Paradox

12: A Little Space

| | Hi! Thanks to everyone who's been following this story! I've changed Shibasaki Kou to Kuroki Meisa as Hatakeyama Sonya. She's a lot closer with how I picture Sonya to be. You can find the image at the Prologue.

| | And I just realized "The Theater" chapter is incomplete. I edited it already and the full chapter is already up.:) Sorry I didn't notice.

12: A Litte Space

They found a small coffee shop just outside the castle grounds. Sonya and Etsuo took a seat to the table closest to the window. They were the only ones inside, given the ongoing concert was probably the most awaited event in Osaka. Who wanted to stay inside a coffee shop when Gyakusetsu was playing?

Sonya half-expected Etsuo to sit beside her, but instead, he took his place in front of her. She was battling the uncomfortable feeling she had. She wasn’t angry with Etsuo anymore. But then after he confessed, she wasn’t at all sure how she was supposed to act in front of him.

“Do you want a coffee or a beer?” Etsuo casually broke the stillness. There was something like laughter in his tone.

Sonya snorted. “Just coffee.”

Etsuo smiled and then faced the waiter. “One brewed coffee and a bottle of beer, please.”

The waiter bowed then left to get their orders.

“Is something wrong?” asked Etsuo.

“I’m not sure,” she replied.

“Okay.”

There was a long pause. They were both unsure of what to say. Well, was there anything to say at all? Sonya didn’t know. She tapped her forefinger on the table and looked around the coffee shop to pass the time. Truth is, she was just avoiding Etsuo’s eyes. She heard Etsuo take a deep breath and saw him look outside the window from the corner of her eye. After a short while, their drinks arrived, which was a good thing. Sonya was getting a little cold already.

She smiled after taking a sip of coffee. The hot liquid felt good flowing down her throat. It was soothing, almost comforting.

Etsuo watched Sonya when she closed her eyes to savor the aroma of the coffee. He immediately pretended to gaze at his bottle when she opened her eyes.

“I just love coffee,” Sonya commented happily.

Etsuo smiled a small smile. Sonya couldn’t help but chuckle when she met Etsuo’s gaze. Despite the being uneasy, she was also happy that Etsuo was there to accompany her.

No words followed after. Etsuo insisted on paying for Sonya’s order when they finished. She decided not to argue. They walked around outside the castle grounds afterwards, not really saying a word to each other. Neither knew what to talk about.

Sonya shivered at the chilly night air.

She gazed at the sky above them. No stars. No moon. No clouds. Just a great dark blanket of purplish black sky.

“Hatakeyama-san!” yelled Ushiba.

“What?” said Etsuo and Sonya at the same time.

Ushiba Isao was running toward them.

“Hatakeyama-san!”

Ushiba rested his palms on his knees, panting. He held up his forefinger to signal them to give him a moment to catch his breath.

Etsuo arched an eyebrow at Sonya. She lifted her shoulders and shook her head.

“What are you doing out here?” Ushiba asked, still catching his breath.