COTE : Parasite in Love.

Chapter 6 : Opportunity

The call came the afternoon of December 10th, four days after Hiyori stopped coming to the room. When Ayanokouji heard the sound, he almost unconsciously grabbed the smartphone, and seeing the words “Hiyori Shina” on screen, immediately pressed the call button.

“Hello,” he said into the phone.

There was a long blank. As he was starting to question if Hiyori’s phone was malfunctioning, she finally spoke.

“I’m under Sagae Bridge.”

Ayanokouji searched his memories. He felt like one of the bridges over the river which separated the residential area his apartment was in and the central part of town was named that.

“And?”, he asked.

“Come meet me.”
Maybe it was just because it was over the phone, but her voice seemed weak, without the usual thorniness.

“…Sorry, but I can’t deal with the outside.”

“I know. But I want you to come.”

“Please,” Hiyori appended. Ayanokouji wondered if this was actually Shina Hiyori he was talking with. He couldn’t believe that girl would be this modest.

“Got it,” he casually affirmed. He didn’t get the situation, but he could tell it was pressing. “I’ll head right there. I think I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“…Thank you,” Hiyori said in a wispy voice.
After hanging up, Ayanokouji donned a face mask and latex gloves, checked that he had his anti-bacterial goods in his bag, and left the apartment fully prepared.

Likely as a result of having the curtains closed all the time he’d been indoors, his eyes just couldn’t adjust to the brightness, despite the sunlight not being particularly strong. The sun reflected off the snow piled on the ground, continually pricking him in the eyes. He should have only lost weight in these past few days of unhealthy living, but his body felt heavy. His muscles must have weakened.

Though the trip would have been ten minutes by bus, he spent many times longer walking that distance. Finally, Sagae Bridge came into sight. He went down the embankment stairs and along the sidewalk. By the pier of the bridge, he saw someone crouching and hiding their face.

“Hiyori.”

Ayanokouji spoke from beside her, and Hiyori slowly looked up. It was dark from the shadow of the bridge, but he could plainly see how unhealthy her face looked. Though it was the middle of winter, her neck was wet with sweat.

“Are you feeling sick?”

Hiyori shook her head. It seemed to indicate
“no, but it’s hard to explain.”

“Can you stand?”

She stayed silent. Rather than not wanting to answer, it seemed she wasn’t sure of the answer herself.

“There’s no rush,” Ayanokouji said with concern for her. “I’ll wait until you’re better.”

Ayanokouji nervously sat down about 50 centimeters away from Hiyori. Truthfully, he wanted to leave this damp and stagnant place as soon as possible, but he thought it would be too cruel to rush her right now.

A good hour passed, and Hiyori finally got up. Ayanokouji stood up after her, and she modestly grabbed the sleeve of his coat. He was able to bear that level of indirect contact.

The two began to walk. Suddenly, Ayanokouji realized the headphones Hiyori always wore were nowhere to be found. Maybe that was what made her look so defenseless today.

For a while after arriving at the apartment, Hiyori held her knees on the bed. Ayanokouji tried asking if she wanted something warm to drink, but she didn’t respond. Soon the sun started to set, so he went to turn on the lights, but She said “Don’t turn on the lights.” He withdrew his arm.