Chapter Text
And there was his rival. He looked much older, with horrible dark circles under his eyes and lips bitten by anxiety.
How many days had he gone without sleep? Nakamura wondered, observing him closely.
The hospital room was excessively white, and the smell of disinfectant was so intense it was unbearable; it was exactly what he hated most.
But what confused him most was: why was he in that place? Nakamura couldn't remember anything at all.
Why was his mind playing tricks on him now?
"How old are you?" the doctor asked.
Nakamura thought it was a strange question, but he answered without hesitation:
"Seventeen."
Why did Matsumura Kousei's gaze have such an intense impact? He didn't understand, and at that moment he wasn't particularly interested in finding out.
The doctor made a note in his notebook and then looked at them both.
"It seems he's lost all memory of the last five years," he announced calmly.
Nakamura remained silent, processing the news. Had he lost his memory? Wait… if it had been five years, he was actually twenty-two. Suddenly everything made sense: that's why Matsumura looked so much older and more mature. And damn handsome.
"Is Hirose married yet?" he asked as soon as they were alone in the room.
He had completely forgotten to ask where his family was earlier, but at that moment, that question was the one that most urgently concerned him.
He said it with a slight blush on his face, glancing sideways at Matsumura, whose gaze remained dull and lifeless, even more so now that he heard Okuto's first question.
At that moment, Matsumura tried to get up; he didn't know how to respond.
"Hey…" Nakamura stopped him on impulse. "Don't dodge my question!"
Matsumura was acting strangely: he gently took the hand that held him and returned a smile that seemed broken, worn down by pain.
"I don't know," he replied in a subdued tone.
How could he not know? Nakamura felt like confronting him, but he held back in time.
"We're a couple," Matsumura continued, "why would I be interested in anything about someone I no longer have any contact with?"
"You're joking, right?" Nakamura asked, completely confused. "Couple? How can that be? Why us?"
What he really wanted to say—and didn't dare say out loud—was that he liked Hirose, and Matsumura liked him too. He deeply hated things that didn't make sense.
Why with his rival of all people? He knew Hana was dating Hirose, so he'd decided to give up; he had no intention of letting anyone else interfere in the relationship between those two young people.
Had he gotten so caught up in this absurd situation that he'd had to pretend and sacrifice his own feelings, making himself believe he truly liked Matsumura and win him over? Just so he wouldn't interfere.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle tap on his forehead.
"You're overthinking things," Matsumura told him.
Nakamura couldn't ask any more questions. He didn't have the heart to break the heart of the person in front of him with the consequences of a decision he'd made five years ago(Even though he didn't remember anything) . If they had to end this relationship now, Matsumura would surely feel even worse, and Nakamura wasn't the type of person capable of causing that kind of pain on purpose.
At that moment, the bedroom door opened. A figure with honey-brown hair appeared in the doorway.
Matsumura looked up and asked in a tired and somewhat annoyed voice.
"Hirose? What the hell are you doing here?" And Matsumura had told that guy not to show his face under any circumstances. WHY DOES HIROSE NEVER LISTEN TO HIM?!
For years, Nakamura had thought Matsumura was obsessive, stalkerish, and completely fixated on Hirose… so why was he talking like that now? As soon as it dawned on him, he blushed instantly: if Matsumura had just uttered that name, it meant the person who had just walked in was Hirose himself.
Hirose looked at him with a worried expression.
"Nakamura? Are you okay?" he asked gently.
He placed some juice boxes on the nightstand and approached him. When he carefully touched the bandage covering part of his head, Nakamura noticed something strange: why wasn't his heart racing?
Before, whenever Hirose was near, his chest would pound; now, however, his pulse remained perfectly normal and calm.
Although, he thought to himself, he couldn't deny that Hirose was still too handsome not to attract attention.
Perhaps this is what you call having matured quite a bit.