Hiyama only thought of himself and his confusion had already been disappeared. Because of his accomplice, he was made to look away from the thing he must see, believing that his action was justified, while it all stemmed from his desire for Kaori.
The silhouette turned silent as it understood Hiyama's feelings. Smiling, it waited for Hiyama's answer.
"... Okay. Just like before, I will lend you a hand. However..."
"Aah, I understand. I will obtain what I desired, and you will obtain yours. Give and take, isn't that a nice word? From now on is crucial. The case in the Imperial Capital too, can I leave that to you?"
Without minding Hiyama's distorted expression, that person turned on their heels and disappeared, as if merging with the space between the trees. Afterwards, what was left was the fallen boy whose eyes were filled with darkness.
* * *
On the other hand, at the time the suspicious meeting happened in the outskirts of the town, another boy and girl were also standing under the moonlight.
They weren't in the location where the secret meeting happened, they were on a small, arched bridge, above one of the waterways that passed through between the shops and back alleys of the town. A lot of waterways were built for the large number of restaurants and service buildings, and the boy on the bridge was looking down on the flowing water's surface as it reflected the moon above it, under the moonlight.
More accurately, he wasn't looking but "drooping his head", moreover, his expression was dark, far from its usual shine. The boy's appearance was just like that a person whose company bankrupted, incurred large amount of debt, and was now despairing about his future as he looked far into the distance, into the twilight. It was our hero, Amanogawa Kouki.
"... Do you not want to talk?"
A voice called out to Kouki who didn't look away from the moon reflected on the water surface. It was his childhood friend for ten years, the pair of the girl that went away, Yaegashi Shizuku.
Unlike Kouki, Shizuku was entrusting her back to the bridge's railing, looking up at the moon in the sky. Towards the railing, her trademark ponytail was swaying, playing in the wind. Without looking at his childhood friend, and Shizuku who also not looking at him, Kouki replied as he continued to look at the moon.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"..."
There was no answer, no, Kouki just could not answer her. Even though he was looking at the moon reflected on the water's surface, what was in his mind was the spectacle of Kaori speaking her feelings. Within her anxiety and rejoice, as if praying, she spoke her feelings without any hint of a lie, which even convinced Kouki, whose denseness was at the level of a chronic disease.
Kouki and Kaori were friends for around ten years, but he was hurt when he saw her beautiful strength, he had never seen Kaori made such expressions. It was just like a bolt out of the blue for him.
Every time he recalled her expression, an unspeakable feeling sprang up in his mind. It was dark and heavy, a truly murky feeling. Unconditionally, without any basis, he believed his thought was a natural one. That was that, his childhood friend, Kaori, would always be by his side, without any change. It could be said he thought of Kaori as his. In other words, he was jealous.
That jealousy, Kouki himself didn't know as to whether it came from love or just his desire to monopolize her, but the feeling that she was "snatched" from him was swirling in his mind, intensely.
However, it was Kaori herself that decided to go along with the one who "snatched" her away, Hajime (though he would surely object to it). Moreover, he didn't want to believe and tried to deny the existence called Hajime by challenging him to a duel where he was defeated. His misery, resentment towards Hajime, doubts about Kaori's feelings, and a lot of other feelings were mixed together, making Kouki's mind a mess, just like the inside of kicked trash can.