At first, the walk was miserable. I kept pulling my phone out every few minutes to check the time, hoping an hour had passed so I could return home. It would have been weird if I made a big deal about leaving just to come back in thirty minutes. In my mind, I had to be out for at least an hour.
Eventually, though, the walk grew on me. Or maybe I grew on it. Either way, I stopped checking the time and just walked mindlessly.
The gentle breeze brushed against my face, giving me this strange sense of calm. I looked up at the sky, watching the sun dip below the horizon as the darkness began to swallow the world in shades of deep blue and light purple.
I always hear people talk about how beautiful the sky is—how sunsets take their breath away. My breathing remained as steady as ever, but I continued gazing at the sky, each second passing by slowly.
Whatever—I'm bored of looking at skies anyway.
I lowered my gaze to the streets around me. They were bleak and mostly empty, broken only by blurred car lights passing by in the distance. Somehow, this quiet emptiness let me relax just a little bit.
I opened my mouth and took in a deep breath of the chilly air, the cold permeating my lungs.
Wow, time flies.
I found myself thinking back on the past month. It was now May thirtieth, nearly the end of the month. The incident with Lily and Mom happened on the first, yet I remember it like it was yesterday.
After what happened in Lily's room, the next couple of days were as tense and awkward as you'd expect. Just because they "made up" doesn't mean everything would magically go back to normal.
Mom would try to tell Lily what to do—and whether it was something serious or something as simple as 'bring an umbrella to school because it's raining,' it would cause Lily to retaliate. Mom would realize her mistake and hold herself back. They would spend a couple of minutes or even hours in silence after that.
But you can only live in constant tension for so long. I read this one romance novel a little while ago, where I first heard the phrase "Time is cruel."
I didn't get it as a kid, but as I grew older, I slowly began to understand. No matter who you are, time moves you forward whether you want it to or not. Eventually, Lily just got tired of being wary every day; Mom eventually got tired of being vigilant. After only a week, things were back to "normal."
There were still slip-ups here and there, but overall, time went on. We lived the rest of our days going to school, eating dinner, sleeping, and repeating.
I let out a deep sigh.
It's not every day that I think about stuff like this. The walk must be invoking some strange demonic powers or something. I let out a hollow chuckle at my own awful joke and shook my head. As I did, something blurred past in the corner of my vision. I turned toward where I saw the blur. It was a vending machine.
Wait… where am I?
I calmly scanned my surroundings and realized I'd aimlessly wandered into a dark alleyway. If Mom knew I was hanging out in a place like this, she'd probably have a heart attack.
I turned around and began walking out of the alleyway. As I was about to turn the corner, a figure suddenly appeared before me. I quickly spun on my heel, maneuvering around them with a hair's breadth to spare.
Without looking back, I started walking away—until the sound of dull clapping echoed from behind me.
*clap* *clap* *clap*
"Wow, you reacted pretty quickly. Well—I guess that's what I'd expect from Yu's best friend."
I froze. That voice… sounded too familiar. But—the owner of that voice should not be here. Not in this dark, creepy alleyway of all places, anyway. I turned my head, holding back a sharp breath.
It was Mei.
What… is she doing here?
I turned my whole body and put on a small smile. "This is a surprise," I said lightly. "I didn't expect to see you here in a place like this."
She giggled softly. "Oh, I was just going on a little walk, that's all."
My eyes narrowed just slightly, but I quickly played it off. "Really? Aren't you in the… basketball club, I believe? I'm pretty sure the girls' team had practice today. You aren't tired after all that?"
That hesitation was a lie. I already knew she was in the basketball club. But if it was for the sake of keeping the conversation going, then so be it.
"Well, I try to exercise every day to keep in shape," she said. "You know how it is."
"I guess it's hard being in a club. That's why I don't do it."
We both let out perfectly normal laughs, the kind you would see in any coming-of-age slice-of-life series.
She's… lying.
Or at least, that's what I think. She might have been going on just a healthy walk; we are students after all—except it should be past seven by now. School should have finished long ago, and yet, she had not changed out of her uniform—a skirt, leggings, and a cardigan. Even if she had practice, that ended at six. She had plenty of time to go home and change into actual exercise clothes, but she hadn't.
I bit the inside of my mouth. I should mind my own business. Everyone has their own share of burdens.
"Haha, yeah. Anyway, how did the tutor session go?" she asked.
"Oh, that isn't today. Or tomorrow. We are getting ramen tomorrow, probably. Speaking of—do you want to come?"
This invitation was nothing more than a formality. It's rude to bring up an outing in front of a person and not invite them if you're friends.
"No, thank you," she said with a bright, polite smile. "I promised my Dad that I'd help him tomorrow, so I can't. Maybe next time!"
I wasn't surprised by her answer and continued to move the conversation along. "Well, I'm on my way to the convenience store. What about you?"
"Hmmm, I think I'm a little tired today. After practice, walking, and talking to you, I think my social battery is all out."
I scoffed. "Damn, sorry about that," I joked.
"Hahaha, no, it's not your fault. It's just been a long day."
"Do you need me to walk you home?" I asked respectfully, doing a small, overdramatic bow in the process. "My Mom would strangle me if I let a girl walk home alone—especially at night."
Mei shook her head as she let out a little giggle. "I really appreciate the offer, but my Dad is a little strict. He doesn't like me hanging out with boys."
I couldn't help but genuinely chuckle for a bit. That sounds exactly like my Dad. If he heard Lily was hanging out with a boy, he might just freak out.
"I get what you mean. My Dad is the same way towards my Sister. If anything happens on the way, just call me. You have my number anyway."
Mei nodded, giving me one last smile. "Okay! It was good talking to you today, Hoshino. See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, see you."
We both turned around and walked in opposite directions. The convenience store wasn't in the direction I was headed.
And her house wasn't where she was going.
Despite that, we both continued moving forward without looking back.