TRUST ME | Brothers Conflict | ✔

08

People flocked around Kaname, and I found myself at the edge of the circle that had formed soon.

Asahina Kaname, huh?

I swore to myself that I wouldn't google his name -I wasn't a stalker, after all.

Trying to hide how awkward I felt, I studied my surroundings.

Wooden beams and moss green fabric covered the grass field in front of the temple. Stacked against the temple were boxes, the construction threatening to topple over.

"You can help us out," a woman suggested, pulling me after her to the temple. Inside, a small group was working on a piece of green fabric that barely fitted in the room.

"Last year, the drapes were stored without cleaning. Therefore, we only noticed the tears when we unfolded them. If we hurry, we might be able to fix all draped before the festival starts."

Although I had known that I wouldn't be able to cling to Kaname the entire day, this was a somewhat disappointing development.

"What can I do?" I asked, smiling at the five girls one the two men who were sitting in the room, each working on a piece of fabric.

"There's enough sewing work to be done," the woman explained, handing me a small box. "There you go."

"Ah. Of course. I look forward to working with you."

"You're a sweetheart," the woman assured me, patting me on the back. She dropped a mountain of drapes on the wooden floorboards with a pleasant smile. Before I could ask what I was supposed to do, she pushed me into a sitting position.

Cautiously, I unfolded the first drape, hoping that I was a secret sewing talent. At home, I didn't sew my clothes, preferring to throw torn clothes away.

It was silent in the room, the women and men all focussed on the drapes. For some reason, I had always believed that setting up a festival was fun. It wasn't.

When I pierced the skin on my thumb for the third time, I gave up, glancing around me. When blood welled up from the little wound, I dropped the fabric to avoid staining the moss green drapes.

Sucking on my thumb, I wondered whether I should voice my discontent -or I could pretend to be lethally wounded and flee the scene. I knew I couldn't do that after the trouble Kaname had gone through to invite me.

With a deep sigh, I picked up the needle again, wrestling to get the metal through the thick fabric.

Once I had figured out how to avoid stabbing myself with the needle, I made some progress. However, it soon became clear that I was proceeding at a slower pace than the others.

"When you have finished those drapes, you can take a break," the girl sitting next to me explained, lifting to her feet. Wide-eyed, I stared at the stack of draped in her hands.

This girl had superhuman speed if she had managed to repair those in such a small frame of time. Envying her, I watched her leave the small room, probably heading to the garden for her break.

Slowly, more people finished the sewing work, carrying the drapes to the garden.

"Do you mind being on your own?" the last man asked me, wavering in the doorway. For a long moment, I was tempted to start crying and have him do the work for me, but I managed to give him a more adult reaction.

"Of course. I've almost finished after all." The mountain of drapes had toppled over at some point, the fabric surrounding me. It wasn't difficult to tell that I had lied. With a relieved nod, the jerk left me alone in the room.