#reticentactor

"Pardon me, but do you know where the park is?"

No! I'm pretty sure I didn't make him into a serial killer...

Maybe the most mortifying thing of the whole situation is that it’s Takane who’s getting to see him like this.

It hurts especially when she says those words, because he knows he can’t comply. He can’t move, he can’t speak, he can barely breathe. He can’t do anything but hopelessly watch her desperate expression, tears spilling as she holds him and repeats that word over and over. Please, please, please.

The thing he can bring himself to do, though, is smile, as weak as it is. For her. To tell her it’s okay, to try and convey everything he can’t say. To apologize.

Because he knows he’s not dying— even though he feels like it, he’s had worse attacks— but Takane doesn’t. She’s terrified, and he hates this. He hates seeing Takane cry, he hates not being able to do anything about it. He hates that weak body that is nothing but a nuisance for everyone.

He tries to breathe in deep, but it only makes his chest ache more and his vision get blurrier.

"H— hrrk—" That’s the only thing that comes out in his pathetic attempt to speak, but nonetheless, Haruka goes on— breathing shallowly, and trying his hardest to form coherent words. "I’m— I-I’ll— I’ll be okay, Takane…"

          "Please don't be too loud..."

Or, well-- a lesson, rather, seeing their teacher delegated to him the task of explaining, in Kenjirou's words, "the subjects that won't get through Takane's thick head, seeing she seems to like you better than me". A pretty poor excuse to not do his job, Takane pointed out, and Haruka can't help but agree.

Still, that doesn't keep him from being excited. He's never been to Takane's place before-- their interactions are pretty limited to school, really, which doesn't make Haruka too happy, but... with this, that's going to maybe start changing?

Even though this technically is still something bound to school. Whatever.

Takane sounded kind of worried over the phone about letting him walk all the way alone, but luckily it isn't a long nor tiresome one. With a slow pace, Haruka arrives to her doorstep safe and sound (a little bit late too, but it isn't like he ever paid much mind to stuff like that).

And knocks, tempted to call out. But she'd get cranky if he was too loud, wouldn't she?