Ginzo was good at running and he would proudly say that his legs were his best assets of all. He didn't particularly go jogging or practice for that to happen since chasing after Kid every time was already a training for him.
As for his arms, it wasn't all that great now.
Back when his wife was still alive, he would always help her to bring her groceries back home every day effortlessly. It had been years since that routine stopped and he never got the time or effort to specifically train them either.
That was why he was scared to carry Aoko when he saw her lying in Kaito's arms, her face pale and contorted in pain. When Ginzo saw Kaito running towards him with a desperate and frantic look in his eyes, rambling on non-stop about Aoko, Aoko and Aoko, all he was capable of doing was to shout at his members to get an ambulance before correcting himself instantly that he would be driving his daughter to the hospital instead.
His trembling hands didn't even dare to touch her at all.
Regretfully, Ginzo let Kaito bear the responsibility of carrying Aoko all the way to the car, and even out of the car and into the hospital when they reached. In fact, he didn't even have the chance to instruct the magician to do it since the latter was just as hasty and anxious as he was.
Now, as he watched her lying on the bed and sleeping soundly like the every other time he saw her fallen asleep on the couch for trying to stay up and wait for him, Ginzo finally managed to relax himself much better and think straight. His hands stopped trembling too.
"What happened?" Ginzo frowned, arms crossed and body towering over his daughter. He glanced up at the other side of the bed, where Kaito was sitting on a cheap plastic stool that the hospital provided. Kaito's back was slightly bent forward and his hands shaped into a triangle were brought to his face, eyes never leaving Aoko.
"I'm not sure." Kaito replied softly. "When I got to her, she was already on the verge of fainting."
Ginzo lowered his gaze to Aoko's broken left arm that was heavily bandaged and then to her face, which was still a little red from the fever she had.
What the hell happened?
"The only reason I can think of is that she ran and fell." Kaito broke the short silence. "Though why she was there at the first place... The only way to know is after she wakes up."
"I guess that's it then." He muttered.
Kaito straightened his posture and it caught Ginzo's attention. It seemed like that was what Kaito intended to do too.
"Ne' Inspector."
"Hmm?"
"Why did you let Aoko attend Kid's heists?"
Ginzo gave a small sigh and let his arms fell to his side before wriggling his hands into his pants pockets. This wasn't the first time he received such questions from his squad members so it didn't surprise him much. But this time round, he thought of giving a proper answer instead of a half-hearted reply that he always gave to the rest.
He often wondered if he was doing the right thing to allow her daughter to roam around so dangerously alone a few times before, and now this was the best time to reconsider his choice again and Kaito was the perfect person to talk with. After all, Kaito was someone who probably knew Aoko much, much more than he did.
"Catching Kaitou Kid... She really wanted that." Ginzo frowned. "Up till now, as pathetic as it sounds, I don't really understand her needs. I thought the only thing I can do is to give in to what she wants sometimes."
Kaito was silent for a while and at that moment, nothing was able to reveal his thoughts. He knew that boy was smart, not just because Aoko often bragged about him, Ginzo could tell too. The more silent the magician was, the scarier he seemed and that was when Ginzo wondered if he said anything wrong.
"That isn't what Aoko wanted."
Ginzo blinked.
"I mean- Yes. Aoko does want to catch Kaitou Kid. But the reason wasn't just because she wants to." Kaito bit his upper lip and sighed. "She wanted to catch him so you'll stop working so hard and spend more time with her. A dinner, every day. That's what she wants."
It was like a knife just stab right through his chest. Ginzo closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the dread soaking into his skin.
He already knew that he couldn't understand his daughter. But the fact that he thought he was able to understand her once and give in to what she wanted, he was still wrong. In the end, he didn't give her what she wanted at all.
Really pathetic, really.
Ginzo didn't have the cheeks to look at Kaito any longer as he took a step back and leaned against a wall, continuing to bury his face into the same hand. His eyes slowly lingered over to Aoko again. He failed as a father. He failed as a husband who couldn't even fulfil his wife's last wish when she was on her deathbed. He didn't give his daughter happiness at all.
All I did was to reject her time and again. Why hadn't I noticed? Ginzo gritted his teeth. Her change in tone, her sad look whenever I said I'm staying at work... Am I that stupid?
"I'm not trying to guilt-trip you, Inspector." Kaito gave an awkward laugh. "In fact, I'm responsible for most of her disappointments too so I don't have the rights to say anything much, to be honest."
