Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 15 – The Man Who Sees Through the Heart

Around the time Yuu was beginning to be played with by Reito in the bathroom, Kyosuke, who was under a sense of urgency, received an incoming call.

The person on the other end was Saiki Tomoya.

“Hello? What is it?”

“Did Sonohara get discharged from the hospital?”

“Hmm, well, yeah…”

Upon being asked regarding Yuu, he answered shortly, masking a hint of uneasiness. The thought of an incoming call from Yuu right here, right now, brought impatience to his face.

“Isn’t he with you?”

The other party’s straightforward question led Kyosuke into the darkest depths of melancholy.

“… Oh, his uncle from Nagano brought him back.”

“Hee… his uncle?”

The other side never ceased questioning.

“So there is such a guy,” Saiki said half-heartedly to the other, and Kyosuke explained while recalling it.

“… If I remember correctly, his name is Azusagawa Reito and he lives in Nagano…”

“Oh? Did you say Reito?”

Abruptly, the voice of a man who seemed a little out of character, different from Saiki, interrupted. Given that Kyosuke’s voice was clearly heard, Saiki was presumably on speaker.

“Ah, big brother… even though you always tell me to voice out when I enter your room… no, stop it, I’m on the phone…”

Along the way, for some reason, words laced with impatience were heard, but before that, it was apparent that the other party was the older brother of Saiki Tomoya. Disregarding the voice asking him to stop, his elder brother continued his story.

“Hey, I know that guy. He’s a folklorist, right? I went to a folklore lecture in university once.”

“Ugh… don’t touch me, you idiot…”

From the phone, now and then, a slightly fevered voice can be heard. It belonged to Tomoya.

“From what I saw, he seemed rather dark…”

He wondered what was being done to Tomoya, but his brother, however, kept on talking without a care in the world.

“Dark… is it?”

“I’m a psychology major, in case you were curious. Not necessarily because of that, but I somehow got the impression that he might have bad propensities. My bad habit.”

“Brother, don’t… ugh… nn…”

When Saiki tried to appeal for something, his words were cut off. It seemed that his mouth was blocked by something, and for a while, a muffled voice was transmitted through the speaking mouth.

“… hah… Tomoya, be a little quiet. Or I’ll violate you.”

At last, he heard his brother’s voice, low and threatening. It was probably not his imagination that his breathing was somewhat erratic.

From far away, he heard a weak ‘Okay’.

Somehow Kyosuke figured out what was going on on the other end of the phone, but he felt like he shouldn’t interfere, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Well, my bad, my bad. After that lecture, I was curious and asked him, ‘Do you have someone you like?”

Again, his brother resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.

“…”

Kyosuke listened to the rest with bated breath.

“He said, ‘I have a sweet, adorable nephew, and I adore and love him. I haven’t been able to see him lately, and I miss him terribly.’ And he said it with such casualness.”

“… I see.”

From his answer, he felt many aspects linked to Reito’s behavior in the hospital room. It would seem that there was no doubt that the folklorist that Tomoya’s brother was referring to was Reito.

“Well, I don’t care if he likes me or not, but his eyes at that time were awful. I felt a chill down my spine for the first time in a long time.”

What kind of eyes were they like that could send chills down one’s spine?

“It is likely more than mere familial love.”

“Um…”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, a voice, unbeknownst to Kyosuke himself, leaked out, interrupting the other’s words. The other party silently waited for Kyosuke’s words.

“Brother… I’ve left Yuu alone with him…”

“Brother? I’m kind of embarrassed to be referred to like that by you. So, have you been contacted by this Yuu boy?’

After letting out an unbearable exhaled chuckle at the way he was called, he asked in a serious tone of voice what Kyosuke had told him.

“No.”

When he replied, the other party was silent for a while, lost in thought.

“If he doesn’t send at least a single… message, that makes things look suspicious. Tomoya told me that he is severely injured, right?”

“… Yes.”

A tinge of sorrow was evident in his voice in response.

“Are you feeling unsettled?”

“Yes.” He replied honestly. He understood that there was no point in lying. Or rather, it felt like lying to him was not an option.

“I have no idea what to do about things like this since this is an internal family matter…”

Saying it aloud depressed him again. He couldn’t act because he didn’t know his family well enough, and he couldn’t forgive himself for being such an unworthy person.

“What’s the most important thing to you?”

“Yuu.”

Although the question was asked abruptly, Kyosuke gave a straightforward answer. Upon hearing this, the other party let out a chuckle and carried on with the conversation.

“Then the answer is simple. Alright? Things don’t change if you take no action. Especially if you want to do something about it, you can’t even get to the start if you don’t speak up.”

“… Yes.”

“If it’s too hard to act on your own, you can always ask for help. Others can’t know what’s in your heart.”

“… Yes.”

There was no room for rebuttal, and the other side blew up slightly at Kyosuke, who gradually began to reply in a less and less domineering manner.

“Hey, you’re being robotic in your replies! Is your name Kyosuke? If you want me to help you, I’ll lend a hand, unless you prefer to keep it to yourself.”

Kyosuke was not used to seeking help on a regular basis. He had always worked alone to deal with things. He wanted to ask for help. Yet he had no clue what to say.

After a few moments of silence, he finally found his voice.

“… Um, brother.”

“Ah, that makes me feel like a brother-in-law… Somehow, I feel like Tomoya has been taken away from me, and I don’t like that, so I’m going to ask you to call me by my name. My name is written with the words, ‘Natsu no Miyabi’ (meaning “summer elegance”), and I am named Natsume. Call me that.”

“N-Natsume… please save Yuu…”

“You said it. Leave it to me.”

The answer was immediate.

“Thank you. Um, I have the key.”

“A key?”

“The key to Yuu’s house… he gave it to me.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m going to your house anyway.”

The other party, who comprehended things very swiftly, moved on to the next topic one after another. Kyosuke hurriedly interrupted.

“Eh, but do you know where I live?”

“Well. Don’t underestimate me, I know this town better than you do. See you later.”

“Y-Yes…”

Without saying anything back to the other party, Kyosuke simply ended the conversation. However, on the other side of the phone, Tomoya and Natsume were conversing about something.

“Ah, big brother, if you’re going, I’m going as well…”

“Tomoya, you take a bath and wait for me. I’m going to do you once I return, so don’t fall asleep. Otherwise, you’re going to end up sick in bed.”

“B-But, big brother, I have school tomorrow…”

Amidst a private conversation of some sort, the call was disconnected as if in a panic. In a complicated state of mixed feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and relief, Kyosuke gripped the key that Yuu had given him and waited for Natsume’s arrival.