“so that’s the reason why we all have to work together and work even harder to replace him… We can’t let the Emerald Magazine’s level sink now, just because of something like this.” The door to the meeting room closed. “Ah! Kisa, Onodera have a seat please!” “What is this about?” Onodera tried hard not to sound like a damn college student in his first interview… where was Takano-san? “Well” Isaka-san started, sounding a bit annoyed. “Since Takano is not going to be the editor-in-chief anymore, for whatever stupid reason, we all have to work-” Onodera had jump up, ignoring the staring. His eyes were full of tears again. “What do you mean? He’s not going to be the editor-in-chief anymore?!” Isaka-san looked a bit shocked, just recognizing the weak state of the editor. “Well yesterday evening he told me he’d quit and start an editor job in Hokkaido, so…” “And you didn’t try to stop him?” he sounded unspeakable sad. Isaka-san was irritated, seeing such strong emotions on Onodera’s face “Well of course I did, but he was so forced on leaving the department…” Onodera couldn’t believe what Isaka-san had just said, this couldn’t really be happening. He had last thin chance…“where is he now? “I think he’s at the airport, why? You know, I really tried to stop him, it’s useless…” Onodera had already opened the door. “Maybe it’s not, I’m very sorry but I have to go now, someone has to stop him!” he closed the door and started running…
Isaka-san was still looking at the door, not believing what just had happened. “Seems like they both went crazy…” Kisa giggled “I think there’s something going on between them.” Isaka-san shrugged his shoulders “maybe”
The buildings went by, the name of the streets changed as Onodera kept running. He had never run that fast in his life. He heard his heart racing like crazy, he felt his breath going strained and still he tried to get faster… Why couldn’t his legs move faster? He had to see him right now… Just to see his face again, to hear his voice, to hold his hand… He was such an idiot! How could he have hurt Takano-san that much? What had he been thinking, telling him he never loved him? His sight went foggy. He wiped the tears off, just to feel new tears rolling down his face. Crap! Why did this hurt that much? This was just what he wanted, right? He always had wanted Takano-san to stop harassing him… So why did he feel so alone now? Just as if Takano-san had taken away a part of him, leaving deep scars in his heart… He felt a drop at his skin and turned his face to the sky. It was dark grey. And he didn’t mind to bring an umbrella.
An umbrella… A memory came up from out of nowhere. He and Takano had been at highschool and for some reason they had had a fight… and then a rain had started, so he had run back to the school to bring Senpai an umbrella… That was the first time they ever had held hands. And though the rain had been cold, he had started feeling very warm holding his hand… That pale hand he now so desperately wanted to hold… Hurry! Faster! He had to run faster! The raindrops started falling on him.
Every drop that touched him brought back the memories of rainy days with Takano... Every memory as painful as if someone would slice his heart into a thousand little pieces… He and Takano standing in the rain together… Takano-san telling him he’d turned Yokozawa-san down, he’d love him, his present one… a shy confession, disturbed by the sudden rain… the rain kept falling on him. He smacked the salty drops that touched his lips and realized that he was crying again. How could he have been such an idiot? Hurting Takano that much…
But maybe this breakup would be the best… His steps slowed down until he finally stopped, just standing there alone in the rain. Yes. Maybe he should stop chasing after him… He’d marry An-chan as the heir to Onodera publishing, just as his parents wanted him to. He’d just live his life and Takano-san… He started running again. Takano wouldn’t become happy, would he? The memories of yesterday, which he was trying to forget so hard came up again… Takano’s face, the hurt look of his eyes filling with tears, while hearing Ritsu shout he never loved him… He had to clear the misunderstandings, even if Takano would turn him down. Otherwise this scar would never heal again…
He finally reached the street to the airport. He wasn’t far away anymore… Onodera would see him… He’d tell him… What should he say? Well in the end it didn’t matter what he’d say, just seeing him would be enough… Hurry! He ran along the street and just felt terrible. If he came too late, if Takano was already gone… his tears dropped to the muddy ground. There the was the airport! His running went even faster, hearing nothing but his hammering steps on the street and his heart beating like crazy…
He finally had reached his aim! There was just one street left to cross. He ran onto the street without thinking about it… A strange sound made his head turn. He looked there, totally paralyzed, while a pair of flashing lights came very close…
