The more I write them, the more Amiki and Olesa feel like necessary but peripheral characters. They, for the lack of a better term, act as a communications relay between Kanamomo and reality.
“Shuttub.” Olesa sniffed audibly.
Momomi blinked. “You mean you really are sick?”
“You don’t say,” Olesa managed, massaging her throat. “I feel terrible. Hopefully you’ll catch it.”
“Well, what the hell did you think?” Amiki asked. “That Shion put us up to it? Do you seriously believe we’d go along with one of her schemes and miss the chance to scrounge off you for a day?”
Momomi considered this. “Well, when you put it that way, you’re right. It was a pretty foolish assumption on my part.”
“Okay, so we hammed it up a bit. But she’s got a bad cold, so bear that in mind!” Amiki folded her arms righteously.
“I’d like to point out that you’re almost certainly going to catch it as well,” Kaname observed, looking up from her food. “Especially if you have been by her side all day.”
“Yeah, yeah. Well, I’ll just sneeze all over you when that happens, so don’t be too glad.”
“What brought this on, anyway?” Momomi inquired. “It was no colder out than this week than before. It was pretty mild, actually.”
“It’s a phallacy thab…” Olesa coughed, clearing her throat. “It’s a fallacy that the common cold is caused by low temperatures. They can weaken the immune system. Probably just chance.”
“It isn’t just her, either,” Amiki said. “Several other students as well, in our year alone. It’ll be all over school in a week.”
“We go for a day, and look what happens.” Momomi sighed. “Perhaps we should spend the rest of the week outside the school as well.”
Kaname looked up again. “That reminds me. 1vs1 or 2vs2?”
Amiki frowned. “What are you babbling about now?”
“Starcraft.”
“Can you start making sense now?”
“4b4.” Olesa sniffed again. “Mostly.”
“Damn.” Kaname turned away.
Momomi frowned. “Is it me, or is Olesa even more taciturn than usual? I didn’t even know that was possible.”
“Shuttub.”
“In any case, aren’t we all getting a little off-topic?” Shion remarked innocently. “How was your dat- day, you two?”
Freudian slip? Yeah, right…Momomi folded her arms in her best imitation of Kaname’s pose. “Not yet. First of all, how was your day of hard work with the school play?”
“Very productive, thank you very much. I achieved quite a lot in a short space of time.” Shion smiled. “I suppose it’s just proof of what you can do if you really put your mind to it.”
“You know, I’m not above a little deception myself from time to time…” Momomi began.
Kaname looked up from her meal again. “But there should be limits to barefaced lying, really.”
“It’s hard to believe that I almost missed you guys.” Shion shrugged. “Well, in point of fact, I did spent some time working on the school play, actually. I can’t spend all day on the phone to Isae, after all.” She threw the last sentence in with an air of casualness, but there was pride there, Momomi knew.
“It sounded like you could,” Kaname remarked. “You sounded like you intended to be there all day, anyway.”
“Well, it was only for a couple of hours, actually.”
“A couple of hours?”
“It’s been about a year since I saw her last, Kenjou-kun,” Shion reminded her.
“More to the point, shouldn’t she have been in school?” Momomi asked. “And yet you talked for several hours… that most be one casual system.”
“She said she was in bed with a cold, so she was glad of the distraction,” Shion replied. “I suppose it’s a very small world. Though she didn’t sound anything like Perez-san…”
“I wonder.” Momomi looked down at her dinner, skewering another chip. Western-style today. “How did it go, anyway?”
“Oh, pretty well, you know.” Shion’s voice sounded dangerously modest. “We talked about some things, just catching up, and I heard some more about her school and home life. She said she’d like to hear from me again, so I should probably do this more often. Even if it comes to a formidable expense.”
It’s pretty amazing that someone who collates information on an entire school, scores highly in all her lessons and runs a school play on the side considers all those things normality but takes pride in a simple call to an old friend. Momomi’s lips twitched into a smile at the thought. I guess this is what you get when you do well at a difficult thing. And what exactly is difficult varies from person to person, of course…but it’s an interesting thing. It’s pretty hard to take pride in easy victories and mediocrity. That satisfaction’s reserved for overcoming difficult things in life.
“IM,” Olesa pronounced, as if delivering a great truth to a hitherto-unenlightened world. She sniffed and shut her mouth with a sense of finality, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing her nose in a ladylike way.
