𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝗠.𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘂𝘆𝘂

────── five

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

═══ REVELATION OF
THE CENTURY ═══

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ALL SHE DID WAS STARE AT THE BLOOD coating her hands. By now, Toman had gathered for their meeting, paying little to no attention to Akiko as she sat, sulking on the steps of Musashi Shrine. While Baji had offered to be the one retelling the events, Chifuyu had gone off somewhere to retrieve a first aid kit.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him climbing up the steps toward her. Akiko didn't bother looking up at him. She felt ashamed of herself.

With a soft smile, Chifuyu grabbed her hands, not caring if he got blood on himself. He gently unclenched them to get a better look at them. "Does it hurt?"

Akiko shook her head. "None of it is mine if that's what you're wondering."

Nevertheless, Chifuyu tenderly cleaned the partly dried blood off her hands. When he was about to close the first aid kit, Akiko stopped him. Both blushed at the touch of their hands. Akiko pulled it away, grabbed the first aid kit and took a piece of cotton, drenched in disinfectant.

Chifuyu was sporting some bruises on his face, a cut on his eyebrow and a busted lip. After taking care of Akiko that night one week ago, the girl felt obliged to return the favor.

Carefully dabbing the cotton on his eyebrow, Akiko bit her lip in concentration, unintentionally drawing Chifuyu's eyes to them. He watched as she bit down on it, something she seemed to be doing often. When she moved the piece of cotton to his busted lip, Akiko found herself fantasizing about how they would feel against her own and the thought alone made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

For a moment, their eyes met. Green met amber.

It was Akiko who broke the silence — much to her own surprise.

"Since I can remember, all I ever wanted was to be a normal kid," she revealed, lowering her eyes to the ground. "I wanted to be wild and run around and even fall down. I wanted to watch cartoons and read books for fun. I wanted to refuse doing my homework and throw tantrums. But I never had that privilege. From a very young age, I was taught to be the perfect daughter with perfect manners and perfect grades."

Raising her head back up, Akiko found Chifuyu listening intently. His gaze softened even more when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

"If I allow myself the smallest of mistakes, my father gets angry. He's gone as far as to kick me out of the house for the entire night because I misbehaved in his eyes and needed to be taught a lesson. Noted, it was the middle of winter."

It seemed to be an instinct for Chifuyu to reach out and hold her hand. Akiko smiled.

"When it comes to gangs, the mere mention of them can make him lash out. You can imagine how afraid I am of going home," she concluded.

"If it's any consolation, you can always spend the night at my place," he offered. "Believe it or not, my mother is absolutely smitten by you. She keeps asking about you."

Another blush tinted Chifuyu's cheeks, awakening a desire in Akiko to gently stroke or pinch them. She refrained from doing so. Considering they still weren't close, it would have made things awkward.