Page 52 of Pandion

If he took his meds now, it’d take approximately a half an hour before they kicked in and walking around medicated—while more comfortable—would be much less safe even if he didn’t bump into anyone.

He needed to do something about the hoodie. As he took it off, the chill would have caused him to shiver had he not already been trembling. He turned the hoodie inside out and rushed to put it back on.

What’s going on? Where are you? I’m coming to get you.Kagesawa’s words made Harumine wince. He hurried his step.

No, don’t. You need to stay at home. Lock the door. Stay. I’m coming.He almost ran into the person coming toward him and only dodged him at the last minute.

“Watch it!”

“I’m sorry,” Harumine mumbled and tried to walk past.

He’d run into a group of people. With a glimpse, he could tell they were associated with the types he’d seen on TV only a moment ago.

“Hey, want to come along? We’re patrolling for empaths.” The person Harumine had almost bumped into grabbed him by the forearm to stop him.

“I’d love to, but I’m not feeling well.” Harumine clenched the bag in his hand, realising it was the exact wrong thing to draw attention to. If these people went as far as to check his meds, there was a good chance they’d be able to tell…

“It’s not contagious, is it?” To this, Harumine thought to fake a cough. It was enough for the group of them to withdraw, but it also made his head feel like it might split open.

He wanted to cry from the pain, but at least his sniffles made it seem more realistic. It took him a moment to force himself to move on and distance himself from the danger. Thankfully the group had been quicker to be on their way.

Unable to withstand the worsening pain, Harumine turned aside to a more secluded spot and took his meds, risks be damned.

With the detour, he figured he could still make it home in time if he hurried. Hurrying was easier said than done, though. Not only did his gait exacerbate his headache, but also, him running might raise suspicion. He walked as fast as his head allowed, and whenever he ran into people, slowed his pace to seem less conspicuous.

“Hey, you!” Harumine was stopped by another protester where a loathsomely rambunctious group of them were loitering at the park, recruiting others.

“Excuse me?” He needed to remain calm and polite while the insides of his head were screaming.

“Are you an empath?”

As if in this situation anyone in their right mind would answer yes.

It was oddly tempting to say yes, though. The headache was so bad, being tazed to death seemed like an improvement.

“Do I look like one?” It was a struggle to convey this counter question in the right tone, but it seemed to do the trick.

“Hmm, no? Well, have you seen any?”

“No, I don’t know. I don’t look for that stuff.”

What the hell is happening over there?Why at the worst of times was Kagesawa butting in again? Harumine schooled himself to focus.

“Fair enough. Let us know if you see any, yeah? We want to bash all their heads in.”

“Yeah! Hear hear!” some of the others chimed in.

The anger seemed irrational. How Harumine managed to smile when he promised them he would, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was thanks to the last shreds of self-preservation his migraine-addled brain had left.

He walked the rest of the way unable to think coherent thoughts. After being stopped several times and having had to slow down to not attract attention, he was about ten minutes late. During those ten minutes the pain slowly drained away, and his tired brain started to misfire trash codes, mostly out loud.

A few passersby stared at him. They weren’t part of what was happening, but had they been asked to report sightings, they’d no doubt mention him as someone abnormal.

Hurry. Harumine tried to recall why. What was he so worked up about anyway? Everything was fine. There was a lovely park bench not far from him, calling his name.

Satoru!He frowned. He hadn’t realised park benches could literally call his name.What the hell is wrong with you?!

“Huh?” It didn’t sound like a park bench. He made an effort to think. He had to stop walking to concentrate.Oh, right,Tsuyoshii… hello. What was I doing?He stared at the pharmacy bag in his hand.What is this?Something awful had happened, but it had stopped happening now.

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