Rakurai desu.
I'm editing the story to make them better. It'll be a long time before I'll update again.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the story.
It had been days since Eli last stepped out of her apartment.
She had been so preoccupied with her novel that she didn't even have time to shop for groceries. Having dedicated so much of her time into her current book, Eli thought she would have made some distinct progress.
In contrast to her judgement, Eli's laptop, which was sitting on the kitchen table in front of her, seemed to disagree with her. Eli heaved a heavy sigh and removed her glasses, pinching the brink of her nose in frustration.
"This is getting nowhere…" Eli stood up and strode towards the fridge.
As expected, she opened it only to find the content completely empty. Another sigh escaped her as she closed the fridge. When Eli took out the phone from her jeans pocket, a frown began to form on her features as she recalled the last time she'd seen her husband.
Months had passed since he left for his business trip, with no calls or messages within that time. To Eli, it was normal for her husband to not be home most of the time. They'd only been married for a year, and the first thing he'd ever said to her after their wedding was he had to leave for a business trip.
It wasn't that she didn't care about him. Sometimes, she'd wonder if they were really meant for each other at all. Ordinary couples would be having the best wedding nights, while theirs were Eli preparing him for his trip, wishing him a safe trip; only to never see each other's faces for months.
A harsh growl resounded from her stomach, knocking her out of her thoughts. She really would turn into an old woman at this rate, with all the sighing and frowning she had constantly been doing.
"No choice but to make the trip, huh…?" Eli mumbled to herself when another sigh escaped her on impulse.
Grabbing her keys from the kitchen stool near the entrance door, Eli put on a grey coat, cream-white muffler along with her boots.
It was a snowy December night, after all.
Eli opened the door, her eyes absently flashed to her left, and their eyes met for a short moment. A high school girl, seemingly in her senior year, with a deep green ribbon.
Her dark violet hair was that of the deepest night; held together into a neatly low twin-tails by two light blue hairbands. Her eyes were two glimmering orbs of emerald. When the stranger lifted her pale face towards Eli, emerald gradually shifted into the colour of deep ocean shimmering in the moonlight.
All of the young girl's mesmerizing features would have kept Eli busy with her never-ending daze; if not for the bruises and swellings residing the strange girl's body.
For a long moment, Eli kept on staring. Even though the girl was unable to hold their gaze any longer. The mysterious girl looked away, biting her lip. Realising she overstepped her bounds, Eli quickly diverted her eyes. Yet the blonde couldn't bear to ignore said girl upon seeing her battered state.
"Hey, are you alright? Why are you all beaten up like that?" Eli bent down, putting a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.
Her body was freezing to the touch. How long has this girl been out here? Eli thought as her brows scrunched together in pained apprehension.
"I'm fine… you don't need to bother with me. Just carry on with your daily work." The novelist could feel the girl shuddered under her touch as she denied Eli's questions.
"How can I just ignore you like this? Where are your parents? Do you have their numbers? I'll call them for you." Eli was about to take her phone out, when the girl suddenly gripped her hand tight, stopping her act.
Eli cast a perplexed stare at the purple-haired girl, but her face surprised the blonde more. A distinctly frightened expression; nothing but pure fear was etched into her features.
At that, the older woman understood. She slowly slid her phone back into her pocket, and immediately, the girl visibly relaxed. The purple-haired girl returned to the dull look from before, letting go of Eli's hand.
Keeping her tone gentle, Eli carefully treaded, "For the time being, you should go with me. A high school student staying here in the middle of the night is very dangerous. Not to mention, its December, you'll freeze to death out here. I'm planning to get some groceries for dinner. If you haven't had dinner, would you like to have some with me?"
The girl lifted her face up at her again, shock evident on her visage. Perhaps, there was a bit of fear in it too. Or wariness; either way it was all the novelist could discern.
Eli patiently awaited the purple-haired girl's answer. After a long moment of hesitation, the girl gave a sure nod, and Eli smiled. She held out her hand to the girl.
"My name is Ayase Eli, by the way. What's your name?"
"I'm Toujou Nozomi…" she said as she took Eli's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Nozomi-san." Eli could feel the stinging coldness from Nozomi's hand greedily stealing away her warmth. The woman gripped her hand tighter, hoping the purple-haired girl would warm up soon.
"Nice to meet you too…" Nozomi muttered under her breath.
"Let's go. We need to get back soon or we'll catch a cold." With that, she led Nozomi with her to the car park not too far from her apartment.
Closing the door behind them, Eli took off her coat and muffler. The piercing cold from outside was instantly replaced by the warmth radiating from the heater. After they both took off their shoes, Nozomi inspected the apartment in mild curiosity as Eli watched her from behind.
