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Kiryuu Kyousuke thought he was being unreasonable. Sure, he was spending most of his life being unreasonable, but it was on a different level this time.
“For me?”
Kyousuke almost sighed hearing the question—not because of the question, but because he was getting tired of himself.
“… Yeah. I just think it fits you. Nico said her mother used to put on them for fashion.”
Kyousuke took a glance at the woman with pumpkin-coloured strands who was sitting in front of him. She was looking at the light grey framed glasses curiously.
Once again, Kyousuke cursed at himself silently. She must think he was weird.
It was not like he was having trouble getting rid of the glasses he, Nico, and West did not need anymore. It was just … something inside him told him to just give the glasses to the woman in front of him.
To think about it, he also felt something weird every time he found glasses back then among the Satellite's hill of junk.
“It has no degree on it?”
“Yeah, that’s how fashion glasses work.”
She smiled awkwardly.
“You’re the second person saying glasses fit me. Do I look like that diligent?”
Kyousuke went speechless for a moment. Right, he did not even think that much before giving the glasses to her.
It must be weird, but he just wanted the lady to put on the glasses he gave her. That was all.
But, why? The problem was, they were not even that close.
“Mayor?”
Kyousuke smiled when she called him.
“You can just throw it away if you don’t need it. Sorry for confusing you.”
She laughed for a while before closing the glasses case.
“Must be because I spent most of my time with Okita. Thank you, I will accept it just in case.”
She smiled sweetly; her golden eyes narrowed a little. Somehow, Kyousuke felt his heart warm seeing the expression.
“Talking about Okita, don’t worry about him. He will do great here. But if you still worry even though I assured you, you can also stay, and I will give you a position around us.”
She laughed a little.
“Nah, thank you. I am sure you will look after him well.”
She was right. Kyousuke swore he would not neglect his people again, even the one who recently got into his circle. No, not only them; he swore he would not let the people he cared about get hurt again.
And somehow, it did not take that long for the lady in front of him and her friends to be classified as the people Kiryuu Kyousuke cared about.
Weird. Kyousuke never got attached to people that fast, unless they have great skills in duelling or surviving harsh life, but there was something that made him just could not treat them as strangers for long.
“I’m half serious. Just give me the words if you have nothing to do anymore in Neo Domino City.”
She smiled. Kyousuke thought his words would make her troubled, but somehow she looked at him as if she heard her brother taking care of her.
“I will keep that in mind, Mayor.”
“Then, I will wait, Haruka.”
“Cannot promise anything, though, Mayor.”
Mochizuki Haruka was how she introduced herself. She had a calm demeanour, but somehow it was too calm until Kyousuke felt it was weird … as if her calmness hid a raging storm. Her voice was as sweet as honey, but most of the time it was clouded like fog. After a month of her stay in Satisfaction Town, she finally started to show a more genuine smile to him … it was still rare though.
Again, Kiryuu Kyousuke never really got interested in people except people he regarded as his rivals or companions, but something about Haruka got his attention. It was not like he liked her in the way Nico once guessed.
Yeah, it was kind of different … Kyousuke did not understand well though.
“I think you should smile more like you do now.”
Haruka blinked at Kyousuke’s remarks. She then smiled again, just a little.
“You should smile more too, Mayor.”
Kyousuke laughed ironically.
“Nico said the same thing. Believe it or not, I used to smile every day like an idiot.”
“… Somehow I got those vibes from you.”
Kyousuke’s golden eyes widened in surprise.
“Now, that was new. How?”
“The way you smile, maybe?”
She was not lying. Kyousuke could tell much from how she smiled awkwardly while looking at his eyes. There was a chance she might be altering her thoughts to put up with the conversation, but Kyousuke knew she was not.
“You must be used to reading people’s expressions.”
Kyousuke sure he said it with an awed gaze, but somehow, Haruka slowly—but surely—lost her smile. She went into silence for some seconds before replying, “… And you must be good at guessing ….”
At that moment, Kyousuke felt he had said something he should not have said. Haruka looked pitifully sad while smiling at him, and that did hurt Kyousuke a lot.
But why did he even feel that way?
“Sorry, I think I said something I should not.”
Haruka shook her head.
“No, you actually made me realise something I did not know about myself, and somehow I felt relieved about it.”
Kyousuke wanted to ask what the woman meant, but his mouth stayed closed. For some seconds, Kyousuke just sat silently, looking at how the wind invited her pumpkin-coloured strands to a small dance and how her golden eyes gleamed in the sunset.
“Haruka, how was Neo Domino City?” And somehow, that was what came out of his mouth after some seconds of silence.
Haruka laughed a little. Her hand was not far from her mouth as she did so, like it was trying to cover her laughing sound.
“Great. West-kun said you used to live there too. Did you leave after the Daedalus Bridge was completed?”
Kyousuke put on a complicated smile. Right, West and his big mouth. West was super excited every time he brought up Kyousuke’s past, and Kyousuke also liked his old duel gang team. But, at the same time, it also reminded him of the crazy dark history he had. That was exactly why Kyousuke warned West not to talk much about his history; he lied a little by saying it was a story exclusive only for special people.
“Nah, I left a little earlier than that.”
“I don’t know how you reached this place, but it was amazing how you changed Crash Town into the current Satisfaction Town.” Haruka seemed genuinely impressed as she talked about Kyousuke’s achievements, but then her smile faded into her typical distant one. “Why did you name it ‘Satisfaction Town’ though?”
