Desire - H. Umemiya

Chapter 18. Keigo... huh?

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'Peace...' Yuki took a breath and closed her eyes, finding the calmness of the warm blue sky very comforting.

Away from noisy boys... away from the terrifying eyes... just away from life.

"I'm going to live in a quiet neighborhood in the countryside, someday..." she muttered before opening her eyes to a smiling Umemiya who was squatting in front of her. Her eyes widened. She was not expecting him to come up to the rooftop right now as a while ago she had overheard from a Senpai that he will be patrolling today. So, she sneaked in there thinking about leaving before anyone comes up. She took a sigh and leaned back on the balustrade.

'There goes my peace.' She thought.

"That's a good dream." He spoke before taking a seat beside her, Yuki didn't bother looking at him and just closed her eyes. "I also want that. So, why don't we just live there together? I'll grow plants for us to eat." he jokingly suggested which forced Yuki to open her eyes. "No. I would like to decline. I think I'll just live here in Makochi. You can go there on your own." She replied and sat further from him.

Umemiya just chuckled at her cute reaction and stared at the sky.

"So, what brought you here, Shinomiya-kun?" He decided to change the subject instead.

"The sky's beautiful." She muttered.

Umemiya hearing this, glance at her direction and scooted closer making her flinch when his arm brushes with hers.

"Right? It had the same color with my eyes, today." He delightedly told her. Yuki turned her face to his direction and stared at his eyes. "That's true..." she muttered as she continued staring at his eyes which color does not only reflect those of the ocean but even with the sky today.

"They're... pretty." She whispered before returning to her previous position.

"You have pretty eyes, too, you know?" Umemiya leaned back on the balustrade, too. "I like them."

To this she just hummed, never getting ecstatic about the unexpected compliment.

She heaved a sigh.

"I... hate them, though." She whispered, hoping he wouldn't actually hear it but that's impossible considering their distance.

"Why?"

"... the same... with my father's." she muttered as she hesitantly answers his question.

Her built-up chara's crumbling.

'Today, another person had learned my secret. Am I really doing just fine?' She thought getting exhausted with all these disguises and made-up stuffs.

She just really-really wants to rest from all the façade and deceit.

'Does living really have to be this hard?' she thought before shaking her head. There's no sense to cloud your mind with negativity... just think about what better moments tomorrow may possibly bring. Afterall, life's full of surprises.

"Hmm... Is that so? But aren't your eyes pretty because their yours? At least that's what I think." He spoke. "Afterall, even though you have the same eye color with others, relatives or not, they're not entirely the same. That's why I still think your eyes are pretty... charmingly pink. Though, they can be pretty dim sometimes, you know, your eyes..."

Yuki didn't expect this. She had grown to hate her eyes, if possible, she had hoped for worse for it to occur, but when it comes down to it, she still couldn't be able to do anything about it... because those eyes are still the eyes that recognized her mother. She can't... afford to lose her sight.

'Probably. Wait, dim? What is he talking about?'

"Now that I think about it? I really know nothing about you. How about let's play 10 questions? You in?"

Yuki contemplated on it, if in any case her true persona would be revealed to everyone and she fled the town.

Does she want to be remembered? People at Makochi are quite nice. So, she probably wants to leave a few traces of her truth coming from her own mouth rather than just running away like a coward.

And one of the people whom she thought should know, would probably be the person beside her right now, Umemiya.

She closed her eyes and calmed her mind before opening them once again.

"Alright... but I have a few conditions." She will negotiate.

Umemiya raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Sure, however you see fit."

Yuki faked a cough and started speaking about her conditions.

"First, you should not tell anyone else whatever you learn."

"Hmmm... Why? Are you telling me how many girlfriends you've had?"

"That's not it, stupid." She punched him in the arm before continuing. Umemiya, on the other hand, cried in pain, overacting over a light punch. To this she really got annoyed and was about to stand up when Umemiya dragged her by the arm. "What else?"

She sat properly and faced him. "Second, don't ask too personal things?"

"Heh? Then what use is the first condition?" Umemiya, too, fixed his seating position and turned towards her. Now they're face to face. He stared at him in the eye making her tremble a little avoiding his eyes.

"Th-then, you can ask... let's save it for the last." She hesitantly compromised.

"Are you sure about that?" While Umemiya on the other hand was so happy despite his question.

Yuki continued "Then, last." Umemiya closed his eyes and nodded whilst his arms are folded in front of his chest. "Last is..." He happily anticipated the condition.

"I won't address you in Keigo, anymore."

Her last condition might have sounded weird to Umemiya as he makes her repeat her statement again.

"I won't address you in Keigo, anymore."

But the same words left her mouth. These same words echoed in his mind like a broken phonograph playing the same part.

He opened his eyes immediately and held her by the shoulder. "Why?!" He asked so dramatically as he searched for her eyes which continuously avoided his gaze.

"You're not respectable... enough?" She answered with uncertainty.

"I-I'm not?" He asked unaware of his tightening grip because of total shock.

"Yeah, because you act so childish and also you can be quite... idiotic." That was the final blow, Umemiya Hajime for the first time, had someone say that straight to his face, with loud and clear voice. He lets go of her.

He can't accept it, he just can't, but he just sat there stunned and unable to express a word to counter her words.

"Shinomiya-kun... I'll accept the condition." he called her when he recovered. His eyes filled with a serious glint on it. "BUT, I won't accept your reason and I'll also call you Yuki, just Yuki. Shinomiya-kun's too long." and blurted that out.

This led to nothing but complete silence from Yuki.

Then, she let out a sigh.

"Heh? What's with that 'you're so hopeless' expression, there?" he asks.

"Alright, alright. But still that's what I think."

"Woi... I'm still your senpai! Senpai." He emphasizes hoping to convince her.

'Umemiya... no..."

"Hajime... are we playing it or not?"

"Oi!"That's not just Keigo that you took off." sighing Umemiya shook his head in disbelief.

"It can't be help, huh? So now we're down to first name basis... Yuki."

#unedited.