24 Head-butting?

kamiyama takeshi looks at his school thoughtfully before he turns away. last night, his elder brother didn't come home. at the morning, he saw his grandmother being about something. later, he found out that his half-sister is in the hospital and his elder brother is with her.

he is going to visit his half-sister.

"takeshi, where are we going?" miyamoto haru stops his friend when he sees him going in the opposite direction. he points in the direction of his school. "school is that way."

"skipping," takeshi replies quietly. his grandmother won't be happy if she finds out that. he will skip school today to visit his sister. "i will see you tomorrow. bye."

"wait!" haru follows him anyway. his voice is not low. "takeshi, are you taking the dark road of life now? you never skip school."

other students stare and start whispering. takeshi feels like he has a headache. for the first time, he wants to skip school for honourable reasons. his annoying friend isn't making it easy.

"who is taking the dark road?" kinoshita iori appears right in front of them like a ghost and glares at them. "tell me, haru, who is taking the dark road?"

takeshi sighs. why is this girl nosy in everyone's matter? no, why can't she leave him alone? he flicks her forehead and tells her, "stay out of it."

"takeshi, it's you." iori scowls at him. "a few days ago, you beat up your classmates. then, you made a girl cry. now, you are taking the dark road."

"iori, he is just skipping school today. don't take my words seriously," haru tells her awkwardly. most of the students are gone now.

"skipping school?" iori yells loudly. "takeshi, you can't skip the classes."

takeshi scowls at her. "if you don't want to be late, then go to school. you can tell the teacher."

takeshi ignores her and walks straight by. haru steals a glance at iori and follows takeshi. iori clenches her fists and decides to follow takeshi too. she knows that he is having a hard time since his parents died. she can't let him take the wrong path of life. she will stop him.

"why are you following me?" takeshi suddenly stops and glares at iori and haru. "i don't remember asking you two to come with me."

"we are childhood friends." haru slaps his own chest and looks at him with sad eyes. "we will live together, skip together, and die together."

"i am not sure about dying," iori mumbles and shrugs her shoulders. "i don't feel like going to school today."

takeshi stares at them coldly. "if you want to come, then don't say unnecessary words."

"takeshi, where are we going?" haru asks with worries. he has never skipped school before. what if they are caught? his mother will beat him to death.

takeshi ignores his question. the trio gets into the cab. nobody speaks a word until they reach the hospital. takeshi is thinking about his sister. his sister asked whether he is being bullied at school. she seemed concerned while trying to look aloof. though he is not being bullied, he is still upset. he doesn't know how to accept that his mother was that kind of person. he thought that his mother was loving and good. now, he wonders why did his mother never tried to contact his sister.

***

"are we done?" i look at the kamiyama bastard with exhaustion. from blood tests to mri, what did he not leave out? i am sure that i have been tested for all diseases that are there. that doctor is doing it all too happy to make a big bill.

"no, we are waiting for your test results."

"i am not paying for any of this."

"i am not asking you to." he clicks his tongue. "i want to know everything about you."

i grimace at him. "you want to know everything to use it against me or protect yourself if things go wrong?"

"both." he stretches his long legs. he hasn't left since he brought me here. his hand is bandaged too. i know that i am the one who is at fault. but, this guy is too stubborn for his own good. he doesn't need to go this far.

"i don't have any disease. it was just food poisoning."

he looks at me with a dull expression. "you threw up blood."

"i coughed too hard. it has happened before. it's nothing serious." i look away, feeling uneasy.

he looks angrier. i don't know what i have done to irritate this prickly creature. i have told him the truth. "you coughed so hard that you threw up. you don't think that it's serious?"

"i have received a checkup before." this is getting annoying. why i am explaining it to him?

"throwing up blood is a serious matter. you might have a contagious disease." he glares at me. "if you suddenly die while you are in the care of the kamiyama family, it will be a disaster."

this bastard! i want to smack his face.

"you are afraid whether you are contaminated or not." i smile at him. "i hope that you do. i hope that you get tuberculosis."

"if i am contaminated, then i will kill you." he leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. he seems tired.

"i will kill you first."

"nobody needs to kill anyone." the doctor makes an appearance. "you don't have any contaminating disease."

i glance at kamiyama. i told you, right?

"your lungs airway was slightly irritated because you coughed too hard. it's strange that you would cough that way while throwing up." he flicks through the papers. "do you have an allergy to a certain food?"

i let out a deep breath. "i am allergic to whatever he forces me to eat."

"don't be mad at him, miss." the doctor smiles mildly. "mr kamiyama didn't leave your side since he brought you here."

"he is afraid that he will get contaminated."

***

"takeshi, why are we here?" iori asks him, but he ignores her. she is annoyed by his attitude. are his words made of gold? hmph!

"did something happen to your brother or grandmother?" haru asks with concern.

"it's my sister." takeshi barely whispers, but iori hears him anyway.

"your sister...the one from the news?" she asks loudly. takeshi doesn't answer her. they arrive in front of the patient's room. the door opens suddenly. a man in a white coat comes out. on his cheek, there is a bright red handprint.

"is my sister here?" he asks the doctor who looks like his soul is on the verge of flying away. the doctor puts his hand on takeshi's shoulder. "i don't have any energy left. they are scary. my ears are numb. i am taking leave. i need therapy. i am done with this. i am never getting married."

the poor doctor walks away with slump shoulders. iori and haru gulp after hearing the doctor's words. is takeshi's sister that scary? they have seen the video of her. they are too scared to go inside.

takeshi shakes his head and smiles. his personality completely changes in an instant. he pushes open the door and witnesses the baffling scene.

his sister is sitting on the bed, cross-legged. she has grabbed his brother's head and she is trying to push him away with full strength. his brother, who is sitting on a chair, has also grabbed her head and trying to push her away from him. their jaws are clenched and there is a blood-thirsty look in their eyes. just what is going on here?

"is that takeshi's elder brother?" iori's eyes almost fall out of the sockets when she sees her crush like that. takeshi's brother has always been handsome, sophisticated, aloof, cold, and...did she mention handsome? she has liked him for a long time. but, this is the first time when she is seeing him like this.

"they are head-butting?" haru asks in a daze. "takeshi, your sister is pretty."

takeshi is ashamed for the first time in his life. he clears his throat to attract their attention, but they are so into it that they don't notice at all. he claps his hand loudly. no attention. finally, he walks to his brother side and yells, "sister, how are you feeling now? dealing with my thick-headed brother must have drained your energy."