Chapter 19: Promise
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the school courtyard as Haruto grabbed Akiko’s wrist, pulling her away from the main building. Students were still streaming out of classrooms, their chatter filling the air, but he needed to get her somewhere private.
"Haruto, what’s wrong?" Akiko asked, stumbling slightly as she tried to keep up with his longer strides. Her school bag bounced against her hip, and she had to use her free hand to keep her skirt from flying up in the breeze.
He led her behind the old gymnasium, where the vending machines hummed quietly and fewer students hung around.
Akiko stood there looking up at him with those big brown eyes, and for a moment he almost lost his resolve.
"Listen, Akiko," he began, his voice rougher than he intended. "I think... I think you should go home. Back to your old life, you know? Before all this mess started."
The words hung in the air between them like a physical barrier. Akiko’s face went pale, and her grip on her bag tightened until her knuckles were white. For a long moment, she just stared at him, as if she couldn’t quite process what he’d just said.
"What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant sounds of students and traffic.
Haruto forced himself to look away, focusing on a point somewhere over her shoulder. "You heard me. Go back to your family, your normal life. Forget about all this crazy stuff that’s been happening."
He could see her reflection in the vending machine’s glass surface. Her eyes were filling with tears, though she was clearly trying to hold them back. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly, and she was hugging her bag to her chest like a shield.
"My life..." she started, then stopped, swallowing hard. "My life is so lonely, Haruto. Do you have any idea what it’s like? Every day, the same routine. Wake up, go to word, come home to an empty house."