September 9, 2020: Welp, here I am. Updating again. It takes me a lot longer than I would have wanted but hey. Gotta work with what I've got. Anyway, tbh, I didn't expect this to take more than 10 chapters. Things never go according to what I had initially plan for. Estimation isn't my strong suit I guess.

It's odd though. I initially wrote this for the purpose of showing that love can't conquer everything, but somehow it ended up tackling a hell of a lot more themes like moving on, acceptance, forgiveness, just adult life in general being shit, and how setting your priorities straight is a lot harder than you think it is.

November 20, 2020: damn bruh. Life is hard. Life is shit. But here we all are, still trying to live.

December 16, 2020: Fricking tired bruh. Where's the joy in Christmas? All I have is stress, work, and bills to pay. Adulting isn't fun, kids. Enjoy what little freedom you have while it lasts. It only gets worse from here.

Chapter 10 - Lie

April 30, 10:32 am

"Oh wooow, your trust in me is amazing, BiriBiri." Touma deadpanned, begrudgingly carrying boxes of books and an assortment of other things to help keep the Sisters company. They walked along the corridors toward the Lower Ward, with him pouting incessantly.

Okay, that was cute at first, but now he's just annoying.

"You have a track record, idiot." She stated plainly, raising an eyebrow at him. "You don't exactly tell me things, you run straight into danger, you can lie to me about a lot of things justifying that you did it for my sake. Want me to continue? I can go on forever, you know?"

She tapped her ID card on the panel, opening of the many metal doors that led to the Ward.

"Well… yeah, okay, I can't really deny any of that. But still! You're being a bit too much, don't you think?"

"Touma." She exasperated. "All I did was ask you if you really got approval from work to take a leave. Why do you keep whining on about it? And anyway, are you really sure they let you?"

"Have you even kept track of how many times you've asked me that?"

"… well, no?"

"Including that last one? 26 times." He answered, making Mikoto turn to him disbelievingly. Apparently, they had made it all the way to the last door while they talked. "And it's only 10:30 in the morning. Please don't tell me you're gonna keep on asking me that for the rest of the day? I love hearing your voice and I think you're absolutely adorable when you ask me that but hearing it for another hundred times or so is a little…."

"…I did not ask you 26 times." She defended, hand pausing right above the touch panel with her ID. "You're lying."

"I just told you that I loved your voice and that I find you adorable, BiriBiri? Any of that sinking in your brain? At all?"

"I know what you're trying to do, you ass." She placed her hands on her waist, standing firmly in front of him. "You're trying to change the topic. And it won't work, so if you have anything—"

"Awww, you know me so well, my lovely fiancee~ I love you!" Touma cooed, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Well that finally got a reaction out of her. Mikoto's face was flushed beet red, a hand covering her cheek.

"Y-You….!"

"Jesus fucking Christ." An angry voice spat from behind them. Touma and Mikoto looked back and saw Accelerator with an ever present scowl on his face. "Get a damn room if you want to flirt, fucking shits. Not everyone has the mental capacity to stomach your stupid shit. Must be nice to be so fucking clueless."

"Say that to my face, you pasty faced little shit-!"

"Good morning to you, too, Accelerator." Touma interjected casually as Mikoto fumed behind him. "Aren't you just a ball of sunshine this fine morning?"

"Cut the crap, motherfucker, and get out of the fucking way." He snarled, nudging the box Touma held. "You wouldn't understand shit, anyway. So stop talking and get the fuck out."

"Hey!" Mikoto argued, blocking his path, meeting Accelerator's penetrating glare. "I know you're an asshole without a single shred of manners, but you don't have the right to talk to him like that."

They stood there for several milliseconds, just glaring at each other, until Accelerator sighed and silently pushed past her. He lowered his gaze and shook his head, before meeting her eyes again, only this time those red irises of his just looked empty.

"Fine… I won't say anything then, so move." Huh, wait, what? What…was that expression on his face? "Unless you're looking for a fight, never ever block my way again, third rate."

This cocky little—

"Ugh, what is your deal?!" Mikoto pulled on his arm, forcing him to face her. "We're not friends, you asshole, but if your shitty attitude is somehow related to the Sisters then I deserve to know what the hell is wrong with you."

Touma couldn't help smile wryly at the two, as he felt himself slowly evaporating into the background.

'Had it been with any other guy, I probably would have been jealous beyond reason by now.' He thought, watching the two Level 5's. 'Well, I kinda am, but more than that, I'm relieved. That these two don't hate each other at all. That they do care about each other to a certain extent. That… he can be someone Mikoto can rely on if she really needs it.'

