Autumn Leaves Fall and Wither

Chapter XIV : Coming home with you

There wasn't even any single comment from his father when Kazuha got home. The man simply nodded, gave him a pat on the shoulder, and left. Only Beidou was hysterical about his return. She was bombarding him with questions after questions, checking him from every possible angle, and hugged him tightly as if she was a mother. Kazuha was grateful for having a cousin like her, but when he looked at his father's back as he got into the car, his heart was stinging.

"Look," Beidou said after she released him from her deadly hug, "I know this is hard, but your dad is as worried as me and everyone else. He's just not good at expressing it. You get it, don't you?"
Kazuha nodded. "Can I not go to campus today? My head hurts."
"Sure, of course. Make sure you tell the class leader." She patted his head, sweeping invisible dust from his messy hair. "I'll prepare breakfast for you."
"Thanks, Beidou."

He let Beidou do her cooking while he went upstairs to his room. He missed the smell of his room -a combination of sweat and air freshener, the bed, the desk, and his guitar. He wanted to sing or play the guitar, but he was too tired to even lift a finger. It wasn't just physical tiredness, but also mental. He just wished that he was still at Gorou's house. Though he didn't really like Gorou's older brother Saburou, at least it wasn't his home and Saburou was leaving for work too.

The young man flopped on the bed, face first, and didn't even bother to take off his shoes. He fished his phone, realizing that it was dead and he forgot to borrow Gorou's charger the night before. Mustering all strength within, he was able to find the charger on the desk and recharged his phone. Once it lit up, he logged into the chat to tell Gorou that he got home safely and sent a text to Ayaka as the class leader to inform her that he couldn't attend classes today.

He also told Tomo about this, and wished that he was here to fill the loneliness.

He fell in love with Tomo. That's for sure, and he wouldn't deny it anymore. And if things kept going the way they were with his father, he might just run away with Tomo. To where? He didn't care. As long as he was with the blonde, he wouldn't mind.

It was stupid, of course. He didn't even know if Tomo felt the same. Kazuha felt stupid and lost and tired. And he didn't know what to do anymore. His brain might be just a useless ornament inside his skull now.

A knock on his door brought him back to reality. It was Beidou's voice coming after the knock. He let her in, not moving from his position on the bed.

"I made some toast and coffee," she announced. "Didn't know what kind of coffee you like, so I just threw everything in."
"Thanks," he mumbled against the pillow. "I like Gorou's coffee. His coffee is special."
"Yeah, he said that last night. Said you often visit the cafe he works at to order some coffee." Her voice was clear, indicating that she was close to him on the bed. A clink and clank on the table, also the strong scent of coffee told him that Beidou had put a tray on his nightstand. "He's a nice guy. He was frantically running around the neighborhood to look for you, and walked back looking like a puppy that just got kicked when he said he couldn't find you."
"Yeah."
"Where did you stay last night? You didn't sleep on the street, did you?"
"No." Kazuha rolled on the bed, and now he could see his cousin standing next to the nightstand with one hand on her hip. "I stayed at Gorou's house."
"You're lucky to have him as a friend." She nodded more to herself.
"Is Dad leaving for long?"
"He said he would be out of town for a day or so." She shrugged. "Listen, your dad-"
"You don't have to tell me that twice. I know he cares-I should know that." Kazuha stared at the ceiling, reminiscing the time when he talked about this to Tomo. "If I don't, maybe I won't be here now. It's just that his ideology is kind of different than mine, and someone needs to tell him."
"That someone will be you. Only you can assure your dad." Beidou fiddled with her hair. "A child's voice will always be heard by the parent."
"I will try it. After I have enough courage."
"You do, kid." His cousin walked to the door. "If you need anything, just text me. I'll be in my room and I'll stay here for a week or so before returning to work."
"Will do."