Moonlight By The Sea (Kuroo Tetsurou x Tsukishima Kei)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Stranger

In the morning, he would stay in the garden where he would draw. He loved interacting with the fishes in the pond because they would always brush their scaly bodies whenever Tsukishima's hand is dipped in the cold water.

A pleasant walk to beach has become part of Tsukishima's afternoon routine. He would sketch the sea, and was always fascinated because it was different from time to time. There will be times that he would fall asleep just listening to the whispers of the sea breeze and would wake up when the sun had set.

The house helpers have become worried, because Tsukishima has been going out without the bodyguards. Tsukishima assured them that everything is fine since the rest house was just a few blocks away from the rock stairs that led to the shoreline. Plus, Tsukishima observed that there are almost no people around near their place.

In just few days time, the amount of usable sketchpads he brought became fewer. What trouble him the most was that when he checked about the nearest stationery store. It was quite a travel, as he needed to bring his car to the small town. It gathered a lot of stares since the people aren't used to seeing modern car models.

"Are you from the city?" The old woman who was guiding him inside the store asked.

He politely replied. "Yes."

She gave a motherly smile before she retrieved the sketchpads. "Are you here for a vacation?"

"I guess..." Tsukishima drawled. He wouldn't call this a vacation. More like a short term soul searching? Memory searching? He doesn't know.

"Ah. I hope you find our place cozy. The sea gets lonely sometimes but with tourists like you, it seems like she feels happy these days," The old woman put the art supplies inside a brown paper bag before he gave it to Tsukishima.

Tsukishima laid down a crisp yen on the counter. The woman seemed surprised and apologetically looked at him.

"Do you have a smaller bill? Our store doesn't get that much customers so we don't have change to spare," she said.

Tsukishima adjusted the strap of his messenger bag before he spoke.

"Its alright. Please keep the change," he said, before leaving the stationery store. The woman called out to him and said thank you before he left.

It is indeed a small town, but it is peaceful. But unfortunately for him, the only thing he wanted here is to regain his memories. Now he really felt bad.

As they neared the rest house, he just noticed a large villa on his left. The car drove slowly, gaining ample time for Tsukishima to examine the place.

The villa has a huge garden front. He could see different colored flowers blooming and neatly lined up. The flower beds were a riot of unique colors and even on close inspection they were weed-free. Unlike their rest house that has the traditional Japanese style, this one has a modern look to it.

Maybe it served as a vacation house for tourists too? Tsukishima let his gaze fall down his lap. His mind traveled to the man he saw at the stairs a few days ago. Tsukishima hasn't seen him ever since. The man must be a passerby who wanted to take a good look at the sea.

He eyed his wrist watch for the time. Its only four in the afternoon, and he felt delighted that he still have time to take his stroll. As soon as they got home, he immediately gathered his things.

"Is Tsukishima-san going out to take a walk?" The young helper asked behind him.

"Yes. Ah, and don't let the guards follow me. I can go alone," Tsukishima reminded her.