Time To Think

It's not easy what we've been through. It's not easy what we have to face. But it would not be that hard if we don't let go of each other's hand... -- Try, O-Pavee

xxxxxx

[Rinako]

I could still feel that my mind was out there somewhere because of a lot of things that had happened around me. Even when I was here watching Jerk Setsuji's mother taking care of her eldest child, I was like a statue in doing so. I couldn't move even though I was also worried about that guy's condition.

This guy was truly a crazy one if I say so myself.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Rinako-chan?"

That question from Doctor Mitsuta Rio snapped me out of my musings. I just nodded.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble. If I had known early on that--"

"Hey... It's okay. I know my son would do something like this. He can be hardheaded sometimes," the woman replied with a smile.

But in my mind, there were so many reactions whatsoever flashing one after another. Does this guy's hardheadedness only appear sometimes? Not obvious.

"I think your mind is disagreeing with what I said."

I inwardly winced and I faced Doctor Rio with a hesitant smile. "Was it that obvious?"

She nodded with an amused smile on her face. Now that I thought about it, perhaps I could finally see where the Mitsuta siblings got their smiles.

"Why don't we leave him here to rest for a while? I asked someone to cook some soup for you to feel warmer. It's for the best that you eat something warm before you end up sick, as well."

The only thing I could do was to abide by the woman's wish. But as I was leaving, I couldn't help glancing back at Setsuji's sleeping form. He truly looked so peaceful, as if he wasn't feeling such heaviness in his heart a while back.

"Is there something wrong, Rinako-chan?"

I looked at the doctor. At first, I hesitated to even voice out my thoughts. But the look of assurance in this woman's eyes dissipated my hesitation.

"Doctor... Usually when your son is sick and asleep like this because of that, how many hours does it take before he wakes up?"

Yup, I know. Lame question. But it was something quite important to me.

"An average of three hours, more or less," she answered.

"So I still have three hours to think about it, then," I just uttered before sighing.

I noticed her frown. Perhaps she heard what I said. I could only thank the fact that she didn't push through in asking something about that. I followed her until we reached the dining room.

I immediately saw Mayu and Seiho happily talking. I could only shake my head at the sight.

"These two don't even want to be separated," I only commented and sat on the chair that Doctor Rio pointed out for me to use.

A while later, a maid placed a bowl of chicken macaroni soup-- my favorite, but only Mayu and my parents knew that-- in front of me. I thanked the maid and even Doctor Rio before I started eating that.

I tried to eat as best as I could even though I would take glances at the stairs leading to the second floor where Setsuji's room was. I didn't know why I kept doing that no matter how I stop myself from doing that. I had nothing to worry about, anyway.

But why did I feel this way? How come I couldn't feel relieved somehow?

"Are you okay, Nako-chan?"

I faced Mayu almost immediately as soon as I heard that. I nodded and smiled as a response. But that smile soon disappeared from my face. Again, I looked in the direction that I kept glancing at for a while now.

"He would be alright now, Rinako. There's nothing for you to worry about anymore," Seiho said soon after.

Seriously, Seiho... If you only knew what I've been worried about at the moment, I wasn't sure if you would still say that to me. But since I had no plans of mentioning anything to anyone, I might as well keep my mouth shut.

I just continued eating that soup while it was still warm. In all fairness, the cook of the Mitsuta family was amazing. Yes, I know. My happiness about this was a little shallow just for me to react that way. What could I say? It was delicious.

After that, I headed to the living room. I saw Reona there. She was the second eldest of the Miyahara clan and she was the eldest of the female Miyahara. She was reading a book when I saw her there while listening to love songs. She lifted her head and looked at me seemingly feeling that I was there.

"You're done eating?" Reona asked with a smile.

I nodded and sat on one of the single-seater sofas there. "Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes, by the way."

"Don't worry about it. There were just my old clothes. I'm just glad that they fit you somehow."

I was wearing a light blue long-sleeved polo and black cotton pants. Reona let me borrow you them when I arrived at the ancestral house belonging to Setsuji's family. She noticed at the time that the cold coming from my wet clothes was starting to seep into me.

The moment that Setsuji collapsed, three men approached us. I learned that they were ordered to watch over Setsuji from afar. They also knew that I would go there for me to talk to their young master. They would only appear if something unexpected happened, just like this point in which Setsuji collapsed and had the guts to stay drenched in the rain. And yet his body couldn't handle it.

I was supposed to leave that place so that I'd head home and just change my wet clothes there. But they didn't let me. They were the ones who offered that I do that at the ancestral house. I just accepted it upon learning that it was Setsuji's mother who told them that.

So here I was.

Wherever I looked, there were large traces of European influences in every design of that ancestral house that I was in at the moment.

I sighed as I noticed how my mind strayed away again. I was supposed to be focusing on thinking about something important at the moment. I only had less than three hours to do that—to come up with a decision.

"It seems that my cousin is truly raking your mind with so many thoughts right now, huh?"

I lifted my head upon hearing that from Reona. I only responded with a crooked smile.

"Was it that bad?"

"Not really. I just need to come up with a decision before facing Setsuji again. I could only hope that I won't regret whatever decision I could come up with." Great! Now I was talking vaguely.

But I didn't want to reveal my dilemma to Reona, okay? It was more than enough that I disturbed them because of me and that jerk's stubborn attitude. I didn't want to add more on that.

"Why don't you go to his room? Maybe that will help in making you come up with the right decision," Reona suggested all of a sudden.

If everything that was happening around was normal, I would have reacted out loud when I heard that. Going to his room would mean total disaster, especially when my cousin and the twin brother of the jerk I was thinking about was in the same ancestral house. I might end up dealing with another issue.

But then, this wasn't even a normal situation at all. I couldn't think properly and those two were probably aware that this wasn't the right time to create an issue or whatever. So here I was, my frown wasn't fading a little bit at the moment.

Now that I thought about it, what was it that you were trying to imply with that, Reona? Yet I didn't have the guts to voice that out.

"I had the greatest feeling that the decision that I needed to think of had something to do with Setsuji. I think it would help more if you see him. Looking at the person concerned for us to make a decision sometimes helps in strengthening our resolve with regards to the decision we're about to make. Take advantage of it while he was still asleep."

Okay... Please tell me that she was joking on that one.

Like... what the hell! Was she crazy or something?

Reona just chuckled. "Don't look at me like that as if I'm crazy. I'm telling the truth. Besides, I know that you're not going to take advantage of my cousin."

"Me? Take advantage of that jerk? Even in my dreams, I'd never do something like that!" I exclaimed and I shook my head.

This was crazy! I couldn't believe she said something like that.

Reona laughed more which only made me pout. Seriously... I ended up becoming a comedienne at this part.

"You know what? I won't wonder now how you captured my cousin's attention. You're not like those other girls," she stated and smiled at me. "Go on. Just go to him in his room. And I hope you'd be able to come up with the right decision."

Right decision, huh? Would I be able to make it just for Setsuji's sake?