Chapter 34

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Mikey's POV

The warm breeze carried the scent of the ocean as we walked along the shore of Naic, Cavite. The sky burned with hues of orange and pink, casting a soft glow over the waves. It was supposed to be a simple tour—a break from all the tension that had been building up since we arrived in the Philippines. But I couldn't shake off the unease in my chest.

Izana was here. In Takemichi’s house. Acting all familiar.

I didn’t trust him.

I glanced at Takemichi, who walked beside Yaz. They were the only ones who understood the locals, chatting easily with the vendors and laughing at things I didn’t understand. The rest of us—Draken, Baji, and Chifuy —just followed, taking in the scenery, half lost in translation.

Then something caught my eye.

A couple near the water, playing around like little kids. The guy chased after the girl, who was laughing as she ran through the sand, splashing water in his direction. He caught up to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her close before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

“Kenneth, tingnan mo ‘to!” the girl teased, turning toward another guy who was sitting nearby.

The one called Kenneth groaned, crossing his arms. “Ano ba, ang sweet niyo! Sobra na ‘to!”

His girlfriend beside him, a girl named Shai, huffed and nudged him. “Dapat ganyan ka rin!”

Kenneth rolled his eyes, but there was a tiny smirk on his lips.

I frowned, trying to make sense of what they were saying.

“The hell are they talking about?” Baji muttered beside me, hands in his pockets.

“I don’t know,” Chifuyu replied. “Takemichi? Yaz? Translation?”

Takemichi snorted. “They’re just messing around. The couple playing in the water, the guy called Kenneth is jealous. His girlfriend, Shai, is teasing him about it.”

Draken smirked. “Damn. Must be nice.”

Baji scoffed. “Tch. Looks annoying.”

Chifuyu laughed. “Sana all.”

“What does ‘sana all’ mean?” I asked, raising a brow.

Yaz smirked. “It means… ‘I wish that were me.’”

Baji and Chifuyu immediately turned to Draken. “Oi, Draken, ‘sana all.’”

Draken clicked his tongue. “Shut up.”

I rolled my eyes but looked back at Takemichi. He was staring at the couple, lost in thought.

“…You want something like that?” I found myself asking.

He blinked, surprised at my question, before scratching the back of his head. “I… I don’t know. Maybe?”

I didn’t know why, but the thought irritated me.

Takemichi being that close to someone. Smiling like that for someone.

I clenched my fists, shoving them into my pockets. The waves crashed softly against the shore, and the laughter of the couple in the distance mixed with the sound of the breeze.

For some reason, it felt like an invisible line had been drawn in the sand.

And I didn’t know which side I was supposed to stand on.

The waves crashed gently on the shore, the salty breeze ruffling my hair as I stood next to Takemichi. The others had gone ahead, still buzzing about the random couple we saw earlier—Flio and Fenrys, I think their names were. They had been running around like kids, teasing and kissing in a way that made the rest of us react in different ways.

Baji had scoffed, "Tch, PDA is disgusting."
Chifuyu, meanwhile, had grinned. "Sana all."
Draken just shook his head. "Some people have all the luck, huh?"

But what caught my attention the most was how quiet Takemichi had become after that.

He was staring out at the horizon now, hands in his pockets, lost in thought.

I nudged him with my elbow. "Oi, what’s with that face? You look like you’re thinking about something deep."

He blinked and turned to me, then gave me that sheepish little smile of his. "Just… thinking about love, I guess."

I raised a brow. "Love?"

Takemichi let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah. That couple… they looked so happy. So carefree. It makes me wonder—what does a perfect relationship even look like?"

That was… a surprisingly serious question coming from him. I tilted my head, thinking. "I don’t think there’s such a thing as a ‘perfect’ relationship. But…" I glanced at the sky, my voice lowering. "I think it’s about finding someone who makes you feel… at home."

Takemichi turned to me, his expression unreadable. "At home?"

"Yeah," I muttered. "Someone who you don’t have to pretend around. Someone who sees you—the real you—and doesn’t run away."

The silence stretched between us, only the sound of the waves filling the space. Then, Takemichi chuckled. "That’s… surprisingly deep, Mikey."

I rolled my eyes. "Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing. It’s just… I didn’t expect you to think about relationships that way."

I smirked. "You think I’m just some gang leader with no emotions?"

He scratched his cheek. "Not exactly, but… you’re not the type to talk about love so openly."

I turned my gaze back to the ocean, my smirk fading slightly. "Maybe. But everyone wants to be loved, Takemichi. Even me."

He didn’t reply right away. When I looked at him, he was staring at me, something unreadable in his eyes.

"Then… what kind of person do you want to love you?" he asked softly.

The question caught me off guard.

I could have said something stupid, something teasing to brush it off. But for some reason, I didn’t.

Instead, I turned to him fully and asked, "What about you? What kind of love do you want?"

Takemichi blinked, clearly not expecting me to flip the question back on him. He hesitated, then murmured, "Someone who won’t leave."

His voice was quiet, almost fragile.

Something in my chest ached.

"...You’ve been left behind a lot, huh?" I muttered.

Takemichi swallowed, but he didn’t deny it.

I looked down, kicking at the sand. "Then maybe… your ideal love is someone who stays. No matter what."

The wind blew between us, carrying the weight of unspoken things.

Then, Takemichi smiled at me—small, sincere.

"Yeah," he whispered. "That sounds nice."

And for some reason, my heart skipped a beat.

To be continued!!!!

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So everyone I want to be honest with you, I forgot the other details of this story huhuhu, please help me ty!

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