III - Behind an Overprotective Friend

Arakata Hisashi's POV

"I thought that there was a riot in front of my clinic but why are you here Hisashi? Want kind of trouble did you made this time?" Nao arrived at the station still wearing his white coat.

"Sorry. It's my fault, I didn't mean to cause any trouble for you."

"So what happened?"

"Shinobu-san I just want to apologize to you but he keeps blocking me from entering." that kid speak immediately before I can even think of what to say.

Nao looked at me with his sharp eyes as if he is trying to read my mind.

"Why did you that? You can just let this kid go in and avoid getting in trouble, are you back to being a bully?"

"No. I just thought that this kid is up to no good and will just spoil your mood when you see his face."

"But still you don't have to go that far causing a scene outside." ~sigh~ "Fine let's just talk later after I explain to the police officer, just stay here and please behave." and now he is also treating me like a kid who needs to be reminded how to behave, this is all this kid's fault.

"Hey why are you acting so overprotective to Shinobu-san? Are you his brother?" this kid finally spoke again trying to break the silence between us.

"Why would I care to tell you? Your just a stranger to us."

"Because I also want to be close to him. I seriously want to be friends with him."

"He don't need any friends like you, the type who only wants to satisfy their curiosity then eventually leave after that."

He suddenly turn silent without anything to say. I knew it, I am correct from the start. He is just like any other people we know.

Shinobu Naoyuki is my childhood friend and I'm one year older than him. We studied together since primary to college and lived together in the same dorm in the university even though we have different majors. He is in the medical field while I am in the literature department.

I have known everything about him and even his deepest secret, his special ability.

He was born with the power to foresee something by knowing the probabilities of it.

During our junior high days, he told me about his powers for the first time to everyone in our class by telling that there will be heavy rainfall for the next day but nobody believed in him except me so I brought an umbrella the next day and it actually rain and so our classmates asked for another proof and he said that the afternoon class will most likely will be suspended and so it actually happened.

Everyone believed in him and they all wanted to be friends with him and treated him like some psychic that can see the future even though they didn't understand how it really works. His power his just a product of probabilities and not an accurate view of the future.

I was happy to see him having fun with everyone because I was his only friend since we were young but those happy days ended quickly when a tragedy happened.

It was during our camping trip in senior high school. Our camping was located at the foot of the mountain which is different from all the past camping trip where the location is just somewhere in the forest of the back of our school so everyone were excited for the trip and Naoyuki assured that it is highly possible to be safe so everyone was happy and feel safe.

That day was so much fun and unforgettable but what comes next is something more that can never be forgotten. It was nighttime and everyone was sound asleep in their tents after a whole day of running around when I suddenly heard Nao screaming and realized that he was having a nightmare. I woke him up and when he opened his eyes, he jumped out of our tent and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Everyone Wake up! RUN!! RUN NOW!" I never heard him shouted that loud since I met him and so I followed him and asked what is happening but he continued shouting and tried to wake up everyone.

"Hey! stop shouting, it is the middle of the night."

"Shut up! Where trying to rest here!"

Everyone just complained to him instead of getting up.

"But we are all in danger! We should run now! It's dangerous here!" he shouted again.

"But you told us that this trip will be safe."

"Everything is fine. Just go back to sleep." "What danger are you trying to say? A rain?"

"Hahahaha Yes, I knew it. You can only predict rain. Just forget it. Our tents are waterproof."

Nobody listen to him and instead, they started mocking him. I saw how terrified Nao's eyes at that night and without hesitation, I helped him waking up everyone but only half crawled out of their tents.

After a few minutes of waiting for everyone to go out, some got tired and went back to sleep telling us to stop joking around. In the end only a few people including us where standing out of our tents when we all felt the ground shaking.

The shaking which started slow until the ground shakes wildly and it was too late when I realised what can get worse, we were at the mountain foot and a landslide was coming.

"Everyone Run!" Nao shouted again while trying to pull everyone out.

Everything seems turned slow motion as I panicked and grabbed Nao as I run away from the approaching landslide. But even if I tried to run at my full speed, there was no escape from the eroding mountain and we still ended up buried and everything went black.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was at the hospital and the doctor told us that I was lucky to be rescued just before I ran out of oxygen. I immediately asked to see Nao and was relieved to see that he also survived but when I look closer I was shocked to see the despair in his face. He was blaming himself about that disaster.

"I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. It's all my fault. It's all my fault." those were the words he continued to say when we were informed about the shocking news.