Mikoto's phone suddenly rang, and she immediately took it out of her pocket and answered, without even looking at the caller. She glared at Accelerator, silently threatening him to stay in his place, making the albino roll his eyes and click his tongue.

"Papa…?" She guessed, listening to the voice. "No, I'm with Touma, we're already—no, no. We're right outside actually….." Mikoto was confused at first, until her expression transitioned into something blank, then something grim. This can't be anything good. "He's here with us. We'll be there." She suddenly shoved Accelerator out of the way, dropping the call.

"What the fuck is your—"

"You must have some godly sixth sense or something." She said through gritted teeth, hands shaking as she tapped the panel. The doors opened a few seconds later, Mikoto rushing inside, with Accelerator following closely behind. Touma was confused, but he ran inside after them. Dropping the box on the platform, he could finally see what was in front of him. The two were already way ahead, jumping through the last few steps, walking straight towards the pods. From the platform, he could see Misuzu, Tabigake, and Tanaka standing around two particular pods. Worst was seated in a chair not far off, an odd forlorn look on her face.

"The other Sisters must be inside the pods…" He thought aloud, making his way towards them. Worst glanced at him for a second, before looking back at the people crowded around the pods.

"—and the time of death…. Is 10:36 am of April 30th." Tanaka stated, looking at his watch. He wrote some things down on a clipboard, heaving a huge sigh. "If you need more time to grieve—"

"Wheel her out." Worst spoke, without her usual feistiness.

"…Worst, dear…." Misuzu walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's only been a few minutes. We should let everyone pay their respects a little more. And of course you too—"

"And if the others wake up?" Worst retorted, flicking Misuzu's hand away. "They aren't like Misaka. Yeah, we've witnessed other units be murdered and die, but this is different. All the Misakas will end up like that. Seeing one of their own actually die takes a toll on them. They've become too human."

"You girls are human." Tabigake spoke, his gaze steeled on the dead body inside the pod. "All of you… you're human. It's not "you've become too human". You already are. Don't speak of it like it's a bad thing."

Silence enveloped the room as they grieved.

'Hearing about it is one thing, but actually seeing one of them die….' Touma thought, looking around. Mikoto tried to keep a blank face, but her hands were trembling. Accelerator was looking at the dead clone's face, as if burning her image into his brain. 'Or maybe he was preparing himself to see Last Order like that…'

"…This is why Misaka said you shouldn't have kept the Misakas alive." Worst sighed, shaking her head.

"That's enough, Worst." Mikoto addressed her, but she didn't look back. "No one needs that right now. And I'll say this as much as I need to, no one regrets keeping you alive. No one."

"Yeah, sure, no one except us." Worst rolled her eyes, standing up. She walked towards one of the cabinets near the lab, taking out what seemed to be a body bag.

"Can't you stop being a goddamn bitch for one fucking second?" Accelerator glared. Worst grabbed one of the empty beds, throwing the body bag on top of it.

"What Misaka said is a fact. Don't bitch at me just 'cause your feelings got hurt by the truth." She wheeled the bed towards the lifeless clone. "The others won't say anything because they absolutely adore you, Onee-sama." Worst remarked sarcastically, pausing right in front of Mikoto. "But keeping the Network alive brought more trouble than what we were worth. Giving us normal lives? Not seeing ourselves as guinea pigs? Realizing that we're human? All of that is self-satisfaction on your part, and you know it."

"Worst." Touma called out, finally speaking up.

"What? You're gonna preach about justice or some shit? Feel free!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "It won't do shit about anything anyway. So while you chatter away trying to talk crap, Misaka will be here, wheeling a dead body out of this damn room before the other Misakas wake up. Misaka ain't sure if you heard me, but seeing a dead clone in a pod will only make things worse."

Worst shoved them away, airing out the body bag and pressing a few buttons on the pod, opening it.

"Worst-kun…" Tanaka reached a hand out, placing it over the bag. "You don't have to do this. I can—"

"Shut it, shit face." She snarled, pulling away from his touch. "Don't tell me what to do."

"…Worst-kun…" He tried again. "You're not exactly in great condition either. You need to rest in your pod like everyone—"

"Did you not hear what I said, motherfucker?!" She shouted, glaring at him. "Did I fucking stutter?! I told you to fucking shut it. And don't fucking tell me what to motherfucking do-!"

"Tch, fucking bitch." Accelerator clicked his tongue, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and placing it against Worst's nose and mouth.

