Chapter 26: Find It In Your Heart

The room was dark and silent, only broken by the musical chirping from the birds outside her window.

"Mn," Amagi moaned, blinking away any leftover sleep in her eyes.

Looking over at the clock on the wall, it was around nine in the morning. Getting on her elbows, Amagi looked over her shoulder to see that Kaga and Akagi's futons have been neatly piled up in the corner and were no longer present in the room.

The sound of the door sliding open drew her attention over, spotting Akagi with her daily medicine and a glass of water and Kaga setting up the dining table for breakfast. "Good morning, Amagi."

"Akagi–" Amagi let out a few low coughs before she took her medication.

"Are you feeling well, dear sister?" Akagi commented, slightly concerned. "Akashi requested that you should be getting more rest."

"I'll be fine," she handed the carrier the glass. "How are things between you and Shikikan."

Akagi hesitated before letting off a slight smile. "He still sees me for who I am."

Amagi however wasn't convinced. "I know it is hard for you to face him again for what you did and I'm sure he won't scorn you for it. He can sometimes be mad at others. Shikikan knows best to keep his mind clear of these ideas."

Akagi pouted at her. "It simply isn't fair. Shikikan-sama always seems to avoid Akagi and dismisses me whenever I try anything. Then with you, Nee-sama… he smiles at your presence and—"

She didn't let her finish, her arms snaked around Akagi, holding her as she caressed her head. The fox woman calmed in her arms as she felt Amagi's warm embrace pat her head.

"It's too early for these thoughts, Akagi," Amagi whispered dearly, even as she patted her head. "Shikikan-sama gets easily frightened when girls get too intimate with him."

"Amagi… I want Shikikan to know I want to be there for him."

"I'm sure he knows," Her throat was itching, forcing coughs out of the sick battlecruiser.

"Nee-sama!"

"I'm fine," Amagi's coughing worsened, leading to increased concern from her sister.

"Amagi, you have to rest for today. Freshen up and I'll bring you your breakfast."

Akagi broke away from her sister, leaving Amagi alone yet grateful for her caring family. Yet this sight made her frown a little while thinking about the commander. He is a great person in the world's eyes, but the other shipgirls aren't exactly fond of him. Sure he does care about the welfare of others, nevertheless, he is strangely distant with the time he spends. Having to put her thoughts on hold as the doors slid open with both fox sisters holding trays of today's breakfast: salmon, rice, tofu, pickled vegetables, and miso soup.

"Here you go, Amagi," Kaga placed down her tray.

Amagi thanked the white fox woman, giving their thanks before digging in silently. Their cooking is still great as ever, having finished her meal without Amagi noticing when she stopped at the sight of absence on the plates, frowning slightly.

Akagi noticed this, offering a portion of her share. "Amagi, you can eat more if you'd like. I don't mind. After all, you need to eat well to recover."

Amagi smiled affectionately, thanking her sister when she dropped a quarter of her salmon, which she had been saving last in Amagi's bowl alongside a bit of rice. As Kaga finished slurping down her miso soup, she struck up a conversation before cleaning up the dishes.

"Today's another group exercise against the Eagle Union," Kaga snickered a little. "It's like the commander wants to revive our rivalry."

"Dear Kaga, Shikikan-sama is training us for the past months for this very moment. Today, the Sakura Empire will outmatch those pests," Akagi's bloodlust flared soon after, making the older sister somewhat concerned for the Union's girls. "But during that, be sure to rest well, Amagi. We will bring you lunch later today and bring you some sweets."

The sickly fox beamed. "I would love that."

Akagi giggled. "Then please do take care of yourself while we're gone. Here, let me get that for you."

Akagi pulled her older sister's empty tray along with Kaga's while she finished her soup, leaving Kaga and Amagi together. With the sound of the water flowing, Kaga took this time to challenge Amagi at a game of shogi, bringing out the board along with the pieces. Amagi gladly accepted, both arranging their sides accordingly. Kaga was the first to make a move with Amagi taking immediate action right after hers.

