Haru pulled Seki out of the dance floor. They headed into the corridor of the place, where the sounds of someone being sick could be heard. When they reached the door of the men's restroom, it was clearly possible to hear someone vomiting, and he quickly went to see who it was.
"HIKARU!!" he called, startled to see his brother clinging to the toilet and throwing up.
"Stay by his side, it's better if he gets it out. I'll get some water." The girl noticed the older one's confusion and decided to help.
While she walked away toward the bar, Seki approached the boy who was sick, not really sure how to act.
"Hikaru, what did you do? How did you get this bad?" he crouched beside his younger brother, placing his hands on his shoulders. His voice mixed concern and irritation. In his mind, he didn't know whether to comfort him or scold him.
"SEKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! I DRANK A LIIIIITTLE TOO MUUUUUCH!" Hikaru explained, loud and slurred. "BUT NOW I'M FIIIIIIINE!"
Seki looked at the boy, thought for a moment, and realized the drink was hiding something else. It shouldn't be just for fun or curiosity, and he decided to ask directly.
"Are you okay? I'm not talking about the drink, but since we came to Earth."
The boy looked at his older brother with a smile, then looked away. It seemed like he was reflecting on the situation. Then he turned his face back to Seki, pouted, and started crying like a small child. He sat down against the bathroom wall, curled up, his face resting on his hand.
"Seki, how are you okay? Man… I can't… When we got here, I felt really lost. Now we found the girls… I thought everything would be fine… but Akiko is really strange, she's more agitated than usual… I can't see what she feels… It's like she blocked it. What do I do? What do I do?" Hikaru asked, while the tears ran down his face.
The older one took a deep breath and looked at him with care.
"Look, Hikaru… I'm not okay either…" he admitted. "I'm just trying to help and not cause more trouble. Everyone is dealing with things the best way they can. This must be the way Akiko found to be strong right now." The boy paused briefly and then continued:
"Try to be okay, it doesn't mean there won't be hard moments, or that you'll be able to hold it all the time. I believe that if you're honest, she'll end up opening up."
Despite his sadness, Hikaru listened carefully to every word his brother said. His chest still felt tight, and when he looked at Seki, the smile on his face was not of happiness, but of hopelessness.
"Seki… do you think more people survived?" he asked.
"I don't know… But we thought it was just the two of us…" he replied, with a mix of hope and weight.
"The entire population of Utopia doesn't fit on Earth," Hikaru added.
Seki fell silent. On one hand, he hoped to find more survivors, on the other, he knew Hikaru was right. It was certain that many had lost their lives.
"I got the water! The line was huge!" The tension was broken by Haru's return, as she handed over the bottle.
"Hey!" Seki said, surprised. Then he stretched his hand toward his brother. "So?"
"Alright, let's get up!" Hikaru stretched his hand and accepted Seki's help. He understood that getting up was not only from the floor, but also his spirit.
Still dizzy, the younger leaned on his brother's shoulder to walk.
"Thanks, Haru! We're heading out!" Seki said.
"See you Monday! And take care, Hikaru, don't bother your bro!" Haru said goodbye with a smile and a wave.
"Ah… okay…" Hikaru replied, a bit embarrassed by what had happened, holding his bottle of water.
The two walked slowly back to the bar table. There, Adonis was still asleep. Not even the loud music, the people talking, or the movement of the bar had stopped him from resting.
"Adonis, wake up! Let's go!" Impressed by the boy's ability, Seki thought it would be best to shake him.
"MY GOD! HE PASSED OUT!" Hikaru said, tapping his sleepy friend, amused by the situation. He was still speaking loudly and with a slightly slurred voice.
Their efforts worked and Adonis slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head. He turned toward the two and recognized them.
"Hmm… let's go…" he said, in a low and sleepy voice. But soon his relaxed expression disappeared, his nose showed discomfort, his eyebrows lifted and his tone became more serious. His eyes turned to his classmate. "Hikaru, what is that smell of vomit and alcohol?"
"IS IT THAT BAD!?" Hikaru was shocked.
"It's unbearable," Seki admitted, who out of politeness had refused to comment until then.
In desperation, Hikaru turned to Seki and, still dirty, hugged him.
"Help me, Seki, Sayu can't see me like this."
