Demon of nightmares

3. Lollipops and Ashes

The next morning, the sun filtered weakly through the worn-out curtains of the old apartment I shared with Haruka. I sat up, feeling that familiar weight on my chest. Haruka was still asleep, his peaceful breathing the only sound breaking the quiet. He always managed to sleep so easily, while I... well, I wasn't so lucky.

I got dressed quickly, throwing on whatever waslying around, and decided to take a walk. Clear my head, or at least try to.The city, with its familiar streets, felt both comforting and irritating at the same time. People waved and greeted me, assuming I was Haruka. My face was that of a boy who had managed to fit in, while I... I never wanted that kind of attention.

At some point, I heard a carefree laugh cut through the quiet, catching my attention. I glanced over and saw him-Umemiya.Haruka had mentioned him before, something about the only guy in town with white hair. He was helping some old man move crates, like he didn't have a carein the world. His expression was serene, almost childlike, as if the world had never managed to touch his spirit.

When his eyes landed on me, a wide grin stretched across his face. "Hey, Sakura!" he called out.

I didn't respond right away. I walked toward him slowly, my fingers instinctively reached for a cigarette. I took my time lighting. "I'm not Haruka," I said quietly, locking eyes with him. There was no point in lying after they found out about my existence. "I'm Yūma."
Umemiya raised an eyebrow but didn't seem too surprised. "Ah, finally, we meet. I knew something was off. Nice to meet you, Yūma." he said, his tone light, like he'd been waiting for this.

I studied his face, searching for the usual signs-judgment, suspicion, anything that would justify the wall I always kept up around people. But all I saw wassincerity. That irritated me. Was this guy really that open? "Sakura talked about you a lot," he continued, his hands casually moving another crate. "He says you're here to stay with him. We're all glad he has his brother around."
"I don't care if you're glad or not," I said coldly, taking a drag from my cigarette."I'm not here to make friends."

He chuckled, completely unfazed. "I get it. But even if you don't want to be our friend, you're still welcome. The door's always open."

What the hell? I stared at him, feeling something strange rising in my chest. Why wasn't he backing off? Why didn't he care about the sharp edges I was throwing at him? Most people would feel the cold and back away, but not him. He just... brushed it off, like it was nothing. Like I was nothing.

"Do whatever you want," I muttered, turning to walk away. But as I left, there was this uncomfortable feeling settling in. For the first time in a long while, someone had seen past my cold exterior. And that... disturbed me more than I wanted to admit.

After our brief encounter, I found myself thinking about Umemiya more than I expected. His carefree attitude and the way he brushed off my sharp words irritated me, but in a different way. He seemed... genuine, and that made me uncomfortable. People like him were usually the first to crumble when faced with someone like me, yet Umemiya didn't seem fazed at all by my presence or attitude.

One afternoon, as I sat on a bench, enjoying one of my usual cigarettes, I saw a figure approaching from a distance. I didn't need to look to know who it was: Umemiya. He walked toward me with his usual smile, and already I felt my patience becoming thin.

"Yūma," he greeted me with the same casual tone as always, as if we'd been friends for years. I didn't respond right away, taking another drag from my cigarette instead.

"Are you always this laid-back?" I finally asked, blowing smoke slowly from my lips. "Or is it just a front to keep the problems away?"

Umemiya sat down next to me, chuckling as if I'd told a joke. "Laid-back? It's not easy being that way all the time, but I try to keep balanced. What about you?" he asked, with his eyes flickered toward the cigarette in my hand. "Don't you think smoking might be one of your 'problems'?"