"Should we speed this up before you leave?" Amagi inquired, earning a playful scoff from Kaga when she uplifted her horse piece.

"I appreciate that you are being considerate of our time, but it is best if we take our time," Kaga gently placed her troop down with a light clap. "There will be a time where I best you. Whether it's on the battlefield or sitting here playing a game of strategy, it will happen. And this day will be the day."

Amagi was pleased with her response, pushing a pawn closer to Kaga. "I know you will, Kaga. That is why I always play my best. So do your best or I will be disappointed in you."

Time flowed swiftly, with the sun presenting its warm rays through the window in the room, brightening it as the two foxes clashed. They were silent the whole time – only having the quiet broken by the tapping and clapping of pieces being taken off the board, being promoted, or redeployed across it. At a glance, it was clear Kaga's struggles were more apparent turn by turn, contemplating what move was advantageous. The battle was nearly at its peak as their numbers diminished, blossoming a smile across Amagi's face.

"Kaga. It's about time we head for the docks. Shikikan requires the First Carrier Division's presence," Akagi came in without intending to ruin her sisters' focus.

"Hold on, Akagi," Kaga demanded. "I might just be able to turn this around."

"We mustn't have Shikikan wait. That pest Enterprise might be there to steal our spotlight with Shikikan," she was trying her best to entice her, sitting to her left with her chin resting upon her shoulder. "Our lady Nagato requests the best performance from us in particular."

Unable to turn down her reasoning, she put down one final piece in conclusion to their game for now. "This game isn't over just yet, Amagi. I may be at a disadvantage, but when I return, we will determine the winner."

Amagi showed a face of delight at Kaga. "Then I'll even more forward when you two return."

Akagi agreed as they both got up. "Please take care of yourself and the house while we are gone."

The two sisters left the household bidding Amagi on good health again. Amagi watched as her younger siblings moved past her peripheral vision – sinking into the horizons as the seconds passed. Now alone, she began to clean up around the house – thinking how the house was beginning to turn into a pigsty since Shikikan was increasing the number of exercises and battle simulations. She made steady progress, wiping down furniture and shelves and organizing a few misplaced books. While wiping down a shelf, her elbow bumped into a framed photograph with it came crashing down, shattering its glass display with fragments scattered on the floorboards.

"Oh dear," Amagi rushed to the cleaning cabinet for a much-needed broom and dustpan.

As she returned to clean up the mess, a familiar person was at her front door, having to put the mess on hold. When she went to answer, expecting someone such as Akashi or one of her sisters to return. However, who was standing at her doorstep was not who she expected.

"You are… one of the maids of the Royal Navy, correct?" Amagi affirmed with the head maid.

"Belfast, at your behest, Lady. Amagi," Belfast bowed her head at the fox woman.

"A pleasure to meet you, Belfast," Amagi was curious about her presence when she should probably be serving the Queen or Shikikan. "What brings you here today?"

"You see…" She turned and focused her gaze behind her, tempting Amagi to look over the maid's shoulder. "Shikikan refuses to take a break when he has been working all night. He is a bit out of his usual self lately."

Shikikan intervened immediately. "I still have work to do, Bel. If I don't finish in time, command will be pressing me even harder if I don't."

"The reason why you have so much work is that you are too tired to think well, so command sends them back for your to fix, " Belfast proclaimed, her eyes shut while shaking her head disappointed. "Lady Amagi, I know that you are friends with Shikikan so please talk some sense into him."

Before Amagi could state her input, the maid left Shikikan to her care. They didn't exchange words for a second, staring at each other since the maid left them at an inopportune time. The silence was only broken when Amagi invited him to step inside, he gladly accepted her offer with a small smile on his face. Entering her humble abode, he removed his shoes at the front door, while Amagi guided him towards the living room.

"Do you want some tea, Shikikan?" Amagi was being as hospitable to her guest despite her illness, she soldiered on through the itch to cough.

"Sure," Shikikan mumbled, scratching the back of his neck idly.

