Soul For A Girlfriend?

I was sipping through my can of choccy milk while walking back from the convenience store with a bag full of daily amenities. The store was quite empty considering it was a Sunday and most people rushed to buy stuff.

I enjoyed the fact that I lived independently sometimes.

Shiraishi has been acting weird for the last few days and deliberately trying to avoid me. She didn't even come to check up on me when I passed out last Friday. Though it's not like it mattered much, but as my girlfriend apparently, she should have.

I was still wondering about what I did that rubbed her the wrong way.

"Is that Saishi Nii-chan?" I heard a high pitched cheerful voice call out my name as I looked around to search for the person.

Judging by the voice, it sounded to be from a kid. But I wasn't good with kids, so never really interacted with one. They also referred to me as 'Nii-chan' which surprised me a bit too since I hadn't that close of a bond with any kid.

"Where are you going?" I heard a cold, feminine voice approach me from behind. Turning towards them, I noticed the figure of Shiraishi standing in front of me with her little brother.

So it was him.

"I'm walking back from the store. What about you?" I replied in my usual plain tone, as she nodded while her eyes stared off in the distance and said, "Just going on a walk."

"Nii-chan, you haven't visited us lately." I heard her little brother say while looking up at me. I smiled softly and answered, "Ahh, we have been busy with exams and stuff."

I didn't lie.

But I couldn't tell him the truth that his sister had some of her screws loose.

"So... you'll come to visit us later, right?" He said while staring at me with much anticipation in his eyes. With a smile still hovering on my face, I nodded, "Of course, I'll try my best."

I've never felt so bad lying to someone.

"How are you feeling?" Shiraishi asked, crossing her arms on her chest, as I looked at her in confusion, "What?"

"I heard you passed out last Friday, so are you feeling well now?" She said, but there wasn't much empathy or worry in her voice. It was like she was asking me out of formalities, which I pointed out, "You don't seem to be much concerned."

"Why should I? Wasn't Adda-chin there for you?" She replied immediately, and I narrowed my eyes at her petty behaviour and asked, "Is that why you're avoiding me?"

So she was indeed upset about my involvement with Moriko lately.

"What?" She looked at me with a slight irritation in her ember eyes, as I asked, "You're pissed at me because of that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She averted her eyes and puffed her cheeks up as I let out a sigh and asked, more specifically, "You're mad because I talked with Moriko?"

"No no… do I look like I'm the jealous type?" She said with a trembling smile while trying to act like it didn't bother her at all.

"You sure do, right now."

There was a moment of silence between us. Her eyes kept wandering around as I decided to break the silence between us with a question, "Why didn't you come to check on me that day?"

"I was busy." She replied swiftly, as if she was prepared to answer me back using that. Without breaking my calm composure, I continued, "Busy enough that you couldn't spare 5 minutes to check on me?"

"Don't make an issue out of it." She rolled her eyes and let out an irritated sigh. Realising how stubborn and illogical she was, I gave up, "I don't really care about it to be honest."

As those words left my mouth, she glanced at me with a shocked look on her face. She wasn't expecting me to let go of her so easily. I wasn't like the other boys she has dated in the past. I had low tolerance for her bullshit.

"Wh… then there is no point in this conversation." She opened her mouth after what appeared like a moment of thinking and I retorted, "Since when are we having conversations with points in them?"

Though I was at fault for getting involved with another girl despite having a girlfriend. But I had no other choice than to help her that night and that's the thing Shiraishi has been holding a grudge on.

"Saishi… do you want to say something?" She said, clicking her tongue in irritation while glaring at me. Giving her a vague shrug, I replied, "Nothing in particular."

"Then you should go."

"So it's like that now… I see."

"Shall we break up then?"

"Wh… I never said anything about breaking up, you dimwit!" She said in a loud tone as her little brother looked at her in concern and then his eyes shifted towards me.

"You sure seem to have grown bored with me."

"I never said that." She replied in a low yet distressed tone and asked while staring in my eyes, "Why are you taking things the wrong way?"

"Is that so? But it appears like you want to continue associating with me."

"It appears like you don't want to be with me anymore." She shot back, but I didn't utter a single word except to stare at her in silence. Taking my silence as an answer, she nodded, "Whatever."

"Alright then, see you later." I was about to walk past her when I heard her little brother's voice again, "You'll come to visit us, right Nii-chan?"

Looking down at him, I noticed his innocent eyes staring at me with a much presumption in them. I couldn't make fake promises, so I smiled softly and replied, "I'm not sure, but I'll try my best."

With that, I patted his head and walked past Shiraishi while we exchanged stares one last time.

The string of human bonds was surely an interesting thing.