"WHAT THE FU…uck…. Fu…cking…." Her eyes drooped as her body slowly slid down, with Accelerator barely managing to hold her up. "…sh…it…" She cussed, finally losing consciousness.

"I guess stubbornness really is in your DNA, huh, third rate?" He remarked, glancing over to Mikoto before glaring at Touma. "Well don't just stand there, Oh Great Savior! Get your ass over here and help me haul her ass to a fucking bed."

"…. There are so many things wrong with this situation I don't even know where to begin." Touma sighed as he walked over and grabbed Worst's arms, looping it around his shoulders. "What is it with you and chloroform anyway?"

"None of your fucking business." Accelerator grunted, laying Worst down on one of the vacant beds. "This bitch ran her mouth by a lot, but she was right about one thing. We shouldn't let the others see the dead body."

From behind them, Touma could see how Tabigake helped Misuzu to a chair. She didn't look too well, with her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes. They probably needed time to themselves, and there was something more important that he needed to do anyway. Tanaka walked towards them and helped get the clone's body from the pod into the bag.

"Sorry about this, you two." He sighed, not bothering to keep up his usual cheer. "We're trying to keep security as tight as possible, so we can't exactly ask the facility personnel to help with…situations like this. Heaven Canceller can't leave his post over at the other hospital, but he will be here some time tonight or maybe tomorrow. He spent quite a few years with the girls, after all…"

Touma didn't know how to reply to that, and it seemed like Accelerator didn't feel the need to do so. They silently worked on hoisting up her lifeless body, carefully fitting it into the bag, and zipping it up. Mikoto watched the whole time, not letting her gaze wander, not even for a second.

"I can take it from here, thank you." Tanaka gave him a pat on a shoulder. "Accelerator-kun, why don't you go ahead and take a rest? Even though the girls insisted yesterday that you go home and rest, I highly doubt that you did." Accelerator looked like he was about to mouth off a bunch of curse words, but he just grunted his assent, before marching off, presumably to one of the beds.

On his way, he momentarily paused by where Mikoto stood.

"It was too quiet last night." He muttered, making her turn to him.

"What…?"

"You asked why I was so pissed earlier." He gave her a look, as if explaining was too much of a bother. " I still connect to the Network every now and then. When they're awake, it's always just mindless chatter and computations. When they're not, there's always this static background noise just echoing in the Network. But last night? It was just pure silence…."

"… do you think they don't have much time left?" she asked.

Accelerator didn't really look like he wanted to answer that question.

"…I'm not sure." He said after a few seconds of thought, before continuing on. "But I don't think even a miracle could save them at this point." Accelerator tugged on one of the divider curtains, closing off the farthest bed he chose to lay on, leaving Mikoto gaping, mentally grasping for words she could say.

Now most people wouldn't realize this, but that exchange was something close to a miracle itself. These two were level 5's who had proclaimed their animosity towards each other time and time again. One was a murderer, the other was the cause. In their personal interactions and even while discussing in the academe, there was always, always a tinge of hatred in their tone.

But the way they spoke in that moment?

There was none of that. They were just two people trying to keep themselves together in the face of losing someone they loved.

"…Mikoto?" Touma called out, lightly touching her arm.

She turned to him, her expression a mix of vacancy and confusion. She tried to utter out words, but it was either her mind couldn't form them or her voice couldn't come through. Giving up, she simply shook her head, but he could see how tightly she had clenched her fist.

"…You don't have to force yourself…" He didn't really know what to say either.

"….I….have to go through this ten more times…." She spoke as if the realization had just suddenly come to her. "Touma…. I have to…watch them go through this… and be placed in fucking body bags…. Ten more times…."

It broke his heart to see her like this, but what could he even do?

"Is there really no other way we could do this?" Misuzu suddenly spoke up, looking at them. "These girls… we can't eve mourn for them properly like this. Isn't there… can't we do anything more for them?"

The room was filled with silence, until Tabigake sighed and spoke.

"…Worst was right, to some extent." His tone, haggard. Mikoto flinched, her shoulders trembling.

"Dear, that's not—"

"….Papa, you can't be serious…" She rasped. "You… you built this place for them! You accepted them! I didn't… No one asked you to, but you did out of your own volition! You can't-!"

"I don't regret any of the things I did for them, Mikoto." He interjected sternly. "Even if I was given the chance to redo the past years that I've been with them, I would still choose keeping them alive. Accepting that they existed wasn't exactly easy for us, but being with them, seeing you with them, how could we not? They're your sisters, we're family…."

