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The leaves were painted with warm colours; oranges, reds and yellows all spread across the walkways. Occasionally a quick rush of wind would fly through the corridor of trees, rustling their tops and sending the leaves gently spiraling down to the ground, covering the ground in its neutral shades.
A leaf from somewhere above flew onto Mahiru’s skirt. She looked down with intrigue as it gently graced her thigh. She picked it up, fiddling with it between two stubby fingers until the leaf crumbled onto her. With a pile of dry bits scattered across her lap, Mahiru swiped them off onto the ground, leaving them as barely a memory of the seconds gone by.
Autumn. It’d been a while since Mahiru was able to experience a clear autumn day like this one. The fleeting feeling in the air, the colours both vibrant and dying, the cool temperatures extracting the warmth from inside. It was perfect. So very perfect.
It was only more perfect when Mahiru looked up, noticing a striking figure standing among the trees in the distance. A brooding woman, dressed head to toe in dark clothes that contrasted against the bright autumn leaves. Someone Mahiru swore she recognized. When she squinted her eyes, she could see the familiar shape of choppy bangs and a strong jawline. There was no mistaking a person like her, especially not when she was standing solemnly in a sea of vibrancy.
Mahiru called out to the woman, “Kotoko!”
She swivelled her head around, turning in the direction of Mahiru's shout. She was wearing a bulky black jean jacket that carved a blocky silhouette of her body and matching skinny jeans with ragged holes slashed across the thighs and knees. On her feet were chunky work boots, covered in dust and scratches from constant wear.
“Come here, Kotoko!”
The woman looked down, then back up again at Mahiru. She was keeping her hands tucked into her jacket pockets as she made her way over.
“I never thought I’d run into you somewhere like this.” Mahiru commented, her voice dripping with a honey-like sweetness.
“Me neither. It’s nice to see you, Mahiru.” Kotoko replied.
“It’s nice to see you too, Kotoko—” Mahiru patted the bench she was sitting upon, gesturing to the empty seat next to her, “why don’t you take a seat? We can catch up. It’s been a while, after all.”
Kotoko stared blankly at the bench for a few seconds— almost as if lost in thought— before nodding lightly and taking a seat. Her hands came free from the inky darkness of her coat pockets and rested at her sides.
“Has life outside of the prison been good?” Mahiru asked.
It was a blunt question, but considering the last time Mahiru had seen Kotoko was in a prisoner’s uniform, behind bars, pacing anxiously while facing judgement, it was better to get the elephant out of the room.
The other didn’t look back at Mahiru’s wide eyes as she responded. Mahiru didn’t think much of it, she was more so caught up in Kotoko’s words— her brash voice— as opposed to her piercing eyes.
“I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on myself. Obviously things aren’t the same as before I got sent to that place, but it’s refreshing to be able to integrate back into society again…” Kotoko explained, “but God, have I changed.”
Mahiru’s face softened, her eyes turned down to her feet. “I believe we all did, but it’s lovely to be able to experience days like today again. It fills Mahiru with so much joy.”
When Mahiru looked up, she could’ve sworn she saw the beginning of a smile form on Kotoko’s face before it went back to it’s usual cold expression.
“Yeah, I agree.”
Kotoko adjusted her posture a bit, leaning back and spreading her legs slightly. Her chin was turned up to the sky, or perhaps even the tops of the trees, and her hands were flat on the bench. She wasn’t sure if it was just an unconscious gesture, or if it was something Mahiru wanted to do out of kindness— but she brushed her fingertips gently across Kotoko’s knuckles, letting their hands touch for a bit. Kotoko’s hands were surprisingly warm, most likely from being stuck in her jacket pockets for so long. As soon as Kotoko felt the touch of Mahiru’s hand, she pulled her hand closer to her— then soon relaxed her tense hand and let it rest under the tips of Mahiru’s fingers.
Kotoko turned to Mahiru, her eyes still widened slightly from the move, “Sorry… force of habit.”
