I get scared when my cane is grabbed, he tried to explain in a fading voice, but he was sure it hadn’t reached anyone’s ears.
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;ever since then, I haven’t spoken much with any of my coworkers.”
The day after that incident no one would speak to him. It was a workplace with a lot of women to begin with. Making an enemy of one woman may have made being spurned inevitable. His only saving grace was his department wasn’t one that required much conversation with others. However, the one who had the most opportunities to have even the most limited “conversations” with was Yamauchi. Dealing with her sighs and sharp tone she didn’t even try to conceal was rough until he got used to it. Yamauchi would say things like, he’s a burden, and, even though he doesn’t work as much as us, he still gets paid the same wages, as she pa.s.sed by his seat behind him, but he swallowed down his words. Kusamakura didn’t say anything when Tatsumi got quiet.
—&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;huh, is he still beside me?
He became uneasy when Kusamakura didn’t say a word. Him “disappearing” could have just meant he had moved away from the blind Tatsumi without saying anything. Tatsumi couldn’t sense where he was. Even though he couldn’t see, he turned his face toward where Kusamakura should have been.
“Aah.”
Kusamakura responded quietly to Tatsumi’s gesture.