JANUARY 22.

THURSDAY.

[5:20 PM]

The window of the clubroom was open when I came in. I placed my bag on top of the table and walked towards the window to close it, but decided otherwise when I felt the gust of freezing wind blew passed me. It was blowing hard, leaving trails of kisses on my face. From where I was standing, I could hear the squealing of the girls from the ground – four floors down. I took a peek on what was happening and it turned out that the girls were only trying to hold their skirts in place. But what caught – or rather, the person who caught – my attention was a certain someone with a black almost-shoulder-length hair. A certain girl who seemed to have no care for the world.

Winter break have already passed. Two weeks since classes resumed. But she still hadn't talked to any of us four: Iori, Yui, Aoki, or I.

I inhaled a breath of cold air and also a ball of courage as I shouted out her name. "Inaba!"

My lips automatically smiled as I noticed her stop on her tracks. I saw her tightened her hold of her bag and after a few seconds, started to walk again.

"Inaba!" She didn't bulge.

I inhaled again, gathering enough to make my voice louder. "Inaba!"

I didn't stop until she was already out of the school gates. I let out a tsk and punched the wall beside me.

"Taichi!"

I turned and saw Iori standing at the door, looking a bit startled. "Hey." My voice was lacking conviction.

I stared at her. Iori's the popular-with-guys-and-girls type of girl. It may be because of her cute face and her energetic and upbeat personality. Or her smile that whenever you looked at it, it would automatically brighten up your day. Iori have always had those traits. But it was when everything with Balloon Vine blew up that I got to know the real Iori. And that made me fell in-love with her. Her smiling face, crying face, anxious face, mad face, every face she had in her – I loved them all. I loved them because I knew behind those faces was the real Iori.

As I looked at her now, I felt a sense of calmness. The same feeling I have whenever talking to Aoki or to Yui. And I wonder back to Inaba, she always asked me if I still love Iori.

Inaba, I think I know my answer.

"Is your mind walking side by side with Inaban?"

I jolted a bit and saw that Iori was leaning towards me; just a few good inches away from my face. "What?" I blinked, "I didn't get your question. What was it?"

She straightened her back and put her hands on her hips. "You're thinking of Inaban!" Iori giggled.

I sighed and spared a glance outside the window, hoping that I would see Inaba. But of course, none – not even her silhouette. She could already be at her house now, Taichi. "Is that wrong?"

"Nope~" Iori quipped. She sat on the table and crossed her legs with her hands on the edge of the table.

"Iori," my eyes were locked with hers and I heard her answered 'yes?'. "I don't love you anymore."

And she gave me a satisfied smile. "I know."

JANUARY 22.

THURSDAY.

[6:02 PM]

I got out of a book store when a guy I didn't know stopped me. "Yes?"

He smiled and I concluded that he's one of those ikemens. "You're Yaegashi Taichi, right?"

I was about to answer him 'what do you need?' when he continued talking. "You're Inaba Himeko's ex-boyfriend, am I right?"

"Who the hell are you?" I gritted my teeth as I glared at him.

The guy laughed and shook his head. He turned away and left, not really saying anything except for, "No one that concerns you."

My feet suddenly started moving on its own – probably, it's my will making me move. What does he need with Himeko? I found myself following the guy and probably would have followed him more if not for someone calling out to me.

"Aoki!" I took one last glance of the guy and jogged off towards Aoki who was leaning against a pole – a paper bag on his hands.

"Who was that?" He nodded his head towards the direction that the guy took.

"I don't know. He stopped me when I got out of the book store and asked if I am Inaba's ex."

Aoki let out a whistle. "What did you say?"

"I kinda cursed at him." I shrugged.

"Woah. So not you, Taichi." He patted my shoulders, "But I totally get you. I mean, if he asked if you're the ex then that must mean he wants to be the present, right?"

What? "What?"

He shook his head in disbelief. "A love rival?"

"What!?"

