𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝗠.𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘂𝘆𝘂

────── thirteen

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═══ THE HEART'S
DEEPEST DESIRE ═══

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EXHAUSTION WAS ONE WORD to describe what Akiko felt. More accurately, she was hurting all over. Years of finding herself bent over a desk, stuck inside the house, she had never realized how bad her stamina really was. Her arms and legs ached, her chest was burning from the heavy breathing, making her cough every time she inhaled deeply.

Shinichiro chuckled, momentarily lifting his eyes from the bike he was repairing.

"Are you sure you still want Mikey to train you?"

Akiko nodded, determination crossed over her face, hardening the look in her eyes. "I'm positive. This conflict has started years before I was born, and I intend to end it."

"Those are big words coming from a 14-year-old," Shinichiro pointed out.

Turning his back on the bike, he wiped his fingers clean of oil with a dirty rag and stood up from his crouched position, stretching thoroughly. He threw the rag onto the bike and settled down on the ground next to Akiko.

"I know it sounds insane," admitted the brunette. "But I have to try. I owe it to myself ... and to my mother and father. My real father. He fought for me even before I was born. The least I can do is to honor his legacy."

"Then I'm going to help you!" the tall male decided abruptly.

"Eh?" Akiko looked up at the black-haired man to find him smiling brightly. "What do you mean?"

"When I was a teenager, I founded a gang called the Black Dragons. I didn't know how to fight, I wasn't even strong, but they still followed me and never, not once, doubted me. You don't need to be physically at peak condition to achieve something. As long as you believe in yourself and show an unwavering trust, you can do anything you set your mind to."

Head tilted to the side, Akiko let the words repeat in her mind. If she were honest, she had always just wanted to run away instead of facing the problem head-on. But back then she hadn't known the root cause of that problem. Now that more and more pieces of the puzzle were coming together, she began to realize that running away was no longer an option. There was too much at stake.

"That still doesn't tell me how you're going to help."

Shinichiro patted her on the back. "It's simple. I'm going to teach you how to survive in the world of gangs. Teach you how to be resilient, how to stand your ground. Should it really come down to facing Hoshino Ken, you have to be prepared. You cannot, under any circumstances, show weakness or hesitate. Every second matters. Got it?"

One fist outstretched in front of her body, Akiko jumped up and shouted, "Got it!"

And eagerly, she added, "When do we start?"

"Right now," he answered. "By answering one simple, yet gravely important question."

Akiko raised an eyebrow at him, having expected something more dramatic.

"Why do you want to fight? What keeps you going?" asked Shinichiro. "As long as you keep that in mind, nothing can stop you or steer you off the right path."