The two friends walked in silence, the only sound being the soft rustling of leaves beneath their feet. Takahishi didn't speak until they reached their room, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm never going to live this down."
In the evening, Takahishi pushed his food around his plate, his appetite nonexistent. Crinix tried to coax him into eating, but Takahishi just shook his head.
"I'm not hungry," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Crinix sighed, his expression sympathetic. "It's okay, Takahishi. We've all had embarrassing moments. It's not the end of the world."
Takahishi's gaze remained fixed on the floor, his voice barely audible. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who farted in front of the whole class."
"Hey, Takahishi, tomorrow everyone will have forgotten about it," Crinix whispered, his voice laced with reassurance.
Takahishi shifted in his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I don't care much about that. It's just that everything here seems weird. I kind of feel like we don't belong here."
Crinix chuckled, the sound low and soothing. "Sometimes I miss the asylum too."
Takahishi's gaze drifted to Crinix, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, the asylum. At least there, we never had to worry about anything or people trying to kill us."
Crinix's laughter was contagious, and Takahishi found himself laughing along with his friend. "It's funny, back then at the asylum, we never talked."
The laughter slowly died down, and Crinix's expression turned serious. "Well, that's funny. How did you end up there anyway?"
Takahishi's brow furrowed, his eyes clouding over. "I don't remember. I kind of found myself there."
Crinix's eyes widened in surprise. "Man, that's a very strange answer."
Takahishi's gaze drifted back to Crinix, his voice barely above a whisper. "How did you end up there anyway?"
Crinix let out a long sigh, his eyes gazing into the distance. "Ever since I was a kid, I always saw these... things. I often thought they were ghosts or illusions. Then one day, something happened. It was at night, I heard screams, my house was on fire... and then I saw the same thing that we saw back at the asylum. My parents were covered in blood, laying dead on the floor.. " Crinix paused and sighed
" I tried to tell the law enforcers what happened but no one believed me, they thought l was crazy.Therefore l taken to asylum "
The room fell silent, the only sound being the soft rustling of the wind outside. Takahishi's eyes were wide with shock, his voice barely above a whisper. "Oh, I'm sorry, Crinix."
Crinix's gaze drifted back to Takahishi, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's no big deal. It was a long time ago anyway. Let's get some rest."
The two friends blew out the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. They drifted off to sleep, the silence of the night enveloping them.
The next morning, the sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over the room. Takahishi and Crinix quickly got dressed, their movements swift and silent.
As they were about to head out, a knock at the door interrupted them. Takahishi's eyes widened in surprise as he approached the door. He thought it was probably Shinro, but to his surprise, he found Niski standing in the doorway, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Yo, wassup!" Niski greeted him, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Takahishi's eyes narrowed, his voice laced with suspicion. "What are you doing here, Niski?"
Niski's grin grew wider, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Well, since we're now buddies, I thought, why not come pick you up so we can walk to school together?"
Takahishi's eyes widened in surprise, his voice barely above a whisper. "How did you even know where we stay?"
Crinix approached the door, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Yo, Niski."
Niski waved his hand in greeting, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yo, Crinix! You guys done?"
Crinix nodded, his eyes locked on Niski. "Yeah, we're about to head off."
As the three of them stepped out into the bright sunlight, Takahishi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What was Niski's true motive for showing up at their doorstep? Only time would tell.