The place we walked into, hand-in-hand, was a handmade burger joint near Central Park with a distinctly Gothic atmosphere. As a famous spot, the walls were lined with photos of celebrities—many of whom I had just seen at the Grammy Awards—serving as proof of their visits.
But when are you going to let go...?
Ai showed no intention of pulling away. If anything, as time passed, a mischievous grin played on her lips and she pressed her body even closer to mine. She had certainly possessed a streak of doing things at her own pace before we left for America, but calling her a free spirit now would be an understatement.
"Ai, aren't you going to let go?"
"I can't help it! It's too cold out! (≧∇≦)"
That smile... she was definitely teasing me. Judging by that impish look and the way she was subtly trying to link her arm with mine, she was absolutely enjoying herself.
"We're indoors, you know."
"Hmph, Hide's such a party pooper. ╭( •̀ •́ )╮"
A party pooper...? Usually, people only acted like this if they were a couple. We weren't a couple, nor were we even in that vague 'something' stage. I didn't know exactly how Ai viewed me, but to me, she felt almost like a daughter—and to any outsider, we probably just looked like close friends.
"Ai, you should only do things like this with someone you actually like."
"Then it's okay for me to do it with Hide, right?"
Wait, what did I just hear? I felt as though I had stepped into territory I wasn't supposed to enter. What on earth was that supposed to mean?
"Excuse me... you two... are you ready to order?"
The host's words effectively derailed my train of thought. 'You two'—or rather, the way he looked at us as a couple. Did we really look like that to everyone else?
After leaving the burger joint, we decided to follow our usual tradition and take a walk through Central Park. Even though it was late, the park remained a hallmark of New York tourism, and plenty of couples were strolling along the paths, hands tightly clasped.
We were no different, wandering through the park with our hands joined. For the record, holding hands was definitely not my idea.
'Click-clack.'
With every step, I heard the sharp sound of high heels striking the pavement.
Wait, high heels...? To solve the question nagging at my brain, I looked down. Ai was wearing heels with a height that didn't quite suit her age.
"Ai, did you seriously wear high heels to Central Park?"
This wasn't a formal event, and walking on unpaved, rough paths in heels was a recipe for disaster. I felt mindless for not noticing sooner. The reason Ai had been leaning against me all day was likely because her feet were miserable.
"Why did you wear these? I told you we'd be walking a lot today. Didn't your feet hurt?"
I knelt down and looked straight into Ai's eyes, my expression serious. We weren't supposed to be like this—the kind of people who walked on eggshells and hid our sincerity from each other.
"......"
Ai squeezed her eyes shut at my question, hesitating for a moment. Then, with a look of newfound resolve, she slowly opened her mouth.
"I wanted to look like an adult... At the Grammys, it seemed like you liked that kind of style..."
I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes. Ai was throwing her sincerity at me with everything she had. Meanwhile, I had been brushing it off, treating it like a temporary fever every young person goes through. But her sincerity was not something that could be dismissed so easily.
The girl who lived a life of lies told nothing but the truth to me. And I wasn't cold-hearted enough to ignore that.
"There's a shoe store nearby. Let's go change into something else."
I took Ai's hand and headed straight out of Central Park toward a nearby shop. Ai seemed taken aback by my sudden reaction.
To me, Ai was precious. She was someone I would gladly welcome regardless of how she looked.
"Hide, I'm really okay! My feet don't hurt at all!"
Ai gave me an awkward smile, trying her best to pretend she was fine. Seeing her like that only made the guilt heavier.
Ai had been just as anxious as I was since that kiss. I could infer that much just from her reaction now. This timid, fragile girl was terrified that her sincerity would be ignored or that she would be thrown away.
"Still, no. Central Park is no place for heels."
As soon as we entered the store, I grabbed a pair of women's sneakers, made Ai sit on a chair, and knelt before her. I pulled off her heels and slid the sneakers onto her feet myself. I wanted my actions to convey my sincerity—that she didn't need to be afraid.
Sincerity is often delivered more effectively through actions than words.
"You look pretty even without heels. In fact, you were always precious to me, regardless of what you wore."
"......."
"I'm not talking to 'Idol' Ai right now. I'm talking to 'Human' Ai. You don't have to try so hard to sparkle in front of me. I'm being shy and talking in circles, but this is the conclusion."
In truth, expressing sincerity directly was awkward for me too, and I was barely managing to calm my racing heart.
Even so, I had to keep going. The words I was about to say were things I had wanted to tell this lonely girl for a long time. I couldn't stop now.
Even if these words changed our relationship forever.
"I promise I'll always stay by your side."
I slowly approached her, met her gaze, and pulled her into a hug. The girl who had been trembling with the fear that her feelings would be rejected buried her face in my chest and began to sob uncontrollably.
The 'liar girl' had finally achieved her long-held dream. I could say that with certainty, because now she could exist not just as an 'idol,' but as a 'human' as well.
"But I'm a liar... and a coward... and... and..."
"I already know. I'm telling you this knowing all of that."
The emptiness within the girl no longer existed.
She finally understood what love was, thanks to the man who told her she was precious even while knowing every side of her.
.
.
.
.
Wait, did her legs really not hurt? They were quite high; there was no way they didn't.
"Your legs actually hurt, didn't they?"
"They hurt so much! ☆"
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