— You shouldn't act like this...
Mikey felt the strong wind that afternoon ruffle his hair. His blond hair was a little longer than it had been a few months before.
He looked at the male figure taller than him. The guy with long blond hair didn't look happy at all. His eyebrows were furrowed and, despite Mikey's grim expression, that wouldn't be enough to keep the other boy away.
— Is it my fault now?
— Bullshit. — Draken exclaimed. — That sounds hard enough for you too. You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness.
— Sadness, you say? — Mikey laughed, but completely without emotion. He put his hands inside his pockets for warmth. He could feel Draken's gaze burning his skin, but it wasn't enough to make the chill of the Tokyo afternoon go away. — I don't owe you any explanations.
— But you didn't have to get away from everyone. — the taller one shouted. If they were in a crowded place, people would already be watching the possible fight between the two boys. However, Mikey and Draken found themselves in a far corner of the old shrine, which served as a meeting place for Toman. — Pretend that nothing happened and that we were nothing. That is completely unfair, don't you think?
— What do you mean by all this, Kenchin? Did you call me here to tell me these things?
— It's not even two months since Toman disbanded, I just wanted to talk to you but you have completely avoided me since the day we made the time capsule. Tell me, have I done something wrong? Or does your conscience hurt because you didn't communicate with me before you announced that you were going to disband Toman?
— My conscience is clear, I did what I thought was right. Even you said you wouldn't go against the leader's decision, right?
— Yeah, but why avoid me, Mikey? — His eyes... Mikey recognized that they were broken and hopeless. Much like his own. "Please don't look at me like that", he wanted to say. — You know, Inui told me that you were hanging around with other people and saw you and Sanzu together more than once. And rumors that you are already forming a new gang reached my ears and I couldn't believe it.
— Do you believe so much in Inui now? Have you become close friends with him?
— This is not my point.
— So what? I don't know what you want me to say to make you feel better.
— Don't start with that...
— I already told you, I don't have to explain myself to you. If you want me to apologize for disbanding Toman, then I'm sorry.
— I just wanted you to talk to me, Mikey. If something was bothering you or upsetting you, but you ran from everything once again.
— I did what I thought was right, it's simple and objective.
— So avoiding me is simple and objective for you too, right? — Mikey continued to stare at him unflinchingly. Draken didn't back down either, but he let out a tired sigh. — Now and then I think of when we were together, like when you said you felt so happy you could die. I thought that even after Toman's disbanding, we would still be together and be friends as we always have been. Because you know we were together even before Toman was formed, but now you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough.
Mikey swallowed hard. He was really at his limit.
— I guess that I don't need that... — Draken spat out those words as if they were ripping the inside of his throat. He wanted to scream and punch Mikey, to make him say every word and why he was pushing Draken and the others away. — Or maybe I care too much... I just wanted to know if you are okay with this path you are choosing... if you are really happy...
