11 A truth in a lie

“What did you do to the Straw Head?!”

Zeeta was out of control. I don’t know how I managed to grab him and stop him from punching Noah again. The passersby in the market were doing their best not to look at us too much. Small street fights like that were their everyday life.

“Straw Head, let me go, I’ll punch that bastard! You were about to cry, weren’t you? What did he do to you?”

“Who’s that madman?!” Noah roared, clenching his flaming fists. His nose was bleeding.

I tightened my grip around my friend’s chest.

“Zeeta. Calm down. Please.”

“Noah,” Andrea said, stepping forward. She turned her back on Zeeta and me and stared at her comrade. “Absorb your fire.”

“But that guy punched me out of the blue!”

“Absorb your fire,” Andrea repeated. “What if you touch a passerby by accident? Do you want to go back to the CI?”

“…! N-No, I—”

“Not that I would miss you,” she added, turning around. She stared at Zeeta then at me. “Who’s that violent person?”

The question was quite direct.

“You…”

We all turned our eyes to Azritz. I saw Zeeta flinch as my big sis stopped in front of us, her brows furrowed.

“You,” she repeated, “you’re the boy from last summer. Zeeta O’Bell. What are you doing here?”

If I hadn’t been holding Zeeta, I think he would have run away. Azritz’s eyes were looking at both of us, increasingly worried.

“Sis,” I said. “Zeeta’s the friend I told you about at the University. He invited me to lunch, since I’m going to be gone for two months. We’re really good friends. I… didn’t know you knew each other,” I lied. Actually, I already knew about their first meeting in the hospital: according to Zeeta, Azritz had told him to stay away from me, and he had pushed her angrily against a wall. It was only natural that they wouldn’t get along. Obviously, I knew they would clash if they were to see each other again. Yet I had led them into the same place not because I wanted it, but because I couldn’t say ‘no’ to either of them. I released Zeeta. “Sis—”

“It’s all right,” she cut me off. “I won’t make a scene now. Andrea, Nina… and you guys, let’s go grab some yakisoba at Rémy’s.”

She strode firmly in the street, heading to the stall that sold fried noodles. After a hesitation, Andrea pulled Noah’s arm, and Nina and both of them followed. Zeeta cursed under his breath. I patted his shoulder.

“Zeeta, aren’t you a bit overenergized today?”

“Why didn’t you tell me your sis would be with you?”

“… Sorry, she invited me, and I couldn’t say no. She’s my sis, after all.”

“You could have told me.”

I stared at him. He was pale.

“Is it that bad?”

“Well… Now she will get worried about you again, wondering if you’re still in a gang or something. Also, she might think I’m stalking you.”

Was he not? I shook my head, too much worried to even joke about it.

“Zeeta. Azritz won’t do anything. Let’s explain it to her. Come on.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. She hates me.”

“She doesn’t. She’s just… wary of you.”

“She thinks of me as a gangster who can’t control his temper… and well, that’s what I am. I attacked Noah because he was bullying you.”

“Oh, he wasn’t bullying me just now. I was just thinking about his life in the Champion Institute, and it made me sad.”

Zeeta widened his eyes.

“What?”

“CI’s life must be hard.”

“You’re too much sensitive!”

“Heh. By the way, just now, you made a blunder.”

“What?”

“You said ‘Noah’. You’re not supposed to know his name, right? Haha, it’s hard to be a spy, isn’t it?”

Zeeta froze. Then cupped his hands over his face.

“Oh, gods. Since when do you know?”

“Ever since I heard you talking with Nina at the university? No, but I wasn’t sure of it until we wrote to each other last night, because you were trying so hard to be Leonardo Sakamoto—”

“Aaaaaaah!” Zeeta suddenly crouched in the street. “I just want to dig a hole and crawl in!”

I smiled.

“Didn’t you promise on New Year’s Day you wouldn’t kill yourself? Also, you were working for your boss, weren’t you?”

“Well…” Zeeta looked up. “I was, for the first test. Ray told me about the examination, and I managed to enroll, then I told Loki, and that host of mine told his big brother he wanted to give it a try too, so I had been charged by Nick to look after his lil bro, but Loki didn’t make it to the second test… he kept saying it was all the fault of that obnoxious blondie that blocked all the screens…”

“Oh, my.”

