The Other Half On The Second Floor

Chapter Seventeen

All of Friday, I spent my time talking with Akiyama about the plan for the following Saturday. I wanted to include Kaito in our discussions, but when asked to join us for lunch, he declined. Maybe it was because he still didn't like Aki, but something about him in general seemed off and different. He had told me to inform him on what we decided by the end of the day if possible. I did what he asked and told him what we had agreed on- meeting up at around eleven in the morning so we could spend the whole day together. Kaito didn't fuss nor did he show any signs of excitement, he just simply told me okay and that he'd be there. We didn't talk after that.

Now, the day has arrived. I put on my beige turtleneck and black jacket, followed by grey pants and black shoes. I applied a bit of gel to my pitch-dark hair to fix it up and not have it a mess. Some of the baby hairs still fell down onto my forehead, but I thought it complimented the look. I skipped breakfast today since I had woken up a tad later than initially planned, and grabbed a piece of toast with strawberry jam spread on top instead. Yui spared about 3,215 yen (thirty dollars) for the bus trip there. Even after denying the generous offer she kept insisting so I took the money. On my way to the bus stop, I began thinking about getting a job. I had an allowance, but it was about time I started helping by bringing in money on my end. Even if it was just a small amount as a part-timer. I stayed standing inside the bus to allow others who needed the seats more than myself sit down. I took my phone out and texted Kaito and Akiyama in the new group chat Aki and I had created. Kaito still hadn't said a word in the chat, unlike us two.

Me: "Good morning! I'm on my way :)"

Aki: "Same here! See you guys in a bit."

It showed that Kaito had seen the messages, but he didn't reply. I told, or rather tried convincing, myself that he was busy getting ready to text. Nothing could've possibly been wrong.

—- ♡ —-

After an hour of getting off and on buses, I was at the entrance of the infamous amusement park- Disneyland. I walked over to the ticket counter and saw familiar brown fluffy hair, Akiyama's. He was sitting cross-legged on the bench looking down at his illuminated screen. His outfit was quite simple; Brown jacket accompanied by a white t-shirt, navy jeans and a black beanie. When he realized I had arrived he smiled lightly and stood up.

"Itsukster! Have you heard from Haru?"

I glance at my phone to see if any new messages came up, "No.. I hope he's alright. I'll try texting him again."

I send him a private message: "Kaito! Where are you? Are you okay?"

I press the button on the side of my phone and the screen goes black. All that's on it was the reflection of the features of my face. I notice Aki's eyes shoot up and I turn around to see a tall figure, wearing a striped shirt with a jean jacket on top with black pants and shoes the color of flour. With one hand tucked into his pockets, he waves at the two of us.

"Kaito!!" I say aloud, jogging over to him. I throw my arms around him and he returns the hug. His body was warm and gentle. When I let go, I noticed bags underneath his eyes. They were slightly red as well. Almost.. as if he'd been sobbing beforehand. Even as a frown formed on my face, he kept his small smile. "Hey... were you-" Kaito quickly cut me off by greeting Aki with one arm still around me.

"Hey, Haru!" Akiyama only verbally greets him. I was surprised to see Kaito not have an attitude towards Aki, and I wasn't complaining. After saying our hellos, we each take out our already printed tickets and hand them over as our way into the theme park. As Kaito was the only one who'd gone here before- at the age of six to be specific- we decided to get a map to use as our guide. We viewed all of the different options and agreed to head to Tomorrowland first. After following the path as shown on the map, we reach the designated place in the park. The view left us all in awe and I drag both Aki and Kaito to see the fun that was waiting ahead of us.