The Space Between Us

Then, we walked towards the exit and pushed through the glass double doors, exiting the Neon Dragon Arcade into the crisp, cooling air of the advancing afternoon.

As soon as we stepped outside, Akane looked both left and right with complete attention, like a predator scanning for any sign of danger.

And then, after a few moments, she looked at me and said: "Let's go, ghost boy."

After her words, we walked down the concrete sidewalk in an absolute, crushing silence.

She kept the violet Lilibat plush clutched firmly against the center of her chest like a protective shield, her head slightly bowed, and her gaze moving from left to right.

"Akane," I called out softly after we had cleared two full blocks, my voice carrying a deep, anxious resonance.

I reached out my right hand, attempting to slide my fingers through hers to re-establish the connection.

She didn't violently pull her hand away from my reach, but she didn't tighten her fingers back around mine either.

Her palm remained entirely loose, cold, and unresponsive within my grip—a structural wall of complete emotional retreat.

"Tch— I'm so pissed right now," she repeated, her raspy voice noticeably tense, vibrating with a tightly coiled friction that chewed through the quiet of the alley. 

"Eh? What's wrong?" I asked quietly, though I already knew the answer.

The presence of the high school world had successfully reinjected its poison into our date, and the lone wolf was rapidly retreating back behind her menacing armor to protect her newborn vulnerability.

"Shhhh...!" Akane said, "Just follow me." 

We continued to walk through the dimming streets in an uncomfortable, heavy silence for several minutes, with the only rhythmic sound being the thud of our steps against the asphalt.

Then, Akane and I stopped in a secluded alley. And, finally, Akane spoke.

"Ah... damn. Finally..." She sighed in relief before looking back into my eyes. "Sorry, Shin... I was just making sure that nobody from school would see us. It wouldn't be good if some spies recognized us and spread bad rumors about one of the school festival representatives. You'd probably be called out of school, which is why I was making sure nobody was following us. I just don't want our date to be ruined." She then squeezed my hand in reassurance.

My soul calmed down somehow. I felt so much better.

"Ah damn... You actually got me worried, you know," I said, taking a deep breath.

"Worried? For what?" Akane asked, curious.

"Well, you know, like... I thought you were jealous," I said, scratching the back of my head.

Akane stared at me for some instants before bursting into a small laughter.

"Hahahaha! Jealous? Me? Oh... of course I am..." She said, a predatory smirk appearing on her face, "I've waited all these years just to be like this, so of course I am... but at the same time, I trust you." Her gaze softened. "I can't lock you into a cage to stop you interacting with other people. You must be free to do whatever you want... Even though..." Akane stopped herself, looking at her boots for a few moments. 

"...Even though... what?" I asked, curious and 'relieved' in some ways.

Akane moved her gaze back to me and spoke: "...Even though I must admit that the idea of you finding someone better than me one day actually scares me a little too much. Sorry for telling you this, but you really need sincerity from me." Akane said, clutching her lilibat plushie to her chest. "I guess that even a lone wolf like me has her stupid insecurities. But... I trust you, so just live. I'll just stand by you as your girlfriend." 

Hearing those words from Akane made me feel a mix of conflicted emotions. 

"Akane..." I said, before hugging her tightly. Her head rested on my chest, and her body seemed softer than usual. "I already told you. I'm yours, and I'm not going away. And thank you for telling me that. I promise to comfort you whenever you need it. Moreover... I have a similar fear, actually." I said, with a soft voice. "What if you grow bored of me? I don't think I'll survive after that, to be honest, Heh..." I said, holding her tight.

Akane's right arm reached my back while her other one kept holding that Lilibat Plushie. We looked like two parents hugging their child.

"You're crazy if you think that I'll let you go away from me, Dumbhead," Akane said, before burying her face into my shoulders. "Ah, damn... I needed that... Thank you, Ghost boy..." She said, nuzzling her head into my chest.

I felt so much better. Speaking and hearing our honest thoughts and insecurities is something I had never experienced. Akane was my first in almost everything, and I was glad it was her.

Then, deep in the pocket of my jeans, my smartphone gave a sudden, sharp jolt against my thigh, completely ruining the moment.

Akane sighed heavily, slowly pulling away from me. "If it's Sakurai, I'll skin him alive when we go to school," She said, with a passive-aggressive voice.

After her words, I pulled the device out with a heavy sigh, seeing the bright digital screen casting a harsh blue glow over my face.

Daiki's name was flashing across the lock screen once more, accompanied by an incoming call notification.

