A Call From Yukio

p2
>Hello? What's up, Yukio?
>Ah, Rin-chan!
>Sorry for the sudden call.

>It's fine. I was free anyway.
>So, did something happen?
>Ah, well...
>I didn't really call for any reason.

>I just suddenly
>wanted to hear your voice...

>...

p3
>...Yukio,
>have you been eating properly?
>Erk
>Yeah!
>I've been eating!

>Then what did you eat this morning?
>Th-This morning??
>Erm~...

>You didn't eat, did you?
>Eh...hehe... Well y'know...
>Going to buy food is... a pain...

p4
>A pain, is it...?
>Didn't you tell me there's a convenience store right next to your current place?
>...You remembered that, huh...

>Wh-What did you eat, Rin-chan?
>Me?

>I had ham and cheese on toast,
>followed by some leftover vegetable soup
>and some apple I peeled yesterday.
>Ooh~ How healthy~!

>That's right~ We can't stay young forever.
>You need to stop just eating instant food all the time too.
>Yeah~ I'll be careful.

p5
>You say that, but I bet your desk
>is covered with mountains of empty cup ramen pots, right?
>Not at all!
>I threw them out this morning!
>Howzat?
>Eh?

>You actually...
>took out the trash...!
>I'm amazing, right?

>No... that's normal...
>Ahaha!

>...By the way, Rin-chan,
>how are things with your friend over there lately?
>Ah...

p6
>Good. We're getting along~
>We're going on a trip soon.
>A trip!?

>Y-You're sleeping over? With your friends!?
>For one night and two days.
>Uwaaaaah
>What kinda reaction is that...?

>I mean... to stay in the same room as a complete stranger...
>That'd be impossible for someone with social anxiety like me to even imagine.
>It's just a normal hot spring trip.
>And you're gonna upload pictures of it to Instagram, right?
>...Well...

p7
>My friend does Instagram, so she might upload some.
>Eep~ It's like we're living in completely different worlds!
>Not really... We've been on trips together too, haven't we?

>That was back when we were in grade school! Completely different to nowadays!
>It's not that different.

>You fell into the river and cried, didn't you?
>Why is that the only thing you remember?

>Hey, Yukio.
>We should go too.

p8
>On a trip.

>You'd be okay with me, right?
>You did say you wanted to go to a hot spring too.

>Let's go.

>...

p9
>...You seem against it.
>I-
>I'm not! I'm not against it!

>I'm not against it, but...

p10
>It might be a little difficult...

p11
>I see.

>Yeah... Sorry, Rin-chan...
>It's fine. I know what you're like.

p12
>...Yeah. I'll call you again.
>I promise.

>Bye-bye, Rin-chan.

>Yeah.
>Seeya, Yukio.

p13
>Okay... I better hang up.
>Thank you, Rin-chan.
>Yeah...

>Hey... Yukio.
>Hm... What is it?

>Call me again.
>Speaking with you calms me down too.

p14
>Yukio

p15
>had overdosed once before.
>She had to be taken by ambulance.

>The day after that phone call,
>I had a really bad feeling
>and went to her house.

p16
>The door wasn't locked.

>In the bathroom with Yukio, who was already stone cold.

p17
>Didn't you say...
>that you'd call me again...?