Apathetic

Ch. 15

"Emiyo, will you pass me the thread so I can sew the futon?" Aimi pleaded as she set the futon on the hanger.

Emiyo did not respond or surrender the item. The futon batter that was placed near her arm remained untouched as she sat on a stool with her hand on her cheek. She leaned in on the folding table, looking unpleasant.

"Emiyo-San?"

"You can do that yourself, Aimi." She said with a irritated tone.

Aimi let out a sigh and said, "I understand that your personal meeting with Douma-sama was rescheduled two nights ago, but please try to understand that he must have had good reasons for doing so. He is a busy founder and we should respect his schedule."

Emiyo cross her arms and look at her friend Aimi, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She wore a scowl on her face as she complained bitterly about her leader, Douma.

"I just don't get it," Emiyo said, her voice dripping with frustration. "I've been with Douma-Sama for years, and I've always been his most loyal follower. But now he's paying all this attention to Kotoha, and I don't understand why."

Aimi sighed, knowing that this was a conversation she had had with Emiyo many times before. "Emiyo, you know that Kotoha has been through a lot. She's had a traumatic history, and Douma-Sama is just trying to be there for her."

"But why her?" Emiyo whined. "Why that clumsy moron? I've been through things too!"

"I know you have," Aimi said gently. "But you also know that Douma-Sama has always cared every for his follower including Kotoha in a special way. He sees something in her that he doesn't see in anyone else."

Emiyo rolled her eyes. "That's just because she's pretty and charming. I bet if I acted like her, Douma-Sama would pay attention to me too."

Aimi frowned. "Emiyo, that's not fair. Kotoha is more than just her looks or her personality. She's been through so much, and Douma-Sama sees that. He wants to help her heal."

"I don't care," Emiyo said stubbornly. "I'm sick of playing second fiddle to her. I'm going to do whatever it takes to stop her from getting closer to Douma."

Aimi shook her head in disbelief. "Emiyo, that's not the right attitude to have. Douma-Sama is our leader, and we should respect his decisions. Besides, Kotoha is our friend too. We should be happy for her that she's finally finding some peace."

"She is not my friend." Emiyo huffed in frustration. "I don't see why I have to be happy for her. She's just getting in the way of what I want."

Aimi sighed, knowing that there was no getting through to Emiyo when she was in this kind of mood. "I hope you'll reconsider," she said softly. "But for now, I think it's best if we change the subject."

Emiyo grumbled but eventually relented, and the two friends moved on to fold and dust off the futon. But Aimi couldn't help but worry about what Emiyo might do to try towards Kotoha. Based on Emiyo's tone of voice, her aggressive cleaning of the futon, and her tendency to take her own words seriously, there is a possibility that she may take certain actions towards Kotoha that could have consequences. Emiyo performs such actions either to retaliate against someone who obstructs her, to appease her sadistic tendencies, or to entertain herself - sometimes all of the above. Aimi knew that her friend's envy and entitlement could lead her down a dangerous path, and she hoped that Emiyo would come to her senses before it was too late.

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The night was dark and the stars twinkled like tiny little diamonds in the sky. Sat on a small hill where the brightest moon is fully out. Kotoha and Douma lay side by side, their little heads resting on each other's small shoulders, gazing up at the night sky.