June 11, Monday

Today had to start with a problem... of all days.

This morning, I woke up at around 6:00 AM. Everything was going smoothly when I realized one thing: I woke up by myself, not without the help of an alarm.

It took me a while to realize one more thing, which was the fact that my phone is missing and that I may have left it at Keiyu's place.

I nervously glanced at the clock on the wall - 7:20 AM. I had about forty minutes before I needed to be at school. The question was, did I have enough time to swing by Keiyu's place to retrieve my phone and then make it to school on time? Or should I just go to school now and collect my phone after school?

I shook my head, trying to calm myself down. This was such a mess. Why hadn't I been more careful with my things? I'd been so caught up in our conversation last night that I hadn't even realized I'd left my phone behind...

I sighed, weighing my options. Going by Keiyu's now would mean possibly being late to school. On the other hand, not having my phone all day was going to be a hassle too. I needed my phone, especially since it helps me for my after-school online art stream, but it's such a tiring walk from school to Keiyu's place, then back to my apartment.

Then again, being late to school wasn't a great option either.

As I finally decided to leave for school, I pulled open the door. And to my surprise, Keiyu was standing right outside my apartment. He was dressed in his own school uniform, which gave me a different kind of surprise since I'm used to seeing him wearing casual clothing.

"K-Kurumizawa-san? Good morning." I greeted, slightly flustered.

"Morning, Imaizumi-san" he returned the greeting, seeming equally surprised to see me.

"W-What are you doing here? Actually, you came at a perfect time," I blurted out, my mind still racing from his unexpected appearance. "I think I left my phone at your place... have you seen it?"

Without a word, Keiyu reached into his pocket and pulled out my phone, "Actually, that's why I'm here," he said, handing me the phone. "I found it on the couch this morning, you should be more careful."

"Oh... yes, of course, I'm sorry for the trouble," I said with a bow. "Thank you, Kurumizawa-san." I added as I accepted my phone from him.

As I locked my apartment door and prepared to head to school, Keiyu then asked me, "Want to walk together? I can take the same route as yours."

I blinked at him, a little surprised by his invitation, "W-What about your school? You might be late."

He gave me a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it, I won't be."

"I-If you insist, okay then," I nodded hesitantly, allowing him to fall into step beside me.

We then made our way to school, chatting about nothing in particular. Then as we approached and stopped by the school gate, a few of my schoolmates happened to be passing by.

Their eyes scanned the two of us filled with curiosity as they saw Keiyu by my side, and some whispers inevitably started to begin making their way to our ears.

"H-Hey, look at those two... is that Imaizumi-san? And a boyfriend?" One girl asked her friend.

"Imaizumi-san from 1-A? I didn't know she was dating someone..." Another girl whispered, her whisper just loud enough for me to hear.

"He's cute... he's from a different school, right? I've never seen him around here before."

Keiyu chuckled at my embarrassed expression, "I should get going now, see you later, Imaizumi-san." With a nod, he headed off towards his own school, leaving me to handle the curious glances of my schoolmates.

Ugh... this is embarrassing...

With a deep breath, I mustered up the courage to walk past the school gates and ignore the whispers that continued to follow me... way to go Keiyu.

"Hey Aya!, mornin'," A familiar voice greeted me, and I turned to see Satoshi approaching me with a friendly smile. "Was that Kurumizawa?"

I nodded, my cheeks still a bit flushed from the earlier attention, "Y-Yes, it was."

Upon hearing my answer, a teasing smile immediately spread across Satoshi's face, "Hoho~ Kurumizawa's making his moves? Oh, I'm heartbroken, Aya~"

"N-No! It's not like that! He was just going the same way as me," I quickly explained, Satoshi, however, just laughed at my reaction as we made our way into the school building.

Once inside the classroom, Satoshi went over to his desk while I made my way to mine. And I found myself still thinking about Keiyu and me. Our agreement... a promise.

Was it something I could share with Satoshi?

Would he understand?

He had been a good friend to me, always there when I needed someone to talk to.

And he has been there since day one! Since we were kids... But this... this was different.

As I organized my things, I decided that I would tell him. But it had to be when he was ready to hear it, and when I was ready to tell him, I don't want him to feel uncomfortable after I... rejected his feelings and went for Keiyu.

With a sigh, I looked up from my desk to see Satoshi chatting with a couple of classmates. I would tell him. Not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon. Because I owed my best friend that much.