He shook his head. "No. I have to thank you for telling me this, though it may be a little too late. With her arm like this, even if I want to stay for dinner, it's not possible."
Kaito lowered his gaze. "I guess so."
Ginzo forced himself to turn his attention away from Aoko's cast and focused his attention on the boy opposite him. "So, are you dating my daughter?"
The expression he saw on Kaito's face was one that he never thought he seen before for the past decade he knew the magician.
"W-What?!" Kaito managed a harsh whisper. He cleared his throat and waved his hands, trying to regain his composure. "No, we're not dating."
"Then what disappointments are you talking about?" Ginzo narrowed his eyes. "You two broke up?"
"It's not like that. I-It's a little complicated, but not what you think. We're not together, not in the past, not now and not in the fu-"
Kaito stopped.
"-ture."
Before Ginzo could continue, he noticed a slight movement made on the bed and realized that was the cause of Kaito's abrupt pause. Aoko's bright blue eyes was first staring back at Kaito and only after what seemed an eternity, his daughter finally bother to acknowledge him.
Not knowing what to say, Ginzo could only state the obvious. "You're awake."
She nodded weakly and tried sitting up, to which both men scrambled towards her to help her up at the same time.
"Thanks."
Ginzo sighed. "What's got into you?"
Aoko glanced down, eyes refusing to look up at him. "I fell while running." She simply said.
"How did you fall to end up like this?" The older Nakamouri gritted his teeth.
"I was too anxious in chasing Kaitou Kid, that's why." Aoko pouted.
"Then you're off from any heist in the future."
Aoko shot her head up at that instant, her eyes wide and filled with protestation. "Wait, but-"
"You should listen to your dad." Kaito butt in. "Look at you, your arm is wrapped like a sausage. Are you seriously thinking about attending another heist?"
"I'll be fine in a month or so, I guess..." She glanced down at her cast before looking up, eyes firing with determination. "I promise I'll go only after my injury is healed."
"I don't want the chance of you getting hurt again." Ginzo stated. "Your final exams are coming in a few months, if you break your right arm, are you going to write with your mouth?"
"Dad!" Aoko whined. "I won't!"
"You promised me that once I find you unsuitable to continue coming, I can ban you from participating anytime, right?"
Aoko was at loss for words. Defeated, she grudgingly muttered a noise of agreement and Ginzo was glad he didn't have to continue this argument. He sighed inwardly. Aoko didn't have to go anymore, wasn't that right?
As a righteous policeman, catching the thief was his duty and his daughter didn't have to bear that sort of burden.
And as a father, he had many things he needed to do for Aoko. And the first thing he had to do was to stop her from being foolish and endangering herself once again.
Kaito suddenly stood up from his seat, breaking his thoughts.
"I'll get a doctor." He announced before heading to the door without waiting for an answer.
Ginzo watched him go before he set his eyes back at his daughter who was gazing tiredly at her feet.
He took a tentative step forward and slowly raised the arm that was so afraid to carry Aoko before. His movement caught her attention as she looked up, eyes piqued with curious at what he was trying to do.
Finally, he mustered enough courage to place his hand on her head and pulled it into his chest.
"I'm glad you're alright." He managed to say.
Aoko bit her lips and nodded and Ginzo felt her digging her face into his clothes, and he let her of course.
"Yeah." She replied.
.o.
After spending her Sunday and Monday in this hospital, Aoko thought that getting to sleep on her own bed would be better, turned out it didn't help much at all.
Her back continuously ached the entire night, finding it hard to turn comfortably in her sleep whenever she wanted to. As silly as it sounded, this was the moment when she realized how much she had taken the ability to toss in her bed for granted.
But nonetheless, Tuesday came and Aoko needed to go to school after resting for two days. Her arm was only broken and that didn't gave her any more excuse to skip school for another day. She could have easily asked her father to write a letter or something, but why the hassle?
Or maybe writing a letter would be millions of time less troublesome.
"What are you doing?"
Aoko turned to the voice of her father who just walked into the kitchen before looking back at the bread on her plate. "Trying to make toast for breakfast." She said hurriedly.
"I've already made them." He titled his head in confusion. "Didn't you see?"
She blinked and moved her attention to the dining table, eyes wide in surprise when she spotted the presence of real food already neatly lined on the table. Eggs, bread, ham, sausages...
Aoko gaped before turning to the sink, to only add to her amazement when she realized the utensils, pans and plates used to prepare the food were recently cleaned and dried.
