Here I am with a new translated chapter!
Honestly there's not much to add, so let's move straight to the end of this arc.
Enjoy!
"Son, we're back!" Takashi's mother called out with much joy as she threw her shoes as soon as she entered the house, causing her husband to raise his hands right in front of his face to catch them.
Apparently, he had gotten used to his wife reacting that way every time they came home.
"Welcome!" Takashi appeared from the second floor, peeking his face through the wall.
As was customary, his mother was going to run as fast as she could to greet him with a strangling hug, but stopped in the middle of the stairs when she saw how a second face peeked through the wall.
A truly captivating face.
"Who's the guest?" For the first time in a long time, Takashi's father looked quite excited, something neither his son nor his wife missed.
But Takashi didn't know why, different was the case with his wife who couldn't help but smile mischievously.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Saeko Busujima." The beautiful young woman showed her full body to bow, and both Takashi's mother and father were very impressed.
It wasn't because of her dazzling beauty, but something else much more shocking.
"Busujima?" They both said at the same time, their eyes growing progressively wider. "You're Ryoma Busujima's daughter?!"
Takashi had no choice but to slap his face at his parents' unconscionable reaction.
"I slept over in the double bed, since there was no other place in the house. I hope you didn't mind." Saeko continued speaking, deepening her bow a little more.
It was obvious that she was not overwhelmed at the reaction of her best friend's parents. She was already completely used to people reacting that way, or failing that, looking at her with a lot of envy.
It was for that very reason that Takashi became such an important person to her. Simply because he treated her like a friend. Because he worried and cared not because she was her father's daughter, he did it just because she was Saeko.
"Hum, don't worry, young lady." The mother replied, then fixing her gaze on her husband.
"If they didn't share the same bed, it means they're just friends." Thought the adults at the same time, opting for a relaxed smile at the next scene.
"How often do you come to our house?" Asked the father, taking off his shoes.
"Almost every day, though I only stay over on Fridays and Saturdays." Saeko replied, causing the two adults to look at each other again.
"What the hell are these two thinking about?" Takashi wondered with clear nervousness the moment his parents fixed their gaze on him, a rather peculiar look that made him feel very strange. "It's like they're trying to extract information just by looking at him." He concluded, opting for a shaky smile.
"Would you like to stay for lunch? I'm interested in learning more about my dear son's friends. What's more, it's been a long time since he brought anyone home, or at least he never told us." Takashi's mother ended up fixing her gaze on him, causing a small shiver to run down his back as he noticed his mother's stinging look.
"What the fuck does that mean?" Thought the protagonist with a roll of his eyes.
Evidently, his mother was thinking something that was far from correct, though he couldn't decipher exactly what it was.
"It will be my pleasure to stay. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Saeko bowed again in respect, and the parents could do nothing but smile.
"Besides being a beauty, she's also very respectful." They both thought at the same time.
_ END OF ARC-CHAPTER 5: THE NEW PROMISE! _
Takashi was on his way to his classroom in solitude, as usual. A long yawn accompanied him as he opened his locker, looking for the necessary belongings for this history class. As he grabbed the books, he didn't notice how several men stood behind him, one tall, muscular figure standing out from all the others.
He didn't know it yet, but this ordinary Monday would mark a vital importance for the future.
A disguised fright crossed his face as a hand slammed the locker shut, barely able to react in time to keep his hands from getting caught. If it had been that way, the result could have been very painful.
But the worst was just beginning.
He didn't even have time to turn around when that same guy used his free hand to grab him by the neck, pressing him hard on the locker and making him spit out some saliva.
It didn't take a genius to figure out Eiji's main motive in the face of needing to do something like this.
"How do you feel now that you don't have that woman protecting your ass?" Eiji's feral grin widened. "I think you had already forgotten your place, so I simply found it necessary to make you remember." He continued, being accompanied by the laughter of his bully friends.
The Mitakashi twins stopped in the hallway after seeing what was transpiring.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" One of them commented with an evil grin as she pulled out her cell phone.
"What will people say when they find out that bitch's best friend gets totally beaten up by Eiji-kun?" Her sister shut down the idea, and they both started recording what was happening.
