“You want me to carry those for you?”
He came across Fuyuka again on his way back home from the supermarket. She hadn’t waited for him so they could go back together or anything of the sort. He just happened to see her from behind as he was walking home. She was carrying two large bags, one in each hand. Based on her stagger, and the fact that the bags continuously threatened to graze the ground, she clearly was experiencing some trouble carrying them.
“I’ll have to decline,” she answered after a short period of silence. Classic. Her words were polite, but he could feel the chill from her curt refusal.
She turned down everyone’s offers, no matter what they were. She kept everyone at a distance and never allowed anyone to get close to her. At some point, Asahi had believed that maybe that had been the key to her current academic success.
“You sure? To me, it looks like you’re struggling to even lift them properly.”
“I’m fine. Don’t mind me. Go your own way.”
It’s funny how she insists that it’s “fine,” even though it’s pretty obvious that it’s not.
Judging by the contents in her basket back at the supermarket, and based on the size of her bags, Asahi quickly surmised that she had to be carrying a little over five kilograms. That included the bottle of cooking sake she’d bought. He didn’t offer to help her just because she was a girl or anything, but because it was clear as day that she was struggling to carry the bags.
“The block’s pretty close, so at least let me carry one of those until we’re there. No need to repay me after, if that’s what you’re trying to avoid,” he said as he began to approach her.
He was solely focused on helping her, so he hadn’t realized that she’d treated him as if he were a complete stranger when she refused—or that a stranger pushing to help out in that way would be extremely off-putting to anyone.
“I believe I’ve already told you to stay away from me,” she replied in a frigid tone, her face expressionless. It was a merciless answer to his kindness, and it slowly dawned on him that she’d already erected a sturdy wall between them. He should’ve realized it earlier. “I’ve already repaid my debt. Please make sure to stay away from me from now on.”
“Okay,” he responded after some hesitation.
Asahi realized that she didn’t want his help and considered him to be more of a pest than anything else. Even though he was only trying to be considerate, she took that as another favor that would need to be returned. In the end, it was up to her if she wanted him to close the distance or not. She had rejected his help, and that was that.
“Just be careful on your way home,” he finally said as he passed beside her and headed home. He didn’t look back after that.
The harsh, icy wind picked up, heralding the arrival of night along with the setting sun.