As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

The air inside the room grew suffocating as each moment passed. Both of the people inside wore different expressions on their faces, showing how contrasting their emotions were.

In the stifling air, Himari was the one to break the silence.

"Jun, please learn to accept that our past has indeed been a past. You might be my first love but, you won't be the last."

Even though she didn't hear any reply from Jun whose face had grown gradually paler, Himari pushed the chair back and slowly stood up. She cast a look at Jun.

"I won't deny that you've given me good first love but, an end is still the end. If we got back together again, I'm afraid both of us would be hurt. At the very least, I don't want to tarnish your good image inside my memories."

Himari turned around, getting ready to leave the room. She didn't feel the need to continue staying here. 

All this while, the words that she said to him were a repeat from before.

If Jun was too stubborn to accept her decision, there was nothing else she could do. She might have to resort to the last option - meeting the nasty woman, his mother.

Jun blinked, clearing his blank gaze. His eyes fell on Himari's back who was getting away and away from him.

"You really didn't want to try? For us to have a second chance?" 

When he spoke, his voice was incredibly hoarse. Although there was a trace of stubbornness, a faint fragility also was imbued in his tone.

Himari stopped in her tracks. She kept her back straight.

"No."

Jun felt his heart broke into pieces. It was excruciatingly painful.

"Himari, do... do you actually hate me? That's why..."

Did all this while, she was hating him? Hating him for being unable to protect her properly in the years they were together? Thus, this was her reason for not accepting him back?

Himari slowly exhaled a breath. Inside her mind, an unsightly face flashed, sending shivers to her spine yet, she kept a cold expression on her face.

"Jun, let me be clear," Himari glanced at Jun from over her shoulders, taking a look at the man who was now staring at her with a pair of red eyes glistened with unshed tears.

As if she was unaffected by his situation, Himari continued, "I don't hate you but, I hate your mother. I was in peace after we broke up and I don't want to return to the days when I could only listen to her humiliating me."

She did humiliate me to the extreme but, I won't tell you that.

Himari secretly thought.

The expression on his face cracked. This was the first time he heard Himari openly saying the extent of her dislike to his mother.

Jun knew her temperament. Himari wouldn't easily use such a word to describe what she felt to a person.

For her to say it...

Jun lowered his head in ashamed. He couldn't find any reason to counter her.

Himari sighed softly at the sight of him looking vulnerable, unlike how he appeared in the few times she encountered him recently. 

At this time, she could see his persistence wavered.

Before Himari walked out of the room, she gave him a last piece of advice.

"Jun, no matter where you are, I hope you'd be able to meet a good young lady. If you fell in love with her, don't repeat what happened to me. Shield her well, make her feel secure to be with you. And, the most important is... You have to unchain the shackles your parents put on you. You are an adult now."

With her hand on the doorknob, she was one step closer to walk out of this room.

To completely walk out from his life.

Himari murmured, "Goodbye, Jun. Please live well. Please just treat each other as strangers if we ever chanced a meeting in the future."

I would pray for your good life but, I don't ever want to be entangled with you again.

Click.

The door was closed, separating the view of the hallway outside from the private room.

Cutting off where she was to the spot he was sitting.

Jun pursed his lips hard. He could feel his entire body shaking.

The moment he saw her walking out without even looking back at him, Jun wanted to stand up and grab her arm but, in the end, he didn't do so.

He was incapable to do it.

It dawned on him that no matter what he did, no matter how he thought they would be happy again, Himari didn't even have the slightest intention to get back with him.

She had completely moved on from their heartbreaking separation while he kept stuck in the same place. They were no longer in the same rhythm. 

Jun saw his view getting blurred.

"...Sorry, Himari. I'm sorry... For failing you..."

His tears finally broke through the dams of his eyes, running down his face.

This was really goodbye...

Wasn't it?

Outside the room, Himari quietly walked to where Kazuya was waiting for her. She found him sitting on a table for two next to the windows. A cup of tea was placed on the table, half-full.

The cold mask she wore on her face when she was meeting Jun earlier melted. Himari curved up a smile, walked to Kazuya and gently knocked on the table.

"Do you fancy someone to accompany you?"

Kazuya raised up his gaze from the teacup. Once his eyes met hers, a grin broke on his face.

"I won't say no to a beautiful lady's initiative."

Himari laughed softly.

Kazuya finished the tea before both of them walked to the cashier. Himari took the opportunity to pay for him. Kazuya smiled helplessly when she gave her card to the cashier.

Both of them didn't talk until they arrived at where Kazuya parked the car.

The sky outside was still clear. The time right now was 5:20 in the evening. Himari realized she didn't even spend so much time inside the private room earlier.

"Did everything end well?" Kazuya asked as he pressed the switch to open the car doors.

Himari hummed, "I think it ends well compared to before. Unless he won't listen to me again."

But, somehow, Himari thought this was enough.

She couldn't say if Jun might take another action but, her heart inclined to say he would not. She could only hope it would stay true.

"Let me send you home," Kazuya stroked the back of her head, "Get inside. You should have a good rest tonight."

"Hehe, okay," Himari giggled.

While the couple got inside the car, a pair of eyes was watching them until the car left the area of the restaurant. A bitter smile curved on his lips as he realized he had indeed lost her.

"...I'm sorry, Himari."

Sorry for failing you.

His words were carried away by the evening breeze, dispersing in the air.

The traffic was quite slow as it was time for most employees to return home from their respective workplaces. Kazuya played a soothing symphony from the radio.

"What would you do tomorrow?" He suddenly asked.

Himari pondered for a moment then answered, "Just chilling on the weekend? You said you want to sleep in until noon? Would you really do that?"

Her question incited a peal of laughter from Kazuya.

"I might really do that. As long as Chiharu won't barge inside my room like she often does," replied Kazuya begrudgingly. 

Why couldn't his niece understand a morning in the weekend meant one should just relax and sleep in? She was already brimming with endless energy so early in the morning. His exhausted body couldn't keep up with the dumpling's antics.

"Hahaha, she just wants you to be productive ah!" Himari laughed freely.

Now, her heart no longer felt stuffy.

Although Himari couldn't say what would Jun do next, she thought this was a good start for them to really separate ways amicably. She did not want them to have hard feelings against each other after experiencing good years before.

But, at the same time, Himari wanted to prioritize what she had right now.

"Ah, I got an idea," The man beside her suddenly exclaimed. With a joyful smile, he glanced at her briefly before focusing back on the road ahead of the car, "Do you like hiking? If not, we should pick a weekend to have a hiking trip together. Just us two. Maybe we can watch the sunrise."

Himari suppressed another laughter from bubbling up. She gave Kazuya a look of teasing, "Oh, do you want our proper first date to be held at a hiking trail?"

"Hahaha! We should do it in an unconventional way. Even the way we agreed to date is already a bit unusual."

This time, Himari couldn't hold back her laughter. 

"Hehe, okay~ Let's do it that way," She hummed in agreement.

Kazuya shook his head with tenderness flickered in his eyes. He asked, "How about the next Saturday? Would you be busy?"

Himari tried to recall if there was anything on her schedule but, it seemed like there was none.

"Okay. On tomorrow Saturday, you can sleep in to your heart's content. On the coming Saturday, we would have a productive morning. It sounds good."

Kazuya grinned, "Hehe, all set, ma'am."

Himari threw him a glare which Kazuya reciprocated by squeezing her cheek.

Aye, this man. Ever since she hugged him, he turned bolder now. 

From holding hands, giving her head pats, hugging and now, pinching her cheeks?