𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒕'𝒔 𝑻𝒖𝒕𝒐𝒓 | Kazutora Hanemiya x Reader

Chapter 6

Y/N had a busy day, and she finally made it back home at around 9:30 p.m. She didn't have a curfew, but still, she didn't want to stay out so late. She opened her front door and, to her surprise, she saw her mom's shoes in the entryway. She's early, she thought. She took off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen, not knowing that her mom was actually waiting for her there.

"Hi, mom," Y/N greeted. Her mom looked up from her phone and motioned for her daughter to take the seat across from her.

"Let's talk," she said curtly.

"Okay..." Y/N said tentatively. She sat across from her mother, who wasted no time with pleasantries.

"I heard your school's debate team made it to nationals."

"Oh, good for them," Y/N said, "but what does that have to do with me?"

Her mother's face started to sour. "I've told you since you started high school to join the debate club. That's where lawyers-in-the-making go. And now your debate team made it to nationals without you in it. Do you know how good that would've looked in university applications? Even if they don't win, universities take that into consideration!"

Y/N sighed. So this is what this is about. "Mom, I don't want to join the debate team. I don't even have time for it."

"Then quit that stupid art club!"

Now Y/N was getting mad. "No! I enjoy it! And since we're clearly approaching the topic, I'm just going to say it: I don't want to be a lawyer. I never have and I never will."

"Why not?" her mother said angrily. "You'd be set for life, you know? Look at the way we live! It's all thanks to my job!"

And her mother was right. They lived in an affluent neighborhood in Tokyo. Their house was quite modern and built just for them. They even had a maid come in weekly to tidy everything, but Y/N didn't care about all that.

"Look at the way we live, mom! You're always screaming on the phone! I'm always cooking my own meals and buying us groceries! I'm always home alone! You don't know anything about your own kid!"

"Y/N!" her mother slammed her fists on the table. "How dare you say that to me?"

At this point, Y/N couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. "Why can't you just let me do what I want to do instead of turning me into a mini version of yourself?"

Y/N got up and ran upstairs to her room. She slammed her door shut and sobbed in her hands. She didn't hear her mom follow her up, so she could cry all she wanted.

An hour later, Y/N calmed down. Despite her crying, she was able to continue with her nightly routine, and by the time was able to compose herself, she was ready for bed.

She lay awake, unable to get her mother's words out of her head. She was completely exhausted from school, and now her mom was just adding to her stress. An exercise she would do when she was tired from the day was to think of something positive that she knew would happen the next day—just so she could have something to look forward to. She hadn't had to do this in a while, but she thought it would help assuage the pressure she felt now.

Tomorrow, she thought, I get to see Kazutora. She sat with that thought until she realized how embarrassing it was. Really, Y/N? She thought to herself as she covered her face with her pillow. Thinking of boys at a time like this? She grabbed her phone and looked at her last few messages with him. They were just about the cultural festival project. We're just classmates, she thought to herself while tapping the phone on her forehead. She looked at the screen again and realized she had accidentally pressed the call button, but before she could drop the call, he answered.

"Hello?" Kazutora said. "What's up, Y/N?"

"Wait, what?" Y/N heard someone say in the background. "You're calling her by her first name now?!"

"Who's that?" Y/N asked.

"Ah, no one," Kazutora answered and he quickly changed the subject. "Why'd you call?"

She realized he was out, probably with Toman, and she was bothering him. "Sorry, it's nothing," she laughed it off. "I accidentally pressed the call button. So yeah, uhm, I'm about to sleep. Sorry for bugging you."

"Oh," he said, sounding deflated. "Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight." She dropped the call and screamed into her pillow in utter embarrassment.

Kazutora looked up from his phone at Pah-chin. They were just chilling at Peh-yan's place when Y/N called. "You're dead, you idiot," he said, a vein popping out on his forehead, and then he lunged at his friend.

+ + +

Kazutora entered the classroom with the intent of talking to Y/N. He felt that something was off with their call the night before, and he wanted to make sure she was fine. But to his surprise, she wasn't in her seat. She was usually there before him, so he wondered if she was running late.

"Good morning, class!" Miss Fujimoto said as she entered the classroom. Y/N still wasn't there. I guess she's absent today, Kazutora thought. He was bummed, especially since she's the main reason he shows up to class in the first place.

They had gone through all their morning classes, and now, it was lunchtime. Kazutora briefly looked over the teams working on the haunted house, and then just before lunch was over, he grabbed his bag and slipped out of the classroom. No point being in class, he thought to himself as he made his way to his usual haunt: the staircase to the rooftop. The bell rang just as he climbed up the stairs, but he noticed something weird. The door to the rooftop, which was usually locked, was cracked open. He went all the way up and slowly opened it.

The sky was really blue and the breeze felt nice on his face. Kazutora looked around and was surprised to see Y/N lying on the rooftop floor, her head propped up on her bag like a makeshift pillow and her one arm covering her eyes. He walked over and knelt beside her.

"Y/N?" he said softly.

Y/N peaked through her arm to look at him, then hid her eyes again. "Hey," she said nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Resting," she replied. After all the pressure she felt from school and the fight with her mom the night before, she just wanted a break.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied curtly. She gritted her teeth, steeling herself against the barrage of questions he would press her with.

"Oh," he said. "So you're going to cut class but spend your free time at school?"

She wasn't expecting that, and she uncovered her eyes to really look at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Will you ever cut class again? Probably not, right?" he asked, and she nodded slowly. "So," he continued, "If this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, then shouldn't you spend your time doing something fun somewhere else?"

"Hmm." She had to admit, he made a good point. "I guess that makes sense...But I don't really have anywhere to go."

"Okay," Kazutora stood up and reached his hand towards her. "Let's go for a ride."

"A ride?"

"Yup, on my rocket," he said.

Y/N thought about it. He was right that it did seem like a waste, cutting class but staying in school. But she's never actually done this before, so she was really nervous about it. She still felt within her safe space here, even though she was breaking school rules. If she left and got caught, she'd be in huge trouble. She looked up at Kazutora, who was smiling down at her. His eyes had such a soft and honest expression—she couldn't help but trust him.

"Okay," she said as she grabbed his hand, "lead the way."