"But- When?"
"When you're still sleeping." Her father began adjusting his tie.
"I just- I was too distracted about the time that I didn't see the food you made." Aoko dropped the bread back into the plastic bag and she could feel her eyes turning a little moist. For her entire life, she never thought this would ever happen to her. Feigning like she was brushing her fringe, she wiped her eyes to avoid any tears from spilling. Not a good time to ruin the happy moment right now.
"Thanks Dad." Aoko added softly.
"What are you saying? This is the least I can do." He gestured his head over to the table before returning a small smile that Aoko knew he specially reserved for her and her alone. "Let's eat them before it turns cold."
"Yeah."
The eggs were a little burnt and the ham was too soft, but that breakfast was one of the most filling and enjoyable one Aoko had in her life. Her mouth had been aching for chewing the food and smiling the whole time, and she liked that.
However, the enjoyment didn't last long when she realized if she didn't leave house any time soon, she would end up late.
"I'll go off first!
"Can you go to school alone?" Her father eyed her from his seat, a little doubtful.
"I'll be fine. My two legs are still operating perfectly. It's just a short distance walk from home." Aoko couldn't help but shook her head amusingly while tugging onto her shoes. Before she could open the door, she sat her bag on the floor and turned the door handle, pushing it wide open. She wasn't prepared for so much surprises for that day.
"Yo."
"Kaito?"
"What perfect timing." She heard her father said. "Kaito-kun, mind accompanying Aoko to school?"
"There's not even a need to ask." Kaito grinned and picked up her bag that she left on the ground and flung it over his shoulders carelessly.
"Hey! I can carry it myself!" Aoko exclaimed as she skipped out of her door, following Kaito who was already out of her gates, waving her bag playfully in the air.
"If you can get it from me, then you can hold it yourself." He showed her his nice set of teeth. Oh, if she could smash all of them right now, she would have.
All she did was giving a loud huff and gave a last adjustment to her shoes before turning back to her house, wanting to close the door she had left opened. Surprisingly, her father was already there, watching her with the usual small frown he always wore and a toast in his other hand.
"Have a safe trip to school." Was all he said.
Without even having to try, her lips curled up on her own and she beamed. "Yes!" Aoko turned almost immediately, hoping that he would still be there to watch her back before she disappeared behind the wall to catch up with Kaito.
"Someone's happy today." Kaito chimed and smirked once Aoko caught up to his side. "Even when her arm is broken."
"None of your business!" She stuck out her tongue and tried to snatch her bag back again.
Kaito clicked his tongue. "I already said I'm holding it for you. Would you stop being so stubborn?"
"You said I can hold it myself if I can get it back from you. And that's what I'm doing." Aoko sneered.
After several attempts, Kaito sighed and watched her with his bored eyes as she continued trying to get her bag from him "And here I am, trying to help you. Here." He shoved her bag to her chest and she clutched it tightly before he went back on his words. "You can have it back. Don't even try asking me to carry for you again."
It was getting harder and harder for her to differentiate between the actions of a best friend and the person you loved. The usual Kaito she knew would mock her endlessly, that's the only thing she was sure of. But now, Aoko was starting to lose sight of the Kaito she once knew.
She thought she already fainted when she hit against his chest. But he didn't let her. His constant shouts and yelling of her name made her conscious, long enough to let her see the way he glanced at her, urging her to stay awake as he lifted her up from the floor and began running down the stairs.
And even when everything else was fading from her, she could still hear his shouts, feel his tightened grip around her arms. Though the sensation of losing the ability to see and hear was scary, Aoko felt that during the entire time, Kaito was more scared than her.
Kuroba Kaito, was scared.
And then she understood why when she woken up on her hospital bed, after managing to eavesdrop the conversation between Kaito and her father, something that she wished she hadn't.
He wasn't scared because she was the one lying on the ground. He was scared because she was hurt. Someone was hurt. If anyone else was hurt, let's say... Akako, Aoko would bet that Kaito would care just as much too.
Aoko gripped onto her handle of the school bag, letting it to sway by her side. Stop treating me so nicely when... When you are the one that said we are not together. In the past. In the present. In the future...
"I didn't even ask you to help in the first place." Aoko mumbled.
"What an inconsiderate child."
Her furious eyes flung over to Kaito. "Who are you calling an inconsiderate child?!"
It didn't take long for them to reach school, at least not for Aoko when she was walking by Kaito's side. It was Kaito's magic, definitely. Because whenever he was with her, she felt that distances between places grew shorter and the time that past flew faster. Aoko smiled painfully to herself as their classroom came to view.
