Unwavering Faith (or a Lack Thereof) | Saimatsu

Chapter 2

The second time they met was during the spring. Although the two had texted frequently over the past few months, they had never actually seen each other in person since they first met. One of the late nights they were texting one another, the topic of graduation came up.

My graduation ceremony happened the other day actually

Akamatsu Kaede <3
it did?
and you didn't tell me? :(

my bad;;

Akamatsu Kaede <3
it's okay saihara-kun.
a little late but congrats!

Haha, tysm :)
You said you're the same age as me, right?
Is your graduation ceremony coming up?

Akamatsu Kaede <3
yea!
it's tomorrow.

Are you nervous?

Akamatsu Kaede <3
nah
i just wanna get it done with tbh
all the people at my school drive me nuts.
and its not like my parents are gonna show up so it's not really something to look forward to.
also i hate dressing formal tbh

Such a negative comment made Shuichi frown a little. He had learned that her parents were always busy with work, but surely they'd make time for their daughter's graduation, no?

What about your sister?

Akamatsu Kaede <3
she's busy as well.

Shuichi's fingers hovered over his screen before coming to a halt. He knew what he wanted to ask next, yet he couldn't help but hesitate before he sent it.

So... do you have anyone coming to your graduation ceremony?
Even though I only had my Uncle, at least I still had someone
What about your friends?

Normally, she'd be typing as soon as he sent his message. When his message was marked as read, and no typing bubble came up, Shuichi felt his heart sink a little. He hadn't stepped too far, had he? He was about to type an apology, only to see that Kaede had started talking

Akamatsu Kaede <3
nah
well
i do have my friends but
they all have their families
so it's a bit awkward
but it's whatever
i'll just sneak my phone in and text you or smth
you better respond too
i'm not gonna sit through that boring ceremony alone >:(

When he read her last message, he could almost see the cute little pout on her face. He'd only seen it once, and now that he was reminded of it he felt himself yearn to see it once again. Although the corners of his lips etched upwards into a smile, Shuichi's eyes still held the sadness of knowing that Kaede had no one coming to her graduation ceremony.

As he typed up his next reply, an idea popped into his mind that was so bizarre, he dropped his phone. He let out a low hiss of annoyance mixed with a hint of pain as the hard device came crashing into his nose. For a moment, he sat there, regretting his decision of holding his phone above his head while he laid down in bed, before picking it up again and turning so he was on his side. To his surprise, new messages were on the screen- and not all of them were from Kaede.

Ofc I'll reopjfw;f ep ofqa wfwa

Akamatsu Kaede <3
wtf
u good?