The Other Half On The Second Floor

Chapter Twenty-Four

My morning was spent preparing for important exams coming up. I hadn't bothered getting food or even getting ready. Just sticking my face in books and letting myself soak every bit of information.

I hear a soft knock on my door. I recognize the sound of Yui's knuckle hitting the door by now. "Come in."

"You've been in your room all day.. You have to come out sometime soon."

I don't respond, instead I flip the page of my textbook and jot down notes in my notebook.

"I have a list of groceries that we need for the house. Can you go out and get them, Eiichi? I'll give you the money."

The look she gave me sternly told me that it wasn't a question, she was telling me to do so. I sigh slightly and agree, although I had no choice. I was then obligated to get ready and drive down to the supermarket to get what was on the absurd list. The market was approximately ten minutes away, and I'll admit the ride was a bit of a stress reliever. Kaito stopped trying to reach out to me after yesterday, and oddly enough I hadn't heard from Akiyama either. This feeling as if there was a void in my chest. It gnawed at me. I hadn't a clue on what to do. Yui kept advising to just give it some time and it'll work on it's own, wasn't helping much. I felt helpless.. And like I had allowed this to happen. I pull up onto the driveway of the small supermarket and make my way inside, keeping the list handy. I start with the fruits and vegetables listed, I remember the trick Yui showed me when it came to picking the best of the best. If only I used this trick with people too. I checked each item one by one, and by the time I was on the very last thing, my basket was filled with goods. The last item I had to get was rubbing alcohol. Yui used it often for her feet after work, after relentless hours in heels and walking around a huge building. As I got my hands on the bottle of rubbing alcohol, something else caught my eye - a pack of cigarettes. When I was younger, I was surrounded by adults and even teenagers smoking left and right. They reeked of the smell, yet I had grown used to it. Yui didn't participate in such a thing, instead she always encouraged me not to do what those around me did. But.. Did smoking really help..? "Excuse me, Miss?"

"Yes?"

"How much are those?" I asked, pointing to the pack. She turns to look and answers with a small amount of yen.  I go to grab one, but am immediately stopped by a sing-songy voice.

"Eiichi.. I wouldn't start on those if I were you." I look behind me and see Hisa. I was caught by surprise to see him here of all places. "Hisa.."

He puts his hand out, offering to help with the basket full of groceries. I hadn't noticed he actually took it by the time I snapped back into reality.

"Why were you trying to get those?" He asked nonjudgmentally, just out of curiosity.

"I don't know, I'm a mess." There's a tense silence between us. If it hadn't been for him, I think I would've gone through with buying the cigarettes.

"You really shouldn't try those things.. They're easily addictive. Kaito was once."

Stunned, I looked at him and questions swarmed my head. "What? Kaito used to smoke..?"

He places the items on the conveyor belt to pay for them. He takes a shallow breath and avoids looking at me directly. "Yeah.. he used to smoke at least three times a day. Depending on how bad he felt, sometimes more." He had a hint of sorrow in his voice, I could tell this wasn't something he enjoyed recalling, so why did he tell me instead of Kaito being the one to bring this to my attention?

"I know a bit of what happened, and honestly, I hate seeing you both like this. We've only met a year ago, yet you're already like a brother of mine." I pull out my wallet and pay for the groceries, still keeping an ear on Hisa's words. "I know Kaito isn't perfect, he's far from it, but.. I do know he's perfect for you. You saw it too. Please don't give up on him too."

"Too? Do you mean Akemi?"

Hisa's fists clench and sorrow became loath. I had never seen a look such as this on Hisa of all people. "No.. not Akemi. Yuzuki."

"Yuzuki..? Who is that? And why did this person cause Kaito to start smoking..?"

A face of uncertainty he had, yet he proceeded to say "Well, I guess I should just tell you the story."