"What's the matter, can't you answer me?" Eiji scoffed squeezing harder on his throat. "Do you have something in your neck that prevents you from doing so?" The man continued to taunt at Takashi's feeble attempts to break free.
"Crush him, Eiji-kun!" One of the twins exclaimed, getting the aforementioned to turn his gaze with some surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"Did you seriously think that so much action could go unnoticed so easily?" The other twin answered him, making Eiji a little nervous.
Obviously, it wasn't about the teachers.
It was because of the person who could get to see them in this situation.
"Shit..." Hirano thought, watching as down the hall Takashi was being pushed hard.
Knowing he couldn't do anything to help, the chubby guy turned around and ran towards the exit to find Saeko as fast as possible.
"That's right, I hadn't thought of that..." The man's lack of brains was more than evident, but that didn't exactly mean something good. "Listen well, you useless thing. I'll only say it once." Eiji pressed even harder, causing Takashi's hands to drop in surrender.
"If you stay anywhere near Saeko, I'm going to make your life miserable. This is just the tip of the iceberg..."
He was starting to see blurry, and his ears were ringing, so it was impossible to listen to him anymore. Eiji was enough of an idiot that he didn't know how to control his strength, so he was slowly knocking him unconscious. Anyway, it's not like the blond didn't care.
Takashi's numb hand ran over his bag, opening it a little. The tip of his bat made an appearance.
"And I'm going to..." Eiji was forced to stop his speech when he received a sharp bat to his hand, forcing him backwards.
Takashi fell to the ground on his knees, coughing nonstop.
Eiji was wincing slightly as he rolled his sore wrist. When he fixed his gaze on him again, incredibly he didn't look annoyed. In fact, quite the opposite.
"What's the matter? I'm sure I wasn't gripping you that hard." He commented with a mocking tone in his voice. "I think you got it, didn't you?" Eiji crouched down in front of him, placing a hand on his head. "If you really care for Saeko, then you'll know that it's best for her and her reputation if people like you stay away. Tell that to the fat jerk too." Eiji finished his speech, giving him a couple of friendly pats on the head, which were clearly not friendly at all.
"Go to hell."
Eiji stopped his action immediately, and even the twins were shocked to the core. The dyed blond's fellow thugs just stood in silence, unable to believe what they had heard. Even those who were passing by and ignoring the conflicting scenario stopped to look at Takashi with widened eyes.
"What did you say?" Eiji finally reacted, smiling a fake smile. "I guess I didn't hear you right..." The young man alluded to his words as he wiped his ear with his little finger.
Takashi raised his shadowed gaze, revealing a look that commanded respect.
"Go to hell!" Takashi shouted at him this time, swinging the bat hard, giving him a blow across the chest that would have knocked more than one down.
But Eiji was no ordinary person, so he only staggered backwards, barely being able to keep from falling on his butt, as he was still kneeling.
Takashi got up instantly and his defensive instincts flared up like never before as Eiji also pulled himself together. His sharp grin and the large marks above his forehead indicated that he was not at all happy.
"Then I'm going to make your fucking life miserable, until you come to your senses." Eiji thundered his knuckles, ready to pummel Takashi.
The twins were excited at the idea, but their expressions immediately changed for some reason. In fact, they looked somewhat frightened.
"Guys, grab him!" Eiji exclaimed, and Takashi couldn't help but sweat as he reinforced his stance.
But nothing happened.
Takashi's expression changed to one of surprise as he lowered his bat, while Eiji could only choose to feel confused.
"Guys?" The blond turned his gaze, watching as his thug friends took several steps back with an expression coated in terror.
He didn't even have time to turn his face. Just by feeling a strong grip on his wrist he knew he was really screwed.
Eiji's eyes fixed on Saeko, who was not smiling. Her expression was stoic, but the deadly aura around her and those eyes that longed to turn his life into a nightmare were only a hint of what would happen to him this day.
"I-I can-can explain..." Stuttered the man with clear fear.
"Like Takashi said, you're going straight to hell." Those words confused everyone, even Takashi himself.
"What the...?"
"PRRAAAACK!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
The bloodcurdling sound echoed throughout the place. Saeko hit him so hard with her wooden katana that she had dislocated his wrist with just one blow.