Anyways, how... did this happen?

When lunchtime rolled around, I found myself suddenly surrounded by a group of my female classmates, their eyes were full of greedy desires for their questions to be answered.

"Imaizumi-san! Who's that guy you were with earlier?" one of them cheerfully asked. "Is he your boyfriend?"

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N-No... he's not. I tried to answer, but I couldn’t.

"He's a hottie!" another added. "Say, what school does he go to?"

I-I don't know what school he goes to... yet. I once again tried to answer, but to no avail.

"He's not from around here, right?" a third questioned. "I've never seen him before. Do you often walk together?"

The questions kept coming, and I felt my face getting hotter with each one. I didn't know how to respond, I couldn't find my voice, and I didn't know how to explain about Keiyu and me, because we're just workmates.

Suddenly, Satoshi stepped in, "Alright, alright, ladies, slow down!" he said, holding up his hands. "Give Aya some space. It's not a big deal."

At Satoshi's intervention, one of the girls scoffed, "Oh look, it's her prince charming," she said, rolling her eyes dramatically. But Satoshi just laughed, playing along with her jest.

"Prince charming, huh? I'm flattered," he said with a playful smile on his face. "But seriously, one question at a time, okay? Give Aya a chance to breathe."

With the situation a bit calmer, I was finally able to find my voice and answer, "He's not my boyfriend..." I said, secretly hoping that my voice sounded more confident than I felt. "We work at the same part-time job together. That's all."

I knew I was withholding information – about Keiyu being Kurotsuki, and about our mutual feelings – but it wasn't the right time or place to disclose those facts.

"So, what's his name?" another girl piped up. "Keiyu... Keiyu Kurumizawa," I answered slowly.

"Kurumizawa? That's a cool name!" one girl gushed. "Do you guys walk together often? Maybe you could introduce us to him if he's not your boyfriend."

Suddenly, I felt something like possessiveness at the thought of introducing Keiyu to the girls. I could feel my face heating up and I stuttered, not knowing how to answer. Thankfully, Satoshi came to my rescue.

"Kurumizawa probably doesn't often take the same route as Aya," he said, shrugging. "So, you won't see him that much."

"Aww..." The girls sighed collectively. "That's a bummer. It's not every day we get to see such a high-spec guy around here, you know?" one of them said as they returned to their seats, finally leaving me alone to enjoy my lunch in peace.

Satoshi, about to return to his seat as well, leaned in and whispered, "Kurumizawa's kind of a chick magnet huh?" He winked, grinning mischievously.

I chuckled, knowing full well that Kiryu, Keiyu's twin brother, was even more of a "chick magnet". However, I didn't want to bring up the infamous playboy and simply replied, "Y-Yeah, I guess he is."

Skipping to after the end of classes for today, I was just about to make my way home when my phone buzzed. I checked it to see who it could be, it was a message from Keiyu.

"Hey, I just remembered, I was supposed to help you open a bank account yesterday. I'm sorry I forgot."

I smiled and quickly typed a reply, "No problem, Kurumizawa-san. I forgot about it too. :p"

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed again, "Do you have your documents with you? We can do it today if you want."

I quickly checked my bag, but as I expected, I left the documents at my apartment. I quickly typed out a reply, "I left them at my apartment."

"Can I come over then? So we can finally get it set up."

I hesitated a little bit at the thought of Keiyu coming to my apartment, but knowing that he was just coming over to help, I agreed, "Of course, Kurumizawa-san. See you at my place then."

"Yep. I'll head there right after school. See you."

When I arrived home, I was surprised to see Keiyu already waiting outside my apartment door. He was leaning on the guard rail, peacefully observing the view of the city below. As soon as he heard me, he straightened up and turned around.

"Oh, Imaizumi-san, hey there," he greeted. "I didn't think you'd be here so soon. I'm sorry for the sudden visit."

I smiled at him, "It's okay, Kurumizawa-san. I was just surprised to see you here so early."

Keiyu chuckled, "I guess I was a bit eager to get this done."

I fumbled with my keys for a moment before finally unlocking the door. As I pushed it open, I could feel Keiyu's gaze on me as he followed, I gestured for him to come in, "Come in, Kurumizawa-san. I'm sorry if it's a bit messy."

