Chapter 10: You're afraid of your mother.
After finishing speaking, Morofushi Sora'aki slipped through the gap between Furuya Rei and the door, then ran back to his room next door, lay down on the bed, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes again.
He has always had a good quality of sleep; he can usually fall asleep very quickly after closing his eyes.
Then he opened his eyes and found himself back at the familiar swing.
Strangely, neither Hagiwara Kenji nor Matsuda Jinpei appeared quickly this time, which was a bit odd for Morofushi Sora'aki.
Morofushi Sora'aki recalled their agreement from yesterday and confirmed that neither of them had mentioned not coming today, and that they had agreed on this location; he was absolutely certain he hadn't misremembered.
Bored, Morofushi Sora'aki sat on the swing, tilting it to one side, his toes touching the sand. He lowered his eyes slightly, his azure eyes reflecting the golden sand.
The time they would get together to play always started after Matsuda Jinpei and the others finished school. As it got dark, Hagiwara Kenji and the others would wave goodbye because they had to go home for dinner.
Generally, it takes half an hour to an hour.
Actually, it can't be entirely described as playing; they spend most of their time chatting. It's just that sometimes their conversations are taken on the swings, sometimes on the horizontal bar nearby, and sometimes on the slide.
Matsuda Jinpei would occasionally bring a soccer ball, and he would also secretly bring parts of some unknown things.
Thinking about it carefully, they're all actually pretty boring things. But for some reason, I just feel... relaxed.
As darkness fell, the sunlight that had illuminated the sandy land with a golden glow gradually disappeared.
I don't know what month it is, but it's a bit cold. Morofushi Sora'aki loosened the cold iron chains, put his hands on the side of the swing's wooden planks, and occasionally kicked the sand at his feet.
"I should have brought books; at least they would have helped pass the time," thought Morofushi Sora'aki.
This small park is quite remote, and could even be considered abandoned, so almost no one comes back on weekdays, and there are no streetlights around for illumination.
Even walking this way late at night looks like the prelude to a horror movie.
...They're so slow today.
Morofushi Sora'aki didn't have a watch, and his sense of time was rather poor, so he couldn't quite tell what time it was.
Just as Morofushi Sora'aki was yawning for the third time, a few voices came from not far away.
"...It's already this late, he must have gone home long ago."
"But it's better to come and see anyway," Hagiwara Kenji complained. "I've been looking for you for so long... How did you end up locked up in that place?"
"How can you blame me?"
When they got closer, Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei both widened their eyes in surprise and met the gaze of Morofushi Sora'aki, who was sitting silently on the swing.
Under the moonlight, Morofushi Sora'aki noticed that Matsuda Jinpei had many wounds, the most obvious on his face, with a swollen and red mouth. His calf had a long cut, as if it had been scratched, but it didn't look deep and had stopped bleeding.
Even Hagiwara Kenji looked a bit disheveled this time, as if he had rolled around in a dirty corner.
"You guys are so slow." After looking at their new looks, Morofushi Sora'aki slowly said this as a start.
"...You're still waiting for us!? Didn't your parents come looking for you?" Hagiwara Kenji was the first to greet: "It's so late!"
"Tsk, didn't you know you should go back yourself?" Matsuda Jinpei frowned as well.
"You didn't say you weren't coming today." After answering this question in a calm tone, Morofushi Sora'aki's gaze fell on the wound on Matsuda Jinpei's lip: "You got beaten up again."
Immediately, veins popped out on Matsuda Jinpei's forehead: "...Your tone is really infuriating!"
"Why?" Morofushi Sora'aki asked curiously, "I'm telling the truth."
Matsuda Jinpei looked even angrier.
Hagiwara Kenji immediately smoothed things over: "Okay, okay, Jinpei-chan, you know that Sora'aki-chan didn't mean it that way!"
"So, Sora'aki-chan, where do you live? Shall I take you home?" Hagiwara Kenji asked worriedly. "If it's far away, how about we go to my place first and then you can call your parents?"
Matsuda Jinpei was clearly holding back his anger, not directed at Morofushi Sora'aki, but it was still evident in his tone: "Are you an idiot? We haven't been here for so long and you still don't know to go back!"
Hagiwara Kenji even held Morofushi Sora'aki's hand, the most intimate gesture he had made since they met: "Your hands are so cold!"
However, Morofushi Sora'aki's focus was on the initial question: "Aren't we playing today?"
Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji exchanged a glance, and their worries and annoyances turned into an indescribable sense of frustration at this question.
"Is all you think about is playing games?!" Matsuda Jinpei, who could never hold back his emotions, blurted it out.
Morofushi Sora'aki shook his head.
Hagiwara Kenji, seeing the two clearly having difficulty communicating, was about to speak when he heard Morofushi Sora'aki, unusually speaking up, say, "My brother said that a friend is someone who makes you feel relaxed just by seeing them, even without saying a word or doing anything else."
"Family isn't friends." Morofushi Sora'aki looked up at the two boys in front of him, his tone unchanged: "So you two are my friends."
After thinking for a moment, Morofushi Sora'aki added, "Only you."