She left for the kitchen, finding the kettle stashed away in the cupboards, and began bringing the water to a boil. In doing so, she entered her pantry looking for tea both can enjoy.

"Hm…" Amagi contemplated as she bounced between oolong, green, and earl grey tea until she couldn't put her mind to it. "Shikikan, is there a tea that you would prefer?"

She got a soft cry of pain from Shikikan in the living room, remembering that she still had some misplaced glass lying on the floor. Her concerns grew as to what had happened to the commander, figuring that he had stepped on the

Moving quickly, the kitsune made it to the living room. "Shikikan? Are you alright?"

What she saw wasn't as bad as she imagined — Shikikan was kneeling on one knee, one hand curled up (probably the one that got hurt) and the other holding a photo between his fingers. Although Shikikan was occupied with nullifying the pain, he could give her his response.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just cut myself on some glass. I was careless not to check for some under the photo," Shikikan handed me the photo of Akagi, Kaga, Tosa, and I all posing for a happy photo I took and placed on the table. "Such a nice family photo."

"Can I see your wound?" I extended a hand out to him, one that he accepted as he showed me his hand – his cut had blood trickling down his index and thumb but a long cut that crosses his fingers. "That looks bad… I'll take care of it, it will only be a quick fix."

Amagi left for the bathroom, shuffling through some supplies before reaching in and pulling out some rubbing alcohol and cotton balls along with a band-aid. When she returned, Shikikan – who was no longer kneeling- was sitting with the photo back in his hands with an envious look on his face. She silently approached the man and took his hand which snapped him out of thought.

"I can do that myself," Shikikan claimed, placing the photo back on the table. "I was the one who did the foolish thing of cleaning off the glass with my bare hands."

Amagi disapproved of this. "It was my fault for not cleaning it up sooner. Please, let me do this much."

He didn't respond for a minute, taking that as a response, she opened up his palm and started patching him up. With a tissue, she gently wiped the blood flowing that resided outside the wound. A low grunt came from him when she cleansed his wound, gently rubbing the wound and applying the seal.

"Thanks for the aid," Shikikan grunted, rubbing his cut gently.

She giggled at his gratitude. "You still haven't answered my question."

"What?" He wore a perplexed expression.

"Do you have preferred tea?"

"Um… bird's nest?"

Amagi giggled at his preference, confusing Shikikan even further. "Shikikan, you have some taste."

"Sorry, you asked for a preferred tea. That was the first thing that came to mind," Shikikan looked away embarrassed. "I'm fine with whatever you have."

"Would green tea be okay?"

"That sounds good," he smiled, genuinely. "Thank you for your generosity."

"You're welcome," she moved past him, unintentionally grazing his side with one of her tails and sending a shiver down his spine. "It's nice to have you visit again, Shikikan."

"Indeed it is."

She was bona fide with her words. Ever since they have discovered more and more, the commander has been more distant from the other shipgirls. Not only that, his appearance around the base was extremely rare, with hardly anyone seeing him outside for a research request or the canteen for a quick break. It is almost as if he sees us as some kind of monster, however that couldn't possibly be the reason. That brief lapse of thought was rather saddening to her yet gave her more reason to question him to pass the time. After the water was brought to boil from a whistling kettle, she began pouring the boiling water into the teapot, making the tea set complete and bringing the wares out for the both of them.

"Here we go," she placed the tray on the table. "Enjoy your stay?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Must be lonely when your sisters leave."

"It isn't all too bad," Amagi poured some water into their cups, scooping out some green tea powder in and mixing it with the bamboo whisk. "Here you are."

He gingerly took the cup, ensuring that his wounds wouldn't be reopened in doing so.

"Did you plan on doing anything today?"

"No… I was going to go back to sleep, but you unexpectedly came to visit," she softly blew on her tea to not burn her mouth. "I'm glad you decided to come. It makes a great excuse to not go back to sleep."

