★ | I, Rhys Kakyoin | Jotakak

31 ★ Hiraeth

At the sight of Natsukashii Bookstore before me with its dust-ridden display windows and chipped doors, I feel gladness to the core release me from any hint of anxiety hiding inside of me.

  "So you were right, then," Jo says.

  "What'd I tell you?" I smile, teasingly nudging him on the shoulder. I glance over at the St. Gentlemen right next to the bookstore and I feel my stomach and my taste buds encourage me to go in and get my now favourite sandwiches. I tug Jo by the hand and gesture at the store, hoping the feeling is mutual.

  After buying two sandwiches with his money since I'd neglected to bring my wallet along, the two of us tuck into our food as we sit ourselves by the kerb.

  "So, how are you?" I ask Jo, hoping to make the most of our short time sitting down to unwind a little more before heading into the bookstore.

  "I'm all right. Nothin' out of the ordinary 'appened in school today."

  "Mana said you guys played baseball for PE."

  "Oh, yeah. All four of us teamed up but we were missin' one more so we jus' ended up playin' without a fifth teammate." He takes a small bite off of the sandwich. "We played against Aito's friends and we lost. It was a bit annoyin' playin' against 'em, because whenever one of 'em would catch the ball before it hits the ground they'd start mockin' us. I didn't really say anythin', jus' played, but Arata and Mana were quietly makin' fun of 'em and it was pretty funny." He glances over at me. "Y' should've been 'ere. You've been through trainin' for stuff like that with Polnareff, yeah?"

  "I mean, I guess so, but I wasn't exactly an expert batter," I say through my teeth, remembering the special training I'd received with snowballs and my rapier. We both end up snickering to ourselves at the thought of torrents of snowballs raining on me and hitting me in the face.

  I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow - perhaps a little bit too hard - while I fail to stop laughing. He presses a hand to his mouth so as to prevent food spouting out from his mouth while uttering a sharp yet muffled "Ow!"

  I stuff the remainder of my sandwich into my mouth, and with it full of warm bread and generous meat and veg filling I speak. "I wish I didn't twist my ankle so I could've come to school and joined you in PE."

  "Yeah. And, uh, also, we can't sit next to each other in English and homeroom classes anymore, Rhys," says Jo. "Mr Kogure's swapped yer and Hiroto's seats since 'e's always talkin' to Tajima, so now yer sittin' behind me."

  "What?" I exclaim, "So I sit right in front of one of Aito's friends now?" I'm quite sure that they still refer to me as a "cherry bitch" and are well-versed in ridiculing and mocking me. Moving me nearer to them is making things a lot worse, but unfortunately Mr Kogure doesn't see that. Just great. I can only imagine what they're gonna do and say to me in class when the teacher isn't looking.

  "Oh, whatever. We better get moving anyway."

  "Exactly me thinkin'," Jo says with a slightly stronger Scouse accent than usual, standing up from the kerb and offering me a hand to get up as well. I unhesitatingly take it and pull myself up before getting my crutches and heading towards the entrance. He pulls the door open and, as we enter, we are greeted with the strong smell of wood and the yellowed pages of an old book.

  "Kume-san?" he calls out as we head further into the bookstore. It takes no time at all before she emerges from the bookshelf next to us, a tight-lipped beam curving up on her face. That is what sets me off; that knowing and audacious smile, and no sooner do we stop opposite her face to face than I feel suppressed rage build in me like deep water currents. The fact that she's fully aware that she may as well gave me a death sentence that I have no knowing if I'll avoid or not and still has the utter audacity to smile at me makes me feel so angry. That's when it really comes, unleashed without any thought of consequence. I deserve it, all this freedom to scream at her for what she's done to me, to release any sort of rage I've held up inside of me over the span of the past few days, and anyone who thinks I don't does not understand and probably never will.