My Father's Secret

Chapter 25

After the talk with Tsurugi, Kimiko's mind was going crazy. There was so many things jumbled inside. So again, she decided to go for a walk in the gardens after dinner to clear her mind.

Sneaking out into the night like before, she made it to the gardens unseen. This time, she made sure to look at where she was going.

As she walked to the corner of the hospital, she silently wished that she would meet Amemiya-kun again. She really needed to kick the ball around to get her mind of things but she obviously didn't have her own ball.

She was pleased to see that Amemiya-kun was kicking the ball against the wall as usual.

"Amemiya-kun!"

"Ichinose-san! Your back"

"Can I join you?"

"Sure, it's always better to have someone play with"

So the two of them ran around the hospital chasing after the ball without a care in the world. When they were both tired they sat down under the starry sky and talked about their lives. They came to find out that they had so many things in common just like Fuyuka said.

They both were admitted in the hospital since young and both had to refrain from intense sports but both snuck out to play soccer whenever they had the chance.

"Do you have any siblings?" Kimiko asked.

"Nah, it gets lonely sometimes. I've always wanted a sibling"

"What about you?"

Kimiko was silent. She wasn't sure wether she should be telling this boy her biggest secret. Then again, how bad could it be? He seemed trustworthy enough.

"To be honest, I don't know"

"What do you mean?"

Kimiko sighed and continued, "you need to promise me that you'll keep this a secret"

"Keep what a secret"

"Everything I'm about to tell you"

"Promise"

"Ok, so, my real name isn't Ichinose Kimiko. It's Gouenji Kimiko"

"Wait... are you trying to tell me that you are Gouenji Shuuya's sister or something?"

"Possibly. Because from what I know, we have the same father but he's diagnosed with Alzheimer's so there's no evidence since he is the only one who knows the whole situation. According to Yuuka-san, he told his lawyer about it too before he passed away"

After a moment of silence, Taiyou spoke again.

"You know what, I think our lives might be more intertwined than we thought"

"You see, my grandfather and my father work as lawyers for the Gouenji family. My father also once told me that my grandfather died after taking a bullet for a Gouenji because they knew too much"

"Until now, I wasn't sure which Gouenji he meant but, I think it's possible it could have been your dad"

"But why would your grandfather have to take a bullet for my father assuming your guess is correct"

"Maybe they were in danger?"

"In danger of what?"

Then Fuyuka-san's voice rang through the night, signaling the time to run.

"We should talk about this later. I think there's something big going on"

"For now, follow me, I know a place we can hide"

So he took Kimiko by the hand and together they ran to hide behind one of the hedges on the other side of the hospital.

What is this feeling inside that I get when I hold her hand? Since the first time I met her, something clicked. Maybe because our lives are so similar? Or is this what you call...

Taiyou's hand was warm and gentle. It warmed Kimiko's heart, and when they sat down next to each other, they were so close she could hear him breathing and all she could see was the sparkle in his eyes that lit up the dark night.

They had just ran from the other side of the hospital, Kimiko was out of breath and her heart was beating fast. But maybe was her heart beating faster for some other reason too?

***

That same night, Tsurugi lay in bed thinking about the conversation he had with Kimiko earlier in the day. She was the first person who wasn't afraid of him, the first person who opened up to him and heard him out. Tsurugi realized for the first time that he felt comfortable talking to her unlike anyone else before.

She's different. Different from anyone else I've met. Maybe even special...

***

Looks like Tsurugi has competition. Kimiko and Taiyou have only met twice but it seems their lives are connected in ways they didn't know, even before they were born. They have also lived very similar lives, both spending their whole lives in a hospital, unable to play soccer.

Will Kimiko eventually have to choose between the two or will she leave the both heart broken?

Who's for team Tsurugi!

Who's for team Taiyou!

Comment whichever guy you prefer or whichever guy you think is the one for Kimiko!