As I was trying to take off my shoes, I accidentally lost my balance. In an instant, I felt myself falling, but before I could even shriek, a pair of hands reached out and cradled my head, preventing it from hitting the hardwood floor as a loud thud then echoed throughout the apartment.

But there was something that caught my attention, the sensation was familiar, way too familiar even, so much so that in a split second, it brought back a few memories... but something's off.

"You okay, Imaizumi-san?" Keiyu's voice echoed, bringing me back to the present. I blinked, surprised to see him on top of me, his hands still cupping my head protectively.

"I-I'm okay, Kurumizawa-san," I stuttered, with my cheeks slowly growing warm. "T-Thank you... and, sorry."

"Thank god you're alright, be careful next time, Imaizumi-san," Keiyu lectured, his voice speaking in a concerned tone as he continued. "Losing your balance like that... you could've seriously hurt yourself. Imagine if you hit your head. I'm just glad I managed to catch you."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he continued, "And let's not forget that I could've crushed you with my weight. I may not be the heaviest guy around, but still... it's not something I want to risk."

As I listened, the world around me suddenly started to blur. The edges of my vision began to darken like a storm cloud slowly encroaching on a sunny day.

My breathing hitched, each inhale and exhale sounding more rapid and shallow. The room felt small, way too small as if the walls were slowly closing in on me.

Then, the loud echo of a car horn pierced through my mind, followed by the screech of tires. The sounds seemed to be coming from all directions, yet they were only in my mind. They were distant, yet painfully close.

The rain... It started as a faint sound. But soon, it started growing louder, and louder, until it was all I could hear.

That day... The day I had promised myself to forget, to move on from. But it was there, looming over me like an ominous shadow. I could feel it, creeping up on me, pulling me back into the depths of my own fears.

A single tear escaped from the corner of my eye, slowly trailing down my cheek as I felt my body trembling, as I tried to steady my breathing.

"Imaizumi-san?" Keiyu's voice asked me, filled with confusion and concern.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered, my voice shaky as I reached out to him. I felt the words tumble out of my mouth, a desperate plea. "I'm really sorry..."

I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I found myself pulling Keiyu back towards me. His body stiffened in surprise, but I held onto him, my fingers tightly clutching the fabric of his uniform. I buried my face into his chest, trying to drown out the world around me.

The sweet scent of his perfume filled my senses, grounding me, and bringing me back from the brink of my own fears. I didn't care if it was sudden or if it surprised him. I needed this. I needed the sense of security, the sense of protection his presence offered.

Slowly, my heart started to calm down, my breathing slowly returning to normal. The sounds in my head started to fade away, finally replaced by the gentle rhythm of Keiyu's heartbeat against my ear.

With a gentle roll, we adjusted our positions on the floor. Keiyu was now beside me, his arm securely wrapped around my shoulders while my head still lay against his chest. His other hand gently brushed through my pink hair, and his fingers untangling my twin tails with his usual gentleness.

He didn't ask what was wrong, and for that, I was grateful. I didn't want to talk about it, not yet. I just wanted to stay here, wrapped in his arms.

A hiccup escaped me, followed by a soft sniffle. I felt Keiyu's chest vibrate slightly as he shushed me gently, he would then whisper into my ear quietly to remind me, "It's okay. I'm here."

As the minutes passed, my sobs finally started to subside, replaced by small sniffs and shaky exhales.

Feeling a bit better, I decided to lighten the mood. I lifted my head from his chest and looked at him with a weak smile, "Does... this count as acting like your girlfriend? Because if it does, I'm breaking our promise."

Keiyu shook his head, responding to me with his kind smile, "No, comforting someone isn't exclusive to couples. And besides, this isn't the first time I've held you... like this, remember?"

Laughing lightly at his words, I nodded, "Ah, you're right... I really appreciate that you're doing this for me," I looked up at him, my eyes still slightly red from my previous breakdown. "Can... we stay like this a little bit longer?"

Nodding his head, he responded, "Of course, I can stay here for as long as you want me to."

I playfully swatted his chest, blushing at his words, "D-Don't say things like that! You might just find yourself stuck here forever."

He chuckled, lifting his hand to ruffle my hair, "Ah, I wouldn't mind that. But I did come here to help you with your bank. Is there anything else I can help the lady with?"

A soft laugh escaped me, then I answered with a smile.

"I'll... figure it out later, but until then, let me stay here for a little bit more..."