ᴍᴇɴʜᴇʀᴀ // ᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜɴᴏ ᴄʜɪꜰᴜʏᴜ

ꜰᴏᴜʀ

THE LEAVES RUSTLED IN THE wind. You never expected to see him here.

"Chifuyu-san..." You called him from behind. The boy flinched at your voice and turned around, wiping his tears. "[Last Name]-chan!? ...What are you doing here?" He referred to the place you're at right now. A graveyard.

"...I lost someone dear to me too." Your eyes flickered over to the tombstone Chifuyu sat in front of. Baji... Keisuke. He sounds familiar. Chifuyu noticed your stare and told you that he also went to the same school as you and him.

"I see." You nodded with understanding. And you noticed the tears in his eyes coming out again. He seemed to have noticed too, and quickly wiped them away. "S-Sorry... You shouldn't see me like this."

"...You're wrong."

"Huh?"

"Boys are often portrayed as people who doesn't cry. Someone who is strong and... stuff." You couldn't describe them anymore as you ran out of words to use. "But boys have feelings too. So... don't hold back for my sake or Mr. Froppé and I will get really mad." Even you tried to say it in a serious manner, Chifuyu laughed.

"It's... not funny. I'm being serious." Though, it was nice to see him laughing. He seemed so sad when he was crying earlier. "Sorry, sorry! I can't help it when you say it with a blank face." You sat down next to him.

The both of you were silent, maybe just enjoying each other's company. "Baji-san... died when we fought Valhalla." You stared at him with shock. The fight was not too long ago. So he died during it...? "Baji-san was a great guy. Even though he pretended to be one of Valhalla's guys, he was still loyal to Toman."

You didn't know the context and the full conflict between Toman and Valhalla, but you listened on anyway. "Baji-san... I really miss him." He smiled as he looked at the tomb, then he faced you. "You're here to mourn someone too, right?"

You slowly nodded, and he could sense that you didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't pressed on. "Oh, [Last Name]-chan."

"Yeah?"

"Baji told me to introduce you before he died." You froze for a moment before furrowing your brows. "He knew me?" You dubiously asked. "Well, not personally. He saw me and you together that day. When you walked me home."

"Ah." You wondered what he was thinking when he saw you and Chifuyu walking together. It wasn't like you and him were close friends. You only met him through an accident, and under the rain. You were under the assumption that Chifuyu doesn't have many female friends.

"Baji-san..." Your blonde friend spoke to the tomb. "This is [Last Name] [Name]. We're not as close as you thought we were... but I really hoped that you could've met her too. She's a really nice girl."

Nice... That's a big compliment in your opinion. It's coming from someone who doesn't know you well, and you couldn't help but feel incredibly happy with this statement. Though of course, your expression said nothing.

"[Last Name]-chan, wanna say a few words?" Chifuyu faced you, gesturing towards the tombstone. "Um..." Being suddenly under the spotlight made you nervous, but you managed to say some words. "Chifuyu-san must really liked you. He was here crying like a kid just a moment ago."

"Hey!" He exclaimed at your remark. "That wasn't necessary."

"Sorry." But he knew you weren't really sorry. "It's funny, you know." He stared at the tombstone with a small smile. "We haven't met for long, but it kinda looks like we're best buds now, huh?"

"Best... buds?" You were surprised. Though you stayed silent, trying to think of what to say next. "I really... appreciate your company too. This has been the most fun I've had in years. It's only been me, Mr. Froppé and my aunt in the last few years. Oh, and my mom too, but she's not in Shibuya."

"Why?"

"She's resting in a much better place. I do send her letters every week to give her an update though." For a moment, he saw a smile on your lips. "I bet that... she's reading my letters while laughing at my idiotic decisions in life."

"Your mom sounds like a pretty cool person." He laughed along. "'Cool' is... not a word I would use." You pursed your lips, blinking slowly at him. "My mom was always a bit sickly, so I have to take care of her most of the time."

"Oh, what about your dad then?" He asked, and you cocked your head. "No. My father was completely useless. He always hits me and my mom." You let out a soft sigh while he stared at you in shock. Should he say something? "...Are you sure you wanna tell me this? We just met a couple of weeks ago, y'know..."

You held Mr. Froppé tighter. "Do I sound like someone who wants attention?"

"Eh? What does that have to do... No, of course not." He frowned at you, thinking you were silly for asking that while you hummed. "...I sometime overshare things to people. So I hope you don't mind when I tell you some inappropriate or private information."

Chifuyu waved his hand, "Ah, yeah. No problem." He felt weird, since situations like this are only meant for people who are close, like those he read in mangas, so how was he supposed to feel when you tell him stuff like that? It wasn't that he doesn't trust you, it was just too soon, kind of thing. But alternatively, he felt happy that you shared this with him. Even if you disclose those kind of information with strangers too.

"My father... He always has this enraged look in his face when he beats my mom and I. It was scary." Your shoulders slumped when you recalled the memory. "Maybe we should talk about other things? You look sad." The blonde placed a hand on your shoulder and looked at you with earnest eyes. You could feel the warmth of his hand even through your sweater.

He was possibly one of the nicest people you've met, and you're super grateful for that. Your lips curled up in a small smile as you nodded.

Meanwhile, Chifuyu was caught off guard by your smile. You were always calm and soft-spoken. That blank expression on your face everytime something ridiculous happens could almost be comical. So seeing as you smiled at him for the first time, he was bursting with joy and he could barely hide a smile on his face.