"You said you'd play together again tomorrow, so I'll wait for you." Morofushi Sora'aki asked, puzzled, "Aren't you playing today?"
Matsuda Jinpei froze, while Hagiwara Kenji, being an emotionally expressive child, almost instantly hugged Morofushi Sora'aki, who was clearly not used to close contact.
"I'm sorry—" Hagiwara Kenji burst into tears, "We promise we won't be late next time!!"
Matsuda Jinpei tugged at Hagiwara Kenji's collar: "Do you have to do this?! You have to cry over such a small thing! Are you a crybaby?"
"But I'm so touched, waaaaah! It's the first time that Sora'aki-chan has admitted we're friends!" Hagiwara Kenji wailed. "And I got myself all dirty today and came home so late, my mom's definitely going to yell at me! What's wrong with me crying a little in advance for my future misery!"
"You're so annoying!!"
"It's clearly all Jinpei-chan's fault!!"
"How did it become my fault again? I didn't do anything!"
"I don't care! It's all Jinpei-chan's fault—waaaaah!"
Watching the two of them arguing amongst themselves, Morofushi Sora'aki, whose neck was being held by Hagiwara Kenji, looked down at his own clothes, which were covered in dust from Hagiwara Kenji's clothes.
Morofushi Sora'aki blinked slowly: "...It's dirty."
Hagiwara Kenji sniffed, immediately let go of her hand, and belatedly apologized: "...I'm sorry."
Morofushi Sora'aki tugged at his clothes and shook his head, it was unclear whether he meant it was okay or he didn't forgive him.
Matsuda Jinpei then remembered something important: "So, did you tell your parents or not?!"
Morofushi Sora'aki thought for a moment and said, "I've already talked to my brother about playing with you guys."
Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Hagiwara Kenji suggested, "Why don't you come to my house, Sora'aki-chan? You might as well stay at my place. You can call your family from my house."
Morofushi Sora'aki recalled the days when Furuya Rei often stayed at his house, realized that this was normal interaction between friends, and nodded without much hesitation.
Matsuda Jinpei crossed his arms and clicked his tongue, not wanting to admit that he had also wanted to invite them, but suddenly remembered that his house was a mess and not suitable for entertaining guests.
Then Hagiwara Kenji asked, "Is Jinpei-chan coming?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "...Hmm?"
Hagiwara Kenji said, "Hmm... Shall I apply the medicine for you?"
After all, given Matsuda's situation, it will ultimately be Matsuda Jinpei who handles it himself. And how should I put it... if we only invite Sora'aki-chan, I feel like Jinpei-chan won't be happy.
Hagiwara Kenji, who had mastered the art of "balancing things" without any instruction, blinked, his large, drooping eyes sparkling: "Come on! I've never invited any friends over to my house before!"
"Actually, you just want us to be your shields so your parents won't scold you, right?" Matsuda Jinpei retorted.
Hagiwara Kenji stuck out his tongue: "Eh?"
Matsuda Jinpei immediately pointed at Hagiwara Kenji and said to Morofushi Sora'aki, "Did you see that! Don't be fooled by his innocent act next time!"
Morofushi Sora'aki blinked in confusion: "?"
"Never mind, what am I talking to you about..." Matsuda Jinpei scratched his head: "Then I'll go home and get my clothes later."
"Let's have dinner at my place too, even though it's so late... My mom probably saved some for me... right?" Hagiwara Kenji felt like crying again as he thought about the disaster he was about to face.
Waaah, the scariest thing in the world is an angry mom!
Unsurprisingly, when Hagiwara Kenji quietly opened his front door, he was startled by his mother, who was sitting on the sofa with a cold expression.
"Hagiwara Kenji," Mother Hagiwara called out his full name.
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Hagiwara Kenji immediately pulled Morofushi Sora'aki, whom he had been blocking, to the front: "Mom, let me explain! And Sora'aki-chan is staying at our house today!"
Then Hagiwara Kenji witnessed firsthand how quickly his mother's expression changed; in almost a second, she went from being cold and ruthless to being gentle and kind.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Mother Hagiwara smiled at Morofushi Sora'aki. "Your name is Sora'aki, right? Have you eaten yet? Auntie will go heat up your dinner."
"And you, Hagiwara Kenji, don't you even know to pour tea for the guests?"
"Yes, Mother!" Hagiwara Kenji gave an awkward salute, then added, "Jinpei-chan is coming over later too! Can you prepare three servings, Mother? We haven't eaten yet—"
Mother Hagiwara glared at Hagiwara Kenji from an angle where Morofushi Sora'aki couldn't see her. Hagiwara Kenji smiled ingratiatingly and realized that the matter was over.
Shortly after Mother Hagiwara left, Matsuda Jinpei knocked on the door and came in.
At this moment, Morofushi Sora'aki slowly sipped the tea brewed by Hagiwara Kenji and said softly, "So you're afraid of your mother."
Hagiwara Kenji: "...!"
Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow at this.
Then, whether intentionally or not, Morofushi Sora'aki covered his mouth with his teacup and said, "My mother never scolds me or gets angry with me."
Hagiwara Kenji: "...Ugh!"