The mind can forget... but the heart never!

Chapter 15

Everyone wondered why Amy wanted to meet them so early in the morning, but fortunately, Rei had already prepared tea and coffee for everyone. They could always talk undisturbed here in the temple, which is why Amy chose this place. Makoto, Minako, and Rei were already sitting together inside when Bunny came running up as Amy was waiting outside the gate.

"Am I late?" Bunny called out to Amy.

"No, it's fine, Bunny. We've been waiting. By the way, where's Mamoru?" Amy replied.

"He's on partial duty. I think he'll be here after 11 am," Bunny explained.

"Ah, the hospital duty," Amy chuckled, knowing well about the working hours of doctors, as her mother was the head of the Internal Medicine Department.

"Are you coming in?" Bunny asked her friend.

"I'm still waiting for someone. You go ahead, and I'll join you shortly."

Bunny went up the numerous steps and sat with the others. Feeling a bit tired, she poured herself some tea and tried to figure out what the topic of discussion was. But then, Amy entered the room hesitantly, followed by three men who stood at a distance.

Bunny's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be true! That guy again, but what did Amy have to do with him? Unlike Bunny, Minako couldn't contain her feelings or her displeasure about the visitors.

"Him? Why did you bring him here?!" Minako blurted out.

However, Amy remained calm and composed in front of them all.

"I need to tell you all something, and I ask that you listen without interrupting. It will probably sound strange and unbelievable, but trust me, I've thoroughly verified all the facts. There is no doubt about what I'm about to share," Amy began.

She paused for a moment, having spent half the night contemplating what she would reveal today. The girls noticed the concern in her voice and looked at her attentively.

"So, there are supernatural powers, and we all have taken a potion, the Potion of Forgetfulness. That's why we have many missing memories, especially from last year. Only specific memories were affected. Before we drank this potion, I wrote a letter to myself as a precaution. I've noted down the most important things in it. These are our friends Taiki, Yaten, and Seiya. We've known them for a while, and apparently, we've had some experiences together. Unfortunately, they've completely disappeared from our memories." Amy paused again. Then she turned to Taiki and said, "Please give me your wallet. I want to show them."

Taiki immediately understood what she meant and handed her his wallet. Amy opened it and placed a photo of herself and Taiki on the table.

"This was taken at the spring festival six months ago," Amy said. The friends were speechless, their eyes moving from Amy to the young men and then to the photo. They let the information sink in.

Rei looked at the photo more closely and then looked up. "Amy? Why does he have a picture of you in his wallet? Are you two a couple?"

Within seconds, Amy's face turned bright red. Taiki stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Before we left, everything was very confusing. But Amy and I talked and clarified things to some extent. I would advise some others in this room to do the same," he said, looking at Minako.

Amy and Taiki then joined the others and started answering their questions. Yaten approached Minako nervously and asked her to take a walk to talk privately. Minako hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed, and both of them set off. As life returned to the group, Bunny sat there unable to take her eyes off Seiya, who was equally captivated by her. Seiya mustered up his courage and approached her. Bunny felt panic rising within her, and her body temperature began to rise as she stood there, unable to take her eyes off him.

"Should we talk, darling, or what do you think?" Seiya said.

Bunny fought an inner battle. On one hand, she wanted to know what he had to say, to know what had happened and why he had such an effect on her. On the other hand, fear held her back, fear of being weak again, fear of touching him again, but the biggest fear was betraying Mamoru again.

"I'll give you five minutes," she finally succumbed to curiosity. She quickly rushed outside, followed closely by Seiya. Amy watched them leave with concern, but Taiki assured her that it was okay to let them talk undisturbed.

Bunny walked a few steps towards the end of the temple grounds and leaned her back against one of the pillars, looking down at the ground. Here, they were undisturbed. She couldn't look at him, not after everything that had happened.

"Darling... I..." he began, but Bunny interrupted his words.

"Why do you always call me that?"

"Because that's what you are to me. Since the first time I saw you at the airport, I knew you were something special. You're the woman who takes away all my senses, the one who keeps me awake at night. When we were here the first time, I accepted your boundaries. I respected that you had a partner and played the role of a good friend. But with every fiber of my being, I longed for you. When I went back home... the first week was hell without you... Then I started drinking to forget, which made the pain a little more bearable. But my brothers tricked me and brought me back here. You can't imagine how I felt, knowing you were with him... I was almost ready to leave again, but then everything changed two days ago."

Bunny listened to the deep pain in his voice. She felt the truth in his words. Two days ago... that was when they met in front of the restaurant. Bunny became pale. "The kiss," she whispered.

"I had given up hope, but... the way we kissed, you don't kiss someone who doesn't matter to you."

"But I have a boyfriend, I love Mamoru," Bunny said, more to herself than to him. These words made Seiya pause. He stepped closer to her. Bunny could again inhale his enchanting scent.

"Darling, then look into my eyes and tell me you felt nothing. Tell me I imagined it all. Tell me to leave, and I'll disappear forever."

Bunny raised her gaze, and he supported himself with one hand next to her head on the pillar, waiting eagerly for her response.

She noticed a glimmer in his eyes. The words were on the tip of her tongue; she would have loved to say them to continue living her life as it was. But she couldn't. Her heart pounded in her chest; she could hear her own blood rushing. She opened her mouth several times, but nothing came out.

Her head and her heart were waging a fierce battle, and Bunny stood motionless in the middle.

Seiya smiled slightly. "I knew it. I do matter to you, and that's why I will fight for our love. Even if you don't remember everything."

Bunny felt hot and cold at the same time. What was he saying? He would fight for their love? Bunny felt a tightness in her chest. Her skin tingled as he touched her chin again and traced her contours gently.

Her head reminded her that she had Mamoru and loved him, but her heart pleaded with her to let Seiya kiss her again. Just the thought of it made her knees weak, and the butterflies in her stomach started fluttering again. Seiya tilted his head slightly, but then stopped at a distance from her lips. "Should I stay?" he whispered.

Bunny temporarily shut off her mind and followed her heart's desire. She leaned up slightly and kissed him, at first cautiously and hesitantly, but then passion erupted from her. This time, Seiya let her take full control of the kiss. After a while, Bunny pulled back, shocked by her actions. "That's the third time he kissed me and just left me standing," she thought agitated. Then she had a realization that made her swallow hard. "Wait, this time I kissed him. I reached up to him and sought his lips. How could I do that! What is this guy doing to me?! How will I ever face Mamoru again if he finds out?"

However, unbeknownst to them, their conversation had been overheard and observed.