Author's Note: So we check in on Masaomi this time. He isn't doing too well. He says that he is fine, but no one believes him. He's only going to dig himself deeper into the hole that he is creating for himself. Somebody, please help him. In the meantime, there are still three weeks left before the season finale. But don't worry, there is still this year's omake coming out in March. Also, there's going to be a little treat for everyone next Monday in time for Walker's birthday. So, look out for that. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo Twenty-Six: Masaomi:
-Masaomi-
I have a girlfriend now, I guess. I don't know how I feel about this. It just kind of happened, really. We didn't have sex that night she came to my place. She freaked me out when she asked for my real name. I thought that would be the end of that. She probably thought that I was being weird and would lose interest in me.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
I woke up the next morning to a new text. At first, I didn't recognize the contact. Huh? Who's Hagihara Ruriko? I opened the text.
"I'll give you another shot, honey. Meet me tonight, Kida Masaomi."
At first, I couldn't connect the dots. Who was texting me? I didn't know a Hagihara Ruriko. Wrong number? A previous hook-up? Suddenly, the bubble with three dots popped up on the screen. Wait…
A picture popped up on the screen. My eyes widened when I saw who it was. That was my date from last night. It looked like she was standing outside of my apartment building. She held up her phone and had her lips puckered up in a kiss for who I assumed was me. I could see down her cleavage from the way she had the camera angled. The more I stared at it, the more tiny pieces started to come together. A puzzled look came over my face.
What the…?
It all started to slowly sink in.
I shot up straight in my bed. How did she know my real name? I told her no names. I felt myself start to panic. I hurried over to my window. I didn't see anybody outside. I breathed out as I felt my heart starting to relax. My phone rang in my hand.
Oh, it's just Mikado-kun. Mikado-kun? Why did I just call him that?
"Hello?" I asked.
"Kida-kun," Mikado said. "It's Chiharu. She's back." My jaw just dropped.
A father and son walked up to an apartment in downtown Ikebukuro. The man looked about thirty years old. The boy about twelve years old looked down at his feet. His father nudged him on the arm.
"Stand up straight," he hissed. The father knocked on the door. He smacked his son on the back. He and the man looked up in time to see the door opening. Saori perked up when she greeted them.
"Good morning, Honda-san," she said. The tadpole bowed before she let them inside. Father pushed his son forward. The boy reluctantly walked into the apartment.
"I will be back at one," his father said. He bowed and walked off.
"He will be in my care," Saori said as she bowed her head. She slipped into her apartment and closed the door.
The son was already sitting at the kitchen table. He tried not to make eye contact with Saori. They've seen each other for two years but something is different about her lately. Saori sat down next to him.
"Let me see your schoolwork," she said. The boy reached into his bag and pulled out his notebook. Saori opened it and took a look inside. She pulled out her pink glitter pen and clicked it on. The tadpole began looking over the boy's work and circled the correct sentences. She only had to make two Xs this time.
"Hm, very good," Saori said. "Your English is getting better." The tadpole frowned when she heard the boy's thoughts.
She's so close! My… My heart… It's… It's…
"Are you feeling okay?" the tadpole asked. The boy froze but didn't make any eye contact. Saori smiled as she lowered her pen.
"I know how you feel about me," she said in a low voice. The boy still wouldn't look at her.
"Would you like me to get you some water?" Saori asked. He nodded once.
"Okay," his tutor said. "I will get you one." The tadpole got up and walked over to her kitchen sink. She got a glass from the cabinet overhead and filled it up. The pheromone blocker wasn't working as strongly as it started out.
I am going to have to be careful about this.
"So how is your dad?" Saori asked.
"Good," the boy said. "He's good." The tadpole cut the water off and handed the glass to the boy.
"Thank you," he said in a quiet voice. The boy took a drink. Saori was about to speak when her phone buzzed.
"Excuse me," she said. Saori pulled out her phone and walked into the hall.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Hey, I need to ask you a favor," Yukio said on the other line. Saori looked up at her student before she walked into the hallway.
"What is it?" she whispered. There was a pause on the other line for a moment.
"Are you still there?" Saori asked. "Hello?"
"Yes, I'm still here," Yukio said. "I want you to try and reach out to Sojiro."
"What for?" she asked. The tadpole looked down in the hallway. The boy might have calmed down enough by now.