Shikikan was surprised at the kitsune's words, placing down his tea for a second. "You should be recovering, Amagi. I can't imagine losing another friend if you were to go back to the infirmary."

"It doesn't seem to be doing too much," Amagi assured. "Besides, I don't think I can go back to sleep even if I tried."

"So when you can't sleep, you go around and break glass pictures? I didn't take you for the destructive type," Shikikan joshed, making Amagi giggle a little.

"That was an accident. I'll have to go to Akashi's shop for a replacement."

"Yeah… do you feel like playing a game of shogi? I feel confident today."

Her eyes bloomed with energy, beaming at his request, one that powered down at a sudden realization. "I would like that… but Kaga and I still have a game unfinished and we don't have another set."

"I guess that's fine," Shikikan frowned slightly. "Hm… Oh! I've just remembered that I have this."

Shikikan went to search through his inner pocket in his uniform, pulling out a small box and placing it on the table. The box read elephant chess (xiangqi) on it, making Amagi curious and confused as to why he had this with him. So confused that she could do nothing and only watch in awe at a somewhat familiar chess set that she had seen previously. Yat Sen was the reason why having played it once when she saw the set on a table while at a Dragon Empery-themed banquet. Granted that she hardly knew the game, she wasn't much of a beginner.

"I remembered that I had this," Shikikan grinned, having set up the entire game himself.

"Shikikan," Amagi called, him placing one last piece before lending her his ear. "Did you plan for this meeting?"

His face began to heat up with pink blush dusted on his cheeks when he looked down at the chess board. "Was it obvious?"

With that confession, the atmosphere grayed, having the battleship look down at an embarrassed commander. "A little bit. I must say, I'm quite surprised that you lied to me. Are you too embarrassed to visit me on your own accord?"

There was no answer from the commander, feigning that he didn't hear her as he continued to set up the board. She saw through him, pressing him a bit further on the subject.

"Shikikan, what's wrong?"

"It wasn't a complete lie. I was indeed tired of doing work that I was making stupid mistakes, but I wanted to talk to you," he raised his head, his face now hard as stone. "Talking to you makes me feel… warm inside. Like if I was talking to my mother or grandmother. Course, that isn't what I wanted to say in case you asked me but the truth comes out in the end."

Her eyes widened at his confession, and a blush formed on her cheeks, yet that too warmed her heart. "Shikikan… I never thought you felt that way."

"It's embarrassing really," he laughed. "I'm sure that is weird to you. I know it is embarrassing to say, it's the truth."

"Your mother or grandmother?"

"Yeah, you remind me of them somewhat," he continued to laugh before simmering to a collective face when he saw Amagi pout.

"So, Shikikan. Am I old to you?"

Shikikan feelings showed, wanting to retract his previous statements immediately. "What?! No. No. That isn't what I meant. You're young, beautiful and a great person to talk to from time to time. Oh god, why did I say that."

He buried his head in his palms, shaming himself for his rushed words and unable to face Amagi again. She began giggling at his embarrassment as if to get back at him for the strange remark.

"Oh, Shikikan. I can't be mad at you for that," her giggling came to an end, picking up a red pawn and inspecting closely like it were a dainty jewel. "Except next time… please don't get other people to lie for you. It's unethical for you to do such a thing."

"Noted," Shikikan sat up straight, his head raised high, "Do you know the rules to this game?"

"Somewhat," she gently placed her pawn back in its spot, pushing the circular piece forward. "It is a little more confusing than chess. I think it will come back to me eventually."

"Great! Then there is no need to tutor you," Shikikan moved his cannon to the middle column. "I'll go easy on you if you would like."

Her eyes narrowed, picking up a cannon piece and mimicking his move. "I may not have played this game in a while. That doesn't mean I will be that bad at it. You should always be giving it your all."

"Then expect no mercy from me," Shikikan snickered, claiming a piece with his cannon. "There goes the first piece."

"There is still much more to go," Amagi moved up another piece with the intent to flush his invading troop. "In the meantime, perhaps you want to tell me what has led up to this?"

