We both stepped out of the car and proceeded toward the alley in silence. Since it was later in the day, the rainy grey clouds had grown even darker, painting the world in shades of grey and black.
While it wasn't raining nearly as hard anymore, there were still a few stray drops here and there.
Hoshino dug through his bag and pulled out a foldable umbrella. He snapped it open, came in close, and sheltered the two of us under it.
We didn't waste any time as we headed for our spot. Just as we turned the corner, we were met with complete darkness. It was almost like a gaping hole had been torn through the space, making it impossible to see past a certain point.
Normally, the faint light of the vending machine kept the darkness at bay to an extent, but it seemed to have run out of power. That shouldn't have come as a surprise; this place had been abandoned for a long time, so it was only a matter of time.
Without thinking much of it, I stepped into the darkness. Hoshino did the same. We didn't need to see where we were going to know where everything was.
After a few seconds, I stopped and sat on the damp ground. Just as I'd known I would be, I was right against the corner I always sat in—hidden deep in the vending machine's shadow.
I expected Hoshino to join me, but when I looked up, he remained completely still, staring at the ground blankly. It almost looked as if he were… reluctant. It was strange—I'd never seen him "scared" to do anything.
A playful smile tugged on my face as I asked, "What's wrong?"
Hoshino didn't look away from the ground even as I addressed him.
"Nothing's wrong," he replied flatly. "I just don't want my clothes getting dirty."
…What?
Out of all the things I thought it might have been, this wasn't one of them.
The words left my mouth before I could even think them through. "Do you… actually care about things like that?"
Hoshino replied at once, as if the answer should have been obvious. "Uh, yeah? You think I spend so much time picking out my clothes and doing my hair for nothing?"
Huh…
I never would have pegged Hoshino as someone who cared about anything, much less his appearance. It should have been easy to shrug off. It was just a random quirk, after all. But for some reason, learning this one new thing about him made me crave more.
What else don't I know about him?
In the depths of it all lay another feeling—one that I'd never felt before.
I focused on that feeling, and a moment later, my body moved.
My hand slowly reached out and took his. It was only then that he looked at me.
A low heat swelled in my chest as we locked eyes.
"Hey," I said, my voice softer than I'd ever heard it. Even I was a little surprised, but I kept going. "How long are you going to keep me waiting?"
I tugged on his hand. He didn't budge, but a subtle crease began to form between his brows. Half a second later, he closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh.
"Fine. I'll be there soon…"
As he crouched down next to me, his leg twitched, as if his body were rejecting the idea of sitting down.
I tugged on his hand again, drawing him to me. He followed my pull and sat down right next to me, tucking the umbrella back into his bag in the process.
I let out a soft giggle as I scooted closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder. Light raindrops nicked at my cheek here and there, but it didn't bother me.
The moment I held his hand, I knew that he was going to sit down. If there was one thing I knew about Hoshino, it was that he never ran away from a challenge—even one as small as this.
Still, the thought of messing around with him—making him do something he didn't feel like doing—was... entertaining, I think.
We continued to bask in the silence for a few moments, soaking in each other's warmth. The darkness wrapped around us, giving the illusion that we were the only two people in the world—that we were the only things that mattered.
My gaze flicked toward him from the corner of my eye. He was doing the same thing. Despite being caught, neither of us broke eye contact.
My reasoning slipped away bit by bit with each passing second while my craving swelled.
Holding his hand, being near him, resting against his shoulder, all of it was wonderful—but the warmth that came with it didn't fill me like it used to.
As if he were thinking the same, his hand tightened around mine.
Knowing what was coming, my body went slack, and I closed my eyes.
I felt his other hand gently grab the back of my head and pull me in closer.
Then, the world disappeared—only the warmth flaring in my chest and the heat pressing against my lips reminding me that this wasn't just a dream.
***
Once the world faded back in, we didn't say anything else. Hoshino took out his earbuds and gave one to me. We just listened to whatever he wanted, our hands staying intertwined.
It was strange. With Hoshino, I never felt reluctant to hold his hand the way I did with other men. Even back to the first time we met here, I never hesitated to touch him. I couldn't help being a little curious about why.
But before I could dig into it, Hoshino started a conversation.
"So, what did my Old Man actually talk to you about back at the store?"
The music playing in my left ear fizzled into the background as I contemplated my answer.
I knew Hoshino had many questions, just as I did for him. However, out of everything he could have asked, he asked this one.
It was obvious when you thought about it. Let's take how I reacted to Yu, for example. I knew he'd caught that something was off. Even so, he didn't ask—because it was none of his business.
That was the line between us. If we want the other to know, we'll tell them ourselves.
This situation was different, however. It involved his Dad, after all, so he had every right to ask.
With a cheery smile, I asked, "How did you know?"
I knew it wouldn't be enough to fool Hoshino, but that was fine for now. Still, he didn't act annoyed or impatient. He just kept his gaze forward.
"Of course I'd know," he said matter-of-factly. "My Old Man tends to do things I can't even imagine. So I know for a fact that he wouldn't just talk about school."
A faint grin crept onto his face as he reminisced. "When Luna first came over, my Dad went on for hours about how she was way too pretty and nice to be my friend before getting around to asking her about school. So it had to be the same for you, too."
My smile, along with my cheery tone, slowly faded into something devoid of any feeling. The last time he saw me like this was the day we "met" for the first time.
Seeing that, his grin dropped as well.
"You got me," I said, my voice low. "I was talking about how we were in the same kindergarten class."
I paused, gazing up into the dark clouds, feeling as they seeped under my skin. "He was surprised and wanted to know what I looked like."
"Sounds pretty typical of him," Hoshino said, looking at me, even though I wasn't returning his gaze. "He's the type where if you had crossed paths with him even once at some point, he'd want to know every detail of it."
I gave him a small nod. "Yeah, I figured."
I lowered my head back down and met his eyes. "Anyway, after that, he showed me a class photo he kept, and I pointed myself out to him. For some reason, he began laughing hysterically, saying I was so much cuter than you. After that, we spent the next several minutes going through childhood photos of you and laughing over how fat and ugly you were as a kid."
A crack appeared on Hoshino's face, tugging at his flat lips. He turned his head away from me, scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah… that definitely sounds like something he would do."
I let out a quiet giggle, my cheery smile resurfacing. "Hehe. You don't have to worry too much about it. I didn't think you were that bad. And even if you were—you were just a kid. You look a lot better now."
"Gee—thanks. I'll take that as a compliment," he grumbled, still facing away from me.
Even though he couldn't see me, I put on a small pout as I leaned in closer. "Heyyy, stop looking away from me."
I grabbed his head, trying to pull it back, but he stubbornly held it the other way.
We spent the rest of our time turning it into a little game.
Occasional laughs broke out from our corner of the alley, only to die out before they could ever make it far.
While I continued to poke fun at him, my mind was somewhere else.
What a relief…
The relief that he believed me. The relief that I'd gotten away with the lie. The relief that he hadn't caught on to the missing pieces.
And most of all…
The relief that I had been able to protect Uncle Su's secret.