Welcome back to Cherry Jade my lovely readers! (´ヮ`)❤ It's finally the start of the Ber-months! A new season is upon us and I'm hoping ya'll are doing well wherever you are. You've all been so generous with your time, love and support, and I'm so grateful for all of it, for all of you ❤ especially to you my lovely reviewers: Cilenia Alsacia, Einklley, Blake1999, Colleen, joselyn87, Nans, Muyi-pyon, Na-Na (it's so nice not to call you Guest anymore!), Yatzee, lala, RainyRandom, Athzi Halen, and Crystalpxhlqt *:･ﾟ✧
So I was only able to update once on August but I also accomplished two things I've always wanted to show you guys within last month. The first one is I finally finished the OC data sheet I made for Reiya! =D Second, I made an nsfw ReiJiro special for Mikey on his birthday so you might wanna check that out *wink wink* (unless you're a minor then I don't recommend it but what the hell, I'm not your mom. All I gotta say is read at your own risk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). Both can be found on my profile ❤
For this chapter's tidbit:
※ Bōsōzoku is a Japanese subculture associated with gangs and customized bikes. It's basically about rebels running wild with style, and the theme Tokyo Revengers is centered around.
Long chappie ahead! Now come forget reality for a little while and join Reiya advance in her mission to save the love of her life with her heart and intuition as her only guide, meeting key players along the way and the enemy himself.
〖 Chapter Eight 〗
Rescheme and Reintroduction
JULY 20, 2005
As it turned out, Reiya did not meet Hina's boyfriend until eleven days later.
They had just gotten out of cram school, walking side by side on the way home just as they had done countless times before in her previous life. Hina's house was in the same direction of the nearest station, but even if it wasn't Reiya would've gone out of her way to prolong their time together.
She didn't have a time limit (something she confirmed ten days ago when she didn't get ejected out of the past even after spending a full 24 hours there, proving her 'having a trigger' hypothesis to be true), but day by day Reiya found it hard to part with Hina. Lately she'd grown afraid of not seeing her, and while she knew her worries came from a future that didn't even happen yet, it couldn't be denied that it had been a future that existed, a future of a previous life that refused to abate its viselike grip on her.
Hina was alive right now but she also died, and a part of Reiya was still struggling to reconcile with that. Sometimes it was hard listening to her best friend talk and not hear her last words over the phone, or to be with her and not see the depth of the bond they built over the years in her bright, innocent eyes.
It didn't help that Hina was so perceptive, either. But more than that, she was understanding and kind. For twice she'd noticed Reiya's change in behavior and had asked outright what was wrong, but she was also quick to believe her after every reassurance.
Having to lie and hide things from her killed Reiya little, and more than once she'd been tempted to tell Hina everything. The only thing stopping her was her vow to keep Hina safe, and well within that sphere was to let her be as carefree as she could be.
Hina didn't need the agonizing weight of knowing about her own death, especially now when she seemed to have a lot on her mind. She did well in keeping her distress from showing on the surface but whatever it was grew heavier by the day, and it showed.
So Reiya bided her time, waiting for the right opportunity to try and ask her about it. That opportunity was supposed to be today, but she never got the chance to ask for the answer unexpectedly showed up right in front of them, presently taking on the form of a certain bleached blond boy with blue eyes who outright screamed the moment Hina made their presence known.
Amazingly, Hina looked completely unaffected. Reiya, on the other hand, couldn't suppress from wincing at the shrill rise of volume at such a close range. She glanced from Hina's frowning face to her boyfriend's openly guilty one, and instantly felt her eyebrows pull together in bewildered distaste.
'This…this is Takemichi-kun? And what's this? Is he hiding something from Hina-chan?'
"Hina! Wh-wh-what are you doing here!?" he queried in fright, making Reiya narrow her eyes.
'He's definitely hiding something from Hina-chan.'
"I'm on my way home from cram school with a girl friend," Hina answered with admirable calm before returning the question. "And what are you doing here, Takemichi-kun?"
Reiya immediately cleared her expression the instant Takemichi's eyes went to hers. Then they flicked back to Hina's as he spluttered for a reply, prompting the other girl to scrutinize him some more. Feeling somewhat de trop in what was rapidly becoming a stand-off between two troubled lovers, Reiya obligingly hanged back and tried to look as unobtrusive as possible, but her attention was caught when Hina turned away and said, "You haven't been acting like yourself lately, Takemichi-kun. And today you're the adult Takemichi-kun."
Both Reiya and Takemichi stiffened at the speculation, her questioning gaze locking unto Hina's solemn figure.
'Adult…Takemichi-kun? What does she mean by that?'
Reiya's eyes slid back to the blond while Hina went on to disclose just what caused her to say such a thing. For some reason, Takemichi didn't look confused at all. He looked taken aback and apprehensive, an interesting reaction to a statement that should've perplexed him.
A heavy silence followed. Hina turned to look at Reiya then. "I'm sorry you had to bear with this, Rei-chan. You can go ahead if you want."
Reiya drew close and took the shorter girl's shoulders in a gently bolstering grip. "Don't be, I don't mind. You've been holding it in the whole week, haven't you? I'm not leaving you now."
Hina's eyes shone with gratified relief and Reiya smiled as she added, "Besides, I've been waiting to meet your boyfriend, right? I'm so glad I finally get to meet him now."
And it was true. Reiya was vastly relieved to finally meet Takemichi. Her life went smoothly regarding school, the studio, and her family, but there had been absolutely zero progress when it came to her self-appointed mission of keeping Manjiro from falling into the path of darkness. Mostly because she had zero access to him and the gang he was running.
On her counter-Kisaki strategy, Reiya had to put her stalking operations on-hold due to having her hands full on perfecting the piece she intended to present at the concours. However, she continued observing Kisaki as much as she could in school and was able to ascertain that he was a certified lonewolf who preferred to eat his lunches alone in their school's private courtyard, likes plants, hates dairy for some reason, and was likely to be found in the library most of the time. All of which were completely unhelpful information.
Hina chuckled, the tension from before finally leaving her face. "Right, I'll introduce you two."
They turned to Takemichi, making him flinch underneath their sudden collective regards.
'He made Hina-chan sad and looks somewhat hopeless…but I need to earn his trust if I intend to get his help.'
"Rei-chan, this is my boyfriend Hanagaki Takemichi-kun. Takemichi-kun, I'd like you to meet my treasured best friend from cram school, Yunagi Reiya."
Reiya blushed and chuckled at 'treasured best friend' before giving Takemichi an amiable smile, a smile that slowly drifted away when she saw his expression. The blond appeared stunned the moment Hina uttered her name, gawking unabashedly like he couldn't believe his eyes.