"Where do I start?" Shikikan wondered as he picked up his horse. "I think it started when I came back from my vacation. I planned on visiting you, yet the mad scientist had to go on a business trip. You know what I'm talking about."

"Oh… right. It is considerate but I don't see how it has to do with lying to me."

"I am still nervous since Akagi and I had our little incident. I don't know how she feels about that," He looked back up at the kitsune when he placed his piece. "When I see her, I want to run as I did before. I know that it's over, but when I look back… It looked like I broke a piece of her."

"Do you perhaps want to talk to her?"

"I don't know. It's going to be strange if we talked now. I want to do it, yet a part of me wants to retreat from that."

Amagi shut her eyes, thinking to herself how to bring this tension to an end, one that was short-lived when it was her turn again. Looking over at the board, she saw no openings in Shikikan's defense and was putting ample pressure on her side to play defense, making it difficult to solve their drama while planning her future move. She settled in for the siege, moving her elephant to protect her emperor piece.

"If you don't mind me asking, Shikikan. Do you care about us?"

This gave him pause when he reached out for a piece, his hand closed when he looked at the fox woman. He at first thought she was teasing him, but he saw it in her eyes that she was being serious. Unable to settle on an answer, he slid a piece forward, sitting back on the couch.

"Of course," Shikikan didn't hesitate. "Why wouldn't I? Your lives matter as much as mine."

Amagi wasn't satisfied with his answer, speculating there was more to it. "I'm sorry if I come out as rude. It doesn't seem like you mean it."

"What do you mean?"

"What I meant was that you seem to be… unhappy to talking to others sometimes. Is there something bothering you, Shikikan?"

He fiddled around with one of his pieces; rolling it around in fingers before replying to the battleship. "I worry… worry that I will lose even more from me. My youth was killed off by war, nearly all my friends are dead due to cruelty, a classmate that I knew for the longest time had recently passed away due to a driving accident, and even my family is on the edge. I'm taking that as a sign that my happiness is expended on the lives of others. Even you, Amagi. Your condition worsens each day there is happiness in me. I may not believe in curses, but I'd wish I had a good luck charm that works."

Shikikan frowned, his eyes closed. She could tell that to this day that he was grieving over what he thinks is all his fault. To think he believed in such superstitions was not what she imagined he would come to conclusions with. As much as she wanted to comment on his past, there saw a crystal shine flowing down his cheek. With a sniff and a jolt, he dropped his head, and a fall of tears came flowing down. He tried fighting back the tears to speak, but struggled to say a single syllable with his sniffing and shaking.

"Are you okay?" Amagi asked gently.

"Why must it be me? Does life want to take more away from me?" He whispered to himself, gripping the piece in his hand.

"Shikikan…"

"Don't call me that!" He exclaimed, his meltdown was pushed over the edge, bawling his eyes out.

Amagi was naturally shocked by the sudden outburst, curious about what he meant. Having crossed the distance between them and came up to his side, snaking her arms around him and pulling him close. He immediately calmed down somewhat, as tears soaked into her clothes.

"Shhh…" Amagi hushed, gently caressing his head. "It's okay, commander. I'm here for you."

His sniffling and sobs ceased for but a second with his head rested upon her bosom. His breathing slowed as his arms too began snaking around the fox woman, grasping her and holding her as tears came streaming down his face again, a loud sound of the piece he held dropped to the floor. She was with him the entire time during his breakdown; comforting him all the while until he found himself again.

"I'm sorry, Amagi," he sniffed, wiping away the tears from his eyes."I'm sorry for breaking down and lashing out like that. Please, forgive me."

"It's fine, commander," Amagi stated, "Are you feeling well?"

"Much better, thanks to you," he pulled away from her, his eyes red but he held an expression of appreciation. "I just realized that I forgot to bring you that gift I have. I guess it is too late for that now."

"Oh, commander. You are too kind."

"No, consider it an apology," he kneeled to the ground, searching for the piece that he dropped. "You have been so kind to me and I've been taking it for granted."