“You should use instant messaging,” Amiki translated. “This is the age of technology, after all. That way you can have frequent conversations without any more expense than your internet provision, which, of course, is part of this school’s obnoxiously high term fees.”“She didn’t even bat an eye,” Kaname observed.
“You have a point, but my darling Isae is quite computer illiterate,” Olesa explained. “Perhaps I’ll suggest it to her, all the same. But the phone calls are nice; they feel more human somehow. It’s good to hear the sound of her voice.”
“You’re sounding very lovesick, Shion-senpai.” Momomi gave her an innocent look. “Have you agreed to meet yet?”
“Not yet, no. Someone hasn’t passed their exams yet.”
“You’re just looking for an excuse, and you know it.”
“In any case, I was going to ask you before,” Shion said sweetly. “How did your date go?”
“I guess I walked into that,” Momomi admitted. “But it was all your fault anyway.”
“More importantly, that wasn’t a date!” Kaname insisted, glaring at an amused-looking Amiki. “We just went out and did stuff together, that’s all!”
Amiki put her chin on her hand and cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Isn’t that what a date is?”
“Yes, but we didn’t do date-like things, so it’s completely different. I mean, all we did was eat in some restaurants and go clothes shopping and stuff like that. It’s not like we kissed or anything.”
“Just give up, Kaname,” Momomi said tiredly. “I don’t think your helping our cause.”
“Her cause, you mean?” Amiki challenged. “Even so, that definitely sounds like a date to me.”
“We were just doing stuff because you guys didn’t turn up,” Kaname said, her face wooden. “That’s all. It’s not like we kissed or anything. I’ve no idea why you three went to all this bother, anyway? Well, not that I’m complaining, you can all be pretty annoying.”
“How dense.” Olesa held out a hand and Amiki passed her a glass of water.
“Don’t take me too seriously, Kenjou-kun.” Shion cut into her battered fish. “I was just teasing you. Has anyone ever told you that you’re remarkably easy to tease?”
“Momomi,” Kaname replied, leaning back and folding her arms. “Once every five minutes.”
Amiki rolled her eyes. “Figures.”
“In any case, what did you do?” Shion asked. “Kenjou-kun’s initial account was rather garbled.”
“She got most of it, all the same.” Momomi shrugged. “We had breakfast, we shopped for some clothes, we had lunch, we shopped for more clothes, and shoes as well, then we then we went to the bookshop. A fairly typical girl’s day out.”
“There’s no such thing if one of the supposed girls is Kaname,” Amiki muttered.
Kaname snorted. “God, that’s pissing me off by now…”
“You didn’t take offence at those comments, did you?” Momomi asked. She smiled. “Don’t worry, you’re a very beautiful girl, okay? You’re fine the way you are.”
Kaname blushed furiously. “You don’t have to tell me that, it’s not like I don’t know. And I wouldn’t pay attention even if I thought anything like that, so don’t get too enthusiastic about giving your opinion-”
“Dishonest.”
Amiki rolled her eyes when everyone looked at her. “Oh, come on! You all know exactly what she means. Now you’re just trying to piss me off.”
“Well, I don’t know,” Kaname remarked, trying to sound angry. “Do tell.”
“Oh, for God’s sake… you enjoyed the compliment, but you have to pretend you didn’t. That’s obvious to all of us.”
“What kind of thing is that to say? I-”
“Let’s move on, shall we?” Shion said pleasantly, before the argument could escalate. “Did you find any good clothes, Kiyashiki-san?”
“Quite a few, actually It was very fun. There are a lot of clothes shops there. That’d be because of this school, right?”
Shion nodded. “Of course. It’s a very popular weekend destination for more social students than- well, us. But a lot of my acquaintances go there, mostly because there’s nowhere else we’re allowed to go unless you have really important business.”
“Well, when you look around that town, you can tell. Not that I’m complaining or anything.” Momomi flicked a strand of her hair out of her eyes. “Well, I need to start getting out more often, otherwise I won’t get nearly enough wear out of all these casual clothes I brought.”
“Perhaps weekend trips?”
“And you guys can come this time, instead of slacking off,” Kaname snapped, arms folded.
“We don’t want to intrude on you two,” Amiki replied, eyes half closed.
