Something I'll Never Know

Wakashi's Most Painful Defeat

Hiyoshi Wakashi was unmovable. The only place he wanted to move to was up, meaning above everyone else. He kept a good distance from everyone else, he projected that he was strong, that he was brave, that he can survive anything. But behind that macho façade he projected was a caring, gentle spirit; and no one knew it was there, no one ever thought it ever existed.

He woke up that morning with a chill running though his spine, he realized he forgot to put on a shirt before going to bed the night before. He quickly wraps himself with his blanket, winter was his least favourite season, he hated the cold, he hated the snow, he hated the gloomy atmosphere that winter brought with it. He hated the fact that winter always takes away everything he found beautiful, everything he found pleasure in. He hated winter, because if he could, he’d give his very life just so the seasons would skip winter. He hated winter so much he even thought of moving to a tropical country, where there was no winter. He hated winter so much it makes him hate waking up today.

His phone rings, without picking it up he knew who it was.

“Ootori-kun I’m up, I’m up…Hai, hai, I’m getting up now. Hai. I’ll see you at lunch.”

He clicks the end button and buries his face on his pillow. He appreciated his best friend, it’s just that sometimes, he wishes he’d just leave him alone. After all, didn’t he have a wife now? And, wasn’t she pregnant? How on earth did he still have time to worry about him? He rubs his nape and thinks twice if he should get up or not. Then the phone rings again.

“Ootori-kun, I’m getting up, I promise!” he frustratedly says without even checking if it was Choutarou who was calling him, he was pretty sure it was him.

He turns over and untangles himself from the blanket, rushes to the bathroom, which reminds him; again, of another reason why he hated winter, the water was too cold to take a bath. He turns the heater on, and takes a quick shower. He makes a cold dance after the shower and grabs his tower. He was not quick enough to get dress. So again, he said to himself, “I hate winter.”

He grabs his coat, his bag, his car keys, when something cold touched his hands followed by a whining sound.

“Oh, I almost forgot about you boy.” He pats his dog before grabbing his food tray and filling it up, “Nii-san will drop by at lunch to feed you okay?”, he talks to his dog before heading out the door.

As he steps outside a cold breeze blow, he tugs on his jacket and walks to his car, he was too busy picking his car key from his pocket that he didn’t notice the icy pavement and slipped. He pushes himself up, grabs his bag and irritantly makes his way to his car, and again he whispers, “I hate winter!”

He finally makes It to his car and starts the engine, then his phone rings again.

“Ootori! I’m in the car, I’m leaving for work already, stop calling me…Oh, ano, Okaa-san? Hai, gomen, Ootori-kun has been bugging me all morning again.”

He bangs his head on the stirring wheel after ending the call, it was not a very nice thing to shout at his Okaa-san, he was going to make sure his best friend was going to pay for this. He finally gets out of the driveway, thank goodness, it was uneventful from his house to his work place. Until of course, something caught his eyes upon entering their office. There on the reception desk was a package, a winter breakfast special wrapped in a blue and brown paper bag, he knew that wrapping, it must have been bought from his Mukahi-senpai’s sweets shop. He stares at the wrapping frozen from where he stood.

“Did my breakfast arrive yet?” a female voice asked the receptionist.

“Yes mam, here you go.” The receptionist replied with a smile.