Mahiru chuckled, “It’s okay.”
Fidgeting with a ring on her finger, Kotoko was quick to try and change the conversation. “Have you… found love?”
Mahiru turned to Kotoko, surprised, “That’s an odd question. Why do you ask?”
“You strike me as the type to want that.” Kotoko explained, “I don’t know, I never really had time for that stuff before, but it’s something that seemed to affect a number of people in Milgram. Kazui always kept that engagement ring with him, Yuno talked about past relationships… Now that I’m out I have more time to think about it myself. It’s weird. You seem like more of a lovey type.”
Her eyes widened as Kotoko explained her thought process. When Mahiru was formerly consumed by the prospect of love, it’d never occurred to her just how different the concept was through the eyes of other people. Even then, several months after she’d been released from prison and had some time to reevaluate her values, it still came as a shock.
“I haven’t found love quite like before—” she answered, “but I’ve found love in other ways.”
“What do you mean?”
A stray leaf meandered from a nearby tree down to Mahiru’s feet. She picked it up with her free hand, making sure her other hand was still touching Kotoko’s, and held it up in front of her face.
“There’s love to be found in lots of things. Like the colours of the leaves! They’re beautiful, I love them! That fills me with love. Enjoying the sweet moments in life, that’s what love can be sometimes.” She said, fiddling with the leaf in her hand.
All Kotoko could do at that moment was look at Mahiru. She turned to meet Kotoko’s gaze, and was met by a tenderness in Kotoko’s expression. Although her face was downturned, there was a rosy tinge brushed across her cheeks.
“Oh, is your face getting cold?”
Mahiru reached both hands up and cupped Kotoko’s cheeks in them. Kotoko tried to move her hands up in protest— but froze— then let her hands fall onto Mahiru, weakly grabbing onto her arms.
“No, my face is fine. I’m just…”
The leaning of her face into Mahiru’s palms spoke louder than any words she could’ve said in that moment. They stayed like that for a second, Kotoko letting Mahiru cradle her cheek and Mahiru feeling the heat rise to Kotoko’s cheeks. A flurry of emotions swirled in Mahiru’s chest. A sense of protection— or perhaps casual intimacy— crossed her, only to feel it burst like a bubble the minute Kotoko’s face slipped from her palms.
Not a word was said after, simply the feeling of fingers loosely falling into the crevices of each other’s hands. Kotoko looked up to admire the scenery again, or at least that’s what it looked like to Mahiru.
“The trees look beautiful at this time of year, don’t they?” Mahiru asked.
“I’m not admiring the trees.” Kotoko replied bluntly.
Mahiru paused, then responded, “What are you looking up at, then?”
“I’m trying to love the world I live in.”
The sound of a sparrow could be heard in the distance, accompanied with the whooshing sound of the wind and the light crunches of leaves in the corridor. It was peaceful, something to be admired in that moment. Mahiru hoped the memory of this moment would stick with her into the future to come.
“Can we meet again on a day like this?”
Caught up in the scenery around her, Mahiru almost missed Kotoko’s question. She smiled softly, then answered with a bounce in her demeanor. “Of course! Let me exchange numbers.”
After a quick trade of phone numbers, Kotoko stood up, looking out to the swaying trees in front of them and tucking her hands into her coat pockets once more.
“Thank you, Mahiru. I enjoyed this. Please don’t get into more trouble, okay?”
Mahiru chuckled, “Same goes for you too! Don’t get into any trouble, it’ll make me sad.”
Kotoko laughed. It was the first time Mahiru could recall ever hearing her laugh. A small, yet polite giggle that barely escaped her lips before they stiffened again.
“I won’t.”
And off went the wolf who had crossed paths with the sheep. Mahiru watched Kotoko walk off into the distance until her figure was nothing but a black splotch in the distance, then turned back to the trees. After a few seconds, she stood up.
The warm colours just weren’t the same without a bit of coolness to contrast them.