ON THE MORNING of December 28th, as the end of the year approached, I looked at my cell phone beside my pillow.
About 30 minutes prior to 7 a.m., a message had arrived.
The content was a modest message from Kei informing me that she had recovered.
Having seen the message as I laid on my back, I got up and switched to lying face down.
[Are you awake?]
I sent the message and a read notice came in less than 3 seconds.
It was clear that she was holding her cell phone the whole time, waiting for my response.
[Yes, I'm awake.]
I had reached out to her several times to check up on her condition since she caught the flu, but that was it.
There were no signs of her usual high-spirit self, and she didn't send any stamps.
[What's your plan for today?]
I tried to ask. I had intended to invite her if she told me she was free, but…
[Sorry. I plan to hang out with Maya-chan after this. She encouraged me the entire time I was bedridden and followed up a lot, so I wanted to thank her too. Is that bad?]
Of course it wasn't bad. That was something she should prioritize—something important.
If she prioritized me and neglected Satō, that would betray true friendship.
Naturally, I wouldn't try to rain on her parade with this matter. And I shouldn't.
[Understood. Can I call you tonight? Around 9 pm? I want to talk about things happening tomorrow and beyond that.]
What happened during the Christmas we were supposed to spend together and the growing distance between us lately.
There were many things we should discuss as boyfriend and girlfriend.
[Yeah.]
Shortly after, she sent another short message.
[Then, I'll be waiting for your call.]
At least her physical condition had improved; that was a relief.
It was important that we scheduled something before the end of the year.
The only question now is how I'm going to spend today.
Either show my face at the gym, which I hadn't visited for some days, or spend the day in my room not going out.
Ideally, I wouldn't want to overlap with the time Kei and Satō would spend together.
So, I crossed off the option of going to the gym from my list as well as Keyaki Mall.
If Kei and Satō kept worrying about my presence, they wouldn't be able to enjoy themselves.
When I was about to pick up my cell phone again to let her know my intention to stay in my room all day, a sound rang out.
Thinking it might've been Kei, the thought quickly vanished when an unregistered number showed on the display.
However, I remembered this number.
What a dilemma.
I continued to stare at the screen for a while.
It seemed unlikely that the ringing would stop anytime soon, so I decided to answer it.
"Hey, answer it faster when I call."
Ryūen, on the other end of the line, expressed his dissatisfaction before I could respond.
"I was in the bathroom."
"Really? Didn't you just try to ignore me until it stopped ringing?"
Good job. Be it Sakayanagi or Ryūen—both seemed to be getting better at reading my everyday thoughts.
"Lend me some time. Meet me at Keyaki Mall's north entrance in 30 minutes."
Without any interest in my excuses, he only conveyed his own business.
"What about my plans? I have a tight schedule, you know."
"Postpone it."
He unilaterally cut off the call after forcefully demanding us to meet.
"He's still so self-centered."
His attitude wasn't surprising. It was just like Ryūen's usual behavior.