ENG - My best friend's sister ᵐᶦᵏᵉʸ ˣ ᵒᶜ

33

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No sooner have we arrived at the breakfast spot than Keikei spots us and beckons us over with a bright smile. The air is filled with excited chatter and the clinking of dishes, while Hina and her friend are already engrossed in conversation, also sitting at the table.
"I was beginning to think you'd miss breakfast," my best friend laughs. But his laughter abruptly stops when his gaze falls on my face.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asks in shock, getting up quickly to walk once around the table and sit down beside me, concerned. His hands grip my face and pull it closer to him, as if he wants to examine each of my injuries closely. As he carefully turns my head back and forth to check for more injuries, I murmur softly, "I had.... An accident."
"You can tell that to the teachers. What the fuck happened? Was it you, Mikey?" he asks angrily as he turns to Mikey. But he innocently raises his hands and explains, "No, I saved them. The guys from the ship attacked her and beat her up like that." I sigh and remove Keikei's hands from my face.
"It's not as bad as it looks," I try to talk myself out of it and avert my gaze. But Keikei stands up angrily and clenches his hands into fists as he almost shouts, "Where are those fuckers? I'm going to kill them!"
"I took care of them, they probably won't be able to walk for the next few weeks. Broke their arms and legs," Mikey shrugs calmly and grabs some food from Keikei's plate.

Surprised, I ask him: "When that?". After all, the guys hadn't looked like anything was broken.

"I told you yesterday, I have to do something," he replies calmly and continues eating. I stare at him in shock until I'm suddenly grabbed by a hand around my stomach and lifted off the bench. This causes me to jerk up briefly in pain as he grabs me right against the most painful spot on my stomach.
"There too? ", Kei asks me angrily, not hesitating to pull up my top to expose my stomach. I turn bright red and swat his hands away.
"Are you crazy? ", I ask him upset.
"We're going to go to the doctor, have him take a look at this. Now," he continues to say angrily, looking at me seriously as he grabs my hand to pull me behind him. Sighing, I let it wash over me, knowing that resistance is futile. Besides, I am aware that he is simply concerned about my well-being.

When we finally arrive at the doctor's office, we are immediately led into the treatment room and asked to wait there. I already sit down on the examination couch and let my legs dangle. Kei stands in front of the medical cabinets lined up along the wall and begins to rummage aimlessly through them. His hands tremble slightly - an obvious distraction
"And that mark on your neck? Was that those guys too? Did they do more?" he asks me, concerned. I swallow, feeling the lump of fear settling in my throat. No matter what I say now, he's going to get angry either way. I look down at the floor with an embarrassed expression, my fingernails nervously digging into my palms as I chew on my lips
"No. That... Was Mikey," I finally confess in a shaky voice. It wouldn't have made sense to lie to Kei, and I don't want to - not to my best friend.
"Mikey?" he repeats incredulously, dropping what he's currently holding to the floor and looking at me in shock.
"Yeah... he... well I... we kissed," I stutter uncertainly, tangling my fingers together as I stare at my hands, unable to bear his gaze.
"Tell me..." he begins, but stops again. A silence that feels like an eternity, broken only by the soft ticking of a wall clock, spreads out, forcing me to look up at him. Kei seems to struggle for words before he continues, "How many times did those guys actually hit you in the head for you to come up with such a hare-brained idea?" he asks, stunned. Again I have to swallow and just shrug.
"I don't know, it just happened... besides, I wanted it to," I confess that fact as well.
"You wanted-..." he begins, but breaks off mid-sentence and runs a stressed sigh through his hair. "Why?" he finally asks, his eyes desperately searching my face for an explanation. I shrug again, trying to avoid his gaze.
"I... I don't know exactly," I confess, my voice shaking.
"It was an impulsive moment, and Mikey was just... there. It felt... right, at least in that moment."

I then dare to look into Kei's eyes, which narrow with worry and disappointment.
"Mei, have you fallen in love with him?" he asks me directly, and I wince slightly at the words. Still, I nod weakly and bring out a quiet, "I guess so, I don't know,". His brow furrows as he strains to process the information. He opens his mouth to say something, but the words stick in his throat. His shoulders slump, and an unfamiliar helplessness spreads across his face. With a deep sigh, he sits down next to me on the examination couch, letting his legs dangle as well, staring at the floor.
"It's just..." he begins hesitantly, his voice almost breaking, "I'm worried about you. He's a very good friend of mine, but Mikey doesn't have the best reputation, and I just don't want you to get hurt" He looks over at me, his eyes full of concern, and I feel my heart grow heavy.
"Don't worry about it, he told me more than once that it didn't mean anything. He said he only did it to show me my helplessness and weakness," I explain, digging my nails into the couch as I remember.
"I'm going to kill him," Kei growls angrily and stands up. At that moment, the door opens and the doctor enters.

The doctor asks me how this happened, and I tell him that I unfortunately slipped during a hike and landed in an unpleasant way. He nods understandingly and examines me thoroughly. To my relief, he determines that no stitches are needed.
"You have a mild concussion and some bruising," he explains gently, adding, "I'll give you something for the pain. My recommendation would be not to attend the camp. However, if you really want to, then please only participate in the activities that don't put any further strain on your body. Next Monday, please come back for a checkup, or would you rather be taken home?" His words hit me like a blow, and I swallow hard as I desperately try to hold back my tears. I shake my head and say a quick goodbye to him. As we leave the treatment room, Kei gently puts his arm around my shoulders to comfort me.
"What do you want to do?" he asks gently as we walk down the cold, sterile hallway. I hesitate for a moment before answering, "I still want to attend camp, but I'll be careful and take it easy, I promise."
He nods in agreement, and I can see the concern in his eyes. "All right, but I'll keep an eye on you and make sure you don't overexert yourself," he says firmly, and I smile just slightly as we walk back.
"So what about Mikey now? Should I tell Chifuyu to sleep with him and you sleep with me?" he continues to ask, and I just shake my head in response.
"No, it doesn't do me any good to run away from that. I'll figure it out, somehow," I assure him uncertainly.
"But you come to me right away if there's anything wrong, or you call me!" he reminds me urgently.
"Like you answered yesterday when I called you because I needed your help?", I actually joke, but it visibly hits him.
"I'm sorry. I left it and I was out with Chifuyu. It will never happen again, I swear to you," he says as he looks downcast at the ground. I just give him a quick hug and say, "It's okay, nothing else happened."

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