Chapter 24,5
Mere hours after they'd escaped from Milgram, he'd finally been able to go home.
Everything was just as he'd left it, his computer was there, his furniture was there, his phone was there, the food in his kitchen was most definitely spoiled but still there.
Mikoto followed behind him as he checked everything.
"So… this is it? I definitely expected it to be dustier than this after so long."
Fuuta could tell Mikoto was still shaken up by what had happened less than 10 hours ago.
And he was too, he never wanted to see Milgram again.
He wanted to forget everything. Wake up to normal, not haunting dreams. Wake up without having to worry about changing his eyepatch or dirt getting into his damaged eye.
Mikoto probably had a broken bone or two as well, him throwing himself on Fuuta's couch.
"Don't throw yourself on the couch, you're gonna break it."
Mikoto didn't even look at him.
"Gimme a break… This is the most comfortable place I've laid on in almost a year, Fuuta."
"Take the spare keys if you want to get out. I need some fresh air."
Mikoto, whose whole face was buried in the couch, gave him a thumbs up as Fuuta took his keys and walked out.
He didn't change clothes, he hadn't had the chance to, so there he was, still wearing that white shirt, wrapped up in belts or whatever they were and with the same eyepatch as the day before.
"Yoooo! No way… Is that…?!"
Oh no…
Hell fucking no…
He recognized that voice, his legs trembling as who it was from slowly got closer.
The person grasped onto Fuuta's shoulder, making the latter inevitably stop in his tracks pretty much against his will.
"Fuuta! Where on Earth have you been?"
Fuuta thought he'd never see anyone from his 'friend group' again. They'd all turned against him after the girl's death.
Yet there he was, not able to muster up anything other than dumbass stuttering as the other guy looked into his eye.
He'd never admit it, well, not to anyone but Kazui maybe, but he was scared, no, scratch that, he was terrified of what they'd think if they saw him like that, blind in one eye and on edge pretty much all day every day.
He used to be almighty, he used to be the one who punished the guilty, yet right then and there he was the guilty one, he was the one who had deserved the punishment, and Kotoko had proven that to him in a matter of minutes back in his cell.
But he was out now, and it'd been stupid of him to think he wouldn't run into anyone.
"Fuuta?"
Aw fuck.
Words just didn't come out, he never had that problem with them before.
"Le…"
He just wanted to say "leave me alone" or some emo shit like that, whatever he could mutter to make them go away.
"Have you been hiding ever since what happened? And what happened to your eye, dude?"
His breathing was getting faster as his old friend waited for an answer from him.
"I…"
He should've stayed at home, he should've watched a movie with Mikoto or something.
Goodness why did he have to go out.
"Dude, the question's not even that hard, just answer."
Fuuta was utterly paralyzed, all he could do was stutter stupidly and tremble as if it were -1000°c there.
Finally, he managed to slowly but surely move his hand up and get their hand off his shoulder.
"I'm… I… fuck…"
"And what's with those clothes? You look like shit, Fuuta-"
"Shut the fuck up…!"
He stopped in his tracks, realizing how loud that sounded.
"Please… just shut up…"
He heard footsteps getting closer from behind him, but he was so close to crumbling onto the floor he couldn't turn around to see who it was.
He could feel his old friend's shit eating grin looking down on him as someone stopped all of the sudden and kneeled down.
"Fuuta? You okay, kid?"
Kazui…
It was almost like that old man was always there to save him.
He helped Fuuta up, the latter looking at the person he used to have fun with just mere months before.
He needed to hide, and as quickly as possible.
"When was the last time you changed your eyepatch, kid?"
Kazui always called him 'kid', Fuuta learned soon enough he couldn't change that.
"Yesterday. Before we got out."
Kazui sighed and ran out of the room, only to come back later with a box full of eyepatches.
…But wasn't he an actor or something?
What did he say he did again?
"You've got to do this everyday. You know what Shidou said."
Kazui was scolding him like a father would scold a small child, but… softer, maybe.
Fuuta didn't say anything.
"Do you mind telling me who that was, kid? You seemed really shaken up by them."
Fuuta looked to the side, having already known Kazui was going to bring that up.
"...They were an old "friend" of mine."
He said, making air quotes with his still trembling hands.
"Would you prefer not to talk about this right now?"
Kazui asked, walking up to a shelf and putting the eyepatch box on top of it.
Fuuta hesitantly nodded.
"Tsukasa…"
"Tsukasa! Wake up!"
Tsukasa was awoken by Rui, the latter breathing heavily and looking as scared as he'd ever seen him.
"Rui. Rui, what happened?"
He asked, Rui pacing around his cell as Tsukasa slowly got up and rubbed his eyes.
"Rui! What is it? Are you ok?"
Rui looked at him in complete fear.
"They're announcing the verdicts right now. And you're first, Tsukasa."
Just as Rui dropped that on him, Es' recording of the verdicts started to play loud on the speakers.
"Prisoner 001.
Verdict: Unforgiven."
Tsukasa could hear Rui mutter endlessly under his breath.
He could just stand there. His legs basically didn't even try to move.
He was right.
He was going to rot in there after all.