“So, after that, I thought I could surprise you, but the right moment never came, and… Anyway!” he said, jumping to his feet. “If you knew I was Leon, then, when you said you were Armenilda, and when you asked me about the volleyball, and when you said I had a good voice, on the bus…” I laughed as he went on: “You even insisted on inviting me to lunch at the University just now, saying ‘Leon, it will be fun if you come too’!”

“Well, I thought it’d be funnier if Leon and Zeeta were to meet each other.”

“I can’t meet myself, Straw Head.”

“But two Zeetas must be even funnier than one.”

“I can’t split into two. Anyway, you were making fun of me.”

“Not at all. You hid your identity first.”

“That’s true, but—”

“Oi, oi, oi! Oi, oi, oi, young ones!”

We turned to the clear voice. It was the Seafud’s owner waving at us.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but there you have! One takoyaki each for free. I kind of miss hearing you two playing the violin and the guitar at your home, Armen. How’s the new house? Doing well?”

“Thanks, Mr. Tako!” I said, taking the takoyaki. I had nicknamed him this way ever since I had been in middle school and had got the habit of eating octopus balls at least once a week at his stall. I knew Mr. Tako wasn’t fond of giving away his food for free, so I put two Corns on the counter. “We’re doing fine! Has the house been already rented?”

“A young couple rented for two weeks, but now it’s empty again, I think. Oh, it’s a good thing you came, Armen. I have something for you. Leire!” he called out as I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Can you fetch the envelope I put into the blue drawers the other day? Ah, here it is, here it is. It arrived in your old mailbox last Saturday. I didn’t know your new address, and the sender’s address doesn’t show either, so I was wondering what to do.”

I took the envelope. I didn’t need the sender’s address to guess who it was: I immediately recognized my grandpa’s handwriting. I smiled.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Tako.”

“You’re welcome. Come eat takoyaki whenever! Welcome, young ladies!” he then said to a group of customers. “What will it be?”

As I was swallowing one octopus ball, Zeeta pulled at me and led me onto my old house’s staircase.

“Armen, what are you doing?!” he whispered. As he took the spit of takoyaki from my hands, it dawned on me.

“…! Crap. I’ve eaten his takoyaki so many times, I just forgot I couldn’t eat anymore. His takoyaki were so good. What a shame I can’t taste them now… Aw.”

“Aw?” Zeeta echoed, surprised, with his mouth full.

“I think I just stained my Nyomin shirt with sauce. I’ve got a hole in my chest and it went through—”

“You what?!” Half of his takoyaki flew out of his mouth.

“By the way, weren’t you vegetarian, Zeeta?”

Or was seafood okay? Without answering, Zeeta glanced at Market Street then pulled at me. He took out a key, put it into the lock of my old house’s door, and opened it. I was astonished.

“Why do you have my old house’s key?”

“I made a copy last year, just in case. Didn’t think it would still work. Seems they didn’t change the lock.” He pushed the door shut.

The inside was smaller than I remembered. Even though I had left this apartment less than two months ago, it felt strange to see it again.

Zeeta suddenly placated me against a wall.

“Show me.”

He was devouring my covered chest with anxious eyes. Holy gods, what was with the awkward situation? I was a bit intimidated.

“Er, Zeeta, don’t be that panicked, I won’t die from that, you know… Okay, okay, I’ll show you.”

I put down my grandpa’s envelope and pulled up my hoodie and shirt to show him my injury. Zeeta’s lips trembled into a fierce grimace.

“Who did this to you?”

“A cheebou.”

“Who’s that?”

“It’s a creature, Zeeta. A scavenger from the jungle. It was drooling at me and all, and its antler pierced me when I was taking the ribbon wrapped on it.”

There was a silence, then:

“Who’s the idiot who put a ribbon on that cheebou? I’ll kill him.”

“Please don’t, Zeeta. And I have no idea who it was,” I added, letting go of my clothes.

He was trembling.

“I’m so worthl—” He paused. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you. I tried to find you in the jungle, but I bumped into a very annoying pursuer and—”

“What are you apologizing for? My injury will heal if I eat well enough.”

“You should tell the Lord Necromancer.”

“That…” I averted my eyes. “I don’t want to.”

“Why? Ray’s not here. How do you know your body will hold until you meet him?”