Kyousuke smiled as the girl asked. It was not his first time to hear someone ask him about the town’s name, so he was not really surprised … even though he could not really guess if Haruka smiled distantly because she did not understand Kyousuke’s sense … or if she had another reason for the smile.
“Well, it was West’s influence, actually. He said I should use the name.”
“So it was West-kun’s, huh …. Kids recently are so smart that they know a word like that from so young.”
Kyousuke’s golden eyes widened as he heard a laugh come out of Haruka’s mouth. She laughed with her usual feminine gesture. Her hands moved like they were trying to hold back the laughter. Somehow … it was as if she was having fun by herself with their topic—it was as if she was laughing for something only she knew; as if she was showing how she had a secret people did not know about, and Kyousuke felt like he knew what it was … but he could not put them into words.
What were those weird feelings of reminiscence? Why did he feel like he was longing for that laugh?
Mochizuki Haruka was a woman full of mysteries. She always smiled a distant smile, as if she was pushing people off. She was not the type Kyousuke usually wanted to get along with; Kyousuke was never fond of passive people, even though Haruka was not a bad person. Even so, he found himself keeping concerned about the woman. At first, he did so because he needed to fulfil his role as a mayor who showed the town’s hospitality to their visitors … but later, when he realised, it became natural for him to search for her and make sure she was having no trouble—it was as if Kyousuke could not let her have troubles when he was not seeing.
Who exactly was she? What made her so different? What made Kyousuke move in the way he never really did?
“Do you like the name though?”
Haruka’s smile was fading for a second, but then she smiled again.
Kyousuke felt like he was dumbstruck for a second.
Haruka was smiling … but it was not only her mouth. Her eyes were curved, showing a warmth they rarely did. Even so, Kyousuke felt a little sadness in them.
“It sounds a bit cheesy, but I do not hate it.”
For the first time in some years, Kyousuke felt so empty … as if he had lost something to a place hard to reach … to somewhere he did not even know ….
Why?
-XxX-
Haruka was leaving the town as she planned. She was riding her autumn-coloured D-Wheel with her friend, Liquid, who was riding a navy-coloured D-Wheel beside her.
“Make sure you did not give the mayor a headache, Okita.”
“You really sounded like Liquid just now.”
Haruka laughed with her brunette friend, Okita. The man was the one who stayed to work for the town on Kyousuke's side.
“If you miss the coffee Haruka brewed, just come back anytime.”
“You hear that, Okita? Liquid finally shows his love for you.”
“It sounds disgusting, but I agree that I might miss your coffee.”
“Hey!”
Again, Haruka and Okita laughed, while Liquid furrowed his brows in annoyance.
“Well then, we’re leaving for real.” Haruka turned her face to Kyousuke. She put on her usual business smile—but, hey, at least they got way warmer than how she smiled when she first arrived at the town. “Mayor, please take care of Okita. We will visit again to check if he caused trouble, or you can just send him back if he did.”
“Liquid, you seriously have to take responsibility for making Haruka talk like that.”
“What?” Liquid smiled smugly at Okita. “She did not say anything wrong though?”
Okita furrowed, annoyedly. It was as if there was an invisible spark of thunder between him and Liquid. Kyousuke just sighed, then smiled a little.
“Sure. I will pack him neatly for you if that happens.”
Haruka smiled in relief; it was as if Haruka was showing her gratefulness in that smile.
The woman then turned her golden eyes to Okita again.
“Take care, Okita. We will miss you.”
“Back at you, Haruka. Make sure to take care of Haruka, Liquid.”
This time, Liquid looked at Okita earnestly, then nodded firmly.
“I will do my best.”
Kyousuke felt weird seeing that scene. It was as if the three were in their own world in the moment … and Kyousuke somehow felt a little disturbed. He felt like he got a silent sign from the conversation: a sign that he should worry about something precious.
At the same time, Kyousuke somehow felt so powerless, way more than when Security caught him … or when he revived after all the absurd things he did to his friends as a Dark Signer.
There was another emotion, but Kyousuke refused to recognise this one … because it was way too unreasonable for him to bear.
Without pushing the time any longer, Haruka’s and Liquid’s D-Wheels were dashing. Haruka dashed first, but the Liquid caught up, and they were riding side by side toward the rising sun.
“Pardon me if I am being rude, but you have a soft spot for her, right?”
Kyousuke turned to Okita. The man was directing his gaze to the sight of his friends’ figures. He smiled as if he knew things Kyousuke thought he did not—as if he knew things the world might not.
Kyousuke sighed in defeat, then smiled weakly.
“She might remind me of myself.”
It was not a lie, but Kyousuke himself knew it was not the main reason … and Okita might realise it too.
“Thank you for taking care of her.” Okita sighed a little. His brows furrowed even if he still kept his usual smile. “She had hard times in the past, and when we thought she was finally about to overcome them, she started to act like she was not supposed to be where she is. I wonder what she actually hides from us.”
Okita was turning to Kyousuke.
“Well, should we head back too, Mayor?”
Kyousuke nodded a little. It was not like he could do anything there anyway.
Kyosuke walked back first, then Okita followed him from behind.
A secret, huh?
Kyousuke huffed.
Well, it was not like he could get involved in what she did or her secrets, though … because in the end, Kiryuu Kyousuke was just a town mayor the woman met just recently, not someone in a position where he could get involved in how she lived her life.
Somehow, Kyousuke felt lonely even though he himself understood the fact better than anyone else.