The reason behind his silence

--- Rooftop ---

A flustered Komi can be seen hugging Akiyama tightly like a koala. Nothing had to be said between the two of them, for them, this didn't feel unnatural. They know each other for over seven years, although not physically, on a mental level, they were always with each other.

Komi still has thousands of questions swirling through her mind, but for now, they had to wait. Right now, she wanted to connect with Akiyama, to tell him he's not alone. Since she, as of now, isn't able to do this vocally, she has to tell him through contact, and what better way to soothe someone than a hug? Komi, not being able to see Akiyama's face didn't catch the singular tear rolling down his cheek, it would seem that the soothing did work.

Akiyama, knowing what Komi wants to tell him, is glad. They have never met before, not a single time, but they know each other like a pair of siamese twins. Seven years of letters, seven years of sharing interests, seven years of conversations with the only friend they have has made them build an understanding of each other.

They spent 2 relaxing minutes hugging each other, ultimately Komi was the one to break the hug, she still has to settle the single, most important, question that always came up in her mind, namely the 3 months of silence.

Komi, putting her complicated mood aside, pulled out her notebook and wrote:

*Why haven't you contacted me in 3 months?*

Feeling that this just isn't enough to get her feelings across, she added:

*Why haven't you contacted me in 3 months? I missed you, you know?*

The bright red Komi was hiding behind her notebook at this point, waiting for an answer.

Akiyama flashed a wry smile, the reasons why he didn't contact her were really selfish. He didn't contact Komi a single time while being at his grandpa's house because he was collecting himself, spending a lot of time thinking about his past, about his mistakes, about his aunt, about his "stigmata" and even about Komi.

In these three months of self-reflecting, he came to the conclusion that he won't hesitate anymore. He doesn't want to lose someone in a similar fashion to aunt Chiyo again, he doesn't want to push people dear to him aside, just to wallow in self-loathe.

He came to terms with the stigmata his relatives branded him with, choosing not to believe in it anymore. We only have one shot at life, spending this one shot yielding to negative emotions and living conforming to ephemeral concepts such as curses is a waste of time.

"I'm sorry... I just needed some time for myself." Akiyama ultimately replied.

Komi, although unsatisfied, understood the reason behind his response. From what she could tell, Akiyama lost his only close relative, aunt Chiyo, this seems to have hit him pretty hard.

So, taking some time to think about everything seems appropriate. But to make sure that this would never happen again, she has to gain another way of communicating with him.

*Do you have a phone now?* Komi asked, in the past when Komi asked him for his mobile number, he said he didn't have a phone. That wasn't a lie, he really didn't have one. Back then it was unnecessary, the only two people he had contact with were aunt Chiyo and Komi, and regarding Komi, Akiyama preferred talking through letters, writing letters added a certain sense of intimacy that mobile phones just can't replicate.

"Yes, give me your notebook, I'll write it down.", Akiyama's grandfather gave him a phone before sending him off to live on his own.

Komi, nodding, hands him the notebook. Akiyama notes his phone number down and hands it back.

"Here you go. And Shouko, nice to finally meet you", Akiyama replied and flashed a bright smile.

Meeting Komi in person is something Akiyama only ever dreamt of doing. 3 months ago, he was still under the impression, that Komi, his pen-pal, is someone he'll never meet, he wanted to avoid taking chances with his "curse". But right now, he was really happy, happy to have overcome the stigmata of being a bringer of misfortune for those around him, and surprised to see that Komi Shouko, his dearest friend, was such a beauty. A welcome surprise, though.

Komi's heart, hearing what he said and seeing his smile, skipped a beat. Her face turned red again, the flush went all the way down to her neck.

"... N-Nice to meet you Shoji...", Komi replied in a barely hearable voice.

*Please don't call me by my first name in school, though...* Komi followed up in her notebook. This was something Komi had to clarify, if he did, she definitely wouldn't be able to go through the day without being flustered to the max. Her sentence suggesting that everywhere else is fine, though.

"That's fine." Akiyama replied, catching onto the "hidden" suggestion.