“In any case, I was thinking about starting now, but I’m stuck here thanks to the damn school rules.” Momomi sighed. “The curfew is archaic, dictatorial and above all, way too early. I wanted to see a movie.”
“Which one?” Kaname asked suspiciously. “Not the romance one?”
“The romance one, of course. What did you think I wanted to see? The Bourne… what are we on now? I forget.”
“Now that might actually be worth seeing.”
Momomi rolled her eyes. “Fine. We can see that another time, then. But right now, you have to take my orders, remember? Just accept it quietly, like a good little servant.”
“Now that’s an unusual hobby,” Amiki murmured. “Your tastes run that way, is it?”
“Tch. Fine. But I’ll hold you to that promise, as well.”
Amiki snorted. “Now the fetishists are ignoring me. I’m going back to my food.”
“In any case, does anyone know how to get back into the school after curfew?” Momomi considered this sentence then amended it. “Without being caught, I mean. If I wanted to, I could knock on the gates and be sent to the Church for another month.”
“And we haven’t even done a fraction of the first month yet,” Amiki observed, sighing. “God, but what a bother that was… are they really going to hold us to all four weeks? That’s twenty-eight days, and a few more!”
Kaname stopped eating again for a moment. “Thank you, our resident mathematician.”
“In any case, trying to break curfew is something of a risk,” Shion said. “Are you sure? Can’t you see it tomorrow?”
“Well, guess what… my afternoon is booked up writing someone’s script and cleaning someone else’s Church.”
“The weekend, then?”
“That’s way too late,” Momomi replied. “It has to be today.”
“And you don’t mind being caught? The risk is always there, you know.”
“I’d survive. I might begin to miss the Church after a whole month where cleaning it’s become routine.”
“Both of you?” Shion asked pointedly.
Kaname snorted. “Do you think I’m scared of a bunch of annoying nuns?”
Amiki checked behind her opposite almost intuitively, but there was no one there.
“And most importantly, would you cover for a certain kindly senpai instead of implicating her if you were caught?”
“Just what are you suggesting now?” Kaname demanded suspiciously. Momomi, quicker on the uptake, just nodded.
Shion beamed. “Then I’m free to say provide advice without inhibitions, or moral responsibility.”
“I’m not sure morality is quite that convenient…” Amiki muttered.
“So, what do we do?”
Shion leaned forwards, checking to make sure that no one was listening in before she spoke again. “Now, obviously, going out isn’t a problem, we’re not under curfew yet, and you have a few more hours. But if you want to watch a film, and perhaps do some more, then you’re right, you don’t have enough time. Especially accounting for the journey too and from town.”
Momomi nodded. “So what do we do?”
“The first thing is to look after your room. They check them, of course. First of all, you should turn out all the lights, then pad the beds. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that really does work if you do it well, with poor light and an impatient sister who wants to see what she expects to see.” Shion frowned, counting off on her fingers. “Is that it for the room? No, and lock the door on your way out. They’ll only use their keys past curfew, and even then they probably won’t bother.”
“I… see.” Momomi nodded.
“After that, you have to get back in. The first obstacle is the outer bounds of the school. The main gate is a bad place, because there are lots of cameras there. It’s no good escaping the sisters if you leave that kind of evidence. The wall itself is pretty impenetrable, except in one location…” Shion sighed. “I wish I had my laptop here. Then I could show you things more clearly.”
“Don’t wish for that, really. You’re scaring me enough as it is,” Kaname said. “What are you, a drugs smuggler?”
Shion just smiled sweetly. “In any case, it’s on the left side as you walk out, right as you come in. Thick ivy on the outside and a very climbable tree on the inside… it takes a lot of physical fitness, but you can do it. Kenjou-kun will be fine, I’m more worried about you, Kiyashiki-san.”
“Well, thanks,” Momomi replied, pouting.
“Don’t worry. I’ll look after her.”
“There’s a camera there, but it barely covers that point. Keep your face down and you’ll be fine, there’s a little leeway in staff attitudes. But that’s the easy part. The inner wall doesn’t have any cameras, simply because we didn’t pay this much to be stalked by cameras… considering the forest gets everywhere, it’s easy enough to climb a tree and jump over. It’s a bit of a drop, but you’ll manage. The main doors aren’t locked, but that’s because a sister periodically patrols the grounds around the Strawberry Dorms. But they’re huge, if you move quickly and quietly you’ll only be endangered about one trip in every five.”
