CotE: Dearest

Chapter 2 - Past

"The path ahead was unclear, and for once, his calculated mind had no plan."

The past was like a painting I wished I could cover with a fresh coat of paint, erasing every stroke of darkness that marred its surface.

Yet, the more I tried to paint over it, the more those colors bled through, refusing to be forgotten.

It has been a decade since I left the white room.

Ten long years, in which I repeatedly told myself that the future was all that mattered since that's where life would blossom and tried to forget the shadows of the past.

However, in between those horrible memories, one thing—or rather one person, remained in my mind more vividly than any other and that I couldn't forget.

The reason why the white room wasn't so bad after all.

It was the dearest memory I had from the past, which turned out to haunt me.

Still, I have imagined the moment of reunion so many times. And suddenly, it was in front of me. It was time to confront my past.

Memories flashed before my eyes, fragments of a time I had tried to bury but couldn't forget. I blinked, half-expecting the image before me to be a trick of the light, a figment of my imagination—but there was no mistaking him.

He's okay.

A pang of relief engulfed me, but was quickly followed by a torrent of emotions I hadn't foreseen.

I have so much to express, and still so much to say, but... where do I even begin?

"Do you remember me?! I'm Yuki," I blurted out, the words tumbling out before I had a chance to think.

He nodded, his expression as composed as ever. "I remember you."

"I..."

My voice faltered, the words catching in my throat like a half-formed thought struggling to emerge. My mind went blank, overwhelmed by the relentless throb of my pulse.

"It's been a long time, Yuki."

"I-It has," I stuttered, my emotions slowly settling, "How have you been, Kiyotaka?"

"I've been well, and it seems you're doing better too."

"Much better since the last time we've met."

His monotone voice, his calm demeanor, and his emotionless face especially—they were all the same, unchanged from the Kiyotaka I remembered. It was both comforting and unsettling.

He hasn't changed at all.

"What are you studying?" I asked, hesitantly after picking up some rice with my chopsticks.

"Psychology, what about you?"

"Really?" I asked and before he could reply, I continued, "Me too! That means we'll have the same lectures."

"Our first lecture is after lunch," he remarked matter-of-factly.

"You're right. I should probably finish up... quickly..." I murmured, glancing down at my plate with dwindling enthusiasm.

The sight of the untouched carrots made me hesitate, my appetite slipping away.

Slowly, I scooped up a small mound of rice along with a piece of carrot and quickly deposited it into my mouth.

I washed it down with a gulp of water, trying to ignore the way the carrot seemed to resist every attempt at swallowing.

"There's no need to force yourself to eat carrots," he remarked after watching me eat.