Rent A Girlfriend: The Past Hurts

Part Sixteen 1/2 : Meanwhile..

Albeit the wind was pretty feisty, the sky was clear with not a single sign of rain coming down. A good day to take a run.
WIth the brown leash keeping her dog from escaping, the pink-haired girl kept at a steady pace as they passed through the park. She smiled and waved at the sight of familiar faces, and when she had reached the end of her run, she felt proud to know that she lasted longer than before. She then made her way to a nearby bench.
'At this rate, I'll be able to make the whole run without any breaks!' Sumi thought happily, taking a sip of water from her bottle. She looked up at the sky and wondered whether her friends were doing well. ' I hope Kazuya and Chizuru are having fun.'
She remembered a while back, Kazuaya and her were in the middle of a practice date when he bought up something about a trip. A trip to Kyoto to see his mother's grave. Although she didn't recall the specifics, she could clearly visualize the excitement and nervousness he had on his face when he revealed that Chziuru was going to accompany him.
' I admit I was a bit sad to know they were going together...' She reached for her dog who was sitting on her lap and proceeded to scratch his head with a sad smile on her face. '.. But if he had to take anyone, I'm glad it was her. They deserve one another.'
After some time, Sumi decided to get up. She ensured she had all her things before walking back home. On the way there, she remembered that she still needed to get milk. Unsure where to go, she took a right, hoping that the path would lead her to a grocery store, or at the very least a small convenience shop. And she was happy to see that there was one right ahead of her. However, as she got closer, the name listed above a somewhat- large liquor store was one that she had gotten used to saying by now.
".. Kinoshita's?" Sumi told herself while she stared at the name in awe. Sure she had known that Kazuya's grandmother had owned some sort of business, but this was the first time she was seeing it with her own eyes.
She led her dog inside, and looking to the right of her she saw a familiar face working behind the counter. " Oh, hello Sumi-chan!"
Nagomi hastidly stood from where she was sitting and walked around to give her a hug. Sumi returned the favor and the two remained like that for a few seconds before releasing one another. " I see that you finally decided to come see the old shop." She said ethastically, and Sumi pulled out her phone to open the notes app. " Still writing instead of speaking, eh?" She heard her say as she quickly typed her response onto the screen:

~ It wasn't that I never bothered to come. I was just never able to find it until now. ~

" I'm just pulling your leg, Sumi!" She snickered before walking behind the counter. " So, what can I do for you?"

~ I'm here to get some milk. Do you any?~

"Hmm.. I believe so. I'll check in the back."
After telling her to wait there, Sumi watched as Nagomi headed to a wooden door at the far end of the building and walked inside what she could only presume as some sort of storage room.

5 minutes later...

Phone still in her hand, Sumi started to get tired from standing for quite a while. She kept glancing over at the wooden door, hoping that Nagomi would walk out any second but it never happened. The dog seemed to be getting desperate as well, for it kept trying to run around but the leash had prevented it from doing so.
' I wonder what's taking so long?'
She looked at her phone and was surprised, saying to herself, " It's been almost six minutes? Wait... what's this?"
In all the time she had been standing there, Sumi was unaware that Kazuya had sent her a photo. Feeling a smile growing on her face, she opened it quickly and looked at what he had sent her:

' Aww. They look so good together. Kazuya looks so happy, and Chziuru... Is it just me, or is she actually..'
There were a few occasions that Sumi had seen her friend give off a genuine smile, and in the photo, she could tell that she was wearing one. Wanting to zoom in to get a better look, Sumi used her other hand to pinch the screen, but it was a mistake. And she hadn't realized it until the sound of a jar breaking grabbed her attention.
'What was... Oh no!'
In the midst of looking at the photo, she had forgotten that she was using her other hand to make the dog stay put, and when she used it in attempt in getting a better look at her friend, her dog was able to escape and scurry away, and she watched in horror at the broken pieces of what was a jar splattered across the floor.
" Oh no..." She said she looked around for a broom, but the sound of the wooden door opening slightly stopped her from what she was doing. Her dog had run inside.
" Hey! Come back, girl!" She panicked, carefully stepping over the broken pieces before hastily following where the dog had gone. It was a bit dark but still do-able, and Sumi used the sound of barking as a guide through the room.
When she found her, she let out a sigh of relief and picked her up. " You have to be more careful." She tried to say, but the dog kept barking in her arms, clearly trying to alert her of something. " What is it girl? Why are-!"
Staring at the ground in front of her, Sumi hastily dropped her dog and kneeled beside the body of Nagomi, who was currently unconscious as it laid on the concrete floor. She lightly shook her in an attempt of waking her up, but no success. " Nagomi!", she cried as she pulled out her phone, proceeding to call 911.

All while this was happening...

A brunette and orange-haired boy were getting ready to visit the cemetery...

To be continued..