500 Pages: InuOkko

Chapter 2

When Okkotsu Yuuta received the text message from Ms. Zen'in, he didn't know what to expect. What he wanted was for that moment to replay. It had been almost four years to the day, precisely 1,457 days, to be exact. Yuuta only recalled the number after calculating it in his hotel room the night he arrived on Sukuna Island.

The most peculiar aspect of his return was the changes. Shino Mall had been renamed Gojo Mall, there were more trees than he remembered, his childhood home had been sold, and Inumaki Toge now owned the café. That was the nature of island life; nothing stayed the same for long.

Inumaki Café and Inn-it was a simple enough name to remember, and Yuuta didn't have to dwell on it for long. Upon looking it up, he discovered new menus, new tables, and even bar stools. However, what he didn't anticipate was finding a hiring notice alongside a room for rent. Of course, that memory had become distant after Yuuta inhaled the sea breeze once again.

The most shocking change of all was Inumaki Toge himself. Yuuta could see him through the flurry of tables and chairs. Even from several paces away, Inumaki felt different. Was he still as friendly? Would he listen to Yuuta? Were his hands just as soft as before?

There was a plan-a well-thought-out and structurally sound plan. Yuuta would enter the café, introduce himself as anyone else would, Inumaki would look surprised but then smile. They would be reunited after so long, after so much. But the plan didn't unfold as expected.

Inumaki's silver hair was shaggier, hanging just above his sandy brown eyes. Black markings spread from the corners of his mouth, ending in circles. When Yuuta stopped talking, Inumaki's lips were gently agape, as if rendered speechless. Inumaki didn't smile, cry, or frown.

The first thing Inumaki did was check on the odd white-haired customer at the unfamiliar barstools. Next, Inumaki grabbed a pen and paper from the back. Finally, Inumaki wrote out a note on that paper.

He wrote, "Been a while? More like four years. So, are you the tenant?"

His handwriting was neater, but it didn't distract from his lack of expression. Was that all Inumaki had to say? Yuuta knew that after he didn't call, things would be different, but not like this. Did Inumaki not think about it? It wasn't like Yuuta was purposely avoiding Inumaki, not at first.

Yuuta choked on his words, "It's okay, Inumaki. You can sign. I learned how to."

The first day Yuuta arrived at the orphanage, it was too late to call. That's what the headmistress told him. The next day, Yuuta wanted to call again, but the mistress didn't allow it since she was waiting for a call. Why she didn't use her cell phone instead of the landline was beyond Yuuta. Then, it became even harder. Every day that passed, Yuuta feared Inumaki would forget about him, or that Inumaki didn't deserve to be strung along for so long.

Inumaki tilted his head to the side, signing, "You learned sign language?"

Yuuta signed back, "Yes, I did. It came in handy at work."

What Yuuta didn't say was that the only reason he learned it was to talk to Inumaki. No matter the hardship he went through, it was all for Inumaki, until it wasn't. After not calling or talking to Inumaki for a year, Yuuta couldn't remember his face-only his sandy eyes.

In the second year, Yuuta was still convinced he would return to the island, not just for Inumaki, but for his family too. Then, the following year, Yuuta worked every possible shift he could, even taking on part-time positions. He was convinced that if Inumaki had remembered anything about that night they shared on the beach, it would never be the same. Finally, he had more than enough money to survive in an Airbnb for a while, but Inumaki's ad came up on the island's ancient website.