNEAK PEEK LINES đź’¬
"Oh my god, Shido! You look like a sad, blue-haired drowned rat! Look at your face!"
"Helping you is more important, Grandma. Besides, I can study while the rice steams."
— With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya đź’«