The boy cried, but at the same time kept the same smile on his face. His request seemed much more like a desire to hide his disobedience than genuine regret.
"You should've thought about that before drinking," Seki warned his brother. His eyelids pressing together showed he was starting to lose patience with the drunk whining.
Adonis watched the scene with indifference. He felt no pity, he just wanted to resolve the situation and leave.
"Alright, let's go to my place," Adonis suggested, in his practical way, without even checking if his roommate would agree.
"But your friend is going to see me like this!" Hikaru said, turning to Adonis with a worried face, showing his concern was embarrassment.
"I actually live with the security guy," Adonis revealed.
"WHAT!?" Seki turned pale, wondering if bigger problems were coming.
With little choice, Seki agreed to go together to Adonis's house. They left around five fifty and had no money, so the solution was to walk. That day, the sun rose at six twenty-nine and the three of them watched it as they followed the path.
Koa and Adonis's house, 6:40 AM
In the apartment, Hikaru was sent to take a shower, no one could stand being around him smelling like that. His clothes were put in the washing machine and to wear, he borrowed Adonis's clothes.
The two younger ones went to sleep in the same room. Hikaru was tired and Adonis wanted to rest somewhere more comfortable.
The older ones were at the table. The smell of the coffee Koa had prepared made the environment more comfortable. However, his serious and sharp gaze fixed on Seki showed a hostile side.
They sat facing each other, their eyes meeting. Seki broke into a cold sweat. Koa did not need to say anything, his presence alone was strong and intimidating.
"Thank you for receiving us and for washing my brother's clothes," Seki said, his voice lower and more timid than usual, revealing his insecurity.
"I was already going to wash mine. And it's the machine that does all the work," Koa replied in a firm tone, cutting off the politeness.
"Ah, right… y-yes… b-but… even so…" Seki did not want to seem abusive and tried to justify himself, but ended up stuttering.
"You are fully awake and do not seem affected by any substance," Koa commented, finishing his coffee. Then he stood up, still looking at the young man. "If you were attentive, you would make a good guard."
"Ah, thank you… I'll try…" Seki replied, impressed by what seemed to be a compliment, even if it came with a reprimand.
"I'm going to rest in my room. The boys are already in the other one, so sleep on the couch," he said, walking toward his room.
Seki had little reaction, but felt curious about that man and his confident posture, so different from his own. After finishing his coffee, he washed the dishes and went to the couch. He arranged a cushion to lean on and, before falling asleep, thought:
Naoko… she's distant too…
M School, May 5th, Thursday morning
After the calm weekend for the girls and the agitation and discoveries for the boys, the week went on as usual.
With no attacks since the mountain trip, everyone followed their routine calmly, but alert. If there was any certainty, it was that something could happen at any moment.
Thursday had begun with a pleasant autumn temperature and there was still no need for heavier uniforms. Students headed to their classrooms, and as usual, Adonis looked for Miyu.
"Hey, shorty!" he said, touching her shoulder, making her turn her attention to him.
"Ah, Adonis!" she said. "So? It's been a while since we went out…"
She turned her face, wanting to hide that she was shy. She felt her heart beat faster and her cheeks grow warm.
"Ah, sorry. Did you miss me?" he asked, blushing slightly.
Miyu did not answer, feeling silly for his question. The memory of the kiss they had shared that day in the center always came back to her mind and intensified when he talked to her. It was such a vivid memory that she could recall exactly the feeling of his touch.
"Look! The bell rang!" she said, quickening her pace toward her classroom.
"!? But it didn't ring…" Adonis said, confused, but she had already moved away. "Did I… do something wrong?"
After everyone was in their classrooms, each class followed their activities. The first-year class had lessons with Professor Nanji, chemistry teacher, who had the ability to control all side conversations.
The third-year students, Naoko and Seki continued with their test week and preparation for university entrance exams. The atmosphere was tense, no student wanted to fail during such an important period.
The second-year class visited the science lab. The one leading the visit was Professor Mira, biology teacher. The class was light, students walked around the space, Adonis took the chance to use the microscope. Hikaru wanted to see the famous human skeleton there.
"Hi Frederico! I'm Hikaru!" he greeted, shaking its hand.
Everything was happening as usual, however, the silence of the courtyard would soon come to an end.