Chapter 3 of 11

Chapter 3

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After school, Kazusa went to visit Shouri’s house. Shouri’s fears that they didn’t share any common interests were unwarranted, as just like him, Kazusa was a skilled gamer. He was so talented that he was able to beat the enemies on the screen in less than a few seconds and Shouri could only watch, stunned. They did their homework together. Kazusa was almost as bad at studying as Shouri (Shouri was ranked 34th out of 36 in his grade). They both suffered through algebra and soon gave up and started playing games. Kazusa, who spontaneously erupted in laughter at the video game, was (aside from his ethereal appearance) just an ordinary teenage boy.

‘Hey.’

Shouri met the soft grey eyes of Kazusa and his words choked up in his mouth. The pixelated screen blended into the background as Shouri felt his body heat up when their gazes met.

“Nothing…,” Shouri looked away while a blush formed onto his face.

“You were going to say something to me this morning, then you said you were gonna tell me later. What is it?”

When he said that, Kazusa looked away for a moment and then quickly muttered, “Oh,” as he remembered. He took a breath, looked down, before looking up again. He leant forward and whispered into Shouri’s ear with a smile,

“You know, I think I’m going to die.”

That sentence was so easily announced in that whisper but it left Shouri reeling, unable to react. HIs black eyes latched intensely onto the other boy, in a testing gaze. Kazusa chuckled as he smiled with his eyes, his gaze also fixed on Shouri as he spoke nonchalantly.

“I have a chronic bronchial lung disease. If I even try to run outside, I collapse. They also say there’s something wrong with my heart… I’ve also had a weak stomach since I was little. And what else… oh, my liver and kidney are weak too.

‘Wait, wait, wait … are you okay?’

Thats a stupid question… Of course I’m not okay. If all those internal organs in my body are not working properly, how do you expect me to stay alive for long…

“Hmm… I dunno. Maybe I won’t be able to grow up,” Kazusa lied.

“Eh?”

“I came here to cure my illness. The pollution of the city is bad for me, so I came here for the air. I don’t know if there’s a cure though…”

“I-I know you’ll be able to survive!”

That’s why he’s so pale and thin… Weak and fragile, as if he came out of a fairy tale…

“I want to do club activities and PE, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for sports or an instrument.” Kazusa says with a whisper, looking at the ground again. Shouri glanced at his tanned arm and realised how lucky he was to be privileged.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Shouri apologised quietly, but was comforted by Kazusa, who told him not to worry about it.

“I want to go to the beach next time… I don’t want it to be too hot, so let’s go somewhere in May or June.” Kazusa smiled.

As he watched Kazusa talk happily, Shouri thought about his grandfather, who had died last September. Lying in his coffin, with his eye tightly closed, cold and stiff, his grandfather looked like a wax figure. Will this beautiful boy in front of me become like that someday? Will he die and return to the earth when his life is just starting?

It had been two months already since Kazusa transferred to the school.

He had settled in surprisingly quickly and had made friends with his new classmates. His somewhat goofy nature made him very popular with his fellow classmates, but it seemed to have caused all the girls to drop him from their fantasies. The only thing the class were told about Kazusa’s condition was his ‘pre-existing respiratory disease’ and it seemed that Shouri was really the only one of the students who knew the details. The seasons changed again and summer vacation would be coming soon.

“Ka~zusa!”

“I’m coming!” Kazusa ran over, looking flustered.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be running!”

“It’s okay, it’s only a little,” he panted.

They walked to the gym for PE, where Kazusa would always sit out. As he was a doll-like boy in the maple’s shade in the early summer, Shouri couldn’t help but steal glances at him. Perhaps it was Shouri that was too attached to Kazusa, but the two of them were never seen apart. They usually walked together around the school and on Mondays and Thursdays when Shouri didn’t have morning practise, they would walk to school together. Soon, the pair formed a close bond.

“Kazusa, do you wanna come over today?” Shouri asked while he placed his chin on the other boy’s shoulder.

“Oh, I have to go to the hospital today…”

This was also common.

“I see… Good luck with that.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No… Don’t worry.”

Shouri looked away, hiding the worry on his face. They put on their shoes, but something whitish fell out of Shouri’s shoe box.

“Hey, what’s that?” Kazusa noticed the piece of paper before picking it up.

“Dunno.”

“Open it! Maybe it’s a love letter?”

“No way!”

Shouri opened the piece of paper and was blinded by the plethora of pink hearts scattered around it. Neat, girly handwriting formed a brief note in the center.

“Please come to the back of the ping-pong hall during lunch.”

Shouri sighed.

“It is a love letter! Or a request for a duel~” Kazusa teased.

“I wish… I’d be happier if it was a duel challenge.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Nah, it’s fine… Ugh, I was gonna play soccer today.” Hearing that, Kazusa giggled. His laughs were always charming, or rather, beautiful. Enchanting. Shouri felt his heartbeat speed up.

“Shouri, you’re really sweet.”

“Eh?”

Sweet. I’ve never been called sweet before. Funny and cheerful, yeah, but sweet… What does he find sweet about me?

“Welp, have fun.”

Shouri nodded, before running to where his classmates were lined up. For growing boys, fourth period P.E. was always exhausting. No matter how much breakfast they ate, everyone was drained by the end. The summer sun glared from above as the dragonflies chirped, hovering under the maple tree’s shade.

Edited by Yolo

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