"Then why would you agree with Worst like that…?"

"Mikoto-chan, you need to understand that the ones at fault here were the scientists who began all this. Starting from when they manipulated a small child into this heinous plot, disguising it as a means to help those in need. Their existence is not your fault, nor do we blame Accelerator for the things he did. But the fact of the matter is, they were born from something that wasn't meant to do good. Our feelings about them aside, the Network…. shouldn't exist in this world."

"Papa-!"

"Those girls… are empathic enough to help a random abandoned kitten out on the streets." Touma suddenly spoke, pulling Mikoto back by her arm. "They… they recycle their trash. They can't turn a blind eye to a little kid crying or… or if they see someone else who needs help… They used to hide right away whenever they saw people that knew Mikoto because they didn't want to cause trouble. They pick up trash they see on the streets, and they even do impromptu maintenance on faulty cleaning bots they see! They…" He paused, seemingly running out of things to say. "Just… my point is, regardless of where or why they were born, they're all good people. Is that… not good enough of a justification for them to continue existing?"

Deep down, Mikoto knew the answer. Even though she tried not to think about it, she always knew that from a rational standpoint, Worst was right. It's just the truth wasn't always an easy thing to accept.

"…You've always been a boy with a firm hold in his ideals, Touma-kun." Tabigake sighed, shaking his head. "But let's all face it. We know that their existence isn't something that this current society can utilize properly."

"Utilize?" Mikoto repeated the word with disgust. "Their existence isn't something to be utilized, Papa! They just exist! Like everybody else born into this world! They were born from mistakes, but is it so wrong for them to live? Their origin shouldn't have to define the way they live! They should have been… they should have been able to choose…"

"…And they did. " Tabigake put an arm around Misuzu, comforting her. "This is how they chose to die, Mikoto-chan. This is how they want to end this. And no matter how unacceptable we all think this is, we don't have any other choice."

Mikoto turned away from her parents, her fist turning white from her tight grip.

Well, there's not much she could say to that now, was there?

"Say…. Sensei?" Daichi asked, retrying the knots on his hospital gown. He had just finished his usual routine checkup, but he couldn't help but feel the darkness around his usually cheery and kind doctor.

"Hmm?" Mikoto hummed, writing away on her clipboard, not even turning to look at him.

"Did something…bad, uh, happen to you?" He tentatively asked, not entirely sure how to approach the situation.

"What makes you say that?" Mikoto asked with a smile, but the younger boy just stared at her with raised eyebrows. Well that didn't work. "Haaaah…. If my patients are asking me if I'm okay, that doesn't make me a very good doctor now, does it?" She tried playing it off with a grin. "Sorry about that, Daichi-kun. I'm just…going through adult things you know? Life isn't always easy, especially when you grow older…"

"…I think you're a pretty good doctor though, Sensei." He reassured with a smile. "Being an adult sounds tough, but you know what? I still want to go through it." Mikoto stared at him as he grinned while speaking. "See, to you it probably sounds really ordinary, but to a kid like me, being an adult seems so fascinating! I mean, you can be whatever you want to be and do what you love every single day. Being a doctor is probably really hard, but I know you're trying really hard, Sensei! It might not be so good right now, but it's gonna be okay!"

It's gonna be okay!

The innocent words of a child rung deep within her.

No… You really don't understand... It's not gonna be okay. It probably never will be okay.

And yet Mikoto swallowed the lump in her throat. Her heart clenching, she forced a smile, ruffling the young boy's head.

"Thank you, Daichi-kun." What more could she say? Thankfully, the boy didn't pick up on her mood any further, grumbling something about her messing up his hair.

A knock on the door was heard, revealing one of the facility's interns, nervously peaking from behind the door.

"Uhm… Misaka-sensei?" The girl, Sato-san, Mikoto remembers vaguely, asked timidly. "I apologize for the disturbance… uhm, this gentleman uhm, he asked me to show him to you, and—"

A gentleman?

"If I may take it from here, Miss?" A man with light brownish-greyish hair, dressed in a crisp suit, flashed a business smile, which further unnerved poor Sato-san. But why does he seem so awfully familiar? "Misaka Mikoto-san, I assume? I do apologize for not setting up an appointment, but I had some business in the building and I heard that you worked here, so I couldn't help myself."

Seemingly polite men flashing business smiles. Ugh. He reminded Mikoto of so many high handed assholes of society, she couldn't help but inwardly cringe. Poor introverted Sato-san was beyond petrified though, she looked like she just wanted to pass out and let the ground swallow her whole.

