Whispers Of A HeartChapter 10

Keita, I like you. I like you very much. Ever since that day, so many years ago, I… I have kept you in my heart and mind ever since…I kept thinking about you…

  qruhbC

My body jerked on its own, as if it had been electrocuted. I sprang to my feet and shuffled a few steps backwards, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. What was all that about many years ago? Haven’t we just recently met? I don’t remember meeting this person ever before, let alone be so close as to give this man the chance to feel this way towards me. It was all very confusing.

When I tried speaking, I was startled to notice just how much my voice shook. I didn’t want to seem weak in front of this person, therefore I tried my best to reign in my emotions.

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“Asakura-san, you… you can retrieve your investment if you wish. I don’t care. I…I just want to know what it is that you really want from me.”

It appeared that my violent reaction made him snap back to his senses. He also seemed to make an attempt at calming down from his previous surge of emotions. He even did it better than me. His voice was steady and his posture had the appearance of calmness. Only his eyes betrayed an internal turmoil. MFt9Cn

“Masato-sensei, you don’t have to worry. I won’t take back the funds for the movie, because I believe your story needs to be brought into a world of color on the big screen. You deserve that.”

“Asakura-san…”

“Alright. I’ll tell you the whole truth. Whether you will still want to talk to me after that, it’s your call. I will abide with whatever you decide.”

Asakura-san stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and sitting straighter, as if getting ready for battle. I looked at him puzzled, thinking what could he have to say that was making him feel this nervous.

When he finally began speaking again his voice sounded low and melancholic.

“15 years ago, I was in a car accident. My father’s driver fell asleep at the wheel and caused a big accident. More than one car was involved, but there were only two severe casualties. One was the driver who died, and the second was a boy of around 14-15 years old who ended up in a coma. I only got a concussion and the rest of the people who were further away from the hot zone only had mild injuries. I spent a week in the hospital, before I was finally allowed to go home. My father was still worried, so he had me coming back for a checkup almost every other week. It was boring to stay in the hospital, so I took the habit of walking around the hallways or going up on the rooftop for a breath of fresh air. One day, I heard a doctor talking to my dad about the accident. They mentioned the boy who was still unconscious. Since he had been on the crosswalk at the time of the accident, he got the worst of it. But astonishingly he was still alive, even if just barely. His head had been hit pretty badly and they couldn’t estimate when he would wake up. Since the accident had been caused by my father’s driver, he offered to pay for the boy’s medical expenses. Whether he would remain in a coma for a week or even longer, he was willing to have everything taken care of. Thus, his personal assistant went and talked to the boy’s parents, offering his assistance for whatever it was needed. I don’t know how those parents reacted; I only know that they agreed in the end. After all, having to keep a single room in a hospital must have cost a lot of money and they didn’t seem that well off.

A week went by, then a month, then a whole year passed. I kept visiting the hospital regularly, at first for my own health, but afterwards I continued to go because of that boy. That time when I heard my father talk to the doctor, I secretly went and found the room the boy was staying in. To my surprise, there was no one there besides a little girl. She was sitting on a chair with her head leaned against the side of the bed, her small hands clutching at the boy’s. Probably his sister, I thought. I took a few steps closer until I was right next to the bed. When I gazed down at his face I became immediately fascinated. He had white skin, thin eyebrows and long eyelashes. Together with his straight nose and thin lips made up a beautiful face. His body looked delicate and frail, like he was a porcelain doll. My heart was captured then and there; I fell in love at first sight. Several minutes later, a woman came inside the room, her voice startling me out of my reverie. She wasn’t very young, but it was clear how beautiful she must have been in her younger years. I safely concluded that it must have been the boy’s mother. When she asked me if I was there to see her son I stumbled on my words and made a complete fool of myself. Even though she had been gentle and soft spoken, I was scared silly and, thus, I ran out like a thief. I was 20 that year, but at that moment, I acted like a preschooler, running away from his crush.

After that one time, I kept coming back to his room. However, I made sure no one was there when I arrived. This silly, stalker-like behavior continued until one day I went there only to find the bed empty. In that moment I felt the air leaving my lungs and I panicked in a way I never had before. I ran to the information desk and inquired about the boy and his family but was told they had left. With trembling limbs and a shaky voice, I mustered the courage to ask about the boy, was he alive? To my utter bliss I was told that he had woken up from the coma and was moved to a different room for recovery. They weren’t allowed to give me any more information since I wasn’t part of his family. Sv37zh

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.

