Chapter 5: Some days we catch up with our bad luck…..
Michio sat in the kitchen, sitting down at the table, phone in hand in what is to be the most nerve wracking conversation.
"Ah, yes I understand it has been a few weeks, Ichimaka-sama," Michio turns the page of the calendar over, the bright dashes of red cutting through the white squares. It had been a few weeks since the funeral and slowly Michio and Ayano were adjusting to their new lives without Ryoba. It felt longer than a few weeks, Michio thinks, the time from the incident to the funeral and even now as he finally walked Ayano to her class. Today Michio has received a phone call from his office and he can already feel the sweat form on his palms."However, I can not return to the office just yet."
The mourning period has yet to be over and they're already asking him to come back. Michio twists the pen in his hands. Out of everyone from the office, why did it have to be Ichimaka?
"Ah Aishi-san, when do you believe you can return to us?" His supervisor's voice cuts through the phone line, as if he was standing by him looking down at him from his hawkish nose."Of course, we'll support you through these times, however we would like to know when you can return as soon as possible."
'For the benefit of the group,' Michio could hear the unsaid ending. Normally, Michio would jump at any given chance to stay longer hours away from Ryoba. Stayed tucked away long as he could hold out, putting off the time to leave even by the usual long hours in Japanese office life. His office life was a safe hideaway even with people like Ichimaka, who forced unreasonable workloads on his team, could be a safer choice. Compared to Ryoba, it was paradise. Had this been any other day before the incident, Michio would have leapt for this chance.
This is not that day, and Michio would have to straighten his back for it.
"Ichimaka-san, I still have another two weeks before I return," Michio carefully stated, his hands wet with sweat as he contemplated his next words.
"We understand Aishi-san," Ichimaka heavily used 'we', but Michio knew better," However-"
"However, I will return by the end of those two weeks and by then my request for my week of paid leave would be cleared." Michio cuts him off. There was no reply, and Michio sat alone in the kitchen waiting for his supervisor to return.
A second, then another of dead silence, faintly he can hear voices of his coworkers, and Michio wonders if he should backtrack.
"I see." Ichimaka's voice returned. Crinkling of paper can be heard, Michio's leg muscles tightened as the seconds ticked by.
"Yes?" Michio tentatively asks.
"Thank you for your time Aishi-san." Ichimaka briskly said, and soon he heard the dial tone. Ichimaka had hung up on him.
Michio sighs, sinking down into his chair. 'That could have gone worse', Michio thought. Groaning, he hangs his head from the stress of it.
"Hopefully Ayano has a better day than me." He prayed.
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Ayano was not having a good time.
Ayano shakily picked herself off the ground, careful with her scraped knees. Yui and her friends had already left her, on the ground and covered in dirt. Not unlike other times and Ayano picks herself up every time. Maybe she hoped too much for them to leave her alone. Ayano brushes down the dirt on her skirt, thinking nothing of what happened. Pain felt distant.
Her mother says it's perfectly normal.
She's normal.
Ayano is normal.
'You're a monster!'
Her hands stilled, and Ayano bit her lip. There was a dull throb in her chest, repressed- if she focused hard enough it felt like a heartbeat. She brushes her clothes again, hands shaking, her eyes focusing on the ground.
'Monster!'
"Not a monster," Ayano mumbled. Her clothes have no dirt on them by now, but her hands didn't stop from dusting them off. Her hands keep patting her clothes. 'Monster, Monster, Monster,' Ayano kept thinking.
Why is she a monster? Yuna's words cut so deeply. She thought Yui was mean, but Yuna could be so mean. Was she right? Was she a monster? Because she didn't cry? Dad didn't cry, was he a monster too? No, Dad cries, he cried at the end of the day. Ayano's thoughts spiraled at the idea.
Is she a monster?
Is she-
"Aya-chan what happened to you!" Sensei Asahi's voice shakes her from her thoughts. She snaps her head towards his direction, seeing his horrified look."Your knees!"
"Ah Sensei," Ayano looked down, her knees did look bad," I fell."
Ayano kept her head down, her hands fiddled with the hem of her shirt. The school's uniform had a cute sunflower patch on it, and Ayano kept her eyes on it.
"You fell?" Asahi questioned her, taking in her scruffy appearance. He looked her over, taking in every bruise and scratched skin with a tight smile. Ayano waited for him to say something about it, already having an excuse ready.
"Let's get you cleaned up, Aya-chan," Asahi says gently.
"Sensei, I'm okay," Ayano insisted. Her clothes aren't dirty and she can walk just fine. Even if her knees throbbed as she stood.
"It isn't a request," Asahi says, as he begins to steer her towards where the main doors should be. Even if Ayano could protest, if she even wanted to, Asahi would simply shake his head and continue guiding his student to the infirmary. He stopped briefly to speak to another teacher, speaking lowly enough for only them to hear, shooting a hard look at his fellow teacher when he leaned back from them.
"I'll keep my eye out, Takahashi-san," the teacher promised. There was an odd look on their face as they turned away from Asahi-sensei.
"Make sure you actually do it." Sensei told her. Ayano didn't have to be sharp to notice the frown on the other teacher's face to know she was upset.
As they entered the building,Asahi-sensei turned to Ayano and asked ," Is your leg still hurting?"
Yes.
"No," Ayano said. Her knees sting and she wants to go home already.
Asahi-sensei hums at that. He purses his lips and shakes his head at her. " Aya-chan, when you get hurt you have to be honest with me," Asahi says gently to her. Seeing the uneasiness on her face , he followed with, "I can't help if you don't tell me."
"Why?," Ayano's brows furrowed, she turned away from sensei, "I'm fine."
"Being fine isn't the same as being okay." Asahi explains, his glasses slide a bit as he looks down at her, but he didn't really care about that. "We can always say we're fine, but it doesn't stop the fact we have been hurt."
Ayano pulled away, and shook her head."No," she mumbled in disagreement that all young children do when they don't understand the wrongness of ignoring pain.
Liar, Liar, you're set on fire. She can hear the jeer in Yui's voice.
Asahi exhaled softly. Children were hard to talk to sometimes. And in Ayano-chan's case, more difficult, but if Asahi could even get her to open up, even the smallest of trust would always be worth it to him. He'll drop this for now, but he's to keep his eyes on her as much as he can.
"Okay Ayano-chan," he pats her hair before ruffling it to her displeasure," I'll stop, but please let me know if this happens again."
Ayano shifted her gaze away, but nodded. Even if she told him, what was he going to do? She told the sensei before him, but it only made it worse.
(Yui threw her lunch outside, Yui poured milk into her bag, Yui did…)
"Ayano-chan," Asahi-sensei's voice broke her from her thoughts, and she looked up at him again, he beckoned her towards one of the doors, they had already made it to the nurse's office."It's going to be okay, I'll help you no matter what."
Even if her Sensei was always late, or laughed out of nowhere– scaring more than a couple of students and staff, or mumbling a mile a minute, he always sat down and talked to her….
Maybe this sensei will hear her out.
"Midori get off the shelf!"
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A/N: Hey, long time no see! Sorry I wasn't very happy how this chapter came out, but trust me when I say, this is very different from the original chapter 5 I started years ago. Once I get into the rhythm for this fic again, it'll come out a bit more naturally.
Thank you my dearest friend Random-k for she got me back into writing and my inspiration. Check out her fics y'all she's fantastic!
Thank you for sticking by and may you enjoy the chapter!