"It's alright, Sato-san, thank you." Mikoto smiled, trying to appease the quivering younger girl. "If it's not too much to ask, could you please help Daichi-kun to his room? I've finished running his tests, so he needs to rest a bit."

"Of.. of course, Misaka-sensei!" The girl scrambled her steps, but she was expertly able to grab a wheelchair and set it up for the young boy. She helped him into it and with a few more goodbyes, they wheeled away from the room, leaving behind Mikoto and her guest.

"Sorry about that." She turned, facing the guy who still had on his fake-ass business smile. "I'm not exactly prepped for visitors right now, I hope you understand. But please, do make yourself comfortable. Would you care for some coffee or—" She was gesturing him towards a chair, until he spoke, cutting her off.

"Please, there's no need for that, Misaka-sensei." He began politely, sitting on one of the consultation chairs in her office. "Again, I must apologize for not having addressed you properly. I must say, it's quite amazing that someone as young as yourself would be a doctor at such a reputable facility."

"It's fine, I get that a lot actually." She shrugged, taking a seat herself. "I did skip a few years and powered through the medical curriculum. Anyway, I've been told you were looking for me? Though you do seem quite familiar, I can't really remember if we've ever met."

"Oh no, we've never been officially introduced, Sensei." Amazingly, his smile never falters. "Though I have seen you in quite a few of the parties I've attended, it wouldn't be odd for me to know you, considering who you are. Although… we have exchanged a few words over the phone before."

"Over the phone?" Mikoto remarked quizzically. "I don't think I've ever—" Fuck.

Oh no

Ooohhhh noooo please no

"I take it you've figured it out?" He breathed, suddenly getting casual with her, losing that annoying business smile of his. "I must say, I never really thought I'd be meeting one of the legendary Level 5's like this. Not to mention our first actual conversation was about you lying in bed next to—"

"You can stop now." Mikoto face palmed, lamenting over how stupid she was. "I have said this before, but I'm really sorry about that phone call, Kurosawa-san."

Ah yes, the Demon Manager Kurosawa Yuusuke. Of course, of all people, Touma's boss, whom she had mistakenly accused as a stalker because of that god forsaken phone call, just had to waltz right into her office unannounced like this.

He was handsome, she'd give him that. With his flaxen hair and clean appearance. He also knew how to carry himself. He had class and just the right amount of authority all around him. His entire being basically screamed 'Yeah bitch, heir to a conglomerate passing through'. Oddly enough though, he wasn't that irritating? Overbearing as he was, he was also kind of likeable at the same time.

"Pleasantries aside, Misaka-sensei—" oh you sure as hell cast aside all pleasantries. "I was in this building for business matters with your father. But it wouldn't take a genius to figure out why I sought you out, now would it?"

"I'm guessing it has to do with Touma?" She sighed, leaning back into her chair. "Color me surprised when I found him in my apartment with a bruised cheek earlier this week." She said pointedly, shooting Kurosawa a threatening look.

"We're both grown men who know how to handle our matters, Misaka Mikoto-san." Dropping the sensei now too, are we? "I don't see any point in you meddling in that particular affair."

"You don't want me to meddle but you seek me out like this?"

"Look." He sighed exasperatedly. "I'm here more as Kamijou's friend rather than his supervisor. Believe me when I say I really didn't want to get you involved. I've already tried talking to him, but as you may have already guessed, we ended up with fists to the face. But by a stroke of luck, or fate, whichever you believe in, we happened to be in the same place at the same time. So I figured we might as well just have this conversation right now."

"Kurosawa-san, I don't know how you view our relationship as, but I don't interfere much with Touma's matters—"

"Would you still be saying that if I said that his career is in jeopardy right now, Misaka-san?"

Huh?

"…what?" Mikoto asked, his words not registering properly in her mind.

"He's… in a precarious situation. Kamijou has been missing deadlines, he ignores company rules, and he's been getting caught up in arguments with superiors more than necessary. His attitude hasn't been sitting well with the higher ups. Being the son of one of the managers of the main branch, he already had a lot of negative attention on him since he started. But his recent actions only added fuel to the fire." He enumerated, leaving her speechless. "He's also been missing work without due approval or notice. Take this morning for example, he's didn't even—"

"He said he called you." She said as plainly and as calmly as she could, but inside, the nauseating feeling in her gut was finally making sense and everything else was falling apart. That damn idiot. "Touma said he called you earlier this morning and asked for permission."