"You're Yunagi Reiya!?" he exclaimed before spinning to Hina. "And you're best friends with her!?"
"Un, since first year…" Hina furrowed her brows. "Why are you suddenly acting like this, Takemichi-kun?"
"Um…Have we met?" Reiya asked. She knew they haven't, but Takemichi's strange reactions made her antsy.
Takemichi quickly shook his head and gave her a wide, self-conscious smile. "Oh, uh, i-it's just I heard a lot about you from Hina!"
Hina gave him a dubious look. "You did?"
"Y-Yeah! She plays the violin, right?"
The shorter girl gave him a long, suspicious stare. Takemichi began to sweat bullets and Reiya would've found it hilarious if she didn't share Hina's suspicions.
"Hm. I guess I did," Hina conceded. She flashed Reiya a cheeky smile. "I did tell him a lot about you, Rei-chan, but don't worry! I didn't tell him anything weird. Right, Takemichi-kun?"
Takemichi laughed awkwardly in response before bending his torso down towards the taller girl. "I'm sorry for being rude just now! It's nice to meet you, Yunagi-san. Thank you for taking care of my girlfriend!"
Reiya blinked and smiled with unexpected pleasure. 'For a delinquent he's surprisingly courteous.'
She readily smiled at Takemichi the moment he straightened, tucking her hair behind one ear, exposing her red cherry earring clearly to the world. "It's nice to finally meet you, too, Takemichi-kun. I hope we'll get along well."
Takemichi jerked back in surprise. At first Reiya thought it was because she used his first name but his eyes were on her ear, or specifically, on her earring. She opened her mouth, about to ask why he looked so spooked when his phone rang. Hina pointed it out and he immediately fished it out of his pocket, the anxiety on his face quickly taken over by surprise.
"Oh, it's Draken-kun," Takemichi announced before taking the call.
'One of his delinquent friends?' Reiya guessed. 'Someone from Toman, maybe?'
The phone call ended up being one-sided. It didn't even last a minute. "Uh, Hina…sorry but Draken-kun wants to see me right now," Takemichi said, holding his phone up for emphasis.
Hina smiled wide, and it looked subtly threatening even to Reiya.
"Then I guess I'm going with you," she decided cheerfully.
Takemichi gave voice to Reiya's thoughts. "Seriously?"
Hina's smile didn't falter. "Well he's your friend, isn't he?" She turned to the tall girl beside her, her features softening. "I'm sorry I can't go to the station with you after all, Rei-chan. I have to go with Takemichi-kun now."
Reiya gave her a reassuring smile. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Although I can't help but wonder where you're heading off to at this hour."
"I don't know either, but we're going to see Takemichi-kun's friend." Hina leaned closer before adding sotto voce, "One of the scary looking delinquent guys I told you about."
Reiya stifled a gasp. "T-then I'm going with you, too!"
"Eh?" the couple uttered simultaneously.
Reiya sent Hina an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Hina-chan. I know you want to spend more time with your boyfriend and with just the two of you, but I just can't rest easy knowing who you're about to meet up with."
She looked at Takemichi and took a step towards him. "Hina told me about what happened almost two weeks ago in school. The two delinquents who came to pick you up then…They're from Toman, aren't they?"
Takemichi's eyes widened. Reiya sallied forth, holding his gaze with an unwavering stare. "I was relieved to hear nothing bad happened to Hina-chan, and I'm grateful that you protected her, but that doesn't erase the fact that she almost got hurt. So if you're going to meet up with a Toman member right now then I need to go with you because it's possible that you'd be exposing Hina-chan to danger again."
The blond winced. It appeared he didn't think that through and although the knowledge rankled, Reiya softened her stance, measuring out her words so that he'd have no choice but to accept.
"I know we just met and that I'm being unreasonable right now, and I know they're your friends and that they probably wouldn't do anything to scare Hina-chan again…But I want to be right by Hina-chan's side just in case something happens and I would appreciate it if you'd let me."
The couple stared at her with shared amazement.
"Rei-chan…" Hina uttered softly.
Reiya looked at her and smiled. "I'm not in a hurry to go home, anyway."
"Well…I guess it's alright," Takemichi said as he rubbed a hand on his nape. "I don't know what Draken-kun wants with me but it shouldn't be anything dangerous. At least I hope so..."
Reiya offered him encouraging smile. "Then let's go and find out, shall we?"
Takemichi led the way and soon they were heading deep into the suburbs. The couple walked side by side while Reiya opted to walk behind them, giving them their space as well as taking a moment to organize her own thoughts. She meant what she said to the blond when it came to Hina's safety, and yet a part of her felt guilty for using that as a means to accomplish what she really sought to do by going with them.
Nevertheless, Reiya knew in her gut that this was the opportunity she's been desperately looking for. If not now, then when? And if Hina knew about the truth she would surely forgive her, wouldn't she?
The two were currently engaged in a private conversation Reiya prudently tried to ignore. Until Hina mentioned that it made her happy spending time with her boyfriend just like that, just walking and talking about nothing and everything, just being able to be with him.
Hina sounded undeniably in love, the purity and radiance of her sentiments almost too much for Reiya to bear.
'I must've looked like that, too, when I told Jiro-kun I wanted to be with him…' she thought with a small wistful smile. 'But it turns out it wasn't possible after all, and Jiro-kun knew that…'
She brought her gaze upwards to the navy blue sky, every beat of her heart calling out to the boundless space for one who was simultaneously near and yet so far away.
'Jiro-kun…I won't let you fall into the path of no return. If I succeed…No. I'll do anything to succeed…So will you let me be with you then?'
Takemichi remained silent at his girlfriend's proclamation. Reiya watched him closely and saw – with some welcome surprise – the unmistakable light of devotion in his big blue eyes.
'Oh. So he loves Hina-chan after all.' Reiya smiled before frowning reflectively. 'But why did he break up with her? Why did he intentionally break Hina-chan's heart?'
She fixed her eyes on his back. 'I'll get to the bottom of that, too.'
The spacious parking lot situated at the foot of Musashi Shrine hummed with a ghostly ambiance by the time the trio arrived. They stood in silence and mutual anticipation for about three minutes until Hina turned to her boyfriend and asked, "Is this where you're meeting the others?"
Takemichi, with both hands in his pockets, looked around as he replied, "Yeah...This is where Draken-kun told me to come."
"Then I guess this just means we're the first ones to arrive," Reiya observed.
No later did the words leave her mouth when they heard the sudden rumble of what sounded like a hundred motorcycle engines. Dozens of blaring lights burst out from down the lane, flooding the street with fluorescent rays as a large group of bikers approached.
Reiya couldn't help from freezing up while Hina slid behind Takemichi's back, the three of them watching apprehensively as the bikers drove and settled into the empty lot before them, rapidly filling up the space with the grating noise of revving exhausts and smog and nasty looking delinquents.
