Chapter 11

By the time the first weekend of the semester rolled around, Minoru had made Satou a key to the house and hired a moving crew to move her out of her dorm. That’s a little excessive, you thought to yourself but didn’t voice. Instead you said, “I want my own room.”

“Baby, you don’t need your own room.”

“I know. That’s why I said I want one. Satou is getting one. It’s only fair that I get one too.” It would be nice to wrestle back some space from Minoru.

“You’re not being very nice.” It came off as a warning. You were pretty convinced that Minoru wouldn’t get rid of Satou over a single argument, though, so you plowed forward.

“And you’re playing favorites. Do you like her better than me? Huh? Is that why?”

By now you knew how to play Minoru. She didn’t like you wanting a time and place away from her. She did like you wanting her so much that you got jealous of others, however. You used to play Oshiro and Minoru off of one another, but now Satou was here with all her freedoms that you could get for yourself.

“Of course not, baby,” she cooed, quick to comfort you, stroke your cheeks and card her fingers through your hair. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. You can have your own room, but just as a place to store your things. I still want you in bed with me.”

Flush with success, you came along with Satou to help her pack up her stuff before the moving crew arrived. It didn’t take long. Some of her stuff was even already packed. She’d just moved in less than a week ago, after all.

You’d just finished packing up the last of her things when a familiar face walked through the door.

She was as beautiful as she was when you last laid eyes on her. Sharp cheekbones and jawline, pouty lips, big doe eyes, and luscious black hair. Now her hair was cut short, however. That hadn’t been a choice on her part, but she looked cute with a bob. Cuter, rather. She was lovely regardless of her hair length.

“Oh, it’s you!” You exclaimed in surprise. “Sumiko…”

Sumiko smiled sweetly, showing her jumbled teeth. Perfectly imperfect, as always. Of all the things in your lifes that had changed since the beginning of senior year of high school, she remained the same, as if frozen in time.

“Aina, right? I’m surprised you remember me,” she said coyly, almost looking embarrassed.

“Of course I remember you!” I spent many a World History period staring at you, came off as creepy, so you kept it to yourself. “I never got the chance to apologize for what Kimiko did…”

Her smile dimmed at the mention of Kimiko and she reached up to rake a hand through her bob. “Why would you need to apologize?” She asked. “It’s not like you were the one who did it.”

“Yeah, but…” I’m the reason it was done. You saw that now, too late, but at least you were finally aware of the fact. “I was friends with her at the time.”

“Take my advice, Aina. Never apologize for things that are out of your control,” she said sagely before sighing, “I’ve already forgiven Kimiko, anyway. I know she was dealing with a lot in the end.”

A solemn silence fell over you both as you thought of Kimiko’s passing. It wasn’t my fault, you told yourself. It could have happened whether you’d still been a part of the group or not. However, you kept thinking back to that night when she called you a million times and you ignored her cries for help.

“Are you doing anything right now?” Sumiko asked at last, breaking the silence and interrupting your self-loathing session.

“Oh! Oh, no. I was helping Satou pack, but we’re done now.”

She nodded, reaching up to stroke her chin. “I’m gonna miss Satou. I don’t like living alone. I’m glad she’s going to be with you, though. You two seem like you would really balance each other out. She could be the rainbow to your storm cloud. You deserve a little sunshine, Aina.”

You choked up a little. How long had it been since someone had been honestly kind to you, without wanting anything in return?

“Forgive me if I’m being too forward, but would you like to go out on a date sometime?”

You choked again, but this time on your own spit. You hacked away, desperately trying to sucked air in through your closed throat.

“Oh… Forget I said anything,” she said, looking dejected.

“No!” You exclaimed, “No, I’d love to!”

It was safe for you to interact with Sumiko. It just wasn’t safe for her to interact with Satou. No one needed to know, anyway.

It sure would be nice to talk to someone who wasn’t a yandere or unreasonably attracted to yanderes. You hadn’t been on an honest-to-god date in forever. Minoru had tried to take you out in public, but you always ended up purposefully embarrassing her.

Once your breath was no longer coming out in a wheeze, you continued, “I just didn’t know you were…”

“Pansexual? Yeah, neither did I. It’s a new development. Can I have your phone number?”

Texting and calling was a no-go. You knew for a fact that, despite you already being under her thumb, Minoru was still watching what you did on your phone.

“My phone is pretty unreliable. Why don’t we just make plans in person? How about the nearby cafe at noon next Friday?”

Sumiko accepted your excuse with an understanding nod and smile. “Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait to see you again.” With that, she picked up the textbook she came to her room for and left.

Meanwhile, you couldn’t help but get pumped for your date next week.