Rom's Love Story:
"Hey, Big Brother…"
"Yeah?" he answered, not breaking his concentration on the piles of paper before him.
"What's with Rom lately?"
"…" between the piles of papers, he takes a peek at Lowee's blue coated CPU candidate.
She's been lost in thought and sighing every now and then after they've gotten back from their community service event. Her mind wrapped around her meeting with the boy. It wasn't the most pleasant meeting, and she had hoped that he would just talk to her. She had hoped that when she was given permission to read aloud her book, at least, she would have formed some sort of communication.
The worst part of it all, he never really had looked her way. He just stares blankly at the city through the 10 story window of the lounge. They have not introduced themselves properly, so she doesn't know his name. And, she doesn't know if they'll be able to meet again after the community service.
"*Sigh*…" she sighed again. What could she have done differently that day?
"Rom…"
"Ah…" a familiar voice suddenly pulled her out of her daydream. She looks beside her and a long lilac haired girl wearing a white sailor uniform.
"…Miss Nepgear"
"What's the matter, Rom? Something on your mind?"
"Hmhm… it's nothing" she shook her head.
"Really? But you've been lost in thought since yesterday"
"Really, really… it's nothing…" she shows off a smile, signaling that everything is all smiles and faces.
"Hmm… Then, what would you want for lunch?" she changes the topic.
"…Lunch?"
"Is there anything that you want?"
"…Um… Pancakes sound nice"
"I second pancakes" the passerby suddenly said.
"Okay, pancakes it is. If there's anything you want to tell just tell me, okay?" she leaves that remark before heading for the kitchen
"Okay…" she nods and Nepgear leaves her for the kitchen.
"Hello, here's some pancakes for lunch!" Compa, being herself as usual, entered one of the patients' room. She pushes a restaurant cart with 3 pancakes on one plate, a pitcher of juice and a glass right beside it.
"Eh? He's not here?" discovering that the room is empty, she looks around finding the sole occupant.
"…"
"Oh, there you are! Don't make me all worried like that!" it didn't take long, but she had found the boy with navy blue hair sitting on the floor hugging his knees beside the doorway.
"…"
"And don't sit on the floor, or you might catch a cold" Compa takes the boys arm with both hands and picks him up off the floor.
"And your clothes have dust all over them!" puffing her cheeks from irritation she brushes off some of the dust from the boy's clothes.
"There, now sit on your bed and eat your pancakes" she gives the boy her usual cheerful smile as she instructs him.
"…Mhm" he sits on the edge of his bed and Compa parks the cart right in front of him. Compa sits next to him, gets a piece of a pancake
"Okay, say aah" she said.
"…I can eat by myself"
"No. You're always sitting on the floor even though I told you not to! So this time I'm not going to do what you say"
"…"
"Now, say aah…"
"Thanks for the food!"
"*Nom!* *Nom!* *Nom!* Mmmmh! This is tasty!" Rom eats
"H-Hey! The syrup's splattering all over me!" Neptune protests on Rom's wild eating.
"These pancakes are really fluffy, like a soufflé *Nom* *Nom*" he continues eating despite the racket.
"…It's so yummy miss Nepgear!" Rom said her delight.
"Thanks. If you want more, just tell me okay?"
"…Mhm! *Nom!* *Nom!*"
It was usual atmosphere for her, the same old fun days. An atmosphere that can drive any bad feeling away. The color of warmth that changes its shapes and colors as though looking through a kaleidoscope. These kinds of moments, whether it may be big or small, was what makes her see the world so bright like a rainbow.
And at the back of her mind, she still remembers that boy. The boy that just stares out through the window. Looking towards the city with a blank gaze. Disinterested. Detached. As though he's bored of seeing the same thing over and over. If she sees everything with color, what does the boy see whenever he looks out through the window? What color does he see? In his gaze, what does he think of her?
"I don't hear any music," said Milo.
"That's right," said Alec; "you don't listen to this concert—you watch it. Now, pay attention."
As the conductor waved his arms, he molded the air like handfuls of soft clay, and the musicians carefully followed his every direction.
"What are they playing?" asked Tock, looking up inquisitively at Alec.
"The sunset, of course. They play it every evening, about this time."
"They do?" said Milo quizzically.
"Naturally," answered Alec; "and they also play morning, noon, and night, when, of course, it's morning, noon, or night. Why, there wouldn't be any color in the world unless they played it. Each instrument plays a different one,"
"Everything all right, Rom?"
"…Ah!" Nepgear woke her up from her deep thinking.
"You're playing with your food" and just as the passerby said it, the syrup on the pancakes have dripped around her plate.
"…I'm sorry" she apologized.
"It's fine. I'll get some tissues" the passerby stands and heads for the tissue box on top of the study table.
"Are you really alright, Rom?" Ram asked.
"…Mhm. Don't worry about it, Ram"
"Are you really? You can talk about it to us" Nepgear said.
"Mhm! Mhm! If you talk about it, everything would be all better!" her big sister agreed.
"…Hm hm… I'm fine really" she answered. With that as cue, they didn't push the topic further.
"…There. All done"
"…"
"Mmm! What do you say after you're done eating?"
"…Thanks for the food…"
"Good! Now, lay down and get some rest. And don't sit on the floor next time!" she said as she stands and pushes the cart out of the room.
"…" thinking that she would nag at him again, the boy quietly lays down on the bed and tucked himself in.
"..." before Compa steps out, she takes one more look at the boy. Satisfied that he had followed her instructions she leaves the room.
The room is quiet. The wind blows, the curtains flutter. A warm wind enters, the birds chirp. The season of summer is almost near. He stares at the white blank ceiling above, waiting for sleep to possess him. For anyone else it should be a peaceful scene. A scenario where people can kill time and not give a damn about anything. Feeling the warm moving air that brushes onto their skin. Like enjoying a colorful melody.
But the boy looks at it all as though he has seen it all; the been's there and the done's that. He doesn't look at it with color anymore. He looks at everything as though he is an old soul. That nothing engages him anymore.
"Would it be possible for me to see something from up there?" asked Milo politely.
"You could," said Alec, "but only if you try very hard to look at things as an adult does."
Milo tried as hard as he could, and, as he did, his feet floated slowly off the ground until he was standing in the air next to Alec Bings. He looked around very quickly and, an instant later, crashed back down to earth again.
"Interesting, wasn't it?" asked Alec.
"Yes, it was," agreed Milo, rubbing his head and dusting himself off, "but I think I'll continue to see things as a child. It's not so far to fall."
