Passionfruit

4.

Hey, Rin. How ya been? I know you probably don't want to talk to us, but your mother and I have been thinking about you a lot recently, and we really hope you're doing well. Rinto's birthday is in a few weeks, and we wanted to see if you could make a trip home for him. We all miss you and we deeply regret how things left off. Please reach out to us soon.

I had barely rolled over before my phone vibrated, revealing to me this terrifying message from my father. My eyes scanned the message at least ten times, looking for any cuss words or insults, but not a single one existed. It didn't even seem like him.

Maybe Mom wrote it. Mom. Hadn't thought about her in years, either. Of course they would reach out during such a crazy time in my life, too.

What do I say? Go fuck yourself? Don't ever speak to me again? How'd you get my number? All would have made sense, but I couldn't bring myself to type anything.

Block him, maybe? Surely, if they wanted to see me, the entitled assholes wouldn't stop until they got to me. But... this message was so absolutely unlike anything I had heard from my father in such a long time. Maybe the years had changed them for the better.

It was a fleeting hope, but I couldn't help it. Texting them back wasn't a good idea, my gut feeling told me. But blocking them... what if they had really changed? What if, when I was ready, I could reach out to them again?

In the hall outside, I heard a door slam. I glanced at my clock. 7:00 a.m. About time for Miku to head to the studio.

I'll do nothing, I decided, closing out of the message and checking Twitter.

Still no response from TR.

"Riiiiiiin!" Gumi called from outside my door. "Let's go shopping!"

I rolled onto my back. "It's fucking seven in the morning!"

"I know!" Her voice was muffled behind the door. "We can get there before the crowds!"

I closed my eyes. If anything was going to help me ignore this message, it would be Gumi.

"Riiiiiin!"

"Fine! Fine. I'm getting up!"

"Maybe in blue? I don't know about the green."

"What do you mean? It fits perfectly! In size, and in color!"

"Gumi, if you go all green everything... you'll look like a walking beanstalk."

Gumi let out a huff from the changing room. "Maybe I want to look like a beanstalk," she muttered. Nevertheless, she put the top back.

I sighed, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall. My phone vibrated and I pulled it from my pocket instantly. Once I saw the notification, my shoulders slumped. It was nothing.

Maybe I'll just check again...

I opened Twitter, navigating to the tweet sent out by Tokyo Revival's Kaito, checking for any replies. Well, there were hundreds, but none from the guy in question. It seemed I had gotten the last word.

But I still didn't feel satisfied.

"Why are we even shopping for clothes, anyway?" I asked as Gumi emerged from the dressing room with a pile of clothes she planned to purchase. "Like, where are you gonna put these?"

She shrugged. "What else would you want to do?"

I didn't answer.

"How about apartment shopping," she muttered once again. She turned away from me, beginning to make her way to the cashiers.