Stop it. She chided herself. Stop thinking about it.
"Aoko!" Keiko jumped up from her seat when the two entered the classroom and everyone's attention were flung onto them. Kaito dug his ears and gave an annoyed look when their classmates began crowding around Aoko like she was some celebrity.
"What on earth happened?!"
"Can I sign on your cast?"
"The bandage is so round and cute!"
Most of the students were just there because they were curious, but once Aoko managed to squeeze back to her seats, the only people who were truly concerned were left by her table with a worried look etched on their faces, saved for Kaito who was sitting next to Aoko, looking nonchalant as ever.
"How did you get that injury?" Keiko exclaimed.
Aoko frowned inwardly and glanced at Kaito. "You didn't tell them?"
He waved her off. "It's troublesome so I just said you were sick."
Aoko sighed, caressing the bandaged on her left arm. She thought she wouldn't have to explain to her friends again if Kaito told them the reason and now that she had to say it... it would mean having to explain again a second time. She silently bit her lips and gazed awkwardly at her friends.
Was Aoko going to say that she broke her arm by falling when she was chased by a bunch of criminals who were after Kaitou Kid's life? Now that she was banned from Kaitou Kid's heist, there wasn't anything to lose in telling. But how was she supposed to phrase it in a way that her father and her friends would calmly accept the news and understand that she was at least, safe?
"I fell while running." Aoko scratched her cheeks. "Clumsy, I know."
Akako chortled behind her hands. "Just as I thought."
"You had me surprised when you walked into the classroom." Keiko shook her head.
At that moment, their homeroom teacher walked right into the class, clapping her hands and screaming at the students to return back to their seats. Even though it was a Tuesday, it seemed like her Monday blues weren't over yet.
As the rest quickly hurried to their seat, Hakuba bent down to Aoko's ears, surprising her for a moment.
"If you need a ride back home, you can tell me. I can chauffeur you with my car."
"Oh it's fine, Hakuba-kun." She afforded a smile.
"She said it's fine. Hakuba-kun." Kaito used an irritating child-like voice that made Aoko sent a glare over to his direction. The detective just gave a calm laugh instead of retorting back at Kaito and patted Aoko on her shoulder.
"Take care."
And the class began.
.o.
There were many things that Kaito hated, but nothing beats the existence of fish. He hated the smell, the dead eyes, the scales; basically everything about a fish made his skin crawled.
But what could he do? When he tried searching the web to find food that helped with the recovery of broken bones, he realized fish was the answer. Kaito wasn't happy with what he got, so he video call his mother and asked about it, to get the same irritating answer he got from all over the internet.
"Oh, you've broken a bone? Did you jump off the building too fast before you got your glider up?" His mother chuckled behind a hand. "This is the best time to overcome your fear of fish, Kaito. Eat them!"
"It's not me who broke a bone." Kaito scowled. "It's Aoko."
Five days after Aoko was released from the hospital, Kaito gathered enough courage to go to a market to buy a fish to cook for Aoko's dinner. They had been eating out every day and he could tell she was getting sick of it.
And as weird as it sounded for him to say, those food weren't healthy enough to speed up Aoko's recovery.
Cooking was something Kaito was slightly better at than ice skating. Though even if that was the case, he wasn't going to make a fool out of himself and produce a second version burnt crisp of death for Aoko.
He went to YouTube and watched countless videos on how to make fish porridge, much to his disgust as he watched the people cutting the fish and touching the fish with their hands.
He remembered the steps professionally and he was sure he was able to do it well even if he had to touch the fish, if Aoko would stop pestering him right now.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Aoko raised an eyebrow and gazed down at the chopping board.
Kaito tilted the knife at an angle and frowned. "Don't belittle me."
Aoko gave an amused smirk before glancing back at her shoulders and on the kitchen counter. "So what are you cooking anyway? You haven't told me."
"Porridge." He mumbled and continued to cut the ginger.
"Oh? Like how I made for you when you're sick?"
He wasn't sure if he could make that delicious porridge he ever eaten in his life. But he kept that thought to himself. "Close enough, I guess." Kaito then threw the chopped ginger into the pot and then headed to the fridge. Aoko followed closely behind him.
"Would you just sit down? You're in my way." Kaito gritted his teeth.
"This is my house." Aoko put her uninjured hand on her hip. "I'm making sure that you won't destroy it."
