re:Happiness | Cell Phone Novel

once again | x - xii

・・・ x ・・・

The world was being unfair to him.

"But... hasn't it always been?"

At the moment, Leo was sitting on the couch.

He was waiting for Ao as he changed his clothes inside his room.

Moments ago, without even noticing it,
Ao had agreed to Leo's invitation with a stiff nod.

His mind still felt too light. Empty.

It didn't feel real to him.

"... Nothing feels real these days anymore."

"Are you living alone in this dingy apartment?"

Leo's voice sounded muffled from the other room.

Ao answered him, barely loud enough to be heard. 

"I am."

"... I see," Leo replied.
There was an edge in his tone.

This really is unfair.

Once he was finished, Ao walked back into the apartment's living room.

He was hoping that Leo would disappear. Waiting to see that he had been imagining everything from the start.

Leo was still there.

—Still real.

It seemed so unnatural to see someone else sitting there.

When Leo noticed him, he stood up.

He rubbed the back of his head and offered a smile.

"Ah... Shall we get going, then?" he asked.

・・・ xi ・・・

Like the last time, Leo led the way as Ao followed after him.

Into that hallways.

Down the elevator.

Outside the building.

Ao wanted to ask where they were going.

However, the question remained unsaid.

"You're scared."

Leo continued without telling him anything.

In return, Ao simply stayed quiet.

Once they stepped into the sidewalk,
he noticed that the last signs of snow were now beginning to disappear.

The world, slowly, was coloring back to its original hue.

"It's quite a shame to see it disappear already, isn't it?"

Leo paused for a second, looking.

"With the snow gone... it feels like winter is already fading."

Ao blinked.
He stayed silent.

"Which reminds me... When's your winter break?" Leo asked.

It took Ao a few moments to answer him.

"It's... This Monday."

As he said that, Leo suddenly turned around.
His eyes were almost gleaming.

Ao flinched.

"So... that means technically, you're already on break?"

Hesitantly, Ao answered with a slight nod.

Leo's wide grin spread across his face.

"... I see."

・・・ xii ・・・

The two of them were silent after that.

There was tension in the air.
An uncomfortable stillness.

Ao decided to focus on the surroundings.

Even though the sun was overhead, the air was cold.

The familiar view of the scenery greeted him as they passed by.

Around them, only a few people were walking down the sidewalk.

It took Ao a few minutes before he realized that he recognized the path that they were taking.

It was the same one he often took in order to reach his familiar destination.

But Leo couldn't know about it.

Of course... It's not likely.

A few minutes later, Leo finally stopped before a small establishment.

"Sorry if it's not a proper restaurant. I don't this place too well yet, and I'm sure the last one we visited is full of people this time of the day. So I thought this was a nice place," he explained.

Ao only blinked, unable to hide his surprise.

His eyes trailed over the familiar glass windows.

Nestled before a flower shop and an abandoned building,
there was no mistaking it.

They were standing outside the cafe.