"We need all to stay together," Yukio said. "I get the feeling that things are only going to get worse. None of us can reach him. Maybe you would have better luck."
"But why me?" Saori asked.
"He seems to be drawn to you for some reason," he said. "Just try and talk to him at least." Saori frowned a little bit. She pushed her bangs from her forehead.
"I will see what I can do," the tadpole said.
"Thank you," Yukio said.
"I have to get back to my student right now," Saori said. "We'll talk later." She hung up her phone and walked to her room. Seconds later, she walked back into her kitchen. The boy was now looking at her.
"Are you feeling better now?" Saori asked. Her student sat up straight.
"Yes," he said.
"Are you ready to continue?" she asked.
"Yes," the boy said. Saori walked back to the table and sat down. The rest of the lesson went on without incident.
-Masaomi-
I just follow Ruriko's lead. We're not exactly dating. Honestly, I don't know what we are. It just sort of happened. She was the one who offered up the second chance.
"You did seem kind of cute. I'm going to give you another chance tonight," she texted me. At first, I didn't know what to make of this. I wasn't really doing anything that night.
"Sure. Your place or mine?" I wrote back. I pressed send. I thought that was going to be it. I hadn't expected to see another text.
"I'll be at your place at nine," she wrote back. I stared at the text. Okay then. I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling that I had. Still, I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in where this could be going. I opened up my texts to Mikado. My fingers paused over the keys. I should say something but what should I say? I couldn't think of anything. So, I closed out of my texts and shoved my phone into my pocket. I lay down on my bed.
I don't know what to do with myself.
"Damn. There is something wrong with me," I said to myself.
Sojiro doesn't really trust people too well. It is easy to see why with his situation. This woman sitting across from him really gave him something to ponder.
"What do you want from me?" he asked. Saori tucked her hair behind her ear.
"How are you doing?" she asked. The other tadpole snorted.
"Fine," he muttered. What the hell was he doing here? This was all Yukio's idea. Coming out to Starbucks wasn't even Sojiro's first choice. He and this woman were just here. Sojiro rubbed his forehead. Why the hell did he even listen? Saori gave him a calm smile.
"I am an English tutor," she said. He wrinkled his nose.
"Why are you telling me this?" the other tadpole asked. Saori shrugged.
"Just felt like trying to get to know you," she said. "What is it that you do?" Sojiro rolled his eyes. Seriously? They were actually going to do this? Fine! Anything to shut her up.
"I work in an office," Sojiro mumbled.
"Oh," she said.
"I hate it. It sucks," he complained. He looked over at Saori across the table. She didn't speak. The tadpole narrowed his eyes. Was she going to let him have the floor? Sojiro sat back and sighed.
"What power do you have?" he asked.
"Me?" Saori asked. "I'm a human tracking device. I can track down a person just by touching something of theirs."
"Oh," he said.
"What can you do?" Saori asked. Sojiro frowned and rolled his eyes.
"It's lame," he said.
"Well, what can you do?" she asked. The tadpole rolled his eyes and leaned forward. He mumbled something under his breath.
"Hm?" Saori asked.
"I control sand," he muttered. He looked up at her. Sojiro snorted.
"Lame, huh?" he asked.
"Not really," she said. That shrug didn't help. Sojiro frowned at her.
"See? You think it's lame too," he said. "I don't even know why I'm here. This was a stupid idea." The tadpole stood up and left the table.
"Sojiro, wait!" Saori said. She got up and followed behind.
-Masaomi-
I have a bad feeling about this and I don't know why. I tried to act like everything was normal. I didn't need anyone to keep asking me questions. I am running out of ways to tell them I am fine. They don't seem to believe me anyway. I'm fine, really I am.
I stared at my phone again. She hasn't texted me since this morning. I don't know what I was expecting. She wasn't my girlfriend. I wasn't looking for a relationship, not really anyway. I guess… I want proof that I can still feel something. Now, I am starting to see why everyone is so worried about me. They don't need to be. I'm going to be fine.
I rubbed my forehead.
I'm not, am I?
My phone rang in my hand. It's Mikado again. Heh. He never quits, does he?
"Yeah?" I asked.
"How have you been?" Mikado whispered over the phone. I had a confused look on my face.