All of them were wearing black uniforms with golden needlework, the iconic Manji symbol and the words 'Throughout the Heavens, I alone am the Honored One' standing out with powerful clarity.
Reiya kept her eyes in front of her, her face pale but composed as she took a step forward to block Hina from their sight. "It looks like you weren't called out here to meet with just a few Toman members, Takemichi-kun." She threw him a quick sidelong glance. "But the entirety of Toman."
Takemichi visibly swallowed at that and Reiya observed him for a second.
'That reaction…Is this the first time he's seen them, too? As I thought…He isn't a member yet. So how did he become friends with Jiro-kun?'
"They look really scary," Hina commented behind the blond.
"D-don't worry. I'm here. Just don't look at any of them in the eye," he told her.
Reiya couldn't resist from chuckling at the suggestion. "Are they wild animals?" she asked rhetorically before giving Hina a smile over her shoulder. "I'm here too, Hina-chan. I won't let anything happen to you."
Hina gave her a small relieved smile in return and Reiya turned to scan the boisterous group of delinquents in front of her, noting with a chill at how the shared illumination of their headlights blazed like a hundred torchlights, lighting up the lot with the unsettling sense of a hunt in the making.
'So this is the Tokyo Manji Gang in middle school…I don't see Jiro-kun anywhere, but these boys…Does he really have full authority over all of them? How did he even do that? Come to think of it, why did Jiro-kun create Toman in the first place?' Her eyes narrowed the deeper she thought about it. And the deeper Reiya thought about it, the more it made her head hurt.
'No good. I can't even imagine how that happened, but I suppose I'll get my answers eventually. For now, I mustn't be afraid. These boys all look so strong and tough, but I'm still an adult and the oldest one here so I have to get my act together.'
Reiya hadn't even finished the thought when she saw someone stomp his way towards them, making her expel an internal sigh.
'And it looks like I have to do it right now.'
"HEY!"
The delinquent who approached had a punch perm and was glaring daggers straight at Takemichi.
"'The fuck are you starin' at, huh!? Get the hell outta here!"
Poor Takemichi barely got any word out when a bulkier delinquent got close, looming over Reiya with a leer before shooting him with a snarling, "The hell are ya doin' here with two girls, ya dipshit? This ain't no date joint!"
Takemichi looked thoroughly intimidated but he held his ground. He barred an arm across Reiya's direction and took a small step forward, indisputably putting the two girls behind him in the process, a move that was not lost on either of them.
"I-I was just invited here, and—"
"Bullshit! You got any idea where you are right now!? Piss off!" the first delinquent spat.
Reiya saw him about to grab Takemichi. She moved to intervene, whipping a hand out in front of his face to get his attention. The good news was; the punch perm delinquent stopped immediately and Takemichi was left unscathed. The bad news; the nasty glare he was pinning Takemichi with switched to hers.
Reiya steeled herself, keeping her face clear of any unease she might've felt. "We were invited here by a guy named Draken," she imposed, the sound of her voice ringing out like the unyielding strike of a blade.
The two boys immediately jerked back, their faces morphing in complete disbelief. At the same time, Reiya noticed a few conversations die around them and felt more than a few gazes falling on her but she paid them no mind, her eyes fastened on the dumbstruck delinquent before her.
"Ya think we're gonna believe ya just like that!?" cried the bulky delinquent. "There's no way Draken's gonna invite some chicks and a wimp to a Toman gathering!"
"I'm telling you the truth," Reiya said evenly.
She heard Takemichi shuffle behind her. "Uh, Y-Yunagi-san—"
Reiya cut him off, not sparing him a glance as she looked from one delinquent to the other. "If you don't believe me, why don't you go find him and ask?" she suggested, regarding them with a dispassionate sincerity that neither took kindly to.
"This bitch's lookin' down on us!"
"You orderin' us around!?"
On the inside, Reiya placed a hand against her forehead and sighed.
'Oh dear. These boys would rather stick to having their tantrums than have a civilized conversation with me. I should've known.'
On the outside, she remained calm and unblinking. Reiya didn't budge, not even when she heard Hina gasp as they started for her.
"Who the fuck do you think you are—!?"
"Listen 'ere bitch—!"
"Back the fuck off."
Reiya and the two delinquents froze. So did Hina and Takemichi. They all turned to the new voice and the black-haired girl couldn't stop from feeling some part of her deflate in relief the moment her eyes fell on who it belonged to: a tall attractive teen with what appeared to be silver-colored hair and eyes, sporting a thick black hoop earring with a silver cross design on his left ear.
He drew closer with an incriminating scowl, stopping right beside Reiya but not taking his eyes off the two delinquents as he stared them down. Whoever he was, it dawned on her that he must've held a significant position within the gang for the two immediately listened and openly showed penitence in his presence.
"What the hell're you doing scaring girls and the commander's guest for, you shitheads?"
"Sorry, sir!" the two chorused.
"I didn't know!" the delinquent with the punch perm added before giving a quick bow and hurriedly slinking away.
He watched them go before turning to Reiya with a kind and steady gaze. "You alright?"
Reiya searched his face for a moment. 'For a Toman member, I'm not picking up any bad vibes from him. Maybe he's just like Jiro-kun, a respectable delinquent...'
"Yes, thank you very much," she replied, giving him a kind and steady smile of her own.
He smiled back, his eyes lingering on her face for a few extra beats before going over to the forgotten blond on her right. "You're Takemitchy, right? Why'd you bring two girls with you?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.
"Y-yeah, and, uh, t-that's because this is my girlfriend, Tachibana Hinata," Takemichi answered as he indicated to the short girl before lifting a hand towards the taller girl. "And this is my girlfriend's girl friend, Yunagi-san."
The silver-haired teen gave him a half-amused, half-skeptical smile. "Well, I guess it's no big deal. It's nice to meet you. The name's Mitsuya." He turned sideways and tipped his chin towards a specific direction. "Come with me."
The trio followed him with no questions asked. Mitsuya led them near the edge of the lot and Reiya's heart seized, the rhythm escalating with every step she took as she realized just where, or who, he was taking them to.
She struggled to moderate her breathing, keeping her eyes on her feet as she followed closely behind Hina and Takemichi. They stopped and Reiya was slow to lift her head, letting out a slow breath as she leveled her gaze on Toman's leader.
The pale-blond boy was a version of Manjiro Reiya could never conceive. It seemed as if the whole world stopped as she took him in, wearing his commander's uniform and sitting astride his gleaming Babu. The sight of it filled Reiya's stomach with cold and hot flutters. It wasn't even a long time ago when she rode behind him on it, and yet both the bike and its owner were not the same ones she knew.
