~ Ayano's Pov ~
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"W-Wait... Yukari-san...!" I stammered, my hands lifting instinctively, hovering near hers, but trying my best to not touch it. I didn't pull away — not yet — but I didn't lean in on her either. My heart was practically pounding, but I even felt hers... A, dissonant rhythm against the calm warmth pressing into my back...
Her arms were wrapped tightly around my torso now, firm but unshaking, her head resting gently between my shoulder blades. I could even feel her breath — not just the warmth of it, but the subtle weight. Soft, slow. Intentional. She wasn't moving. It wasn't loosening either.
"I—This... this isn't—" I couldn't even finish that sentence. Damn it; I'm an embarrassment of a man...
My fingers curled around the edge of the stove. I wasn't scared. But I was something. Something I hadn't been in a long time...
Her voice came again, muffled against my hoodie. "I'm not expecting you to say it back…"
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Then of course, silence. She just, held me.
I closed my eyes, just for a second.
The scent of her shampoo — it was faint, and herbal — mixed with the barely boiling broth on the stove. A part of me, deep in my gut, told me to just let this all happen. To give in. But, I couldn't.
I slowly reached for her wrists, not forcefully — just enough that she could feel it. Enough for her to understand that I needed some well needed space at the moment...
"…Yukari." I said again, this time softer. "I... You're not thinking clearly right now. You just got off a call that might have shook you up, you've barely eaten too, and I…" I exhaled through my nose, hard. "I don't want to be something you're using to patch something else."
The silence stretched between us like a taut wire. She didn't move a muscle.
"I'm not using you." she said finally, her voice was strangely calm when she said it. "But, I am finally choosing something I actually want... I'm choosing you."
My grip on her wrists tightened, just slightly. That sentence hit me way too damn hard, and way too damn fast. I could even feel her pulse under my fingers.
I turned — not fast, just enough to face her — and she stepped back on her own, just a little. Her eyes met mine. There was no blush, no flustered stammer. Just this terrifying honesty in them.
My throat was dry. "…This is going to complicate things."
Although I couldn't her properly, I caught a small glimpse of her lips curving upward, faintly. "They were never simple to begin with."
I blinked. My gaze dropped for a moment. She definitely had me there.
"I just…" I started, then stopped. "I don't know if I can give you what you're looking for."
"I'm not looking for a promise, Ayano..." she said with that calm tone of hers... "Just need someone to stand by."
That did something to me — more than I'd ever care to admit... She wasn't, clinging. Wasn't pleading. She was asking for solid ground. And I didn't know what scared me more — the fact that she really meant it, or the part of me that wanted to believe her.
I looked down at the stove, then back at her. "…You should sit back down. The food's almost ready."
She didn't argue. Just nodded, stepping away with a quiet grace. And I stood there for another moment, wondering how the hell someone like me ended up in this kind of situation...
I braced myself. "Yukari... I'm 17." reminding of this fact.
"What? You're... Then, I can wait. Though, I'm a bit surprised that even my daughter is older than you."
I blinked, completely ignoring the second half of whatever she just said.
"Ex-Excuse, me? You said, you can... wait?" I repeated, like the words hadn't quite landed correctly in my head. They had — but my brain was doing a weird little stutter trying to process them all at once...
Yukari had already sat down again, posture composed like nothing even remotely scandalous had just happened. How does she do that? I booked down and glanced back at her, realizing that her fingers were curled around the rim of her mug now — still empty — but her grip was visibly relaxed.
"I don't rush things I actually care about," she added, a matter-of-factly. "Besides… I can tell instinctively that you're not some child... Not mentally at least... Not with how you speak. Much less with how you treat others."
Damn, she was right, technically speaking. But also wrong. And somehow that only made this even worse.
I turned back to the stove, if only to give myself something to do that wasn't staring at the woman who just low-key said she'd wait for me like it was absolutely nothing. Like it was obvious. Like the world should just bend around that decision of hers.
But, I can't... I felt like if I accept her feelings now. It'd have disastrous effects later down the line.
"Listen... I'm glad that you see me that way, I do. But, I need some time to figure this out too... And because of that." I swallowed hard. "I think we both need to stop being around each other before we, or I do anything, well... Drastic."
Before she could open her mouth, my phone rang off.
Vrrm~
Vrrm~
...
Thankfully, my phone rang. "I've, got to take this, be right back-" I said, practically running out of the house.
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'I didn't think I'd ever run away from a woman... Much less a woman that seemed to love me this much. Now I'm starting to wonder if it's even love to begin with... Regardless of what it was, it was a bit, over bearing, and as much as I wanted to play it off and chalk this all up to be fake, it wasn't. She was completely honest with herself that it even scared me.
Still, I feel all screwed up, just how can I deal with this effectively?
Vrrm~
Oh, I almost forgot about this... I looked, only to find that an unknown number was calling me...
'Hmm...' Ignoring my better judgment, picking it up. "Ah, hello?" I asked.
"Meet me at the Cafe' near Sekai's residence..."
"..."
'Huh!?' Before I could even respond, the phone hung up... 'You've got to be kidding me, who says something like that and dip!?'
That entire request was just, out there, but still... That person's voice, it sounded a bit familiar to me; either way, why whoever this girlwas, want to suddenly meet me near Sekai's home...?'
Still, Sekai could be in some sort of danger based on that tone she came at me with, she seemed quite serious...
'Ah... Screw it! I might as well do this, especially since I can't really go back in.'
I gathered my bearings, and went against my better judgement for all this. Plus, what are the chances of me being beaten by some random girl? Likely very low, maybe...
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The trip took me like 20 minutes, tops? But, there's only one Cafe' near Sekai's place to begin with... I quickly looked around a bit, seeing a few people doing what normal people do, drinking tea, or coffee. I quietly scratched the back of my head, wondering if this was just a silly prank call or something...
'Maybe, this wasn't entirely the brightest idea of mine to go through with this...'
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Tug~
Tug~
...
I suddenly felt something tugging on my shirt from behind. When I turned around, I saw... No one? At least, not until I looked down...
'What, the...?' It took me a little while to remember, but, isn't this that super short short girl I saw at the library one time? If I remembered it all correctly, we had bumped into each other. Her name; was it, Satsuri? Shitsune...? No, it was Setsuna! Yeah, Setsuna.
'Still, what does she want with me?'
Our eyes met for a split second, and just as it did, she instantly broke contact... Well that was certainly not the greatest boost in one's confidence, but beggars can't be choosers, right?
"Can we speak, over there." She pointed and said. In that same monotonous voice I remember a week or so back.
"Ah, s-sure...?" I said, trying not to make this anymore weird than it needed to be. I followed her, with both of us sitting on the opposite ends of the table...
After a few, she finally looked up at me, "I'll just get straight to the point..." She said. Then, her expression got considerably more serious... "What are you to Sekai-san?"
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END