Sᴘʟᴀsʜᴇs & Sᴛʀɪᴋᴇs | Nagi Seishiro √

17: 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

Nagi Seishiro was shocked to hear that his girlfriend had left everyone without a word. He needed to see her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. However, he doubted whether it would make any difference. Having no idea what it felt like to be defeated, he questioned if he could do something for her.

As he stood at the door, about to unlock it, he heard something inside his house. He halted his movements, wondering if it was an intruder. Yet, who would come around six-thirty in the evening to rob? Even their neighbors were awake. Doubtfully, he turned the doorknob, realizing it was unlocked.

Upon entering, he noticed the lights were on, and a delightful aroma of cooked food filled the air – possibly some steak and boiled eggs. He frowned, wondering who would do such a thing, as it was usually Reo who came up with these cooking plans and owned the spare key to his apartment. Stepping closer, he peeked inside the kitchen, and his bag dropped, mouth hanging open.

"Re—Rea?" Nagi felt like he didn't recognize his own voice due to shock. The girl turned around with a small smile, but he could see through it that it wasn't genuine. "What are you doing here?"

"Uhm, thought of catching up on the month we missed," she said, arranging the table. "Wanna eat first or shower first?"

"I'm hungry, but I'll join after the shower," Nagi said, still thinking he was in some kind of a dream.

"Cool, Sei," Rea grinned, turning to what she was doing. "Oh, Sei, I put your clothes in the laundry. I'll check if they are washed already."

Rea said as Nagi nodded, heading to his room. He heard the front door open and close, signaling that Rea went out. He quickly dialed Reo. "Reo, is Rea at home?"

"I'm still on the way, dude," Reo spoke. "Kai just sent me a message saying she just got home."

"You sure?" Nagi asked again.

"What happened, Nagi?" Reo frowned. "Kai just showed me her message; it was just one word, saying 'home.' What's the issue?"

"She's here," Nagi said. "She's here, cooking and doing my laundry, Reo." Nagi continued, blinking his eyes. "You don't think I'm hallucinating because I couldn't hang out with her for a while, right?"

"She's what?" Reo's eyes popped out, thinking about what Nagi just said. "Okay, let me call her. I'll call you back."

Nagi breathed in and out, thinking he was going crazy because this was only a dream he had once, unable to speak to her much or hang out together. His hand rested over his mouth, forefinger on his upper lip. "This can't be true; she completely forgot that I was her boyfriend last month. How could she—"

Suddenly, he heard a tune similar to Rea's ringtone from outside. He opened the door and walked toward the sound. His eyes widened, seeing Rea's ringing phone on the kitchen island, and the call was from "onii-chan."

"Hello?" Nagi answered as he heard a sigh from Reo.

"I'm confirming you're not hallucinating, Nagi," Reo spoke. "Why is she at your place?"

"Beat me, Reo," Nagi replied. "I thought I was going crazy; seems like she was real."

"Alright then, how did she look? Was she upset, crying, or...?"

"Just smiled, but I don't think she isn't upset. Would you come over to talk to her?" Nagi asked.

"I think she wants to talk to you, Nagi. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been there. But, Nagi, please drop her home if she's planning to come home."

"If not?" Nagi frowned.

"Take care of her," Reo said. "I trust you with her, Nagi."

After that, Nagi heard the beep sound that signaled his friend had hung up. With a heavy sigh, he went to the shower. He couldn't erase the image of Rea at the competition from his mind – the way she slapped Aoki's hand, covered her face, and quickly walked out of the pool. It was nothing else but frustration and disappointment. After what Himiko said, he now realized why she didn't have time for him. Although she sacrificed her time for his, she still couldn't become her old self.