'That's right…The Jiro-kun before me right now isn't really Jiro-kun. Right now he is 'Mikey' of Toman, and I must never forget that.'
Still, it didn't make the boy in front of her look anything less than stunning. 'Mikey' exuded the same beguiling charm of the man she knew and loved, looking completely at ease but irrefutably compelling even when sitting down.
Mikey saw the bleached blond first, his gaze lazily locking on to him as he spoke. But then his pitch-black eyes sharpened and flicked up to catch hers without warning the moment he finished speaking.
Reiya's breath stuttered in her throat and for a moment she'd gone deaf with the wild timpani of her heartbeat. She could barely comprehend the conversation taking place between Hina and someone else right beside her, all of her senses locked on Mikey and only him as she watched his expression shift with recognition and mild surprise.
"Oh? And the Cherry girl's here too."
A tall shadowed figure stepped in front of her, making her jolt a little. Reiya's eyes flew up to his face and instantly recognized him as the tall braided blond she saw with Mikey twelve days ago by the Taiyaki stall. She didn't get a good look at him then, but now that they were face-to-face the first thing she noticed was the very familiar, very nostalgic stylized dragon tattoo on the left side of his shaved head.
'That tattoo…! Why does he have it?'
Reiya's mouth parted to ask but what came out instead was a distracted, "C-Cherry girl?"
"Ah, sorry about that. It's what Mikey over there," he indicated with a jut of his thumb behind him, "called you back then and it sorta stuck. That was you, right?"
Reiya dipped her chin in a small nod. "Y-yes."
"Wait. You know each other?" Takemichi asked, while Hina curiously glanced from Reiya to the tall blond, then back to Reiya.
"We met once," he replied. "What about you, Takemitchy. You know her?"
The shorter blond flinched and hesitated, clearly not certain how to answer that when they also just met.
"She's my best girl friend," Hina helpfully supplied.
"I see." The tall blond turned to look at Reiya with a disarming half-smile. "I'm Ryuguji Ken, but I go by Draken. I didn't think I'd see you again and here of all places, but it's nice to meet you."
Reiya's heart jolted with more recognition but she kept it under wraps as she stared up into his dark eyes, which was starting to look suspiciously like Mikey's.
'He doesn't seem so bad, either. And that tattoo...He must be someone important to Jiro-kun.'
"Yunagi Reiya," she returned with an amiable smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Draken."
Unbeknownst to the two, Mikey had slid off his bike, giving Reiya a minor heart attack when he suddenly appeared beside her.
"Hey that's not fair, Ken-chin," he said, shooting the taller blond a pouty glare. "I met her first. Why're you getting the drop on me?"
Draken huffed amusedly through his nose and stepped back to make space for the shorter blond. "I was tryin' to ease things. Why don't you actually introduce yourself properly first?"
Mikey pouted some more but it melted away the moment he set his eyes on Reiya. He smiled, the gesture relaxed and welcoming and so tenderly familiar that it made her chest catch with suffocating warmth.
"Hey. Sorry for making you cry last time."
Had he started in any other way, Reiya might've been able to maintain her composure, uphold the calm she'd painstakingly mustered to face him, be an adult about it. But no, Mikey decided to be upfront (not that she could blame him). He'd always been so direct when he wanted to be. And apparently, it was a trait he'd exercised in full measure even in the past.
Mortified, Reiya hastily tried to clear the misunderstanding. "Oh! That wasn't your fault at all! I was just coasting high on emotions that day, you don't have to apologize!"
Mikey tilted his head, his shoulders relaxing. "Really?"
"Yes, really. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize for suddenly acting like that. You must've been so confused, I'm so sorry."
Reiya bowed her head. She'd never want for him to feel guilty of anything her own actions caused, and the knowledge that it bothered him enough to apologize was squeezing her heart with a force that threatened to break it.
"Hey, it's cool. Besides, you got me those Taiyaki for free."
Reiya lifted her head and was nearly immolated by the sight of his warm and brilliant smile.
"I've always wanted to thank you for that," Mikey continued brightly. "It's not every day I get to have free food."
Draken, who had been trying to look like he wasn't listening to them the entire time, snapped his head back to Mikey and frowned. "What do you call the snacks I get for you every damn day then?"
Mikey blinked, looking up at him with deliberate incomprehension and making Reiya laugh. Draken sighed with beleaguered patience and left them alone as he called for someone by the name of 'Emma'. Mikey's gaze switched to hers just as her laughter began to fade, her smile lingering when she saw his eyes fasten on the dimple in her left cheek.
Reiya's face grew unbearably warm. Her fingers grew restless and she tucked a lock of her hair behind her right ear as she self-consciously averted her gaze, but not before catching the way his eyes travelled up to the red cherry earring she just uncovered.
"Yunagi Reiya, right?" she heard Mikey ask.
Reiya brought herself to meet his eyes again, heart hot and hammering in her chest. "Yes, that's right...W-what about you?" she asked, remembering that this was supposed to be their first formal introduction.
The pale-haired blond contemplated her for a long, heart-fluttering moment.
"Sano Manjiro," he answered, smiling gently. "You can call me Mikey. Can I call you 'Cherry-chan'?"
The question went through her like lightning. Reiya couldn't answer right away, noting with awe that although Mikey's expression was neutrally relaxed, he sounded almost as if he couldn't help himself.
A part of her missed being called that, longed to hear those words from his mouth again, and yet a part of her found it hard to enjoy somehow. Mikey undoubtedly became interested in her and while that realization filled her with a fluttering sense of accomplishment, it also caused a rift between what she was supposed to do and what she was supposed to feel.
'But this is my chance, isn't it? This is my chance to get close to Jiro-ku—no…to Mikey. I mustn't hesitate. I can only go forward from here.'
"Y-Yes. I like it," Reiya answered, smiling reassuringly with a tenderness she just couldn't restrain. She knew Mikey was technically not her Jiro-kun despite him being one and the same, but the feelings she had for him now were as pure and warm as the early morning sunshine.
Mikey appeared stunned for a second but he was quick to smooth it over with a wide, closed-eyed smile. "Cool. This means we're friends now, okay?"
Reiya chuckled. "Yeah," she assented softly. "We're friends."
"You jerk!"
Startled at the sudden surge of her best friend's voice, Reiya turned and winced once her eyes fell on a bruised and kneeling Takemichi, while Hina stormed off after seemingly beating him up.
"Huh. I wonder what happened," Mikey mused.
Reiya flushed. She was on the same boat. Apparently, the two of them were so engrossed in their little bubble that they didn't even notice what was happening outside of it.
Reluctantly, Reiya moved away from him. "E-excuse me, Mikey…I have to see to her."
Mikey slid his hands inside his pockets and smiled. "Mn. See you later, Cherry-chan."