Kaito rolled his eyes. "Speak for yourself." When he opened the fridge, his face instantly cringed. Hesitantly, he leaned back, faced the other side while he reached out for the fish he bought just a while ago.
Aoko watched in amusement.
When he felt the plastic bag within his fingers, he grabbed and threw it onto the kitchen counter. Luckily, the fish was still safely wrapped inside the plastic bag.
"Hey!" Aoko screamed. "What the hell are you doing?!"
He glared at his hands, feeling disgusted already. "I'm taking out the fish, obviously."
"You're not." She glowered. "The fish is already dead, are you trying to kill it the second time?"
Kaito huffed and walked towards the counter before staring gloomily at the bag. He thought that having to endure holding onto the bag from the market and all the way to Aoko's house was the worst, now that he looked at it, this was just the start of his nightmare.
Aoko sighed and stood right by his side, shaking her head exasperatedly. "I don't understand why you choose to go through the trouble to cook for me, and of all things, a fish!"
He glanced at her over his shoulder.
"We're not together, not in the past, not now and not in the fu...ture."
Kaito wasn't sure when Aoko woke up, but he was sure she had woken up to hear enough and be bruised by his words, with the way she looked at him back then. He wished he could take those words back or just avoid the question or even cook up a lie, as long as he didn't have to see those eyes that were filled with disappointed and hurt.
In reality, he knew he couldn't take those words back, so now he was trying, and desperately trying to do things to twist those words and its meaning.
For her sake? Or for his?
"Fish is good for your bones." Kaito bluntly admitted before looking back at the counter. As his shaking hand towered over the plastic bag, he constantly repeated 'A fish is just a stupid fish' in his head, grinding it deep inside his brain and hoping that it would stay that way.
While he was chanting away, he suddenly felt warm, tender fingers slipping beneath his hand and clutching it softly, as if his hand was made of fragile glass. He stared hard at his hand, eyes gradually moving to the owner of the hand that abruptly took his.
"I'll take care of the fish." Aoko merely said and brought his hand back to his side. When she was about to nudge him aside, he stood firm in his position and blocked her instead.
"Like I said, don't belittle me. I can handle this."
"I'm not belittling you. I'm just helping."
"You'll be helping if you stay out of the kitchen."
"Wow." Aoko chuckled. "You sound just like me."
Kaito rolled his eyes. He turned Aoko around, earning a surprised yelp from her as he began pushing her out of the kitchen despite her grunts. He pushed her all the way to the living room and shoved her shoulders down to let her sit on the sofa before he throw the remote onto her lap.
"Do me a favor and stay here."
Aoko scowled, bit her lips and pouted. "Fine, I'll stay. But please don't ruin my kitchen."
"I get it already." Kaito grumbled and marched back in, glancing back once to make sure she was still seated in her position. He afforded a tiny smile when he noted she had turned on the television and started switching channels.
Now he was back to his nightmare.
As he stared at the plastic bag that contained the nemesis of his life, he could hear laughter coming from the living room and the sound of hand slapping on leather. He tilted his head back, catching a glimpse of Aoko chortling behind her hand at whatever that was funny on the television.
That, was what he wished to see every day.
Kaito could have stared all day, but he knew he should get back to his work. He turned his head to the counter again and went over to wash his hands before taking a clean pair of knife.
.o.
Kaito was done. With life.
He slightly kneel on the floor and let out the heaviest sigh. This was just as tiring as all the heist he conducted. Maybe it was an overstatement, but the point was there.
"Is it ready?" He heard Aoko shouted and he immediately jumped to his feet on alert. Shaking his head tiredly, he gave a shout back.
"Yeah. Stay at the dining table, I'm bringing it out."
The porridge smelt great, as proudly as he would claim. He scooped a few ladle-full of porridge into the bowl and grabbed a spoon before heading towards the dining table hurriedly, trying to ignore the burning sensation on his fingertips.
"Here." Kaito placed the bowl in front of Aoko before standing by her side and rubbing his numb hands together. "I left the ladle in the pot. If you want more, I'm sure you can take it yourself."
Aoko closed her eyes and took in a huge breath before sighing out loud. "I'll take more, if the food is as great as how it smells."
Kaito showed a crooked smile. "Of course it will be."
She picked up the spoon before stopping again. "Aren't you eating with me?" Then realization dawned over her face. "Oh, I forgot. This is fish porridge."
He grimaced before he pointed at her food, annoyed. "Eat it before it gets cold."