"You're kinda slow, huh Taichi?" He looked at his phone, "It's still early. Just six p.m. Let's eat somewhere!"

JANUARY 22.

THURSDAY.

[6:20 PM]

"So what he looks like?" Aoki asked in between munching the burger he ordered.

I sipped from my cup of soda. "Who?"

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I feel like I know now how Inaba-chan felt whenever she's with you. You're quite the slow one, Taichi. It takes you quite some time to get things and to get over things. Meaning, it took you long to get to know your feelings. That's why she got hurt." Aoki let out a sigh, "Anyway, I mean, the dude. Your love rival. The guy you were following?"

"Am I really that slow, Aoki?" I took a piece of fries and dipped it on the tomato ketchup, but didn't really eat it. "I mean, the reason I asked Inaba out was because I felt that we need each other. Yes, it's not because I love her – but that was at first. And the first months of our relationship, I know I still like Iori. But as Inaba and I got to know each other as partners, I bit by bit forgot about my feelings for Iori. Not that I don't care for her anymore, but I want to treasure Inaba better."

"So, why weren't you able to answer her whenever she asked you if you still love Iori?"

"It's not easy to say that I don't love Iori anymore, not that I still do, but because I – myself – couldn't answer the follow up question of: when? How? Why? One question have others underlying it. And those underlying questions are the ones I couldn't answer."

Aoki sipped his own soda. "You could have just answered the obvious question. And could just passed on the other ones. But, Taichi, let me ask you this, do you love Inaba? Not the love of you needing her and you wanting to care for her? Do you love her? Do you know what love is?"

"Probably, it's accepting the person as she is? I mean seeing the goods and bads of that person and you still want to be with her?"

"Did you feel that for Iori?"

I nodded.

"Do you still feel that for her?"

I nodded.

"What – "

"No! Listen, Aoki! I loved Iori. I couldn't take that fact away from myself. I still could accept her goods and bads, the way that I could accept yours and Yui's. But, if you're asking me if I still love Iori – romantically – then I could say I love Inaba more."

I smiled feeling sorry when he let out a long sigh of relief. I even troubled this troubled-with-Yui guy.

"Then, that's that. Back to my question, what he looks like? Your rival?" Aoki gobbled up his remaining burger.

"An ikemen."

He laughed. "You're so done."

JANUARY 23.

FRIDAY.

[6:28 AM]

I opened my eyes. My room was clad with the rays of the sun that were able to passed through my closed curtain; and in my dimly lighted room I lay awake, waiting for my sister to wake me up.

I lay in my bed, my arms resting on my forehead, Inaba's smiling face on my mind.

"I believed I was enough."

"You were more than enough, Inaba!" I whispered, a tear found its way out of my eyes.

"I believed that there was love between us!"

I bit my lowerlip as I tried to contain myself. Taichi, you're a fool. "There was love, Inaba. There's still is."

"I believed you!"

"Please believe on me again."

Inaba, you were more than enough and I love you. I really do. Let me love you more. One more time.

"Onii-chan!"

My little sister opened my door with a bit of force, I saw her winced at the loud thud that it made. "I'm awake." I sat up and stared at her. I motioned her to come to me, and so she did.

I hugged my little sister. "Eh!? What's wrong, Onii-chan?"

I love you, Inaba. I love you, Himeko. I love you.

"I love Inaba!"

And as I saw the questioning look at my little sister's face, I made up my mind.

I'll make you trust me again, Himeko. I'll make you realize my love.

Kokoro Connect is not mine. It has its rightful owners. And everything that are written here is purely a product of my desires and imagination. My story "Kokoro Connect (Collection of Interlocking Events) is somewhat AU – ah! It's really AU. And I would be adding few OCs just to spice up this story.

This story is purely romance. And I might not be able to portray the original characters in the way they are in the manga and/or anime, but please do bear with me ^^

Oh, and please enjoy the story~

Yours Truly,

psychoticauthor