I frown. "Emi-chan?" I stutter. "W-What did she do?"
Aoi averts my glance. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you." She stands up and exits the room, leaving me here alone.
I turn my gaze towards the ground, lost in thought. Aoi's been acting so strange lately... what's gotten into her?
~x~
I awaken to the ringing of my phone.
Fuwafuwa funwari...
Blinking the tiredness from my eyes, I push myself into an upright position. My eyes wander over to the clock. It's 4 AM... who would be calling me now?
I pick up the phone. "Hello? This is Amano Ichi–"
I don't even have the chance to finish my sentence when a voice interrupts me. "I need you to come over to my house. Now."
It's Noboru. His voice is brimming with panic; so much that I can barely recognize him.
"What happened?" I inquire.
"Aoi's hurt. There was a car crash and I tried to save her but..." his voice broke. "I..."
"Hold on. I'm coming," I respond.
The phone goes dead.
I've never driven faster. Thankfully, the streets are mostly empty at this hour, so the trip takes no longer than fifteen minutes.
When I finally get there, I race up the front steps and ring the doorbell. The door swings open almost immediately. It's Haru. "Thank goodness you came," he murmurs.
"How's Aoi?" I ask hurriedly.
"She's okay. She's currently unconscious, but her injuries aren't too severe."
I'm relieved but still anxious. Wordlessly, I follow him up the stairs and into what I assume is Noboru's room.
Aoi is lying lifelessly on the bed, pain evident in her features. Noboru is seated next to her.
Gently, he brushes the strands of hair from her closed eyes. He uses his right hand. His left one, I notice, is bandaged messily, and I am instantly reminded that he was in the accident with her.
But... who could be responsible for this? For a brief moment, Aoi's words echo in my mind. "You can't trust her... Kurai Emi." I shake my head. Emi couldn't be involved in this. She would never hurt someone on purpose.
Right...?
I take a seat and make myself relatively comfortable. My eyes travel across the room. Haru lingers by the doorway, as if he is unsure of what to do. Sho is gazing off into nowhere, his eyes distant and glassy.
All of a sudden, I realize how broken we are.
Judging from the state of his hand, Noboru won't be able to make sweets for awhile. Neither will Aoi. Although they don't say so, Sho and Haru will be broken without their two close friends. Just like I was when I left the sweets princes.
I let my eyes drift closed. Before I fade out of consciousness, I wonder how things could possibly have turned out like this.
~x~
Should I continue...?
As always, a shout out to my amazing reviewers! You guys are super nice, thank you! ;v;
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