The Disconsolate Maiden

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Do you want to go for a walk now, or do you want to go back to be with your mother?" Jyushimatsu asked kindly, a soft, closed-mouth smile on his face as he held the cafe door open for Homura. "It's still early in the day, and I want you to be happy!"

Homura laughed a little, dipping her head in gratitude at Jyushimatsu. "Thank you for holding open the door for me, Jyushimatsu."

Jyushimatsu just smiled and blinked a little, not quite sure how to respond. It wasn't often that someone thanked him for every little thing he did. Though, he didn't dislike it. It was just a new concept that he wasn't used to...yet.

"Really, it means a lot to me when people treat me so...kindly," Homura said, staring down at her brown shoes and the rough sidewalk. "I'm not used to it..."

"Why would anyone treat such a pretty girl like you badly?" Jyushimatsu asked, scooting a little closer to the girl as the began to walk side by side. "You're nice and humble!"

"Wrong..." Homura sighed. "That's not how my father sees me."

"Isn't your father the head of that business over there?" Jyushimatsu asked, pointing to a tall building in the distance.

"Yeah," Homura nodded her head. "How did you know?"

"My dad worked there once! He said it was stupid!" Jyushimatsu laughed. "So I guess it's full of stupid people too!"

"This is why I love being around Jyushimatsu!" Homura thought to herself, as she watched how the boy skipped along, not a care in the world. "He's so honest, but he's always nice about things too! I just...love it...I wonder why I've never seen him around many kids other than his brothers at school..."

"Hey," Homura began, inhaling the fresh air as the morning sun heated her pale skin. "Do you have any friends at school?"

"Yes!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed happily, running ahead of Homura, then turned around abruptly, staring into Homura's soft, brown eyes. "You're my best friend! I like being around you!"

"But..." Homura sighed as she felt a blush creeping across her face from Jyushimatsu's words. "Other than me?"

"I have five more friends!" Jyushimatsu laughed as he waited for Homura to walk beside him again. "I love them very much!"

"What are their names?" Homura asked hopefully, praying his friends weren't any of the weird boys at her school who liked talking about black holes or bragged about how long they could fart.

"Well, another one of my best friends, his name is Ichimatsu! Then Karamatsu, Todomatsu, Osomatsu, and Choromatsu!" Jyushimatsu said, swaying from side to side like a noodle as they walked.

"A-Aren't those your brothers?" Homura asked, her hopes of finding kind friends sinking. Yes, Jyushimatsu's brothers were also kind, but they were nothing compared to the sunny boy.

"Yep!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, swaying even more like a noodle. "And, besides you, they're all I'll ever need! Even though we fight sometimes, at the end of the day, we're all just close friends and brothers! Ichimatsu, especially! He's such a loner, he kinda reminds me of you, only he's scary sometimes! I want to see him smile more, too! I want him to have friends other than the stray cats he finds and takes care of from time to time!"

"You're such a good brother," Homura commented as they passed by the hospital.

"Not really," Jyushimatsu denied, not accepting her compliment. "I just want to be there for them! I can't do much, but I think they all can! So, I'm gonna support them until the very end of it all! Until the day I die!"

"Did you ever have any other friends...?" Homura asked.

Jyushimatsu paused, his eyes crossing for a few seconds as he pondered this question.

"I remember," Jyushimatsu spoke up after a few seconds. "a girl I really, really loved in kindergarten! She was so sweet! I remember, when that cat cafe first opened up, her mom took us there along with her sister! I love that girl so much! But one day, she just disappeared, and I don't know why...I've been looking for her ever since! She was so beautiful! Each day at school, I can't help but wonder if she's forgotten me yet. I don't think I'll ever forget her. Not ever! She helped me get so much closer to my brothers when I saw how close she was to her sister that day. I still can't remember her name anymore though...it's like it was erased from my memory. But that's okay!"

Homura suddenly felt very sick, and she didn't know why. Something about what Jyushimatsu had just said made her regret asking him that question.

"I-I think I'm going to go see my mother, Jyushimatsu," Homura said, bowing to the boy before she took off running towards the hospital entrance, waving goodbye.