"Answer before I'll go to school to eliminate him," Akane commanded flatly, her eyes remaining fixed on the asphalt ahead, her grip on the plush mascot never wavering.

"Are you completely sure you want me to do that?" I asked, looking down at her profile. "We can just let it run out."

"Answer it, Shin," she repeated, her tone leaving zero room for negotiation. "I want to hear what this idiot has to say." 

Then, I pressed the green button and put the call on speaker. "Hey, Daiki."

"Shin! Finally! You actually answered the damn line!" Daiki's voice rang loudly through the speakerphone, his tone vibrating with a frantic, panicked energy I could hear perfectly even without the speakerphone enabled. "Where the hell are you physically located right now? Takaneda-sensei was absolutely, thoroughly furious in the staff room! He honestly believed you had run away from the prefecture entirely to escape the committee draft!"

I passed my left hand frantically through my messy hair, a sudden spike of panic tightening my throat as I looked around.

"I-I'm sorry, Daiki. An unexpected situation took over my entire schedule this morning," I muttered, trying to locate the right vocabulary to stabilize his panic. "B-but you don't need to worry about the faculty records. I've already spoken with someone important and managed to execute some preliminary organization for the festival stalls... together with Sora Fujimoto."

Absolute, deadened silence hit the other end of the line for a full two seconds.

Then, an absolute, deafening shriek of pure shock exploded from the speaker.

"EH?! SORA FUJIMOTO?! THE MOST POPULAR GIRL IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL? Are you telling me you actually managed to coordinate with the president?!" Daiki shouted, his voice cracking with an intense, structural disbelief. "How the hell did you even achieve something like that, Shin? That girl is the most untouchable, elite deity in the entire school! She literally never speaks to anyone outside the executive board! How did you manage to catch her during a morning shift?"

Beside me, the very microsecond the name Sora Fujimoto cleared my lips, I felt Akane's entire frame go violently rigid.

Her boots dragged slightly against the pavement, and her knuckles turned a terrifying shade of white as she tightened her grip on the violet plush with an intensity that threatened to rip the fabric seams apart.

"It wasn't anything particular," I said quickly, desperately trying to minimize the details to quiet the rising storm beside me. "We just encountered each other entirely by chance, we had a brief conversation regarding the logistics, and she explicitly stated that she would cover for my absence today. She's sorting out the records with the council."

"What kind of absurd, dark magic fortune do you possess, Ishikawa?!" Daiki grumbled, his tone shifting into a mixture of awe and pure jealousy. "I have to physically bend my knees and implore the faculty advisors just to get a thirty-minute extension on a paperwork deadline, and you somehow manage to get the most coveted girl in the school to personally cover your absence? You're a literal phenomenon, man."

I let out a forced, nervous chuckle, my eyes darting anxiously toward Akane's icy profile. 

I had only mentioned Sora because it was the simplest explanation, but the moment her name left my mouth, I had successfully driven myself straight into another tactical minefield. "I don't know, Daiki. Maybe I'm just a naturally sympathetic person."

"Sympathetic my ass. You're a structural anomaly. Anyway," Daiki continued, his tone returning to a business-like cadence, "the primary logistics meeting has officially been anticipated to tomorrow morning at exactly 8:00 AM. The student council is locking down the vendor perimeters early. Do not dare to be late, okay? And please, try to refrain from getting covered by any other senior idols before tomorrow, because my cardiovascular system cannot handle another shock of this magnitude."

"I'll be there on time. I promise," I said.

"Excellent. Now return to whatever mysterious activity is keeping you out of the building. And you better tell me every single detail of how you managed to charm Fujimoto tomorrow morning! I won't tell Akane, I promise!!"

The connection cut off with a clean click.

I slowly lowered the phone, sliding it back into my pocket, and turned my head to look at Akane. Her golden eyes were completely fixed on the embroidered fangs of the Lilibat plush, her jaw locked so tightly the line of her muscles was visible through her pale skin. Her knuckles were entirely white.

"Akane..." I started softly, reaching out to rest my palm against her shoulder.

"Can we walk to my apartment right now?" she asked, her voice dropping into a flat, icy monotone that carried zero emotional resonance. "...I need a moment before I forgive him for existing." 

"Akane?" I said, looking at the 'angry' expression on her face. "Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure... I just suddenly remembered that I own several knives." She replied, a malicious smirk appearing on her face. "...I'm sure that one of them has Sakurai's name on it."