Without saying anything else, she did what he said. Kaito watched her carefully the entire time, hoping to get some information out from her expression.
After a while, he still wasn't able to get a definite answer from his observation so he decided to speak. "How is it?"
Aoko took another mouthful again and straightened her posture. Finally, she gave a satisfied grin. "It's exceptionally good, even if it's just porridge." Wanting to emphasize her point, she began blowing over the hot fish porridge and eating again.
A side of his lips curled up and he crossed his arms, leaning slightly on the table before he glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed a few minutes passed seven. "Inspector did say he'll be coming back early today, right?"
Aoko nodded merrily. "Yeap. I told him you're cooking dinner and he said he's impressed."
"There's actually enough for more than two." Kaito scratched the side of his cheeks, a little sheepishly. "If your dad can finish the rest, it would be better than throwing it away."
"I knew it, judging from the pot you used." Aoko shook her head before she smirked. "But don't worry, even if my father can't eat finish, I'll eat them all."
"Guess this is the only time for you to gain some weight."
"I'm not going to gain weight." She mumbled furiously with her mouth full. "Those nutrients will all be used for healing my arm."
"Whatever you say." Kaito pushed himself off the table and stretched. "Anyway, I got to go now. I need to head to Jii's bar to get some stuff."
"Then what about your dinner?" Aoko placed the spoon into her half-empty bowl.
"That's not something you have to worry about." He waved her off and was already by the door after slipping onto his shoes.
"W-Wait. Kaito."
His grip around the door handle tightened and he turned back.
"Thanks for the dinner." Aoko bit her lips before affording a smile. "I really appreciate your effort."
"It's nothing." It was really nothing, compared to the other thousands of times when she prepared dinner for him without asking for anything in return. Not money, not gratitude, and he was pretty sure not his feelings to. But he would gave them all if she asked for it.
"Bye." He spoke and turned away, hoping he had said his remaining words loud enough for her to hear. "See you on Monday or something."
"See you."
Kaito closed the door softly behind him, stuffing his hands into his jeans and began walking to the direction of Jii's bar.
There was a heist he needed to prepare for tomorrow, yet he was here and cooking some fish porridge. Jii would laugh at him if he knew, and if he knew the porridge was made for Aoko, he would tease him till no end. Kaito lightly scowled.
But he wouldn't call a waste of time. This wasn't a waste of time at all. If there was a chance, he rather trade the excitement and thrill of flying across the dark night in white, just for some more time to spend with Aoko.
He needed extra time desperately because there were so many things left undone and so less time for him to do anything else. He still hadn't received any information from that brat and his patience was running thin as each day went by. Hakuba's pestering and threats about showing up at his heists soon was not helping at all.
At least he knew Aoko would be safe at home for now, in courtesy of her injured arm and father's order. And that piece of information alone greatly lifted his mood ever since, not that he wished to see her hurt at all.
He suddenly recalled that night when Aoko was in his arms, shivering from cold and the pain in her arm. He depicted that scene as a dream before, the only difference was that she was bloodied all over her chest.
Kaito stuffed his hand even deeper into his pocket, inflicting the necessary pain into his thumbs with his fingernails for distraction.
"A broken arm." He said out loud.
"I fell while running."
He believed Aoko because Aoko couldn't lie. She sucked at lying and he knew she knew that. She was like an open book to him, so easy to read, so easy to understand yet confusing at the same time. But most often, she was the former.
Yes, she wasn't lying, but there was something inside Kaito's gut that told him she wasn't telling the whole truth, just partially. And she thought just telling part of the story wouldn't make that a lie. Typical Aoko.
Even when he was there the second time, hearing her explaining to their classmate about how she ended up with a broken arm, he still got the same feeling that she wasn't speaking the whole truth. And after connecting some dots, something in the back of his smart ass brain was strongly telling Kaito that the whole truth wouldn't be a pleasant thing to know.
For once in his entire life, he really wished that he was wrong.
"But she's safe." He whispered to himself, his eyes focused on his quiet steps to Jii's bar. "She's safe."
Aoko was still there, mocking him about his weakness for fish, telling him off, showing her concern for him... She was just there, alive and still by his side.
That, was the only important fact that mattered to him.
Really grateful for everyone's review :') I read them all but I'm just too awkward to reply all your nice words aughhhh so I guess an update would be a better compensation, right?
ok otp feels
Reviews are appreciated hehe! It really motivates me a lot!