Two Months Ago

Two Months Ago…

Mori Ken has already returned to his house and immediately attended to his mother's needs the moment he was already done changing to his casual attire. He knocked softly on her mother's room and when no one has responded, Ken slowly opened it and peered inside.

Sure enough, Ken saw his mother peacefully sleeping on her bed which made him both relieved and scared at the same time.

Relieved because his mother gets to rest from all the pain she's been going through all these months, and scared because seeing every time her mother sleeps like this always reminds him that the person he treasures the most would soon leave him someday.

Ken tiptoed his way towards his mother's bed to check her condition. Every time each day passes by, her mother grows paler and thinner and that's what stabs at Ken's heart the most. Now, he looked at his mother's condition and can't help but weep in silence.

After making sure that the air conditioner was at the right temperature for his mother, Ken went near the bed once more and tucked in her blanket closer to his mother, and rearranged her pillows for her.

He also didn't forget to check the time to determine when his mother should take in her medication from now. Seeing that it's only six in the evening, he relaxed a little and started heading out of the room to cook some porridge for his mother and noodles for him. If he's correct, his mother needs to take her medicine three hours from now.

Just as he was already near the door, Ken heard his ringtone beeping, indicating that someone messaged him. The ringtone was only at a low volume but still reached on his mother's ears, waking her up from her slumber all of a sudden.

Ken didn't notice it at first and annoyingly swiped his phone screen to know who it was.

---

From: Ryuuji

Hey! You seemed to be a fashion expert yourself. Can you, at least, help me out pick a nice pair of shoes for a girl? Meet me at the Kyoto Plaza right now.

---

Furrowing his eyebrows, Ken tried to think who's chick his friend is referring to this time. He had known Ryuuji to be the one who mostly receives gifts from his fangirls, and it's super rare for him to give out gifts to any girl except the ones that are closest to his heart.

However, no matter what the case is, Ken couldn't care less. He has still to take care of his mother and needs to cook for their supper later.

Ken was just about to put his phone down when he suddenly heard his mother speaking, "Is that text urgent?"

Widening his eyes a bit, Ken responded, "Oh mom, you're already awake! I'll start to cook the porridge for you so that you can eat and drink your medicine later."

Rolling her eyes, Ms. Mori started getting up from her bed and sat straight as she faced her son. That alerted Ken and swiftly went to his mother's side for support.

"I asked you if that text you received just now is urgent." Ms. Mori repeated, more sternly this time.

Hesitantly, Ken replied, "No, it's not. I have this guy friend who wanted someone to accompany him to buy a pair of shoes for a certain girl. Probably someone he admires or something. Whatever, I couldn't care less actually."

"Geez, and you call yourself his friend? Hurry up and go with him. I don't really like you being stuck so much with me and sulk all the time." Ms. Mori reprimanded with a bit of a sad tone in her voice.

"All I wanted for you is to explore the outside world, meet new friends… widen your horizons! If you are always stuck in the house taking care of me like I'm some sort of a hindrance or burden to you, then I am not really happy at all."

"But mom…" Ken tried to reason out, but his mother won't let him finish.

"Just go." Ms. Mori encouraged him and managed to smile in his direction. "And don't forget to bring me my favorite meat buns on your way out!"

Ultimately, Mori Ken cannot do anything about his mother's persistence. Only after he ordered Ms. Mori to stay put, prepared his mother's things in advance, and promised to be back in time for her medication did he leave the house as quickly as he could.

Mori Ken has set in his mind that he wouldn't stay that much longer and be home a few minutes before nine to have time to prepare for his mother's medicines and food.

In the next few hours after meeting up with Ryuuji, they started shopping from one shoe store to another, looking for that perfect shoe that suits his friend's preferences: elegant but not too showy, simple but also not too ordinary to look at, and most of all… economical.

"She hates it when I spend too much money on her," Ken remembered Ryuuiji saying something like this before they started their store hopping.

"And she kept that broken shoe of hers for a long time already! Can you even imagine wearing that kind of shoes? Geez. She can be retarded sometimes"

At that moment actually, Ken already knew who this girl Ryuuji was referring to even without mentioning her name.

All that game they've planned for childish purposes and Ryuuji has made himself buy things for her out of nowhere that are not so likely of him.

Ken could have guessed that this guy is, indeed, starting caring for that girl little by little… even though Ryuuji would try to deny it.

And he had already seen this one coming… just like in those cliche romantic novels that he once read before.

Ken sighed internally and mumbled to himself, "Then I will leave her in his care if that's the case here..."

"Aha!" Ryuuji suddenly blurted out and pointed at a pair of black shoes displayed at the window, making both of them stop in their tracks. "That should do it, right Mori-kun?"

The following day after that exhausting shopping with Ryuuji, Ken witnessed from afar how Ryuuji handed over that shopping bag to Sakura outside the classroom.

He only stood frozen for a moment and immediately turned around to avoid seeing them further.

***

Looking back at those memories during his high school years, Mori Ken meticulously looked at the pair of black shoes that Sakura is currently wearing and furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Are those from Yamamoto… perhaps?" he said while pointing at it.

Ken can't be mistaken, for he was with Ryuuji when they bought it and approved it himself two months ago.

Sakura, on the other hand, pushed back her glasses and screamed at the top of her lungs all of a sudden, "None of your business!"

Without waiting for his reply, the girl has already escaped from Mori Ken and the other students, leaving them all dumbfounded.