It took a while for him to find the missing piece, scouring the ground aimlessly and looking under furniture for a glimpse of it, eventually finding it under the table.

"Now then, shall we continue, commander?"

"Yeah, you can call me whatever," Shikikan nodded, placing his piece back in play. "Check. Your move, Amagi."

They continued their campaign of out-smarting one another, with each move taking exponentially more time for a solid move. Their army dwindled in numbers with Shikikan having the advantage, though she didn't falter at this fact and pushed with whatever remaining troops she had.

"Hmm…" Amagi pushed forward another piece. "This should do."

"Alright, check," he didn't hesitate in pushing his chariot forward.

"Uh… it's so hard to remember how each piece moves," Amagi complained as she put her general out of check. "Where did you get this board game from?"

"I don't know. I just knew that I played this game with my grandfather a lot when he was still with us," Shikikan smiled at the pleasant memory. "He taught me everything there was about the game, yet I lost to him every time. He promised me that I would beat him one day."

"Did that ever happen, Shikikan?"

"It did," his smile turned into a frown as his head dipped a little. "It was when he had Alzheimer's. When I asked him to play, he struggled so much that I had to tell him which piece did what. But I still want to know if I can beat him to this day."

"Then he must be proud of how far you have gone in a short amount of time."

"Maybe…" Before he could push another piece into play. "I wish I could be happy without the expense of others."

"There is no rhyme or reason in life, Shikikan," Amagi explained. "Remember when we first met?"

"How could I forget?" Shikikan beamed. "The welcoming banquet when you had to take Akagi back home. I still can't thank you enough for that."

She giggled at their memorable encounter. "Akagi does love you. She wouldn't stop convincing me to go back."

"I can never understand why I caught her eye," Shikikan confessed, staring back down at the board. "I've only just met her and she goes insane in my presence."

"She can be a handful at times, Shikikan. But she knows when to be professional and when to express herself," Amagi promised. "If you give her a little more time, she will meet your expectations."

"Perhaps I'm the one being selfish."

"Hm…" Amagi thought long and hard, not on the board but for Shikikan. "Shikikan? Do you want to talk about it with her? She'll be coming back soon. We wouldn't mind if you sat and ate with us."

Shikikan paused at her idea, discerning what could happen if he did, yet her overwhelming kindness and empathy made him feel guilty if he didn't at least try to mend their relationship after all the time he had avoided her. He agreed silently which brightened her eyes, clasping her hands together at his decision. At that moment, the lock to the door sounded. Leading the attention of the commander towards the entrance as he heard the fox sisters enter.

"We're home!" The fiery fox woman's bubbly words resounded throughout the house. "We brought you your favorites, Amagi."

Their footfalls neared them preluding a surprised look from the two sisters as their commander waved at their presence. At first, they weren't sure how to react to the unplanned visit from him. Kaga was interested in what they were playing while Akagi looked indifferent about Shikikan being there and instead focused on Amagi. This time, it was his turn to be disappointed by her response.

"I'll be cooking for today. Is there anything that you would like?" Akagi asked lightly.

Amagi thought indecisively, humming to fill the silence before letting someone else decide. "I'm not feeling anything in particular. Shikikan, do you have

"Uh… I heard that you make some delicious tonkatsu and you said on Juustagram that you made manju buns, yes?" Shikikan questioned, flashing her a friendly smile all the while.

She nodded silently while smiling back slightly at his friendliness while turning herself away while he watched as she drifted towards the kitchen. Kaga was still interested in the new game asking questions while Shikikan still stared towards the kitchen while Akagi prepared to cook.

"Shikikan, Kaga is asking you something," Amagi called, pulling his hand to gain his attention.

"Oh, sorry Kaga… What is it?"

"I'm particularly interested in what you and Amagi are playing," Kaga observed each out-of-play piece full of attentiveness. "Interesting pieces. Most of them are imperial era war pieces."

"Yeah, it is an old game," Shikikan stated. "Still a great game to play."

