(Friday — Kiyomi's POV, inside the aquarium restroom)
I rushed into the toilet, locked myself in a stall, sat on the toilet seat and cried.
My mind replayed every sentence Minato had said to me as more tears rolled down my cheeks.
He said he loves—
God.
That word hurt so much.
Why, Minato?
Why?
Why did you have to ruin things when they were finally starting to feel normal again?
The funny thing is… normal wasn't real.
Nothing was normal in the first place.
We only wanted things to happen the way they used to in the past. We kept trying to bring back what we once had, pretending nothing had changed.
But we all forgot that time moves.
People change.
New things happen every day.
And whatever we once called normal was already gone.
Even if we tried to act like the way we did before… it was never the same.
And somehow that hurt the most.
My phone suddenly beeped, pulling me out of my spiral of thoughts.
I took it from my pocket.
A message.
From Hinata.
"Hinata: Why are you taking so much time?"
I hadn't even realized how much time had passed.
Another message appeared.
"Hinata: Are you okay?"
I stared at the keyboard.
My fingers began typing.
"Nope. Minato hurt me."
I erased it.
"Crying in the toilet."
Delete.
"Kinda. You won't believe what happened."
Delete.
Finally I typed:
"Yes, just give me a few minutes and I'll meet you."
My thumb hovered above the send button before I finally pressed it.
I wanted to tell her everything.
I wanted to tell her how badly it hurt.
But first… I needed to cry.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and continued sobbing quietly.
A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
"Kiyomi? Are you in there?"
The voice came from outside the restroom door.
It was Akio.
I wiped my tears quickly and stood up.
Kiyomi:(Confused) Akio?
Akio: Are you okay?
Kiyomi: What are you doing here? Wait— I'm coming out.
I unlocked the stall and stepped outside.
Akio stood there in front of me.
Kiyomi: What are you doing here?
Akio: You've been gone for a while. Hinata told me you were in the toilet.
I crossed my arms.
Kiyomi: If you get caught here, we could be punished. You'll face the consequences.
But he kept staring at me like he hadn't heard a single word.
His expression changed.
Concern filled his eyes.
Akio: Were you crying?
Of course he noticed.
My eyes were swollen and red from crying so much.
Akio: Are you okay?
I didn't know how.
I didn't know why.
But the moment he asked that…
I completely broke down right in front of him.
I started crying again.
Akio immediately pulled me into his arms.
His warmth surrounded me as he hugged me tightly.
I clung to his shirt, gripping the fabric as my tears soaked into it while my head rested against his chest.
My sobs echoed in the quiet restroom.
Then suddenly—
The door flew open.
Hinata rushed in.
Hinata: Akio?! What are you doing here? Why is she crying?!
She immediately joined the hug, wrapping her arms around me and gently patting my head.
Hinata:(Softly) Kiyomi… are you okay?
Then she looked at Akio.
Hinata: What happened to her?
Akio: I don't know. She hasn't told me yet.
Eventually my crying slowed down.
When I felt like I had cried enough, I slid down and sat on the bathroom floor.
Hinata and Akio both moved closer to sit beside me, but I shook my head.
Kiyomi: I need some space.
So we arranged ourselves around the room.
I sat against the wall on the floor.
To my right, Hinata sat quietly.
To my left, Akio leaned against the door.
The silence lingered.
Then Hinata spoke.
Hinata: We're going to have lunch in a few minutes. We should head back.
Kiyomi: I'm not going.
Hinata: Aren't you hungry?
Kiyomi: I am… but I'd rather starve than go out there.
Hinata sighed.
Akio leaned forward slightly.
Akio: Do you want us to bring you something?
Kiyomi: If you want.
Akio: What do you want?
Kiyomi: Anything will do.
Akio smirked slightly.
Akio: Including toilet water?
He expected me to laugh.
But I didn't.
Kiyomi: Anything edible and healthy would do.
My tone carried a small hint of annoyance.
Both of them stood up.
Hinata: No crying while we're gone, okay?
Kiyomi: I'm done... for now.
They left the restroom.
The quiet returned.
A few minutes later, Hinata came back holding a strawberry yogurt and a meat bun.
She handed them to me.
Kiyomi: I don't like strawberry flavored drinks.
Hinata: I know. And I personally got it for you.
She smiled gently.
Hinata: It'll make you feel less hurt. Trust me. Just try it.
I took a bite.
She wasn't wrong.
The food helped calm my body.
But the thing that needed calming wasn't my body.
It was my heart.
Kiyomi: What about Akio?
Hinata: You wanted him here?
She shook her head.
Hinata: If he got caught with us, we'd be in serious trouble. We're lucky he wasn't caught earlier.
After a few minutes, I finished eating.
Then came the silence again.
Heavy.
Awkward.
Hinata sighed.
Hinata: So… do you want to tell me what happened?
Kiyomi: I don't want to talk about it.
Her phone beeped.
She glanced at the screen like she was reading something.
Then she looked up.
Hinata: The trip is over. We're leaving.
She stood up.
Hinata: Come on.
I slowly got up.
Kiyomi: Hinata… did you bring a hoodie?
Hinata: Yeah. It's in my bag.
Kiyomi: Can I borrow it?
Hinata: Sure.
She stepped outside briefly and returned holding a pink hoodie.
Hinata: Here.
I pulled it over my head and lifted the hood, hiding most of my face.
Then we walked out of the restroom together.
My eyes stayed glued to the floor.
We walked through the aquarium halls toward the exit.
Suddenly Hinata stopped.
Hinata: Wow… this fish is beautiful.
She pointed at a nearby tank.
Hinata: Look, Kiyomi. It's a koi fish.
My body trembled slightly.
Memories of what happened with Minato flashed through my mind.
His voice.
His eyes.
His confession.
Kiyomi: Let's go.
My tone left no room for argument.
We walked through the main doors hand in hand, just like when we first entered.
Except now…
The excitement was gone.
Outside, the buses were waiting.
We climbed inside and walked to our seats.
As I sat down, I pulled the hood lower over my head, hiding my face from everyone.
The bus doors closed.
The engine started.
And as the bus slowly drove away from the aquarium, I kept my eyes down, hoping no one would notice the tears that were still quietly falling.