Another Like Me - Part II (CoTE x OC) || 𝕆ℕ ℍ𝕀𝔸𝕋𝕌𝕊

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟚𝟘 - 𝔼𝕢𝕦𝕚𝕧𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

Chiaki and Yosuke immediately barged into my room, and locked the door behind them. I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.

But apparently it wasn't going to work on either of them.

"Keisuke. What happened?" Yosuke fired. "I know you're aware of the reason. I don't trust that doctor one bit. You don't vomit blood just by eating something that doesn't go well with your stomach."

"It's nothing, Yosuke. The doctor is right. It was definitely something I had eaten in the past few days," I recounted. "Darn that apple. I knew it was stale."

"Kei-chan."

I turned around to look at Chiaki, who was staring at me with pensive eyes.

"Yes?"

"Don't lie to me."

Her words echoed in the room. I found myself lost for words of my own, and I stared at her for a few seconds.

"Don't lie to me, Kei-chan. Or to Hirata-kun, for that matter," she said softly. She climbed up onto my bed, and held my hand tightly between hers. "I know you're lying. You're hiding from us, the people who trust you the most."

I made no comment. Chiaki continued to stare at me.

"Please don't take this harshly, Kei-chan. I don't want you to be alone. I want you to be able to tell me everything. I want you to trust me, like the way I trust you."

I spoke up slowly.

"I don't like people digging into my past, Chiaki," I said. "Unlike popular opinion, my past is not all butterflies and flower fields. It has its intricacies, its pain. And it's hard for me to express and tell this to people."

She pressed my hand tighter.

"I'm not forcing you, Kei-chan. I just want you to know that I'm always going to be here for you, no matter what kind of past you have."

"I know, I know. You're all friends who I'm very happy to have. But I don't think my past is something that I can share without alarming everyone. More like, it's something that I cannot say."

"But why?" Yosuke asked. "You once told me you were homeschooled. I remember. And that you have a little sister. But nothing other than that. Absolutely nothing. Surely we are close enough to deserve to know more?"

"..... please, leave me alone for a bit," I said softly. Chiaki pursed her lips, and looked down with a crestfallen face. I reassuringly grabbed her hand.

"I promise to tell you both everything one day. You'll be the first ones to know. But right now, I really want to think about it. Alone."

"W-we understand," Chiaki replied after a while. She got off my bed, and she reluctantly left my hand. Yosuke got up too, and he gave a small smile before closing the door behind them.

Silence echoed in my room.

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Should I?

Should I really tell them about my past? About White Room?

Do they really deserve to know?

White Room is not a government organization. It's a private organization that the government has granted permission to operate. If if leaks out to the public, it could cause mayhem and some pretty nasty protests and riots.

I cannot risk that.

White Room is the only thing protecting me right now. Without the title of White Room, I'm nothing. If the White Room is found out, then I'll be taken along with it. I'll be dragged down along with it.