Eiji grabbed his hand, overwhelmed by the pain. He could barely react and take a couple of steps backwards. Just as he wanted to speak again, Saeko attacked him on the left cheek, causing the blond to spit out a large amount of blood along with a couple of teeth snapped in half.
The blow was so forceful that he fell backwards to the ground. Saeko wasted no time and pinned him on his back instantly. Everyone watched in silence and fear as the beautiful woman covered in that murderous aura sat on top of her victim, imprisoning his broken wrist very tightly, causing Eiji to start screaming in pain.
"P-please...!" Eiji tried to speak, but it was completely useless.
He only needed to look at Saeko to almost piss himself. It wasn't because of her face, as she still remained stoic.
The problem lay in her eyes.
Her eyes reflected nothing but extreme psychopathy and excitement. Even a man like him felt completely cowed by such instincts that demanded non-stop blood.
Blood that would pour out of his body.
Everyone thought the fight had ended there. But suddenly that fight began to turn into torture as Saeko squeezed Eiji's dislocated hand harder, causing him to scream in agony as his arm began to slowly twist in opposite directions.
The elbow and shoulder began to resonate in a sickening way as Saeko put more force. Her opaque eyes flashed that slight smile covered in unmatched excitement and satisfaction.
"Oh god, she's going to rip his arm off!" Said one of the many onlookers, watching in amazement, and of course, great morbidity as he saw how the almost unconscious Eiji had his arm in a complete mess.
His elbow was pointing the other way and his shoulder had suffered a dislocation never seen before.
And no one was going to stop her until she was satisfied.
Now it wasn't about avenging her friend. She had already done that.
Now it was about satisfying those morbid, murderous desires she hid deep inside her.
No one could stop her.
No one, except for one person.
One man.
"Stop it." Saeko awoke from her intoxicated, twisted dream when a hand rested on her shoulder.
The woman returned to her normal appearance, her opaque eyes coated with arousal and that tiny depraved smile vanished from her face as she fixed her gaze on Takashi again.
"That's enough, Saeko." Takashi's serious look and words hit Saeko like a strong hammer, right over her heart.
She had lost control.
Just like that time.
The beautiful young woman's gaze was filled with a mixture of bewilderment and fear. A lot of fear. She wouldn't know how Takashi would react after witnessing such an act covered in sadism.
"Well, at least now he won't be bothering me with that arm anymore for quite a while." Takashi commented with a smile as he saw that Saeko seemed to be very worried about him.
Evidently, he was wrong, but that answer certainly helped Saeko's real worries turn into unparalleled surprise that she wasn't able to hide.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Saeko asked softly, accepting Takashi's hand to stand up.
"Afraid?" Takashi fixed his gaze on the unconscious Eiji. "The correct word would be to say I'm grateful, you saved me." Takashi commented with a nervous smile as he rubbed his hair.
Saeko was speechless at such a statement, causing Takashi to look at her in confusion.
"Sis?" One of the Mitakashi twins watched her cell phone silently.
"Forget it. This will only bring her more fame." Sentenced her sister with clear annoyance as she deleted the recording.
"Takashi!" Hirano appeared running and all sweaty, then fell to his knees. "Dude...Saeko...I... shit...!" Takashi found it necessary to hold back his laughter as he saw how Hirano was unable to formulate three words in a row.
"What's the matter, did you run a marathon?" He asked him with much amusement.
"He told me what was going on. I was so focused on going to help you that I left him far behind." Saeko commented.
"Really? Then you saved me too, dude." Takashi replied with a sincere smile, to which Hirano could only give a thumbs up as he tried to catch his breath, something that seemed impossible.
Oblivious to their secret observer, Saya was staying away from all the trouble, watching from the lab window.
"Well, if she's always there to help them maybe if it's not a problem." She thought with a faint smile.
Her expression wavered into a face that only reflected seriousness.
"But what was that last one?" She concluded, her gaze fixed exclusively on Saeko.
_LINE JUMP_
Outside of the Academy
A couple of hours later...
"Catch." Saeko threw a wooden katana at Takashi, who caught it without much trouble.
"Saeko?" Takashi hinted with much confusion at her friend's actions.
First she had called him to the park as soon as classes were over, and now she throws a wooden katana at him without warning.