Kurosawa stared at her face, seemingly gauging her reaction.

"Well, I wouldn't be wasting my precious time by seeking you out like this if he had." He shrugged. "Kamijou is a good person, and a good employee. Admittedly, he can be a bit of a mess, but he does bring great contributions to the team. As a friend and as one of his superiors, I hope you can see where I'm coming from with this, Misaka Mikoto-san."

Mikoto was speechless.

What could she even say to him in that situation?

Disappointed? Pissed? Was there a right term for what she was feeling right now?

"I… I knew he was having some problems…" Mikoto muttered lowly, her arms holding her head over the desk. "But has it really gotten so bad that you had to get into a fight with him? And for you to resort to talking to me like this?"

"…. Let me get one thing straight here, I'm not blaming you for this." Kurosawa's gaze didn't falter as he looked her in the eye. "But I would hate to see Kamijou be let go for something like this. Office politics is a cruel thing, Misaka-san. And there's only so much I can do for him, especially when he's too busy with other things to even try to fix this himself."

The out-of-place lunch time calls, his morning visits, the way he just manages to show up when she calls for him. She really should've known. Deep inside, she already knew. And yet here they were.

"How long has this been going on?" Mikoto asked, inwardly dreading the answer she was about to hear.

"The disdain some of the higher-ups have on him? Since he began working, honestly. But everything else? It wasn't glaringly obvious at first, but I think it started somewhere around March?"

'Right around the time I was about to graduate then…' Mikoto groaned. 'Damn it.'

"I don't know much about your situation—" Kurosawa continued. "But from what I can tell, this is something Kamijou needs to work on himself. However, I can't deny that you might have been a factor in the decisions he's been making over the last week or so. I'm sure there must be a reason why he's so desperate for you. It's almost as if he's scared that you'd disappear once you move away from his line of sight. I've only gotten to know him well since we started working together over the past year, but its painfully obvious to me how much he prioritizes you. Which is why I'm here right now. Help him get his life back on track, Misaka Mikoto-san."

Why do problems like these tend to pop up right after resolving another one?

"I realize that it might be unfair of me to ask this of you. But do know that I speak out of concern for Kamijou. As things stand right now, his track in life runs circles around you. It doesn't move forward or anything, it's just…there. Going in circles, wearing himself thin despite it not leading him anywhere. Living like that won't do either of you any good. So it might be self-justification on my part, but this is for both of your sake's."

Kurosawa stood up, straightening his tie and pulling his suit down firmly.

"I wasn't hoping for a long conversation, nor would my schedule allow it, so I'll be taking my leave now." He gave her a small nod, even though she hadn't responded to any of his words. "Everything I said was merely unsolicited advice, so you may take it with a grain of salt. But I do hope you'll at least consider it. Kamijou is an idiot, but he's a good person. I know that as a fact."

As he made his way towards the door, various thoughts were rushing through Mikoto's head. She had to say something, but what?

"Kurosawa-san." She had called out, even though her mind was a mess. He glanced over at her, his hand on the handle of the door. Now or never, I guess. "… am I a burden to him?"

"Well… I don't know why you asked me that, but I hardly have any right to answer that now do I?" He answered non-chalantly, sliding the door open. "And besides, why ask a question you seemingly already know the answer to?"

And with those words hanging in the air, he slid the door shut, leaving Mikoto by herself, his voice ringing alarmingly in her ears.

-chapter end-

December 16, 2020: Yeah lol hi. Yeah, yeah, I know right. Four months. It took me four months to update this. And all I have to show for it is a chapter shorter than my usual ones. This was at a little more than 5k words. I usually do them around 8k or so. Buuut it is what it is tho. And I honestly think that this should end with that confrontation. Kinda heightens up the anticipation for drama right? Lololol

Anyway, yeah. We have 10 more deaths, but bro lemme tell you. It's gonna breeze through faster than falling dominoes. Quick question to those who actually read this though: Does romance really play that big an impact on life? Like, can it really make or break you? Leave your answers in the reviews if you will. I'm curious.

Thanks for those who will reply. And sorry for the short chapter. Will definitely try to make up for it in the next one. I don't know when the next one will be though lololol. We're steamrolling through things at work to try and get shit done before the holidays. Will most likely sleep like the dead once the actual holidays start. But I promise to try and write!

Keep safe guyssss~!

Side note: NGL, I literally had to back read the entire story just to figure out what Kurosawa's first name was. Turns out, I never gave him one. So he is now my Yuu-chan.