“Right,” Momomi muttered.
“It will be dark inside, because the sisters patrol with torches if need be. This is why coming in just after the curfew has some advantages despite their increased visibility. It increases your visibility too. Of course, that’s useless in winter, like now. Luckily your room is near the stairs, so you have a chance of getting home free. Remember you’ve locked the door and opened it quickly. However, your chances of an encounter are high.” Shion gave her a serious look. “Indoors, though, you have an advantage. Keep your cool and say you left your Geography textbook in the classroom or whatever, and went to fetch it so you could study.”
“Both of us?” Kaname asked critically.
“That’s why it’s useful to invent a study date or somesuch. Work on your cover story and rehearse it. Ideally, you should have a different one for each possible place you could be caught.” Shion folded her arms and smiled brilliantly. “But that’s about it. That’s how you beat the system.”
Momomi stared for a long moment. “How do you know this?”
“Well, to be honest, it’s all past experience. I was quite the young tearaway in my first year.” Shion looked past them, reminiscencing. “I’d grown very used to an independent lifestyle with few questions asked from my parents… it took me quite some time to adapt. In the meantime, I used to break curfew for the hell of it. I always dragged Isae with me, too, and she’d always panic. She wasn’t good with getting caught. And, at first, we did get caught, an awful lot, so I worked it all out, from first to last. She said I was a genius. A mad one, but a genius, all the same…”
Momomi put her head in her hands. “No-one asked that. Well, I see. You’re always surprising, Shion-senpai. Now you’re one of the more officious students here.”
“Well, a true rebel isn’t a dogmatist,” Shion explained. “Once you’ve done something for a while, the correct thing to do is to rebel against your own counter-culture and do something completely different.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
Shion smiled. “Isn’t that the point? But bear in mind, an even easier way around the system is to come back before curfew. Sometimes fighting is harder. But I like people to have a range of options to choose from.”
“You’re all mad,” Amiki said, shaking her head. “Completely mad. Can’t you watch the film in the safety of your room on the computer like sane people?”
“That’s even less legal,” Momomi noted.
“The chances of you being caught are infinitesimally smaller.”
“Well, it sounds like it’d be a lot easier if we just let ourselves be caught,” Kaname said. “A lot less hassle, and probably a lot less trouble. We were out celebrating, lost track of time, and got back later. We’re very sorry. I mean, even the Sisters have to know we have something to appreciate right now, isn’t that a mitigating circumstance?”
“Now where’s the fun in that kind of thinking, Kenjou-kun?” Shion asked. “You’re not taking irresponsibility seriously.”
“She has a point, actually,” Momomi said. “I might go with that idea.”
“After I bequeathed you with the fruit of my many hard, nerve-wracking hours of research? You’re always so ungrateful…”
“It’s like you said, isn’t it?” Momomi teased. “Having a range of options to choose from?”
“People say that, Kiyashiki-san, but they really mean that you should pick one of their options,” Shion pointed out. “Really, everyone wants everything to go their way, but nothing’s that easy.”
“I know. Don’t be too dramatic about this.”
“How said anything about this?”
Olesa put her cutlery down with an air of formality. “We’ll be going.”
Amiki nodded and imitated her, standing and turning to follow her lady. “Well, good luck on your commando raid, or whatever. See you guys.”
Momomi checked her watch. “We’d better get a move on, too. Especially if we intend to go through with this.”
Kaname sighed. “You’re pushing a casual bet to the breaking point, you know.”
“Scared?”
“Not at all. It just sounds tiring.”
Shion smiled, standing herself and tucking her chair in. “In any case, I expect great things of you two. When you’re paying attention. See you.”
“Bye.” Momomi watched her go.
Kaname scowled. “Such a weird girl.”
“Well, it’s not like you can talk.”
They walked back to their room in a companionable silence, before Momomi opened the door and stepped through. She sat on her bed and sighed. “Right. We have an hour and a half to curfew, so if we both shower quickly, get dressed and go, we’ll still have enough time to retain the conceivable pretext of running some small errand. Buying… no, getting a refund on something. I’ll think about it.”
“You’re really going through with this?” Kaname asked.
Momomi shrugged and smiled. “Isn’t it a little interesting?”
“Let’s just say this wasn’t what I anticipated when you said things would be different afterwards, and we’d start to act in ways that would impress people.”
