“We should stop this, Sato. There is no future between us.”
“No! I don’t want that. Touma, I love you! How can you say there is no future? After all this time…”
“I thought it was possible. I really did, but recently I came to realize that it was foolish of me to believe that. I’m sorry, Sato.”
“I… I don’t understand. What… What do you feel about me then? Touma… What am I to you?”
“I… I hate you. You’re everything that I can never be. Whenever I am next to you, I can see the difference clearly and it’s killing me. Whether it’s about acting, singing or dancing, even gaining people’s acceptance … You’re better at everything. And to top it all off, you are also the son of a famous star. I always end up being compared to you. There’s no way anyone could stand that. That’s why I’m leaving. I want to break free. Sato, this relationship is crushing me!”
“Touma… That’s… Touma, don’t go! Touma, wait!”
“DON’T TOUCH ME!”
Sato’s eyes widened and he stared in shock at the person in front of him. He looked like a complete stranger.
Then, Touma whirled around violently, a dangerous fury brewing in his eyes.
Sato let out a choked cry. There was a sharp pain coming from his shoulder and the next thing he knew his body was tumbling down the stairs. When he finally hit the floor he felt a surge of pain around his torso and legs. His arms were also aching and were full of scrapes.
“To-Touma… Touma…” He gasped, calling that person’s name over and over again. It sounded like a chant in his mind. It was as if by calling his name, that person would somehow materialize in front of him.
A second later, Sato felt a violent shove and he was jerked awake.
Was it just a dream? But it was so clear, so vivid. Even now, his eyes simply wouldn’t open and he could still hear Touma’s voice resounding in his ears, his words stabbing at his heart.
But despite the heavy mist enveloping his mind, Sato quickly realized that nothing was real anymore. What he saw was just a memory. Just like so many times before, he had dreamed of that night again. Even after such a long time he could still remember everything so clearly. Every word that was spoken, the way in which Touma had looked at him and the tone of his voice when he said goodbye.
Why couldn’t he forget? Why couldn’t he move on and leave the past behind? Why every time he thought he was getting better, he had to have this dream again? It was as if he was being haunted by a ghost. It just wouldn’t allow his mind to forget, nor his heart to heal. Did that mean he will forever remain trapped in this nightmare? Will he forever be unable to move on?
Panic was beginning to surge inside his body, feeling like a shard of ice stabbing at his insides. His chest contracted and he choked, unable to breathe properly. Through this painful haze he heard a voice calling his name. It was low and faraway in the beginning, but it slowly reached his ears.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“…jab… Vjab! VCKY, QCBS FU!”
Bsbrexf kjr xcffilcu bc atf yfv, rtjxlcu tlr oglfcv lc j ogfchs. Dfjvr bo rkfja mbnfgfv tlr obgftfjv jr tf aglfv ab kjxf Vjab eq ogbw tlr clutawjgf.
“GCZZPK! Vjab, lo sbe vbc’a kjxf eq gluta cbk, P rkfjg P’ii rijq sbe ecali sbe vb. GY TYF LSCE ZS?!”
“Yes… I… I hear… you… Kyosuke.”
“You sure?”
“Y-yes. With that loud… Voice of yours… It’s impossible not to… Hear you. The neighbors… Must have… Heard you as well.” Sato struggled to form coherent words.
“The hell do I care about a bunch of strangers?!” Kyosuke threw at him angrily, giving Sato another light shove out of frustration. “Are you awake now?”
“I’m awake. Quite awake…” Sato breathed out wearily.
His chest still felt a little tight but it was better than before. At least his mind had cleared and he could now open his eyes and see properly.
“Tsk. You scared me to death, do you know that?” Kyosuke clicked his tongue in vexation.
“I’m sorry…”
“Did you dream about ‘that’ again?”
Sato remained silent but it was as good as a confession. Kyosuke immediately knew that he was right.
“Why? It’s been a while since you had that dream, so why now?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I thought about the past recently. Ever since we came back from that trip, I kept thinking…”
Sato’s voice trailed off and he remained quiet. Except for the soft pants he let out from time to time and the cold sweat that covered his back, there was nothing that could prove he had just been on the brink of a panic attack. Usually, that nightmare would only cause heartache and discomfort upon waking up, but this time it had been more intense than ever, causing Sato to almost lose his grip on reality even after waking up. Had it not been for Kyosuke, it could have been dangerous.