Reiya didn't look back but she could feel him watching her. She steeled against the insistent, ticklish sensation as she passed by Takemichi on her way to Hina, throwing him a small pitying smile before flitting her eyes up to the blonde girl on his left. She was incredibly beautiful; her figure petite but fully developed, her eyes the color of honey and heavily-lashed.
'Is that the 'Emma' Draken called? Is she the reason why Hina-chan is so mad?'
Their gazes connected for a second. The girl looked away and Reiya fixed her eyes on her best friend's fuming figure, reaching her at the same time Draken hollered for the meeting to start.
"Hina-chan? What's wrong?"
Hina stopped short but didn't turn to look at Reiya. "I can't believe him!" she burst out, shaking nonstop with the force of her temper. "Takemichi-kun that jerk. He went to that girl earlier and— and—…! And he did dirty stuff with her!"
Stunned, Reiya went around her so they were face-to-face. Incipient irritation on her best friend's behalf began to boil in her gut. She knew the bleached blond was hiding something from Hina but she didn't think he'd cheat on her with someone in the same friend group.
"Did he say that?" she inquired sympathetically.
"No," Hina bit off, "but that girl did!"
"Umm…excuse me?"
Hina tensed and Reiya looked up to acknowledge the said girl. She appeared to have something to say and so Reiya waited, carefully masking the reflexive feelings of protective wariness with neutral expectancy on her face.
"Emma, yes? What is it?"
The blonde nodded. "Yeah. So…Draken told me to look after you—"
"I don't need to be looked after," Hina interrupted with a huff and a toss of her head. "I already have Rei-chan, anyway!"
She sought refuge by wrapping her arms around the taller girl's waist and hiding her face in her chest. "I'm so glad you're here with me, Rei-chan. I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't here," Hina mumbled.
Worried but readily indulgent, Reiya smoothed her hair down and comforted her. "There, there, Hina-chan. I got you."
Emma cleared her throat, looking uneasy but determined as she trained her honey-colored eyes on Hina's back. "Look, I know you're mad and I get that, but let me just say that nothing happened between me and your boyfriend. I don't even like him that way."
Hina held still. At the same time, Reiya felt some of the tension leave her body.
Emma continued, "I got him to go to karaoke with me and I decided to tease him a little so I stripped, but I swear nothing happened between us. He didn't even touch me."
"He didn't?" Hina asked warily, slowly detaching herself from Reiya's embrace but not dropping her disapproving pout one bit.
"Yeah. Although your boyfriend willingly went with me, I was the one with the ulterior motives, not him."
Reiya felt a frown pull at her mouth but she stopped it from fully showing. Emma had presented herself in such an irreverent and yet strangely earnest light that it led Reiya to think there was something more to her seemingly thoughtless actions.
"What motives?" she inquired patiently.
It took a while for Emma to reply, her gaze suddenly having trouble meeting theirs. She started to fidget in place, looking bashful and defensive, making the two girls share a look.
In the next second, understanding dawned and they both stared at her with mutual astonishment. They both knew that look and the feelings behind it. It was living in them.
"You're in love," Reiya realized aloud.
Emma confirmed it with a blush and the taller girl couldn't help from giggling amusedly at how pure she actually was in spite of her flashy looks.
"Oh, I see," Reiya added sagely, still chuckling as she regarded Hina with a playful smile. "Hina-chan, it looks like Emma-chan here used Takemichi-kun to make someone jealous."
Hina's eyebrows lifted. "Eh? Really?" She studied Emma closely. "Wait a minute…Is that someone Draken-kun? Is that why you acted like that earlier?"
Emma's eyes went wide and her face turned even redder. "How'd you two figure that out so quickly!?"
The two girls chuckled. Hina drew closer to Emma and Reiya's smile turned fond as she watched her best friend begin to sympathize with the girl she'd just been mad at. It was a part of Hina that never changed throughout the years, how she was always willing to set aside differences in order to help another.
The three of them moved for somewhere to sit while Mikey and the rest of Toman went up Musashi Shrine. Once the lot was cleared of the males, Reiya saw that they weren't the only girls around, instantly deducing that they were closely – if not intimately – affiliated with some of the members.
They watched the boys go up the grand central stairway for a while. Reiya didn't know how gangs operated, convinced they were naught but a rowdy bunch with no discipline, but watching Toman right now had her inwardly amazed. The air had changed, and with it their behavior, their coordination smooth and surprisingly ceremonial. Their pride was obvious, their respect for the gang and its leaders even more so.
'Are all gangs like this?' Reiya wondered.
The three of them managed to find an unoccupied niche with concrete benches. Reiya and Hina sat together, while Emma opted to have another bench all to herself. Proper introductions followed, which led Emma to reveal that she was actually Mikey's sister.
Reiya stared at her in shock. 'So Jiro-kun had a sister? But they're so different…'
"Half sister," Emma clarified, reading her expression. "We have the same father and I'm younger by one year. I know it sounds unbelievable—"
"I believe you," Reiya stated promptly. "I have a half sibling, too. And we don't look alike at all."
Emma smiled at her and Reiya smiled back. But on the inside, Reiya's smile disappeared, replaced by a bolstering determination that had her nearly bouncing on her seat in excitement.
'There's still so much I don't know about Jiro-kun, but here's someone who knows a lot about him.'
"Do you usually go to these gatherings?" Hina asked. "Isn't it scary?"
"Not all the time. It gets annoying sometimes, but not scary. Besides…" Emma crossed her legs and grinned. "They wouldn't dare to mess with me knowing who I am and I know how to kick ass. You gotta be tough if you wanna be around these guys." She dropped the grin and shrugged. "Not like I have a choice, though." She flicked her gaze to Hina. "What about you? You're dating a literal delinquent. Doesn't it get hard sometimes?"
"Sometimes," Hina admitted, her gaze falling on the ground. "There are times when Takemichi-kun becomes unpredictable, and most of the time he doesn't tell me what he's up to or where he is, but..." She looked up and smiled. "He looks after me in his own way, and it's not like I didn't know what I was signing up for when I confessed to him. I've come to understand that that's just part of loving him and being with him."
Emma and Reiya looked at her with soft, empathetic smiles.
"I totally get you," the blonde said. "You gotta know what you're in for if you wanna get with them in the first place." She paused and laughed before adding, "Then again, you've got to be not normal yourself if you wanna date a delinquent."
"Hey, I'm totally normal!" Hina protested. "And Rei-chan's totally normal too!"
Reiya blinked and gave Hina a quizzical smile. "Why am I suddenly included?"
The shorter girl tilted her head, pinning her with an innocent look.
"Don't you wanna date Mikey-kun?"
