Taka: Useless DefenderAs soon as I saw Shinji walking towards me, I knew it had happened again. The long-sleeved shirt, the stiff gait, the subtle winces as he walked. I grabbed his hand, leading him towards the mountain. He didn’t complain. He knew I knew. It was all part of the f****d-up game we played, just like me trying to act normal when I was raging inside.
“No girl today?”
“Nope. I didn’t see her where I met her yesterday. She said it wasn’t her usual way, so she probably went back to her routine.”
“Were you hoping she’d be there?”
“Maybe…” he said, his voice almost wistful before he shook his head. “Well, maybe not today. We wouldn’t have been able to talk much.”
“You have some strange tastes in girls, you know? She’s so plain and boring. Not much of a challenge at all.”
“Yo