But I had my ways. I soon found out where he was staying and followed after him. He was indeed awake, lying on the bed with his head turned towards the window. He was gazing at the sky with an indecipherable look in his eyes. For some strange reason, when I looked at him, I felt as though he was very far away even if there were only a few meters between us; like he was somehow detached from the world. Just as I was contemplating what to do, he turned his head abruptly and watched me with cold eyes. That stare made me shudder and I ran away again, all embarrassed and flustered. That was the last time I saw him. After that, I couldn’t come to the hospital for a while and by the time I was able to, he had already been discharged.”

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“Dfmjerf P kjr jogjlv?”

“Cogjlv?! Yo ktja?” NOGqwV

“In the morning of the accident I was returning from a club party. I had stayed out the entire night and at dawn I had called for the driver to pick me up. The poor man had barely slept the previous night due to another one of my escapades, and so he was sleep deprived. I didn’t care about that and simply ordered him to come. That made me indirectly involved in this person’s accident. He ended up spending a whole year in a coma because of my selfishness. I was afraid that he’d hate me for it, or that he would feel uncomfortable around me. Thus, I kept watching him from the shadows. Once I found out he became a novelist I bought several copies of his books.” Asakura-san finished, revealing a small smile.

“What’s the name of this person?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.

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“Masato Keita.”

“En. I understand now.” I replied with a nod. vbkQ0

It was true that I was still a bit confused, though. This entire story seemed almost unbelievable. I never tried to find out more about what had happened or who was involved in that accident. It was hard enough for me to deal with the aftermath. For me to go around asking questions about what had already happened more than a year previously would have been a waste of time and effort. But even so, for Asakura-san to be so closely involved… seemed unreal. 

However, regardless of how incredible it sounded, based on Asakura-san’s personality and the manner in which he spoke just now, it was obvious that every word he said was true. If that was indeed so, then this person sitting in front of me had been carrying this heavy weight with him for 15 years.

Feelings of guilt and remorse, wishing for redemption, he must have spent hours upon hours drowning in self-loathing. How is that living? And there are also those feelings he has for me. I may be presumptuous in thinking this, but I am sure these past 15 years must have been as difficult for him as it had been for me.

Thinking about this, I suddenly obtained a new determination. This life of hurt and pain had to stop, for both of us. It was time to be free from our fears, to break the shackles and fly out into the world. Just like a caged bird who had been freed from its prison, we had the chance to live freely and openly. It was the first time since I had woken up from the coma that I was feeling this confident. padvbU

Brimming with newfound hope, I stared into Asakura-san’s eyes, wanting to convey my feelings and help him obtain the same liberation from the past that I just had.

“You have chained yourself for far too long, Asakura-san. It is time to stop now. The accident was not your fault, nor was anything that happened in my life afterwards. From now on, you should live your life the way you want to.”

“I want to live it with you.”

“That’s not possible.” I said curtly. “We can be friends, at most. But anything more than that, is not possible.” FbQDna

“Why is that?”

“Because I already have someone I like.”

“So blunt and honest.” Asakura-san smiled sadly.

“It’s nothing short of what I have promised.” kKSX3U

“Indeed, you’ve always been this honest with me.” He stopped for a moment then continued.

“Is it Kurosawa-san?”

I paused, staring into his eyes. After a moment, I gathered my courage and replied resolutely.

“Yes. I like Kurosawa Rintarou.” xEb2Iu

“I see. And does he like you in return?”

“That… I don’t know.” I finished after a split second of hesitation.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

It was true that I haven’t heard about Kurosawa-san’s feelings yet. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was what my own feelings were and they were clearly leaning towards Kurosawa-san. Therefore, I raised my head as if to defy anyone who would dare to doubt me.

“I like him, regardless of whether he likes me back or not.” Cvi8xB

“Such resolution.” Asakura-san sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. He seemed tired, but his casual gesture still looked elegant. “Well then, I can only wish you good luck with those feelings. Though, I might continue stalking you from time to time, so be prepared.”

“Asakura-san, I am fighting the urge to call you creepy.”

Instead of feeling insulted, Asakura-san seemed amused by my frankness. He laughed heartily, his whole body shaking.

“Goodbye, Masato-sensei. I’ll see you around.” He said, stretching out a hand towards me. A0K3eO

“En. See you around.” I replied, clasping his hand.

During this handshake I was able to hear his true parting words. It was probably the closure he needed in order to move on.

I love you, Keita. You will always be my one and only love at first sight.

This time I didn’t feel flustered or embarrassed. All those times when I had been muddlehead were long gone. It was time to face people’s feelings, as well as my own. My fingers tightened around his hand. mEzbva

“En. I know. Thank you for your feelings, Ryuu-san.”

After this meeting with Asakura-san ended, I could feel the knot inside my heart slowly loosening. Surely, this was a new beginning, for us both. 

A/N: We’re approaching the ending of the story. One more chapter of the main story, followed by 3 extras ^_~ See you all next weekend! ghxasm