It took Reiya a full second to rein in the furious blush that threatened to spill all over her face. But it was too late. The two girls were already on to her.
Emma leaned close with a hand on her mouth. "Oho~? Is that true, is that true~?"
Reiya didn't want to deny or confirm it so she didn't respond. Instead, she shot Hina a mock-shamed glance and asked, "Hina-chan, why do you say that?"
"I'm sorry, I should've confirmed it with you first," Hina said with a placating smile. "It's just that I couldn't help but notice some things."
"What things?" Emma prompted curiously while Reiya nervously, but determinedly, nodded for her to continue.
"Well, remember when we went out last week? When I told you about what happened at school with Takemichi-kun, Draken-kun and Mikey-kun. That time, when we talked about Mikey-kun, it was like you knew about him. Then, you suddenly wanted to come with Takemichi-kun and I when I mentioned his friends. And finally, watching you and Mikey-kun earlier confirmed that you've met before, so I thought…that maybe you've liked him for quite some time now."
Reiya parted her lips to reply but no words would come out. She could only stare at her best friend with a wondering gaze.
Hina smiled as she went on to add, "And you've been very expressive lately, Rei-chan. I'd like to think it's because you finally found someone you really like." She took a thoughtful pause and looked away. "Someone who doesn't resemble your dad, that is," she muttered beneath her breath.
Emma grinned and leaned even closer. "So do you like 'im? You like my big bro?"
"I-it's not that…" Reiya managed, the heat in her cheeks escalating as she struggled with the effort to stay composed. "It's just…I can't..."
Hina's eyebrows drew together in obvious concern. "You can't? Why not?"
"Yeah, why not?" Emma piped up. "From what I just saw back there, Mikey's totally interested in you, too."
Reiya flushed and couldn't stop from closing her eyes in internal lament. 'I can't because I'm twelve years older than all of you!'
She opened her eyes and straightened. "No, I mean, I was just really curious to see what kind of person Toman's leader is. And Emma-chan, Mikey-kun became interested in me because of the Taiyaki I gave him last time so he just probably wanted to be friends with me because of that, that's all."
Emma leaned back with a disbelieving, "Heeeh~? So that happened, huh? Okay, maybe you're right. Mikey is a hopeless moocher, but let me just tell you he doesn't give nicknames to just anybody, Cherry-chan~."
Reiya squirmed with the effort to keep her expression under control while Emma laughed with a knowing glint in her eye.
'I was wrong. Jiro-kun and Emma-chan aren't so different after all!'
Reiya cleared her throat and composed herself. It was time to focus with the mission at hand.
"So, Emma-chan…What do you think they're talking about up there?" she asked.
Almost immediately, the three of them collectively looked up Musashi Shrine.
"I'm curious about that, too," Hina added.
The blonde put her hands behind her and leaned back, bracing her weight as she replied, "Oh, that. The gang's gathering in preparation for war."
Reiya's eyes widened. She didn't know what kind of answer she was expecting but it definitely wasn't that. She was even more surprised at the lackadaisical way Emma had delivered it, suggesting that it was a frequent occurrence.
"W-war?" Hina echoed, looking just as frightened as Reiya.
"Un. All because of a conflict one of Toman's captains got into with another gang called Moebius."
Reiya's breath hitched, that one word ringing in her ears. "Moebius?"
"Yeah. They're a bunch of real assholes running Shinjuku and they're two generations above Toman," Emma said. "Draken and Mikey wouldn't tell me the details, but apparently it's bad enough that an all-out war is pretty much the only way to deal with those guys."
The two best friends were quiet for a while, quietly absorbing the information they just heard and mutually trying to reconcile with the reality of the Bōsōzoku world they just walked into. Hina looked concerned mainly for Takemichi's sake, but Reiya's disquiet was wrought with an aggravated edge.
'Kisaki is a member of Moebius right now, isn't he? And Moebius is about to enter a war with Toman. If that's how it is, then how on earth did Kisaki become a Toman member? Is this possibly where Kisaki had contact with Toman and Jiro-kun in the first place?'
The questions plagued Reiya for the rest of their waiting time. She pushed it to the back of her mind as she asked more about Toman from Emma, getting all the information she could get and learning that the gang had five divisions led by its respective captains, was established around two years before, and that it currently had around 100 members including the commander and vice-commander, with the latter being Draken.
What Reiya didn't ask was why Mikey created Toman. She wanted to hear about that from the founding commander himself. She wanted to know more about him, learn more about him...his story, his origins, his reasons...and she wanted to hear all of that from him.
Soon enough, the meeting didn't take long to finish and they heard the loud, boisterous clamour of masculine hoots and cheers resounding all throughout the hill.
Emma hopped up to her feet, dusting the back of her skirt and stretching her arms above her head. "Guess it's time to go. Finally," she breathed. "I still have to make dinner, you know."
"So you're usually the one who cooks at your house?" Hina asked admiringly.
"Yup. It's my strong point," Emma stated proudly.
Reiya drew close towards the blonde with a bashful, hesitant smile. She liked Emma, with her effervescent nature and dry wit, and Reiya could already see the blonde as someone reliable in the future, someone trustworthy. And while a small, small part of her might have had qualms about why she wanted to be close to Emma in the first place, Reiya was also keenly aware of how she's already way passed the point of holding back.
"Emma-chan, would you like to exchange contacts with me?"
Emma turned to face the taller girl fully while Hina looked on with bewildered interest.
"It's just…I get the feeling we'd be seeing you a lot in the future," Reiya explained, "and I would love to be friends with you, so, if you don't mind…"
Emma laughed. "Sure! Geez, don't go all shy on me now!" She brought her phone out but didn't give her number right away. Instead, she glanced towards the other girl and amicably asked, "Do you want my number too, Hina?"
Hina blinked at the use of her first name but didn't object. "Um, yeah, okay! I'd like to be friends with you as well, Emma-chan."
The three girls exchanged contacts with matching smiles. After that, Emma led them closer to the shrine's grand central stairway just as the boys began to descend. Mikey was at the fore, followed by a handful of flashy looking guys Reiya could only identify as the other captains. She spotted Takemichi next, who was walking a little ways off behind Draken and Mitsuya, looking oddly out of place despite being a delinquent himself.
And he seemed to know it.
Still, it couldn't be denied that there was something about him, an untarnished quality that elicited interest from Toman's top two. He immediately located Hina and made a beeline for her while the rest of the gang dispersed to their respective rides. Emma gave each girl a small wave and a huge smile before striding away towards Draken.
Reiya's eyes lingered on Mikey's figure. Slowly, he turned his head as if to survey his surroundings and she turned away, not giving their gazes a chance to meet. Hina and Takemichi began to leave the lot and she followed closely behind them, not having the slightest idea of the multiple stares that followed her in her wake.
