My Cat Girl Neighbor Is Impossible to Understand

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 - Stay With Me

Gentle wind blew by the riverside park.

The sun was going down, and its last glints of light shone on the surface of the water, making the whole scene look golden. At last the world seemed to return to peace after Yuiko’s tears subsided.

Sui stayed by her side on the bench.

Neither of them said a word.

But for the first time in several days, it was not awkward between them.

On the contrary, it was reassuring.

Yuiko clutched Sui’s handkerchief. She had folded it neatly although it was still wet from her tears.

"...I’m sorry," she whispered.

Sui gazed at her.

"You’ve apologized plenty of times today."

She smiled slightly.

"I know."

"I just..."

"I didn’t want to make you worried."

Sui shook his head.

"You do not have to keep your emotions secret from me."

Yuiko dropped her gaze.

"I tried."

"I wanted to smile as usual."

"But..."

She looked at her quivering hands.

"I could not."

And now a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

Before it managed to fall, Sui carefully touched it with his thumb.

His action was so delicate that Yuiko froze.

Slowly raising her gaze, she saw his eyes.

"I will never see you crying anymore," Sui murmured.

His voice was not loud.

There was no need in this.

Each word was full of sincerity, which made Yuiko’s heart tremble.

"Sui..."

"When I saw you crying..."

He hesitated, trying to choose words.

"...It was like someone squeezed my chest."

"I did not know what to do."

"But I knew..."

"That I wanted to make it stop."

Yuiko’s golden eyes widened.

No one ever spoke to her in such a manner.

She bit her lip to hold back another emotional wave.

"I thought..."

"...that everyone would be happier if I did not interfere."

Sui immediately shook his head.

"Do not say that."

His answer was so fast that even himself seemed to surprise him.

Yuiko stared at him.

"Your presence next to me has never been a burden."

"On the contrary..."

He smiled faintly.

"It has become something I look forward to every day."

She blinked.

"Every morning, I wonder whether you will wait for me already outside."

"When lunch begins, I think about our conversation."

"When school ends..."

"...I instinctively search for you."

He laughed quietly.

"I did not even realize that."

Yuiko listened, feeling how warmth of his voice removes fear that has settled in her heart.

"I have got used to walking with you."

He turned toward the river.

"So much, that when you were not there..."

"The road home seemed empty."

Yuiko’s ears slowly raised.

She heard sincerity in each word.

A small smile showed through her tears.

"...Mine was too."

Sui turned toward her.

"You missed it?"

She nodded.

"I kept thinking..."

"That I wish Sui were there."

She laughed quietly, feeling embarrassment.

"I even saw a stray cat yesterday."

"And my first thought was..."

"That Sui would smile if he saw this."

Both of them laughed.

Heavy atmosphere, which enveloped them since morning, slowly went away.

After some time, Sui rose and looked at the path to their home.

"Let us make a promise."

Yuiko cocked her head.

"A promise?"

He nodded.

"If anything worries us..."

"...we should tell each other."

"No matter how difficult it may be."

"No matter that we may not know the right words."

Yuiko thought for a moment and smiled.

"...All right."

"I promise."

She put out her little finger.

Sui chuckled.

"Pinky promise?"

She blushed.

"...I know that it is childish."

"I like it."

He hooked his little finger around hers.

"I promise too."

They smiled.

For the first time in several days, it seemed that the wall between them started breaking.

As they began walking to their home, Yuiko slowed her pace.

"Sui?"

"Hm?"

"...Thank you."

"For what?"

"For finding me."

He smiled gently.

"I think that I could not go home knowing that you were crying."

Yuiko lowered her head, trying to hide blush covering her cheeks.

"...I am really happy..."

"...that you found me."

And so both of them continued to walk along the quiet riverside path, whose steps they made many times before.

Neither of them noticed that without pronouncing three words "I love you", they have already started uncovering depths of their feelings by means of small promises, sincere words and resolve never to leave the other lonely with sadness.

Yuiko and Sui walked further. They were walking along the riverside path. The night wind smelled like fresh grass, and the sound of running water broke the silence.

Neither of them needed to hurry anywhere.

After they promised each other to be honest, silence was not scary anymore.

Yuiko held Sui’s handkerchief tightly.

"...Sui?"

"Hm?"

"...There was one more thing."

He looked at her attentively.

"...You don’t have to lie to me."

She shook her head.

"No."

"I want to tell you."

She stopped.

Sui stopped near her.

Yuiko lowered her eyes.

"My parents taught me that kindness must never become a burden for someone else."

She smiled faintly.

"I was always afraid of being too dependent on others."

Her cat ears fell down.

"When I came here... I promised myself to not bother anyone."

Sui listened to her carefully.

"Then I met you."

"You walked to the school with me."

"You always waited for me when I stopped to pat stray cats."

"You always carried the heavy grocery bags."

"You always shared your umbrella."

"You always noticed when I was not feeling well."

She laughed a bit, but there was sadness in her laughter.

"At first, I thought you were just polite."

"But you kept on doing those things."

"I began to... rely on you."

She drew a deep breath.

"And that is what scared me."

Sui frowned softly.

"Scared?"

She nodded.

"I began to depend on you."

"When I experienced something good, I wanted to share that with you."

"When I bought a new book, I wanted to read it with you."

"When I was lonely..."

Her voice quivered.

"...I looked for you."

She closed her eyes for a second.

"When I heard those girls say you deserve a better person..."

"I wondered if they were right."

"What if..."

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

"...What if I took too much from you?"

"What if I always only brought you troubles?"

Tear ran down her cheek.

"I was scared..."

"...That one day you would get tired of me."

Confession was hanging in the evening air.

Sui stood silent for some seconds and then stepped closer.

He looked straight into her golden eyes.

"Yuiko."

"You’ve never forced me to do anything like that."

She blinked.

"I waited for you because I wanted to."

"I carried your bags because I wanted to."

"I shared my umbrella because I wanted to."

He smiled tenderly.

"No one asked me to do it."

"I did it voluntarily."

Yuiko stared at him.

"I’ve never once thought..."

"That I have to help Yuiko."

He shook his head.

"I always thought..."

"That I want to be beside her."

Yuiko gasped.

Sui looked in the direction of the road back home.

"Do you know what bothered me during those few days?"

She shook her head silently.

"It was not that you made another friend."

"It was not your presentation."

He smiled awkwardly.

"It was that I missed you."

"I missed our walks."

"Our lunches."

"Our little talks."

"Theordinary things."

He laughed softly.

"I even didn’t realize how much I valued them until I lost them."

Yuiko’s eyes got filled with tears again, but this time she tried to keep them in place.

"So..."

"Am I a burden for you?"

Sui answered immediately.

"No."

"You have become a part of my life."

"And I feel happy when you are in it."

For several seconds, Yuiko just stared at him.

Then a sincere smile showed on her face.

The same smile that Sui adored.

She dried her tears.

"I think..."

"...I finally start to believe you."

Sui smiled back.

"I am glad."

They started to walk again.

Now the distance between them naturally got smaller.

Their shoulders touched slightly.

But neither of them tried to move apart.

When they reached the neighborhood, Yuiko looked at Sui.

"Sui?"

"Yeah?"

"From now on..."

"If I will be scared about something..."

"I will tell you."

Sui nodded.

"And I will tell you about mine too."

Yuiko smiled.

"It is a promise."

"It is a promise."

Together they walked the rest of the way back home. Now Yuiko wasn’t sure that the fear that weighed upon her heart disappeared, but she knew that now she could share it with someone else. For the first time she believed that someone wanted to share her happiness and troubles.