Nishimoto’s words echoed in my ears like a broken record as I motionlessly stood there in front of him with widened eyes. Anyone who heard it might felt embarrassed or even felt butterflies in their stomach but…at that time, all I felt was unexplainable fear. My instincts were screaming danger to me.
His words might sound like a plain confession of his feelings towards me, but I felt the threat accompanied in his voice when he said that. And I knew that I was not just imagining it because I could see it in his eyes – his desperation and desire. It was as if, he was serious about it, and he meant it.
Why? I thought to myself. Why do I feel like the person in front of me is not the Nishimoto I knew? It is as if…there is a stranger in front of me with the same face as Nishimoto.
I
