*:･ﾟHard To Love ･ﾟ:*

Chapter 14 - cleric girl

KOU
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As I skimmed through what I had written so far in Sousuke's paper, I began to think about what Hanako may have to say about this.

My sister is enrolled there now, so it's not like I'm totally banished from the property..

If Hanako can tell me what may trigger his memories I would be totally set.

I quickly began to finish up the paragraph that I was in before saving the document and logging out of the library desktop that I was occupying. I then pulled my phone out and got up, grabbing my jacket out of the seat as I eyes Sousuke's contact in my phone. I was thinking about if I should tell him where I was going or not, and eventually settled on not saying anything since I figured he was busy at his Mom's place.

I remember telling her roughly what had happened, and what she could've done to not ever mention me. I told her that Sousuke was safe.. but we shouldn't risk it by filling his brain up with thoughts of me all over again. At least not any time shortly following the events in the old school building when this whole fiasco started.

I had figured that it would be good to come equipped with a peace offering, so I went to the nearest convenience store to purchase, of course... an adult magazine.

It's still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Hanako is just some old creepy perverted man in the body of a middle school boy apparition, but I guess the two worlds collide nicely.

I had no idea what was so great about the magazines since I actually had some decency in me, but more power to the girls who get the courage to be put into a magazine like this. Since I didn't want to seem too suspicious I went ahead and got some snacks for Tiara before heading to the register, where I was greeted by a female worker. This is just great..

"Will this be all for you?" I smile softlyand nod, trying to draw attention away from the magazine as I pull my wallet out of my back pocket. I was hoping for her to disregard my weird assortment of purchases and tell me my total so I could get out of here. "Alright, that will be ¥4,113.45 (~$27.83).. will that be cash or card?" "All that for a magazine and some snacks?" I look at the girl with an eyebrow raised, and she nods. "These magazines run expensive these days.. they normally run for ¥2,200 (~$15.00)." I give a soft sigh and pull some cash out. "That's alright, it's just for a friend of mine that doesn't really deserve things this expensive." I softly smile at the girl as she takes my money and softly bows, messing around on the cash register before handing me my bagged items. "Thank you for coming in and have a great day!" I nod at her once and grab the bag from her, quickly walking out to my car as my phone starts ringing. I was way too quick to answer once I noticed that it was Mitsuba.

He sounded somewhat annoyed and upset on his end of the phone, which had me worried. "Hey, is everything good?" I mutter into my phone speaker as I unlock my car and get into the drivers seat. "You have a lot of explaining to do once we're in the same room." "What happened?" I set my phone on speaker before starting my car and pulling away from the parking space I was in up against the curb. "I talked to my Mom, and I'm speechless." "Right.. I can't really say much because I'm on my way to my sisters school. I gotta pick her up and take her home." I was quick to come up with an excuse on the spot which was perfect. "Fine. I'm going back to the dorm." He then hung up, which left me confused. I softly narrowed my eyebrows before stopping at a red light and picking my phone up off of the holder I had it in.

There was no way I could leave him with the last word, at least not like that. That was when I called him again and set my phone back up so I could bring my attention back onto the road. Surprisingly he was very quick to answer.

"What?" I softly tap my fingers on the steering wheel. "I didn't want you to leave the call Al pissed at me. Tell me what's going on." I hear Sousuke sigh and collect himself before speaking again. "My mom's stories aligned with almost everything that you have told me, and I don't get it. I want you to tell me exactly who you are without skipping or icing over anything." My eyebrows narrow. "I have been telling you everything, that's the issue. You've just been choosing to not believe me." "So what if I have, just tell me the truth!" I softly sigh and step on the gas again once the light turns green. "I was your boyfriend before you had your memory wiped. It's that simple." Sousuke's end of the call went silent for a moment before he began to speak again. "I don't understand it.. listen, let's just talk about this later." "Not until you tell me you're alright. I'm not one to set disputes on pause." I glance over at my phone screen to check if the silence on my phone didn't mean he hung up, and right when I glanced at my phone he opened his mouth. "Okay. I'm fine. I just need to go clear my head at the dorm, alright?" "Alright. I'll let you know when I'm heading back." That was when Sousuke hung up again.