(Wind Breaker) The Green Rose's Thorns

Part 27

Aoi arrived somewhat late to school again, hair only somewhat more tame. It was somewhat wavy as it draped over his frame, likely from the braid the day before. He was so lost in thought that he nearly walked right into Sakura in the schoolyard.

"Aoi~ Good morning! Are you feeling better?," Tsubaki pulled him into that crushing embrace again. Aoi wheezed as his arms were pushed into his sides, close to tears from the pain and unable to voice that at all.

"Tsubaki," Nirei felt an intense rush of tension in the air just then. From Aoi's face it was clear he was not having a good time, and Tsubaki didn't seem aware of his own strength. He released Aoi, who stumbled and staggered so badly that Suo held him up by his shoulders.

"Sorry! Oh my god, are you okay?," Tsubaki went into a full panic and gave Aoi a good once over before he was satisfied with the weary thumbs up he got as an answer. They set out from the school after that, Tsubaki chattering away at the group while Nirei kept the conversation going.

"Hey, wait. Where're we goin'?," Aoi tugged at Suo's sleeve and asked in a hushed tone.

"Huh? Oh, an old man Tsubaki knows. Ito," Suo realized he had failed to elaborate yesterday and did so now. At the mention of the name, Aoi went sheet white and looked mortified. He let go of his friend's sleeve and dug through his pockets, coming up empty handed. His shoulders sagged as he pulled and plucked at his hair beside Suo at the back of the group.

"Do you know him, too?," Suo asked, curious why the boy beside him was so flustered at the mention of his name. It was a little bit cute, the way he fussed over his appearance like that, but the worry on his face was a little disconcerting too.

"Ito~ We're back again!," Tsubaki called into the house they had arrived at. There was a loud clatter from inside, and two of the five rushed inside.

"Are you okay?," Tsubaki stared wide-eyed at the old man and the mess of toppled books and knickknacks .

"Ah, it's a mess," Aoi knelt down and started picking through the pile on the floor. A bit of dust was still settling and he felt a sneezing fit coming on, tearing the mask off his face and letting loose into the cloth of it in his hand.

"Aoi? Oh, I didn't recognize you like that. Here, I'll get some tissues," Ito sat one particular book down on the table and fretted about for a tissue box. While he did so, Tsubaki and Sakura cleaned up the scattered items and joined the rest of the group in the sitting room. Once everyone was seated and tended to, Ito revealed the reason he had been going for the high shelf in the entry room. A photo album, which the others passed around and looked through with quite a bit of excitement and curiosity.

"Aoi, here. Your hair is so long and pretty, but it's such a mess," Ito patted the spot beside him. Aoi tried to back out of it, but it really was hard to be rude to the old man so he slid into the spot with his back turned. Ito used a comb from Tsubaki's bag and carefully straightened out Aoi's hair as he talked with the others about the pictures.

"Tsubaki explained why he comes here, but do you actually know him too Aoi?," Nirei didn't give Aoi the grace of ignoring Ito carefully pulling his hair up into a much neater ponytail than usual.

"Aoi comes here with Tsubaki sometimes. Has for a couple years now," Ito answered cheerily. He freed Aoi, whose face was a shade of red that could easily compete with Sakura's most bashful moments.

"He helps tend to the garden, and usually hangs out there," Tsubaki dove right into sharing all the details of Aoi's visits.

Aoi deflated beside Sakura, already worn out from this venture. Ito excused him from the table, if he wanted to go sit outside, and Aoi happily cleared the room. He half-listened to the conversation through the open glass door as he knelt down under the lone dogwood in the middle of the yard. There was a commotion, which made him poke his head back into the room to see Ito crying as he explained his worries and doubts to the group inside. His eyes softened, but when all eyes turned toward the garden as Suo explained his theory about the singular flowering tree Aoi ducked out of view. He ended up drifting off beside the tree once things died down again inside.

"I've been meaning to ask, if you don't mind," Nirei turned his attention to Tsubaki, who nodded that it was okay to continue. "How do you know Aoi? You seem to like him a lot, and he's way more, uh, less violent around you."

"Oh! That's a good story," Ito's eyes lit up as he egged Tsubaki on.

"Right. Okay, um," Tsubaki thought about how to explain without revealing too many details. There were a few things that were meant to stay a secret, even if Tsubaki felt that it was a little bit of a waste. He cleared his throat, trying to contain himself as he launched into the tale.

"Okay, so. Aoi has a second job, right? Other than the cafe. And he works pretty late at it?," Tsubaki verified that everyone knew at least that much.

"He won't say where it is, though," Nirei had whipped out his notebook again.

"Sorry, but that's a secret! I brought it up because it's sorta important for the story though," Tsubaki held a finger over his painted lips and winked as he dashed Nirei's hopes for some new intel.