"Fine. Why are you whispering? Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah," he said. "I just have the girls over and they haven't woken up yet."
"What are they doing over there?"
"I don't know. They just showed up one by one and haven't left. I haven't had the heart to turn them away."
"Heh." I heard my phone pinging for a new text. "Um… Excuse me for a moment." I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at the screen. My heart about froze in my chest. It was her again.
"I'm coming over now. Be ready for me." Oh…
"Kida-kun? Are you still there? Hello? Hello?" I heard Mikado ask over the phone. Oh yeah, he's still on the phone.
"I'm still here," I said. "Listen… I have to go." I hung up before Mikado could say anything else. I'm so sorry to do this. I looked up when I heard my door buzz. There's no way…
I got up and walked over to the door. My stomach turned as I looked out the peephole. There was Ruriko. She was waiting for me to let her in. I reached forward and opened the door. Somehow, it was too late to turn back now.
Sojiro just can't figure her out. Why was Saori so interested in him? Clearly, Yukio told her to go talk to him. But there seemed to be something more to it.
"I don't get it," Sojiro spoke up as they walked back to his place.
"Get what?" Saori asked. He turned and looked at her.
"Why are you so interested in me?" the tadpole asked. "My powers are lame. My job sucks. I live alone. I've never had a girlfriend. I'm still a virgin and my friends pick on me for it. I can't even get anyone I want to look at me. The girls that look at me are all shallow and vapid!" He stopped when he heard her laughing.
"It's not funny!" he shouted. Saori waved him off.
"I'm so sorry," she said. Sojiro huffed as he looked away.
"I mean it," the other tadpole said. "I didn't mean to laugh at you like that."
"Whatever," the sand tadpole said. They made it to his apartment. Sojiro pulled out his key and unlocked the door. Saori followed him inside.
"Why are you following me into my place?" Sojiro asked. Saori gave him a little smile.
"Because you're letting me," she said. Sojiro gave her an odd look as his guest closed the door behind her. Something about her smile triggered old, strange memories in his head.
He sat alone in the corner of the activity room. Disassociation became a coping mechanism for the experiments. Sojiro would just stare off at the walls. His eyes always looked so empty. His mind would wander off to places unknown. Sojiro didn't remember how or when he started to disassociate his mind but it helped him from breaking down.
However, on one particular morning, something else pulled him out of his little world.
"Hey."
It was her smile that he first noticed. He looked up and saw her smiling at him. The next thing she said threw him for a loop.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you okay?" Saori asked him again back in present day. Sojiro stared at her for what felt like a long second.
"Sojiro? Sojiro?" she asked. The other tadpole pointed at her.
"You've asked me that before," he said. Part of him hoped that she would say that he was making it up. She lowered her eyes.
"Yes," Saori said in a quiet voice. Sojiro stood there in stunned silence. More memories of her started to build up in his mind. The sand tadpole turned and walked down the hall.
"Sojiro? Where are you going? Sojiro? Sojiro?" Saori asked behind him. Her voice sounded so distant as he closed his bedroom door.
-Masaomi-
Sometime later, I made my way to Mikado's apartment. I reached up and knocked on the door. I'm not sure why but I had to come here. I felt so numb, so dead inside. When was the last time I saw any of my friends in person? I didn't even know what I was going to say to him.
I looked up when the door opened.
"Kida-kun!" Mikado said with a gasp. My body broke down trembling.
"I fucked up," I said in a shaky voice. "I'm in trouble. I'm in deep trouble." Mikado gently put his hand on my back and pushed me into his apartment. He closed the door behind us. I found Anri, Noriko, and Chiharu sitting in the middle of the floor, staring up at me.
"Hello, ladies," I said in a tired voice. They didn't say anything. I couldn't tell if they were staring at me out of pity or judgment. I tried to look away. Please… Stop looking at me like that. I'm fine. Really, I am fine.
Liar.
-December 15, 2015-
Shin sat in the darkened living room of his apartment in the wee hours of the morning. Something inside of him told him that he couldn't be doing this moping around crap anymore. Enough with this feeling sorry for himself. His family paid for his pride and now it was time to take her up on her offer. The gun lay at his family on the foot.
He reached out for it and picked it up. Shin rose to his feet.
"I have to go," he said to himself. The man walked out of his apartment into the darkened morning.