Rent A Girlfriend: The Past Hurts

Part Seventeen: Kyoto Cementary

Plop.

Plop.

Plop.

As the rain hit against the windows in the main hall, and the cold breeze could be felt even from where he was sitting, Kazuya waited patiently as he looked down at his hands. His foot tapped the ground, a sign which indicated that he was nervous. His heart was beating a little for he knew where the day was going to lead him..
Each person that passed by to exit the building, a gust of wind would enter the room the instant the door opened. It brushed through his orange locks. He clamped his hands together as an attempt to warm them up, but after finding no success he moved them into the pockets of his black raincoat. Accompanied by his old blue jeans and a pair of black-and-white shoes, the boy didn't look half bad. Some might say he was going to some party.. But they would come out to be very wrong.
' Today's the day. The reason we even came on this trip.'
While he was stuck in his thoughts, he didn't even notice when someone lightly tapped his right shoulder. "Hmm?" he said as he looked up to see Chizuru staring back at him.
" I called out your name a few times but you seemed to be in some sort of trance." She bent down before asking in a soft voice, " Are you okay?"
" Y-Yeah." He said quickly.
Mizuhara simply stared at him with a monolithic expression before extending a hand towards him. " Okay. Ready?"
He gave her a smile as he took it. Now standing, he grabbed his umbrella and he opened it.
"Let's go." He told her and the two of them got under the canopy of the umbrella before walking out into the open streets of Kyoto .
Kazuya lifted his arm to signal a passing taxi, and once he successfully got the attention of one, he quickly opened the door for Mizuhara before entering inside the vehicle himself. Then, he gave the directions to the driver, who seemed to understand the mood because he gave him a nod as he turned around and proceeded to follow the gps in silence.
Kazuya moved his glance to the window and watched the buildings that passed by. Even though they were going a bit fast, he was able to catch a glimpse through the windows of families either eating dinner or watching the television covered in blankets.
' ... I wonder if I'll ever have a family. Or even a house.'
Though he tried to make a small joke to cheer himself up, he couldn't deny that the thought of being alone made him feel empty inside.
' Grandma has been my one and only family member all this time. But I know that she's not going to be around forever.. And the only other person I have right now is..'
He gave a quick glance at Mizuhara, who was looking down at her hands. He looked at her with a bit of sadness in his eyes.
' She's just a rental. Once this whole charade is over.. She'll have no reason to stay with me.. And knowing that hurts even more..'
Unaware that she was now looking back at him, Kazuya was surprised to feel her hand resting on top of his. " Chizuru..?"
With the same monolithic expression on her face, she asked in a soft whisper, " Are you okay? You seem to be spacing out a bit."
' I can't let her see me like this.'
He slowly moved his hand away from hers, ignoring the confused look on her face as he now lowered both of them onto his lap. " I-I'm fine. Please don't worry." he said, attempting to show a smile.
' I need to try to be strong. Maybe not as strong as she is.. But I need to try.'
And as the car continued to move towards their destination in silence, Kazuya moved his head back to the window, oblivious that the brunette couldn't do anything but simply stare at him with a bit of distress.

7 minutes later...

" Thank you for the ride." Kazuay said to the driver as he handed him the money. Though, he was a bit surprised when the man refused to take it. " Are you sure?"
" Don't worry about it. Also, take your time. I'll be waiting for you two once you have finished." He responded with a smile on his face. Kazuya was going to argue that he didn't need to, but once he saw that the man had pulled out a newspaper and leaned his seat back, he knew that there was no use in it.
He walked to where Mizuhara was standing, and he looked up at the same sign he had seen for almost 15 years.