"I'm quite interested… Care to show me how? Maybe I can get some equal footing with Amagi this way."

"Yeah, I don't mind."

Shikikan almost sat down before Amagi intervened with the idea. "How about I teach Kaga, Shikikan? Akagi might need some help making food. You know how to make onigiris correct?"

"Yeah… but shouldn't I supervise to–"

Amagi gave him a look in the hopes of communicating with him silently as she nodded her head towards the kitchen. He got the hint about what the older fox sister wanted with his lip curving down slightly, moving away from the living room to join Akagi in the kitchen. The brown kitsune was distracted washing the rice with several ingredients waiting patiently on the countertop. Shikikan gradually decreased the distance between them; his company only got detected when he had to stand beside her with a head over her shoulder.

"Is there… something I can do to help?" Shikikan asked nervously,

"Yeah… I was planning to cut the pork. Can you cut it for me?"

"...okay," Shikikan moved beside her, equipping himself with a knife, and began slicing the pork into thin slices. "Hey, Akagi… how are you?"

"I'm fine," Akagi said in a monotone voice.

"Are you perhaps… disappointed?"

His words widened her eyes a little. She glanced over at him as he continued cutting. "Why would I be disappointed, Shikikan? You have been doing well in keeping us in order and how much you work for the sake of us."

"I'm talking about how I've been avoiding you" he was blunt with his statement however, that didn't concern Akagi at all. "I know our relationship isn't great, but I want to say that I'm sorry if I've acted a bit selfish."

She was a bit shocked, yet this saddened the fox woman somewhat. "Do I scare you, Shikikan?"

"A little… That isn't the reason why I avoid you. It's a personal issue and I don't want to talk about it. That is where I want to come clean with you," Shikikan sighed, taking in a breath that relaxed him. "Whatever you about me that makes you sad isn't what I want to do. I do care about you, everyone even. I know it might be hard to believe… I'm being honest and I'll prove it to you if I have to."

"Shikikan…" Akagi spoke softly before letting a sigh escape her lips. "I know you don't mean it and I will always love you no matter what. After all, you gave not only me but everyone a chance to live normally, even if you didn't do much, you do your hardest for them."

"Huh… I didn't think of it that way," a smirk crept up his face. "Perhaps I'm too selfish to realize."

She let out a mirthful laugh. "You're so hopeless, Shikikan."

Her liveliness distracted Shikikan for a moment and cut his finger and grunted. "Ow! Oh no, not again."

"Shikikan! Your finger's bleeding!" Naturally, she forgot about what she did and focused on his wound.

"It's fine, Akagi," Shikikan gritted. "It's only a small cut."

Without a word, Akagi took his finger and began disinfecting it, heating his face immediately. Her hands felt soft and gentle when she held his hand. The tip of his finger felt warm, yet it stung a little each time she sucked the blood away. It was a slow process but it made his cheeks a rosy red regardless and put him under a mysterious spell that mesmerized him.

She took notice of his expression, voicing concern for him. "Shikikan, are you okay? You are looking a bit red."

"I'm fine," Shikikan looked away, embarrassed. "If you ever do that again, please tell me first before you decide to do this."

She giggled adoringly. "Alright, let's finish up lunch quickly. We don't want to keep them waiting."

In no time at all, they finished making the tonkatsu dish. All four laughed, smiling and sharing stories in the dining room with him staying for an extended period which lost track. For once in a while, Shikikan felt right at home despite feeling out of place.

Hey all! It's been nearly two months since I've uploaded but that's because college is starting to get to me. Not only that, I've been getting major burnout and minor writer's blocks but I've managed to pull through. As for the important news about this fic, I'm planning on deleting all parts of the mafia backstory. I don't know if you guys would like that but it was one of those I ideas that I added to make the OC interest. Turns out to make things a little complicated. If you don't like that, be sure to tell me and I'll consider keeping it. The next chapter has its storyboard laid out and it will most likely be released around Christmas or New Year. Good night to you all!