The End is Here, the Death is Near (1)

4:02 PM

8 hours, 57 minutes, 41 seconds left.

"It was just a joke, Nobuhi-kun!" Kusanagi said as her and Katsuragi hooked Yokohama's neck to dance in a line heading for the door.

"W-where are we going?" Yokohama loosened their grip while hunching and tripping to follow along.

"To the all mighty convenience store!" Akira heard Katsuragi say, Yokohama giving Akira an apologetic look. "But let's grab our bags first, lol."

"Let's talk outside, Mr. Park."

Akira turned over his shoulder to see Ayanami carrying her bag with her. As he held his own. They exchanged serious glances.

He nodded his head to the exit and began walking. Ayanami watched him hold the door and turn through keys from his pants pocket.

Click.

"Nobuhiko has the spare key, right?" Ayanami asked behind him.

Akira remembered Yokohama's apologetic look. He hummed in reply.

As their feet tapped on the floor unrhythmically, Ayanami sped up and walked beside Akira. Their footsteps syncing.

"Why do you think you like me?" Akira asked, in almost . . . a softer way.

Ayanami looked up at him in surprise. "Huh?"

"We could just talk right now." he said in the calm deep voice of his.

"Asuka, get back to your room." a similar, yet feminine voice had said, touching her shoulder.

A younger Asuka turned from the shattered picture frame and looked up to see a person with boyish hair, a little longer than the one from the picture. It made this Ayanami look back in concern and curiosity, the older girl cupped her cheek and made Ayanami face her.

"Please, go back to your room." she said trying to smile assurance. Akira's face fading in before disappearing.

"But, big sister—" Ayanami stopped.

"Just for tonight." her sister said serious. "Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow's your first day of school."

Reluctantly, Ayanami hugged her sister. Who stood still watching the wall behind her.

"Goodnight . . . "

Her sister hummed in reply.

"You two!" Their mother screamed out, "That fucking daddy of yours—!"

"Mom." the sister called as Asuka went for the stairs shrinking. "Not now."

"What are they . . . talking about . . . ?" Asuka thought.

Their mother wailed as Asuka's sister stared at the floor with a clenched jaw. Before she got caught watching Asuka quietly stumbled up the stairs with a sadder uncertainty. Toward a door that had a vandalized drawing of a smiling little girl and an older one whose face was scratched over. Then, standing in the midst of a room with two beds opposite each other. One had framed drawings of the Ayanami family labeled "Mommy", "Daddy", "Aki" and "Asuka"; with young Nobuhiko and Asuka building a sand castle in kindergarten beside; and a recreated picture of a beaming "Hiroko", grinning "Wu", simpering "Asuka" with a humble "Nobuhiko", and a barely smiling, begrudgingly content "Akira" with text saying "Question Club Members!!!" next to it; including shelves of sketchbooks hanging on its wall. All signed with the name "Ayanami Asuka". And on the other side displayed posters of the Pixies, Queen, Maximum the Hormone among others. A dark purple electric guitar with a small "Ayanami Aki" at the side of its neck leaned against the bed where Asuka would see Aki lay back faced to her every night. She fixed her eyes at the middle, where a piece of paper lettered in crayons said, "i love you sister:D!" was shrouded in textbooks and manga. Asuka took one of the latter, tears suddenly dropping from her eyes who couldn't hold it as she thought, "I don't know why I'm feeling like this. But maybe this could help me feel better." Trying to smile.

Ayanami blinked and saw her sister walking beside her. Then she lagged behind her. As time went on the two of them grew, separate in their paths. Asuka tried to keep up and reach her elder sister.

"Aki . . . " she let out.

Akira turned his head to Ayanami.

"Where did you hear that?" he carefully asked.

Ayanami blinked and composed herself. " . . . My sister."

Akira looked at her expectantly.

"You remind me of my sister."

Other students began to notice who they were, staring at them or whispering to each other. The ones from before physically cheered Ayanami on before cursing to themselves with crying faces. Akira and Ayanami continued walking, keeping their distances.

"Hey, you know some manga . . . anime, dramas, and movies, right?" Ayanami asked looking at Akira.

"Yeah," he answered as a passerby dramatically dodged at his direction. Akira looking at them between disgust and befuddlement.

"I might have gotten influenced with the Romance stuff," Ayanami said. "And felt a little inclined to be your love interest."

"A little?" Akira mused, opening a locker.

"Uh," Ayanami cracked into nervous laughter.

"Let's hope my promises don't stay as just words." she quipped opening a different locker.

Akira swapped his indoor shoes and hummed in reply as Ayanami slyly changed her phone wallpaper into a doodle of a Snapdragon. She looked up, eyes meeting with Akira.

"D-di~id you see anything?" Ayanami simpered not-showing her wallpaper before putting it back in her bag, switching out shoes.

"No, but it might have been suspicious." Akira remembered when she cautiously went through her phone at the clubroom.

"Hehe—you are riding your bike home, right?"

"Of course you know that." Akira mumbled as they headed outdoors.

A couple of girls with a dark aura chuckled behind them and asked, "Hey are you two dating now?"

Akira's face twitched as he replied, "No."

"Huh?" Ayanami said. "So are you just going to leave it outside?"

Akira's face contorted to confusion, looking at her. "What did you just say?"

"That's what I'm asking you." Ayanami mirrored his face.

"What?"

"What . . . ?"

"Huh?" Akira looked behind them and nobody was there.

A male student appeared, but only glared at him with an inquisitive growl.

Akira looked away. "Nothing. I'll walk you to the convenience store that they went to."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Ayanami pinked. "I know the place. Nobuhiko, Wu and I go there before the train all the time."

"I have to pick up Kusanagi, too."

"Oh, I see." Ayanami grew redder.

Silence.

Akira unlocked his bike then looked at Ayanami's face, who checked the time on her phone.

4:05 PM

8 hours, 54 minutes, 50 seconds left.

Ayanami noticed him.

She put her phone away, "What is it?"

"Nothing." he positioned his bike next to him. "It's just refreshing to see your face relaxed."

Ayanami only looked at him back, then hummed in reply.

They began walking together, Akira sided with his bike.

"Target spotted." A Kirasum truck between an alley. Inside it, a uniformed woman with a pair of abyssal eyes announced within her thoughts.

"Hey, Park." Ayanami said.

"What is it, Ayanami Asuka."

"Why do you still do that?"

"Be more specific of whatever it is "I do"." Akira replied.

"You still call us like that. Even Hiroko who claimed you two have been friends for years now said you're still not on first name basis."

Akira deadpanned. "I've grown used to it. And whenever I demand all of you to call me differently, I'll eventually get followed anyway."

"Huh." Ayanami said, a little pink. Then furrowed her eyes with a grin. "Hey, what if you "demand" me to do something right now, do you think I'll follow you?"

Akira scoffed. "If I tell you to ride this right now, let us see what happens."

"Ride what."

"My bike."

"Oh, I see."

"I take my offer back."

"W-Why not?"

"Why can't I not?"

"Okay." Ayanami eyed his bike seat then searched his face just to make sure.

Akira looked serious.

They passed by a cart filled with cabbages pushed by a vendor, an old man who affectionately patted one or two.

Akira noticed Yokohama, Kusanagi and Katsuragi waving through the glass walls of the convenience store after they were preoccupied with their phones laughing at each other. Ayanami waved back smiling.