"Hey, I know that girl."
Mikey didn't turn to look at Pah-chin at his sudden pronouncement. That's because from the corner of his eyes, he already saw his friend looking onto the same direction of the girl he had just been looking at.
Outside of Draken who was actually there when it happened, no one else knew about his first encounter with Reiya. Mikey never told anyone and he'd even stopped thinking about it the past week. She had given the impression of someone with no business of getting herself involved with gangs and everything it entailed, and Mikey had no business getting involved with her type, who seemed too fine and delicate to ever belong in the world he was living in. He had decided that they were both better off never meeting again.
If only he could forget about the look she gave him that day.
It haunted him almost every waking moment, and it didn't help that he'd wanted to know why she'd even looked at him like that in the first place.
But Mikey could've lived with it. It wasn't really a loss, its remnant weight nothing compared to what he'd already carried inside him, of living a life with its ample share of things he'd learned to live without.
But then she turned up unexpectedly once again, smiling at him with that cuteass dimple and a dash of that same tenderness he couldn't forget sparkling in her eyes like starlight.
Deep in his gut Mikey knew there was no escaping her now. She was friends with Hina and Takemichi, she was friends with him, and now one of his very own captains actually knew her. To know her name, to know that she wasn't so out of reach as he initially thought after all…
Mikey blinked back into the present.
Curious as he was, he kept silent and waited. He didn't have to wait a second longer as just as expected, Peh-yan went on to expand the topic with his helpful follow-up question.
"Which one, Pah-chin? The big one or the small one?"
"The big one," came Pah-chin's gruff reply. "We live in the same neighborhood."
"How well do you know her, Pah?"
The question came from Mitsuya.
Mikey slid his eyes to the silver-haired teen. Mitsuya's expression gave nothing away, but he'd been the one who brought her along with Takemichi and his girlfriend to him earlier. It could not be ruled out he became interested in her then. Or, maybe he saw her as a little sister he wanted to protect. Girls were always more or less little sisters to Mitsuya. That had to be it.
"I don't. I don't even know her name," Pah-chin said. "I just recognized her 'cause we live in the same neighborhood, right? So I was walkin' Pochi and she was walkin' her dog, and then her dog went crazy and wanted to fuck with my dog, and then Pochi went crazy and wanted to fuck with her dog too, but she apologized and ran away after gettin' one look at me, and that shit happened twice."
Mitsuya snickered. "So she got scared of your face."
"What the hell!?" Peh-yan barked. "That chick's fuckin' rude, Pah-chin! Why's she gettin' scared just 'cause your face looks so dumb!? I oughta talk to her right now!"
"Peh."
The tall teen immediately jerked back at the sound of Mikey's voice. He wasn't the only one who turned to look at him but Mikey didn't heed their stares, his gaze solely on Peh-yan. With an effort, he succeeded in giving the taller teen a placid smile.
"She's a guest and a friend. So don't go scaring her, okay?"
Peh-yan had one look on Mikey's face before lowering his head. "G-Got it. Sorry, Mikey. I didn't know about that."
Pah-chin clapped a hand on Peh-yan's shoulder. "Forget it. It happened some time ago and I don't really care about that." He took his hand back and stole a glance at Reiya again. "Even my dumb ass figured she was scared of delinquents, so I was just wonderin' what she's doing here with that dweeb ya'll took in of all people."
"I don't think so," Mitsuya said, sounding amused. "I don't think she'd get scared even if Peh-yan went and talked to her right now."
Mikey, Peh-yan, and Pah-chin gave him identical dubious looks (except Mikey's was better concealed).
Mitsuya grinned, his eyes flitting over to where she'd disappeared to. "That girl actually stood up to two of our boys before the meeting. She isn't as delicate as you think she is."
Mikey felt his eyebrows lifting. At the same time, he was pleased. He had been right about her before after all. She hadn't been scared, even if she ran away that time. She said it was because she was highly emotional that day, that it had nothing to do with him, but he didn't really believe it.
Really, it was a good thing Reiya wasn't scared of him, of any of them. Which meant he was going to see her again. There was no escaping her now but there was no escaping him, either. Sooner or later, Mikey would have his answers.
And he was going to enjoy getting them.
JULY 21, 2005
Reiya took a scheduled visit in the library after school. As expected, her target was already there. She knew seeking him out was too soon, but she just couldn't stay still after what she'd learn the night before. She was restless, and not even practicing with Viomaru soothed her troubled mind. Ironically, it seemed scoping the enemy up close felt like the only plausible thing to do. And so, that's what she did.
Reiya plugged her earphones in each ear and settled into 'operation close-range stalking' with the fortifying and softly aggressive tune of Alexander Glazunov's Raymonda Act III Variation IV playing on her phone. She didn't so much as look his way as she strode straight for a specific row of shelves, slowly ambling along the aisles and making it seem like she was looking for a certain book when all she's really doing was covering the area with multiple vantage points, keeping him well within her sight.
Like her, Kisaki hadn't joined in any of their school's clubs. As infuriatingly unbelievable as it was, he was a model student who'd rather spend his time studying than partake in extracurricular activities (then again, the extracurricular activities he'd rather indulge in were not available in campus at all), and the days where he should've had club activities were usually spent in the library. Currently it appeared he was preoccupied with doing some homework, and while Reiya kept her eyes on the books, she was alert to every single move he made in her peripherals.
Kisaki and Moebius, Moebius and Toman, the delinquent he met up with in Toman's turf…
Reiya couldn't stop thinking about what connections those variables might have had with each other. She wasn't even certain what kind of answers she was expecting to uncover, but they lay hidden within that lane of possibilities. One thing she was sure of, however, was that something was being set in motion and Kisaki was in the middle of it all. In the end, he was the only one who had a clear view of everything.
'Kisaki…Just what on earth are you really after? Why are you after Toman? Why are you after Jiro-kun? Why are you doing all of this? In the future...Toman wouldn't have become what it was if it wasn't for you. Hina-chan would still be alive, and Jiro-kun wouldn't have had to become like that. A lot of people and everyone I love...wouldn't have had to suffer so much because of you!'
She was getting heated. Her pulse was quickening, her breath turning shallow. Reiya hid behind a shelf, taking deep slow breaths as she kept her escalating temper in check. It took her a few minutes, the symphony she was listening to nearing its end by the time she was calm enough to look at Kisaki again.
Reiya blinked. Kisaki was no longer at the table. His belongings were still there but he was nowhere to be found.
Nowhere.
Suddenly she felt cold, the pit of her stomach hollowing. In the next second Reiya moved, nearly bumping her shoulder around the shelf she rounded. She didn't dare look around, her eyes pinned to the exit—
"Hey, big girl."
