The Rabbit Who Plays with Fire Doesn't Smile 6

←⑤ →⑦

Ayuka's messages are always sudden.
She's like a typhoon that barges into my life whenever she pleases.

My phone buzzed just as I left the office and was hurrying through the dimly lit shopping street.

Raindrops pattered against the arcade roof, and the sounds of shopkeepers calling out "Welcome!" and plastic bags being tossed aside and swept away by the wind brushed past my ears.

The orange glow of the streetlights bled into the wet asphalt, and my pumps splashed into a small puddle at my feet.

(What does she want this time?) I cursed inwardly, and seeing Ayuka's name on the screen made my temples tighten.

It would be a lie to say I didn't want to know what happened with the child she had with Daiki. My nosy curiosity reared its head, and I sighed as I pressed the call button.

"Ruri-chan. I want to see you now, is that okay?"
Ayuka's voice invaded my ears with its usual brazenness. I felt a flash of irritation at her casual tone as she specified the shopping mall food court, and I wondered what would happen if I just shut her down with a "No."

But then her face looking down at the family restaurant and Daiki's casual words about her being his "destined person" crossed my mind, and in the end, I gave in to the urge to hear more.

I pushed through the bustle of the shopping street and opened the glass doors of the mall. The mechanical sound of the escalator mixed with the laughter of children, and the scent of sweet donuts drifting through the air made reality feel strangely thin.

Amidst the noise of the food court, Ayuka was sitting heavily at a plastic table.

Her pink nails were still there, but today she was wearing a light gray sweatshirt and faded jeans, and she looked somewhat exhausted.

Behind her, a family was laughing noisily with their trays, and the air smelled of french fries and ketchup. Ayuka slurped her cola through a straw, picked up a fry, popped it into her mouth, and smiled at me.

"The baby, Daiki-kun signed the consent form for me.
See, isn't that amazing?
He even told me he loves me so much."

Her voice was light, but it had a somewhat theatrical ring to it.

Is it some kind of aesthetic to romanticize the way one falls?

Such thoughts crossed my mind, and a sense of unease began to pile up deep in my chest.

Ayuka's word "love" sounded strangely desolate, mingling with the noise of the food court. She turned back to me, leaned her elbows on the table, and leaned in.

"I have a favor to ask."
And then, she dropped a bombshell. She said she didn't have the money to buy calligraphy supplies for her child.
What is wrong with her?!
My eyebrow twitched, and the words got stuck in my throat.

This is the first time I've ever heard her talk about a child.
Someone with a kid, casually coming to a group date.

The smiles Ayuka had flashed at the group date and the tragic air she had at the family restaurant flickered in my mind.

The urge to grill her surged up, but a part of me was afraid to step into her life. Somewhere in my heart, I felt that if I touched whatever "something" Ayuka possessed, my own emptiness would be exposed.

"Ruri-chan. Five thousand yen is enough. Can you lend it to me? I'll definitely pay you back once my husband or Daiki-kun gives me some money."

I bit my lip at the casual way she mentioned my husband and Daiki's names in the same breath. Ayuka's voice was as light as if she were buying snacks at a convenience store.

The food court lights illuminated her face, and her pink nail polish reflected in her cola glass. A muddy torrent of anger and disbelief surged within me, making my cheeks burn.

“No? Come on? I’ll definitely pay you back.
Honestly, Chibi-ta is such a money pit, isn't he?”
Ayuka crossed her legs, sighed, and picked up another fry.

My blood boiled at her attitude of blaming her child for her own lack of financial sense. A small ketchup stain on Ayuka's sweatshirt caught my eye, and it was strangely irritating.

“I’m sorry. I’m in a pinch this month, too.”
I told a small lie to push her away. My voice might have been too cold, but I had reached my limit.

In my heart, I was screaming, why am I being pushed around by a woman like this?

“In that case, I think you should borrow money from your husband or Daiki-san.”
At my words, Ayuka lifted her hips and leaned over the table.

“That’s impossible. My husband is stingy, and I just got seventy thousand yen from Daiki-kun last week by telling him I was going to work in the sex industry.”

Seventy thousand yen!? My voice jumped out before I could stop it.
“You got that much? You already spent it? What did you spend it on!”
Ayuka’s eyes went wide, and she pouted.

“Hmm, I don’t remember. Once you break a ten-thousand-yen bill, money just disappears from your wallet, right?”
Her defenseless, irresponsible smile made my head boil. The noise of the food court echoed overhead, amplifying my irritation. What is with this woman’s flippancy? It’s unbelievable that my time is being wasted by someone like her.

“Ayuka-san. I heard from Ushizu-san. I heard that on the day you had that group date, you stayed at Ushizu-san’s house, but what about your child?
You’re a mother, aren’t you?”
I had said it.
The words flew out of my mouth, the excitement pushed my heart up, and my throat felt scratchy.

I felt Ayuka’s eyes twitch for just a second. The noise of the food court faded, and her face seemed to distort in slow motion.

Ayuka, who has things I don’t.
Married, with a child, and even a boyfriend on top of that.
Seriously, what is this woman!

Jealousy and anger sparked, making me feel dizzy. Everything she has—her family, her child, her love life—rubs my empty life in my face.

The happy family photos of my former lover, Shota, on his social media played in my mind, and my chest ached like it was being stabbed.

The fact that the cuffs of Ayuka’s sweatshirt were slightly shiny with fry grease really got on my nerves and made me furious.