“Shouldn’t we make the most of this time, then?” Momomi frowned. “Call it a stag party, I guess. One last holiday from responsibility.”
“When you put it that way, I take your point.” Kaname sat opposite her, frowning. “You’ll enjoy this?”
Momomi nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak when faced with that soft, questioning tone, those gentle red eyes. “I suppose I want to have some memories, to make up for all that time when I was afraid of having anything precious.”
“What’s with the rush, though?” Kaname asked. “Wouldn’t that kind of thing make more sense if you were expecting to go home tomorrow or whatever?”
“I guess so,” Momomi admitted, smiling weakly. “Just trust me, okay? It’s something I want to do.”
Kaname snorted. “Well, I suppose that’s a decent reason. I’m not doing this for any stupid bet, either. But I’ll put up with it for your sake.”
Momomi nodded. “Thanks. It means a lot to me.”
Kaname looked away. “Don’t sound so serious. It doesn’t feel right…”
Momomi giggled. “You really can’t handle earnestness, can you? Oh, well. It’s fine. I’ll shower first. You start about Shion’s bed plan, can you?”
She walked into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning on it for a moment and closing her eyes. Then she stumbled through the motion of undressing, fingers moving awkwardly around the unfamiliar clothes. Finally, she stepped into the shower, feeling vaguely cleansed. Which is odd, as it was a cold day. I guess I just feel claustrophobic about being myself right now. Is that even possible? Does that make any sense? She turned on the tap, letting water run over her. It feels good. Both for the water itself, which eases my tiredness and tension, and because I can have a few minutes away from Kaname. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy today… no, it’s the opposite problem, I enjoyed it far too much. Even if it’s not real, even if there’s no meaning, imagining myself on a date with Kaname is far too seductive. I have to watch my every action, check my every word, practise that frustrating, fluttery dance… close enough to hint at my feelings, but not so close as to be endangered without hope of extrication. Like a moth to a flame. Even though I know the danger, I’m still drawn to her, as more than the friend she should be to me. I can’t help myself, I still have to act like this, teasing, probing and brushing up against the limits of my relationship…I understand I’m going to be burned, but I can’t help myself. To be able to drop my guard and think about my feelings, rather than husbanding them so jealously and controlling them so rigidly, I suppose that is a relief. That’s what eases my pain, even more than the water that cleanses my body. I just wish my soul was that easy to purify.
Momomi pulled her hair out of her eyes, trying not to sigh. It wouldn’t do to be heard. I’m sorry, Kaname. I really am. But ever since I become able to entertain the idea that I might like you…I haven’t been able to think about anything but that possibility. I wish I could describe it, even to myself. You’re not a very easy person to love. You’re brilliant and beautiful but you have a difficult personality, no social skills and a dangerously violent side. When I put it like that, it sounds stupid that anyone should ever like you at all. But you’re more than that. You’re tough and loyal and dependable and constantly surprising, sometimes protective, sometimes tactful, sometimes kind, there’s always a little bit more of yourself that you keep hidden from the world, and I feel like I’m the only person who gets to see these things in you. And you’re so vulnerable, and yet so strong. That doesn’t even make sense, but I guess none of this stuff does. It’s impossible to put into words, even in my head. I…like you. There’s really no more to it than that, but it’s something that haunts me, day and night. It’s a subtle but powerful thing, an absolute compulsion. I don’t know exactly what it is I want from you, but it’s more than just friendship. So much more. I don’t know anything about these things and neither do you, but it’s still you I want to learn with. What is it? Simple biology? A social thing? Or is it just something inevitable for me, who had no real friends, to fixate so absolutely to the first person that understands me? I don’t know. The more I think, the more I realise I don’t know anything at all.
