26: I'll be Leaving Soon
Tomoya
I'll be leaving, soon.
The damn noise is still there. No matter how many times I throw the ball through the freaking basket, it's still there.
I can hear it with total clarity.
I can't move right. My instincts are totally off. I'm sucking at practice. No way will the Coach start me.
Normally, I'd be able to hide this. Maybe Kotomi getting me to vent is throwing me off.
I need to talk to her. But it's too far; I can't get to her.
And who knows? Maybe she's already at the lab for some reason.
I run away.
"Okazaki, come back! Where the hell are you-?"
I don't stop. And soon, I'm downtown.
Maybe I'll go see Pops.
I head to Furukawa Bakery. But before I can open the door-
"Ah—"
An older man, dressed in a black trench coat, interrupts my entrance. His face is grizzled, but he has a weary look about him.
"Excuse me," I apologize curtly.
"Wait,"
He puts a hand on his shoulder.
"We need to talk."
I let the door shut. "Who are you?"
"You're Okazaki Tomoya… Aren't you?"
I shake off his grip. "How do you know me…?"
Wait. Something feels familiar about this guy.
Nishimura-san… He was wearing that when—
"I'll explain. But we need to get somewhere quiet. I need to tell you something."
Postea
"My name is Dr. Ayashii,"
We're in front of a train station. He wipes his glasses with a rag in his pocket.
"I'm one of Nishimura-san's co-workers."
"Were you there the day she died?"
"Yeah," He nods, "with Dr. Hiromu and him. We found out about it first, so we told her."
"Stop beating around the bush," I insinuate earlier than necessary, "Why are you talking to me?"
He sticks his hands deep in his pockets. Eyes shut, he speaks again.
"I don't have the heart to tell her myself. But… I'd like to give her a prelude to what's to come."
"What-?"
"You've been hearing things, haven't you? Voices reassuring each other that their resurrection is coming soon?"
"'Resurrection'?" I frown. "What are you talking about?"
He avoids my gaze the best he can. As he watches clouds drift away from the setting sun, he clenches his fist in his pocket.
"The world we live in… is a fake."