“I know I can count on you if I’m running out of lifeforce.”

Zeeta breathed in, dumbstruck, then sighed and shook his head.

“Please, Armen. Go see him.”

He wouldn’t let it go, huh? I shrugged.

“He told me to drop by in the afternoon, so I guess I can tell him.” Maybe.

Zeeta’s relieved eyes turned back to my chest and darkened as he pulled up my clothes and took a look again. He was shocked. If he had seen the injuries I had gotten from my killer a month ago, what face would have he made? I was glad he didn’t see them…

“I failed as your stalker.”

His statement was so sudden I couldn’t help but snort with laughter. How could he say funny things like that with such a straight face? After some seconds, he smiled slightly.

“If you’re running low on energy, just tell me.”

He was saying that, in all honesty, when the door brusquely opened. Azritz appeared on the threshold, looked at us, saw Zeeta’s hands pulling up my clothes, widened her eyes, then totally froze, stricken by the scene.

My first reaction was to pull down my hoodie and hide my injury.

“Sis?”

“Wh-Wh-What…”

She was stuttering. She didn’t see the wound, did she? If she did, then what should I say? That she had imagined it? No, but what if she started to have suspicions while I was away at the training? She would keep wondering if her lil bro was injured, or worse, dead, then…

“What are you doing in there?” Azritz finally asked in a wobbly voice.

In the possibility that she hadn’t seen my chest wound well, what was the best thing to do to appease her suspicions?

“Ah, we’ve been found out.” I managed a smile. “It’s just like you think, sis. I love Zeeta. So please don’t hate him?”

Zeeta’s mind was a storm. His heart was pounding against his chest. His head was about to turn into a volcano.

He shakily locked the door then slid the key under it. Azritz and Armen were already downstairs, talking.

‘I love Zeeta.’

Zeeta covered his face with a hand. His cheeks were on fire. He knew Armen had been worried that his sister could have seen his injury. He knew his friend had just panicked and said the first thing that had crossed his mind, as usual. And yet…

His heart couldn’t help but pound like a hammer. The voices in the market were but vague sounds through a wave of boiling water.

He hadn’t thought about it, but dragging Armen into an empty apartment, then pulling his clothes up… The scene was so blatant that Armen’s sis couldn’t possibly imagine the truth.

‘I love Zeeta.’

Zeeta bent over as if he had received a punch.

“Oh my gods,” he gasped. “What’s wrong with me?”

It had been this way since long ago. Armen’s words could stir him up as nothing else could. Why? He had no idea. But could it be because…?

He started going down, step by step, his eyes stuck on Armen’s relieved smile. His sis didn’t seem to have seen his injury. Good.

Armen laughed:

“Heh, sis, don’t say that! It’s not like I didn’t want to tell you. Actually, I like girls too, but Zeeta and Ray are my top priorities.”

Badump. Zeeta’s heart leaped again. Top priorities… Azritz cleared her throat.

“But Ray’s not gay, Armen.”

“Haha, is that so? Well, I think Zeeta isn’t either, but it doesn’t matter! Actually, I’m not just gay, or just hetero, I’m everything, sis. Why should I close doors? I open them all!”

“That’s why you can’t focus, lil bro. It’s all right if you love a guy, but don’t cheat on him. People who cheat on their loved ones are the worst!”

Armen laughed again. Then, seeing Zeeta reach the street, he said cheerfully:

“Zeeta! Let’s go eat lunch!”

Armen’s face showed all his friendliness without restraint. Always so devil-may-care, yet so sensitive to others and so full of life despite being dead… At that moment, Zeeta was sure of it. He didn’t keep stalking Armen just because he was the first real friend he had made. He wasn’t obsessed with him just because he didn’t want to lose him. Yes, in fact, he also desired to be by his side every day, he also wanted to be part of his life… Was that love? Not the plain love he had been singing in his songs, but the real one, the love of someone who wanted everything from someone else… No, but that wasn’t love! That was just being possessive, that was just being a monster. So gross, so gross, so gross…

“Zeeta?” Armen asked, raising an eyebrow.

“So gross!” Zeeta suddenly burst out. And he broke into a desperate run moaning: “The heeeeeell’s wrong with meeee!”

“…”

“Did you guys just break up?” my big sis cleared her throat.

I blinked, confused.

“I… don’t know.”