But it comes down to this…the moth that flies to the flames has two choices. It can sit back and flutter, and let itself be lulled into a slow demise. Or it can fly forwards and embrace its destiny. I can’t keep this up forever. No, more than that, I don’t want to keep this up forever. I want this uncertain feeling to go away, one way or the other. That’s my favourite phrase now. One way or the other. You know I like someone and you don’t know who and it can’t be many people and I’ve never flat-out said that it isn’t you. I’ve dropped some broad hints and flirted fairly shamelessly, because I know I want her to know. It’s not something I can resist, it just feels right. Because she is that beautiful, she is that endearing, she is that precious to me, so why shouldn’t I tell her? Even if I say I don’t want things to change, that won’t happen. One day she’ll ask and if I lie I’ll be broken forever inside and if I tell the truth she’ll know and nothing will be the same, ever again. Once I’m done with my parents everything will be different…how naïve could I be? I’m the one who’s different, and my biggest fear is that Kaname’s the same. That’s why I have to tell her, and soon, so it’s at least on my own terms. I can worry about the moment and struggle with the words. I’ll have to force myself, so badly, because I’m so afraid, I’ve never been this scared about anything before…not even leaving this school. But I’m even more afraid that she’ll confront me herself, or worse, know and not say a word, too disgusted to talk about it. I couldn’t live with that, and I’m a coward, so I’ll take courage from me fear and say it. Otherwise it just feels like I’ll come to pieces inside. In all those thoughts, you don’t count, Kaname. I can’t bring myself to ask what you’d want, I’m busy with my own issues. So I’ll be imposing the best solution to my problems on you, and that might hurt you. I’m sorry. But that’s just an empty word. I won’t apologise. I swear, I won’t. No matter what happens, this can’t be helped. I don’t want to have to say sorry for it.
Kaname knocked on the wall. “Hey… you out yet?”Momomi blinked, recovering herself. “Not yet!” She repressed a feeling of irrational bitterness. Not even in the shower, is it? I wonder what it would be like, to be able to tell you anything without fear…
“Damn. Taking your sweet time, aren’t you? Are you sure you don’t want to collapse onto your bed instead?”
“I’m sure,” Momomi replied. “I’ve thought about it a lot, and I’m decided. It doesn’t matter if I’m a little tired.”
“Do you really want to see this film that much? How good can it be?”
“It’s hard to explain. I just think that this should be a special day. Even if I have to force myself.”
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Momomi could see her in her mind’s eye, sitting on her bed, resting her head against the wall, hugging her knees in that casual way and leaning back, perhaps, eyes on the ceiling, half-closed and languid. The whole thing was slumped, comfortable, lazy, and somehow heartbreakingly beautiful. “I guess it doesn’t. But it’s true, all the same. I want to memorise this day.”
“It makes me uneasy, though. You sound a lot of things, Momomi, but somehow, you don’t sound- happy. Just that affected enthusiasm you pass off as happiness sometimes.”
Momomi closed her eyes, not trusting herself to speak. Damn… since when was she this perceptive? Can’t you always be an oblivious blockhead for me, Kaname?
“It’s your family, isn’t it?”“What?” Momomi caught herself, and switched to a defensive tone. “What are you talking about? You don’t have to make up ridiculous pop-psychological theories-”
“You’ve been strange ever since you ran into your father. It’s not like I blame you or anything, but aren’t you just going this far to forget about him?”
“That’s ridiculous!” Momomi asserted. “It’s not like I care that much about that bastard…” I’m speaking sincerely, of course, but I know it’ll sound like a defensive gesture to her, that’s what she expects, so it’s still lying really. And it makes me feel sick of myself, but I don’t have the courage to do anything else.
“Yeah, yeah. Well, it’s your responsibility. If you’re sure, you’re sure. I’m not going to stop you from making your own mistakes, after all.” Kaname paused for a few moments, then spoke more quietly. “But I’m almost sure you’re worrying about something. If you want to, you can talk to me about it.”
“And then you can ignore the issue and call me an idiot for worrying about it, right?” Momomi teased. But the jibe felt half-hearted.
“Yeah, yeah. You like it really.”
Kaname left her statement hanging, creating a silence Momomi felt obliged to fill. “Well, I am worrying… but I can’t tell you just yet. I’m sorry.” Damnit! I just said I wouldn’t be sorry.
“That’s alright.”
“It is?”
“Wasn’t I the same before?” Kaname paused for a moment, and Momomi could see her shrugging. “I know you can look after yourself, so it’s fine.”
I wish that were true. I talk big about how I take care of you, but you’re the one protecting me when it really matters. It’s always been that way. But you can’t do that now. “I’ll tell you soon. That’s a promise.”
“Sure, whatever. Whatever it is, don’t lose any sleep over it, though. I can personally attest to the idiocy of over-thinking things, now can’t I?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m not quite as bad as you.”
It’s a promise, Kaname. Even if we only end up hurt.
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