Only ten students from our class survived. Everyone was dead.

My thoughts were also messed up during that time and I don't know what to say to comfort him and everything became worse when two of our classmates who were confined in the same hospital met us.

"It's all your fault! If you just don't lie us about how safe the trip will be."

"If only you you told us earlier that there will be an earthquake!!"

They were blaming him and I can't stand to listen how they treat him as if he was a criminal despite of being the most damage victim. He was traumatized more than anyone.

"But why? Why would you blame a person about something like that? Are you out of your minds?! He never told you that it was 100% safe! And do you think anyone will just randomly see if there will be an earthquake every minute of their life?! Come on just use your little brain even just once! Why don't you just be thankful that he tried to save everyone even if he knew that he can just run away alone before the earthquake! And who do you think are those IDIOTS who didn't listen and didn't even try to get out of their f*cking tents because they prefer to sleep than to survive?!" I managed to say all the words I am trying to hold back because of all the anger I have towards them, and in my heart I know that I just wish that they all just die there instead of living and trying to put the blame to someone innocent as Nao.

After recovering, his parents and my parents agreed to transfer us to another school to help us forget about that tragedy. Since then, Nao never tried to talk about his abilities to anyone except me, and little by little he started to smile again and I thought that everything will be back to normal.

Our days in the University was very busy and we almost have no time to meet and talk except during the night before we go to sleep so I have no idea about his entire campus life, but during one weekend he invited me to go watch a movie and I was surprised to see that he also invited someone from his class, his name was Sakami Juniichiro.

I was surprised back then to know that he managed to have a new friend and also told him about his secret. The three of us become friends and eventually spent our weekends together having fun until I accidentally discovered the truth that changed everything.

It was Sunday afternoon when we go together to watch another movie. In the middle of watching the movie, I went out to take a pee and decided to buy some popcorn before going back in and so it took me some time before I can go back in. Silently, I slowly walked in the dark cinema and as I approached our seat without using the lights from my phone because my hands were occupied with the huge bucket of popcorn. When I almost just a step away from my seat, I saw Nao and Juniichiro kissing. I thought that my eyes were just playing some tricks on me but when the movie screen lights up more from a scene, everything appeared more clear, it was really them kissing. I accidentally let go of the popcorn and as it fall down the floor, Nao was startled and slowly turned his head towards me.

Without thinking, I dashed out of the cinema and went straight to our dorm. After just a few minutes, Nao also arrived and it seems that he was trying to catch up with me.

"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you about us."

"Since when did you swing that way?"

"I don't know."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I know the probability that you will be shocked to know that this is how I am. I'm afraid that it will ruin our friendship."

"But did you look for the probability of our friendship?"

"No. I'm scared to know that."

"Nao, you should have told me from the start. I was shocked just how like you foresee but I will never throw away our friendship just like that."

"Really? Are you fine to have a friend like me."

"Of course, you will remain my friend forever no matter what you become. I promise, so promise me that you will not keep any secrets anymore."

"Promise."

After opening up about his relationship with Juniichiro, I became his advisor whenever he feel troubled and as days go by, I have gotten used to it but one day Nao came back crying and told me that they break up.

"Juniichiro told me that he is tired of me. That he only wants to satisfy his curiosity about my ability and told me that I should just join the circus or something." Nao continued to cry as he told me everything and it make me feel the same anger I feel after the landslide tragedy and so I searched for Juniichiro to ask him to apologize to Nao.

After searching the whole university, I found him and just like how a fire was thrown to the barrel of fuel of my anger, I exploded when I see him kissing with a girl inside a vacant room.

I walked in and punched him continuously in the face until my hands feel numb and he was lying helplessly on the floor. I grabbed his collar as I pulled him up to his knees.

"Why did you say those hurtful things to Nao?! Do you know how much he love and trusted you?! How could you! Apologize to him now!"

"Hehhh...you know, your friend is just to innocent to be in this world. How could he cry so much just because I said those words. I'm tired of dealing with a crybaby like that."

"You're an asshole!" I punched him again."

"Why are you so affected? You're too overprotective to him you know. Ohh don't tell me that you secretly love him and just jealous of me? Don't worry , he's all yours now after all I got tired of him."

I still wanted to punch him when suddenly, a professor came in with the girl who was with Juniichiro earlier. I was brought to the guidance councillor and was suspended for two weeks while he on the other hand was confined to the hospital for a month and after that he transferred to another university.

Even though I feel victorious on that incident, his words keep playing on my head.

"Do you secretly love him?"