Nino couldn’t believe his parents when they finally told him the reason why Ohno was living with them. Ever since he was a kid, he’s been wanting to know but he gave up when they refused to tell him. Just yesterday after Nino got mad at them, he kept hearing his mom saying, “it’s time…” and she chose the wrong time to tell him.

“The reason why we brought Ohno-kun is so you could make friends,” his mom said. Though he doubt it since she had a weird look on her face. Nino couldn’t tell if she was telling the whole truth but he shrugged it off.

“We realized you were having troubles so after Ohno-kun’s parents died, we took him in. We were close friends to them so we thought that it would be better if you became friends with someone your age,” his dad added in.

“If you wanted me to have friends…then why the hell did you take him away from me?! He’s important to me. You know how hard it was to find someone until Satoshi came in my life? I can’t believe you guys would do something this far. Then why did you take him?!”

“Like I said, Kazunari, we had to do it. No further questions asked.”

“But dad I--”

“Kazunari,” his mom walked towards him with a smile on her face. Nino loved that smile, well used too. He always looked forward to it whenever they came home after a long day of being away from them. But now he hated it. It only made her look like an evil mother who was hiding behind that soft smile. “Go to school, ok? I’m sure you’ll be better off with Sakurai-kun and Aiba-kun.”

“How could you say that?!” Nino yelled. “You’re not even sure about that. I don’t even like them! I just brought them in here because Sa-Satoshi he--”

Nino couldn’t take it anymore. He slapped his mother’s hand away from his shoulder and ran from their room to his friend’s room. He could still smell the peach fragrance on the pillow as if Ohno hadn’t left long ago. Hugging the pillow closer to him, he ignored his parent’s banging furiously on the wooden door and fell asleep pretending the pillow as his friend.

In the end, he went to school because he could only think of Ohno. He tried listening to Sho’s and Aiba’s words of encouragement, but he blocked them out finding them more annoying than ever. He thought that if he did enough good deeds, his parents would allow Ohno to come back to home and everything would be the way it was before. But Nino found it harder to go to school everyday knowing how empty and lonely he was feeling.

By the time Nino had turned 18, it was his last year in high school graduating without Ohno. He was glad for one thing, that Sho and Aiba had gotten together. He always suspected there was something happening behind his back, but he knew that it was a good thing.

At the end of the ceremony, Nino waited in school at the rooftop for Ohno to come flying in with that helicopter he left with. After waiting for hours and hours, he had fallen asleep on the hard floor just waiting for him to come back home. He was discovered by the school police and was brought home by his house butler. He woke up gasping the next day when he smelt the peach fragrance getting stronger, but he realized that it was only Aiba who decided it was fun to play with everyone’s shampoo.

Every night, before he went to sleep, he would take a step in Ohno’s bathroom and shower until he smelt like him. But he knew it didn’t do anything than just remind him of how his friend smelt like everyday. Then he would crawl on his friend’s bed until he felt like he and Ohno were sleeping together on the same bed. He even used the pillow as a substitute just so he felt at ease.

Just for awhile, Nino allowed himself to cry whenever he was reminded of his friend’s kind smile. He knew his tears wouldn’t bring him back nor does it do any better for him. But just for awhile, he locks himself in Ohno’s room until dawn breaks in.

He continued on like this for three years until he was in his third year of college. His parents suggested that he moves out and start living on his own, but he wanted to keep the house for himself just in case. Even Sho and Aiba were wanting to move out, but he asked them to stay with him. They didn’t hesitate and just agreed because his house was huge for fifty people, including the maids and the staff.

Nino started sleeping in his old room again, not wanting to be reminded of his past. But every year, every November 26, he would reserve a whole restaurant for a birthday celebration for his lost friend. He was almost caught by Aiba one year, but he told him it was an outing with a couple of college friends. However everyone knew that Sho and Aiba was his only friend yet Aiba didn’t follow him or anything.

When he turned 24, Nino graduated from college and inherited his parent’s company. It was only a branch from one of their other larger buildings, but it was nice to own something. He had forgiven them a long time ago since hating them didn’t do any good either.

And everyday, Nino worked his off just so he could sell as much goods as his parents did. At the end of every month, his percentage of sales were as good as he had hoped. Everything he worked hard for was into other people’s hands knowing how much it would benefit for them. Taking one last look at the picture of him and his childhood friend, he stored it away in his pocket unaware of how useful it will be later.

TBC