The voice came from somewhere behind her and Reiya instantly knew whose it was. Her steps stuttered, her heart exploding in her chest and ears. She heard him clearly even if she didn't want to, the volume of her music not strong enough to block him out. But maybe she could act like she didn't hear him and for Pete's sake she wasn't big—
"I know you can hear me," he added flatly, his voice sounding startlingly close. "You can choose to leave right now but you can't hide from me forever."
Reiya clenched her eyes tight with a wince and stopped. She didn't have a choice. She was caught. And trying to escape him now would only add more insult to injury. She kept her eyes closed, not opening them until after pulling her earphones out of her ears. Her skin began to tighten with a full-body sting but with one quick breath she couldn't feel anything at all. There was only the coldness in her fingers, the brutal thumping in her veins.
Reiya turned in a half circle, her gaze immediately connecting with Kisaki Tetta's. Ash-lavender struck against pale-blue for the first time. Neither of them blinked. Neither of them spoke for a few blistering seconds.
They were hidden behind the shelves, the two of them cut off from the rest of the library. Suddenly it was deathly quiet. It seemed as if they were cut off from the rest of the world. She'd never felt so alone that very moment, standing face-to-face with the younger version of the man who had her and her best friend killed.
"Can I help you?" Reiya managed, forcing herself to be very, very calm.
Kisaki narrowed his eyes, his glasses catching bits of wayward light. "That's what I should be asking you."
Reiya froze completely, gritting her teeth behind her sealed lips. 'He's not someone I can play dumb with.'
At her continued silence, Kisaki took two steps closer and it took everything in Reiya to stay right where she was.
"You're actually closing in on me today," he said without preamble, his eyes never moving from her face.
The words, uttered with such cool nonchalance, fell over her like a bucket of ice. Reiya tried to conceal it, but she couldn't entirely hide her shock under Kisaki's gaze. And he knew it, making one of the corners of his mouth quirk upwards.
"Why so surprised?" he asked almost pleasantly. "You've been following me since the past week, haven't you? Tottering around like some lost puppy...But it seems to me you're not actually looking for my attention."
Tottering around? Lost puppy?
Reiya felt her blood boil. She said nothing, her thoughts racing, her heartbeat going even faster in mingled anxiety and rage. To learn that the enemy knew what she was up to was enough to stupefy her with fear, but a part of her couldn't help from noticing how his voice was oddly magnetic, the quality dry and smooth, even without a hint of geniality. She also didn't expect how he had a polished manner of speaking.
Kisaki had no business trying to appear so refined. He was a cold-blooded schemer, a two-faced hypocrite. And yet…Reiya couldn't escape from the sense of being pulled in no matter how much she detested him, reminding her of the very first time she saw him.
But that had been in the photographs. Standing in front of him, having those wicked eyes recognize her as his sole target, was a different experience altogether. Even if he was still the younger version of what he had been in her previous life, Kisaki carried himself in a way that commanded influence. She could see now how he, with that voice and its sharp charisma, was fully capable of lulling people into doing his bidding.
It gave Reiya an unexpected insight right then and there that apparently, evil had its own charms and attractions, just as goodness did.
Kisaki closed in, measuring his words to the tempo of his prowling steps. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice? I'll admit…I didn't think anyone, much less someone like you, would ever go out of their way trying to spy on me around campus."
He stopped, maintaining a distance of about four feet between them, the air charged and heavy within that limited space. Kisaki lifted his head and looked at Reiya from down the tip of his slender nose, but the effect was ruined when she was one inch taller than him. Still, it didn't stop her from feeling smothered, like she was the smaller one.
"But I ought to assume you already know who I am. It shouldn't surprise you to know I have eyes all over this place. So, what I'm saying is, you really should've been more careful if you didn't want to get caught so quickly, Yunagi Reiya of 2-B."
Reiya went as rigid as a statue. Only the inherent stubbornness in not wanting to yield to him in any way kept her from losing her composure.
Kisaki frowned. "Do you have nothing to say for yourself?"
The hint of impatience in his voice filled Reiya with unearthly calm, stabilizing her temper and the chaos of her thoughts. Kisaki knew who she was, he was onto her and he might have had the drop on her first, but he didn't know about how she'd already stalked him outside of school or about how she was already onto him way before he found out. He didn't know about the extent of her intentions, he didn't know about the truth. Him approaching her now could only mean he was underestimating her. And if he thought she was going to give in to him just like that, he had another thing coming.
Reiya shifted to face him properly, straightening her back as she drew in a soft breath. "The reason why I did such a thing…" she began. "Isn't something grand, really. And you'd probably find it boring."
Kisaki crossed his arms against his chest and raised a brow as if to simultaneously convey his disbelief and say "Go on".
Reiya desperately restrained the urge to glare as she continued. "I was just wondering why our school's top-notcher happened to be a delinquent as well."
She meant to end it at that but was surprised to find herself succumbing to the impulse sitting on the tip of her tongue. She barrelled on, ignoring how it felt like she was threading on thin ice, and by the time she'd said the words Reiya was shocked to find she was genuinely curious. Mostly frustrated but bewilderingly, intriguingly, undeniably curious.
"Why? With all of your talents...Why would you choose to do this?"'—Scheming to hurt people, kill people. Willingly become a wanted criminal. Kill Hina-chan. Use Jiro-kun—'"Why would you want to be a 'delinquent' when you could've stayed as a 'prodigy'?"
Kisaki held his reply for a long, tense moment. Then he huffed through his nose and pushed his glasses up with a derisive smile. "Heh. That is boring. And you thought you'd get your answers by spying on me?"
"Am I not allowed to be curious?" Reiya countered, the lingering annoyance in her blood surging up to the surface with unrestrained force. "Am I not allowed to act on that curiosity? To my knowledge, I'm not doing anything that's directly harming you, am I? Or, since you seem to prefer everyone in this school to answer to you, would you have allowed it if I asked for your permission first?"
Kisaki's eyes widened, his mouth stretching with it. His pale-blue eyes gleamed with a different light, making her skin and insides crawl.
"So the little big puppy knows how to bite back after all," he marveled mockingly.
This time, Reiya didn't stop from glaring at him. "If that's all you wanted to talk to me about then I'm leaving," she retorted. "I have an upcoming contest to attend and I'll be focusing on that so rest assured, I won't be bothering you for a while."
The grin on Kisaki's face and the amusement in his eyes vanished, replaced by a calculating coldness that penetrated deep into her skin.
"You can go. Just don't forget I've got my eye on you."
Reiya swallowed against the shiver that threatened to wrack her entire frame. She lowered her chin to show she understood (and oh how she understood too well) before ripping her gaze away from his.
She left knowing he was watching, and she fought against every single instinct to keep from breaking into a run.