"Excuse me for being blunt but are you suffering from domestic violence, Nozomi-san?" Eli asked, straight to the point.
"Your 'bluntness' never bothered me from the start, Eli-san. As for your question, what do you think the answer is?" Nozomi hummed, her back still facing Eli.
Eli was baffled. When she found Nozomi, the girl appeared as if she had shunned the entire world. A while ago, in the convenient store, Nozomi didn't utter a word. She followed Eli wordlessly while the older woman picked out things for dinner. Now, Nozomi was playing a cryptic character, evading Eli's question with a question.
Her changes in attitude was overwhelming for Eli. She had no idea how to handle it; caution was her best bet.
"I don't think it is. I know it is, Nozomi-san," Eli concluded.
The young girl turned around to face Eli after her bold conclusion. This time, a small smile played on her lips. However, Eli couldn't help but have this strange feeling that she wasn't actually smiling.
"Just Nozomi is fine, Eli-san. You have such a nice place, by the way. Are you sure your husband won't mind with me here?" Nozomi smiled softly, her eyes darted around with impish mirth.
"It's just a cosy apartment like any other. You don't need to be so formal with me either, I don't think I'm that much older than you. And yes, you'll be fine, he isn't home right now. How did you know I'm married?" Eli put the groceries on the kitchen stand as she prepared for dinner.
"Then I'll call you Elichi, if that's fine with you? And anyone would've known with that ring on your finger." Nozomi knitted her fingers behind her back and gave the blonde a mischievous smile from the other side of the counter.
"That's fine." Eli glanced up from her chopping board. "And how observant of you, Nozomi."
"Thanks. Do you mind if I look around some more?" Nozomi raised one of her brows.
"Not at all. Make yourself at home." Eli gestured to the living room in front of her.
Nozomi thanked her once again and started her own tour of Eli's apartment. It wasn't that big but was sufficiently comfortable; fit enough for three people to live, with one living room facing the kitchen and the entrance. A balcony located right outside the living room, separated by a transparent glass sliding door. Eli's apartment also had two bedrooms, one on the left with a bathroom close to it, and one on the right.
The position of the bedrooms had Nozomi's curiosity piqued.
"Elichi, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? What is it?" Eli stirred the curry in the saucepan, not looking at her.
"Why are there two separated bedrooms? And opposite each other too?" Nozomi glanced in each of the bedrooms' direction.
"Why do you think it is?" Eli enquired with a hum.
Nozomi was quite astonished the novelist would use her own tactic against her. A question in exchange for evasion. The violet-haired understood then—she wasn't the only one with disturbing secrets.
By then, Eli was done with her cooking. The delicious aroma of curry wafted round the apartment. Thanks to the scent, Nozomi remembered she hadn't eaten anything since morning.
It was a shame really, Nozomi wanted to know more about the mysterious blonde woman who extended her hand to her, but her stomach vehemently disagreed with its loud growl.
"Come now, have some before you pass out." Eli laughed, putting two dishes of curry down the kitchen table, and gestured to the chair opposite from hers.
"T-Thank you, Elichi…" Nozomi blushed, sitting down. The novelist chuckled at her adorableness.
The girl dug in with profound enthusiasm. Nozomi really did try her best not to be impolite while eating, but she could no longer deny the intense hunger. It was a miracle how she didn't pass out from starvation.
Eli quietly watched her eat, until she said, "You know… it's only natural that you would want to keep your secrets to yourself. I totally understand. But sooner or later, you'll still need to consent somebody about your problems, Nozomi."
"Same goes for you, Elichi." Nozomi smiled wistfully. She stopped eating, her eyes captivated by her food.
"What…? I don't…" Eli stuttered, feigning her confusion.
"You haven't answered my question about the bedrooms, Elichi." The wistful smile was replaced by a playful one.
"Only if you answered mine," Eli said simply, ending the conversation.
When they finished their dinner, Nozomi helped Eli take care of the dishes. Then, as Nozomi was preparing to leave…
"If it's possible for you, you can stay here if you want to. Going back means you're going to get beaten again, right?" Eli offered.
Nozomi appeared thoughtful for a minute, then she smiled warmly at her; a genuine smile ever since Eli met her.
"Please pardon my intrusion then, Elichi." The blonde was going to ask about her parents' permission when Nozomi interrupted her. "And they won't mind if I stay here anyways. So don't worry."
"Ok then. Bedroom is this way." The novelist pointed to the bedroom on the left.
Thank you for reading.
Comments & reviews are welcomed.
Rakurai deshita.