Short Story | Spring Thaw, Overcoming a Trembling Night

Pshhh! With a crisp sound, I pop open the can.

“Ah, nothing beats this!”

I muttered to myself while drinking it in my pajamas after a bath. Today, I’m keeping it light with a low-alcohol apple chu-hi. I have a three-day weekend starting tomorrow. I think I’m allowed to have a drink on the weekend. Around me, one or two cardboard boxes lie assembled on the floor. (I really need to get on with packing... things are going to get busy starting next week.)

I know that in my head. But my hands just stop. What should I pack first? I want to keep my fan altar until the very end... no, wait, since it’s a move, shouldn’t I pack daily necessities last? The priorities in my head spin around along with the alcohol, and for a moment, I feel dizzy.

Ping, my smartphone makes a sound. It’s 1:00 AM—I jump up and slide my finger across the screen.

(Huh... I must have fallen asleep.) The moment I saw the message, my heart gave a dull thud.

The sender was my ex-boyfriend and colleague, Akito. My hands stopped for a moment, and I felt something like a black mist rising in my chest. “Why are you with Nakajo? I don’t recall things being over between us, do I?”

Since we’re colleagues and have work ties, not blocking him was a mistake. I thought I had ended things by telling him it was over at a cafe. Yet, it seems it wasn’t over in his mind. He faded out by going silent, and now that we’ve met again, he pulls this. In an instant, the ringtone blares, and my breathing gradually becomes shallow.

I drop my phone and cover my ears. Even so, the ringtone tries to pry my hands open and force its way in. Something hot streams from the corners of my eyes down to my cheekbones, and my mind goes completely blank, unable to think of anything. After that, only the sound of my own heart was loud, and I couldn’t sleep.

The next day, holding my dizzy head while drinking coffee, the intercom rang. Looking at the monitor, Haruki-kun was standing there. I glanced at the full-length mirror. The area around my eyes was swollen.

(Should I tell him...)

When I opened the door with a click, he saw my face and lowered his voice with concern.

“Yuri-san, what happened? Your eyes are swollen...” “—It’s okay, it’s nothing.”

I replied weakly and invited him into the room. As we sat in the living room, he looked straight at me again and spoke.

“...Please tell me. What on earth happened?”

For a moment, I looked down and averted my gaze. As if my heart had completely melted, something hot spilled from my eyes. Trembling, I held out my phone’s message screen to him. Haruki-kun’s eyes froze as cold as a winter wind. The hand holding the phone I gripped was trembling slightly with quiet anger.

“...Sasahara-senpai, he still hasn’t given up, has he? I thought he was just being harsh with me, but even to you...!”

His mouth twisted, his tone dropped even lower, and he continued.

“And so many missed calls, too... I can’t take this anymore. I’m going to call Sasahara-senpai right now.”

He quickly took out his own phone. I couldn’t help but open my mouth.

"Haruki... this will put you in a bad position. I'm fine, so please..."

He shook his head, turned back to face me, and looked straight into my eyes.

"My position doesn't matter. ...I just can't forgive the fact that they scared you and made you cry, Yuri-san."

His hand gently brushed against my cheek.

"Please, trust me."

He gave a soft smile, then left the room with a serious expression. From beyond the door, his low, cold voice, directed at someone, leaked through slightly.

"--Also, I am dating Sakakura-senpai. So, please stop sending her unnecessary messages."

The moment I heard that voice, the black mist that had been binding my heart melted away softly, like snow thawing in spring.
Then, he returned to the living room, pulled me into a tight embrace, and kissed me.

"...It's okay now. I've made it clear to them. --Also, it's our day off, why don't we go to a hot spring?"
"But, the moving preparations--!"
"I'll help you when we get back. Let's go for a change of pace."
"...What about Blau?"
"The landlord of our apartment said they would look after him."

While smiling, he quickly booked the tickets on his smartphone with nimble fingers.

(I don't think I'll ever be able to keep up with Haruki, not in a lifetime.)

My heart kept pounding with a noisy rhythm.

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Previous stories in this series can be found here