“Kyosuke… What time is it?”
“Eh? 5 in the morning.”
“So early. I’m sorry for waking you up.” Sato sighed guiltily.
“Stop talking nonsense.” Kyosuke barked. Then, realizing he might have been too brutal with an already emotionally shaken person he changed his tune. “Do you want to eat something or perhaps take a bath and relax?”
“A bath first. Can you help me get there? I don’t think I can stand up right now.”
“Come on. I’ll carry you to the bathroom.”
With that, Kyosuke bent down and pulled Sato on his back.
A few minutes later the bath was ready. Kyosuke leaned against the sink, watching Sato as he removed his clothes and got inside the tub.
“I can help you wash if you want.” He spoke suddenly, his voice echoing in the steam-filled bathroom.
“No. That’s alright. I can do it myself.”
“If you say so. I’ll be in the kitchen then. Shout if you need me to get you out, ok?”
“Mhn, alright.” Sato nodded slowly, sliding inside the hot water. A second later he spoke in a low voice, his eyes staring at the ripples his movements had caused. “Kyosuke… Thank you.”
“There is no need for thanks between us. Now, have a nice bath and don’t think about anything else. I’ll go make breakfast.”
With that, Kyosuke pushed himself against the sink and walked out.
Having his body almost entirely submerged in water, Sato closed his eyes and tried to relax. He could feel his breathing slowly returning to normal and the wild poundings of his heart subsiding. His mind, however, was still agitated, his thoughts unable to settle down. Touma’s extremely cold eyes were still haunting him.
‘Are you happy now that things have reached this point? I hope you are, Touma, otherwise all my suffering will have been in vain. At least one of us should be happy.’
After bathing and eating a light breakfast, Sato returned to his room. He refused Kyosuke’s offer of going outside and spending time together. There was just no way he could handle that in his current state. His mind was too rattled, making it difficult to focus on a subject or maintain a normal conversation. Therefore, he decided to stay in his room until he was feeling better.
As he collapsed on the bed, his mind recollected the last conversation he had with Kyota. For some strange reason the memory made him smile.
Kyota rarely spoke so much and in such a manner. Compared to his usual cold self, during that time in the car, the man had shown concern. Kyota’s tone might have come out strongly, but the words he spoke were true. Sato really had to make a decision, one that will affect his entire life. Will he give himself another chance to trust in his dream and in others, or will he give everything up and start anew?
Just as he was pondering on that, Sato’s eyes landed on something that had fallen on the floor. He rolled onto the bed and stretched out his arm to pick it up. The object was a small piece of paper; a business card. He stared at it, his eyes widening in surprise. Without a doubt, it was Asakura Ryuu’s business card, the one he had given Sato on his last night at the onsen. All this while he had forgotten all about it. Did it fall out of his pocket when he changed? But how come he hadn’t seen it in all this while?
It appeared that Sato completely forgot having thrown the card himself, as well as his determination to forget about it.
A moment later, though, Sato suddenly recollected the conversation they had outside the inn. That person, too, had told him something similar to what Kyota said. Two people, complete strangers to each other, were nudging him in the same direction. But was it really a sign that he should try or an omen that he should refuse?
With his mind engaged in these peculiar thoughts, Sato spent the entire day in bed. The interior tumult caused him to continuously shift between dream and reality. He was unable to have a proper rest and, as a result, when he finally left his room to have dinner, his expression was worse than it had been that morning.
“Ugh, you look awful.” Kyosuke greeted as he placed the plates down on the table.
“Thanks.” Sato sighed, pressing both palms against his face.
“You don’t look like you rested well.”
“That’s because I didn’t.”
“Still thinking about what Kyota-san said?” Kyosuke inquired, staring worriedly at his friend.
“Mh, among other things.” Sato replied vaguely.
It’s true that Kyota’s words were the main focus of his thoughts. However, it appeared that there had been something else bothering him besides that. He just couldn’t properly grasp what laid behind all that jumble of thoughts and it frustrated him to no end.
A/N: Poor Sato, he is really having a hard time 
Poor Sato 😥
Thank you for the chapter 😊
True, but after the rain comes the sun and rainbow 😉😊
🥰
Poor Sato… 🥺💔
Thank you for the chapter~
Indeed 😥😔
<333
poor Sato :'((
thanks for the chapter <3
Un, he had a hard time until now. But things will get better 😉
<333