"You need to learn to defend yourself." Was the simple reply from Saeko, who drew her respective wooden katana. "As you know, I specialize in kendo. You are my first disciple, so I will do my best to be a good master." She concluded, causing Takashi's confusion to turn to curiosity.
"Why...?"
"We don't know if and when they might attack you again." Saeko interrupted him. "I also don't know if I'll be around when that happens. That's why I want to teach you." Saeko reinforced her stance, making Takashi a little nervous.
It was obvious that the idea of facing Saeko wasn't even a little bit funny to him.
"But Eiji won't be bothering again for quite a while..."
"That's true. But he will. Maybe he does next year, six months from now, or when he's barely recovered." Saeko clarified, interrupting him once again. "That's why you should train."
"But..." Takashi still didn't sound very convinced.
"Hey..." Saeko lowered her katana a little, and Takashi had no choice but to be amazed at the look covered in concern and affection that fell on him. "This is my last year, I won't be able to protect you forever. I want you to learn." The beautiful young woman commented, and her tone just accompanied that precious face covered with concern and affection.
"Hum, if you put it to me like that..." Takashi couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at the words and the look on his future lover's face.
"Very well." A cute smile crossed Saeko's lips after hearing that. "Then, let's start with something basic: The posture."
"The posture?" Takashi repeated like a parrot.
"That's right. Just imitate me." Saeko commented, placing her two legs together and tilting the katana forward.
"Uh, looks simple." Takashi commented with a smile, "imitating" Saeko's pose.
"Imitating."
I stress it again: """"" Imitating""""".
"Bring your legs together. Center the katana over your torso and place it over your waist with a slight tilt such that it reaches to the axis of your head." Saeko corrected all the mistakes in just a second, something that was evidently a bit tricky for Takashi.
"What?" The protagonist asked with rolling eyes, as Saeko had spoken really fast.
After Takashi finally understood Saeko's instructions, she continued with the explanation.
"This is the mother posture. Now we will initiate its ramifications." Saeko clarified, causing a question mark to fall on Takashi's head. "Let's start with the most basic one." Saeko bent one of her legs forward to kneel a little, placing the sword horizontally across her forehead.
Takashi tried to mimic her, but stumbled in a rather funny way.
"The idea is that you don't use your knees for support, nor your face." Saeko commented with her usual smile, as if she had already expected this outcome.
After teaching him a whole lot more postures, they were finally done with the first training. The funny thing was that the time had passed so fast that they only now realized that it was getting dark.
"Saya is going to be so angry..." Takashi thought aloud, seeing that the time for study and meeting had long since passed.
"Don't worry, she'll understand." Saeko commented, only to be startled a little when a loud roar echoed throughout the place. "What was that, a wild animal?" The surprised young woman looked in several directions, trying to find the source of the sound.
"Actually, it was my stomach..." Takashi commented ruefully, rubbing his cheek with a finger. "You know, we didn't even have lunch."
"You're right." Saeko blinked numerous times, feeling all that appetite she had built up since morning emerge from one second to the next.
"Do you want to eat at my house?" Takashi asked, handing her back the wooden katana.
"Won't it be a bother for your parents?" Saeko answered him with another question, and they both started walking together in that beautiful sunset.
"They left yesterday."
"I see... What did they say about the window?"
"Actually they were happy. It's been a long time since they've seen me play sports, so they were excited when they heard that I broke the window with a baseball..."
The two continued the chatter happily, until they were lost among the empty streets of the nighttime city.
The next three weeks passed at an impressive speed. It was only natural, as Eiji's absence and Rei's silence made everything much more fun and relaxing.
Hirano continued to narrate all his studies on weapons, and especially semi-automatic rifles, with great happiness. Saeko and Takashi took more time for themselves and trained every day for a great amount of hours, and that made Takashi become not only her best friend, but also her training partner, so they became even closer than before. Finally, Saya was still as strict as ever, but her teachings started to blossom really fast, so fast that it was even a little scary.
Scary?
Of course. Imagine two knuckleheads like Takashi and Hirano managing to learn at such an absurd speed.
Saya definitely had a very special touch, and no one could deny it.
That time also served for Saya to return to her old friendship with Takashi, which was not much different from their usual dealings, while Saeko and Saya deepened a cute friendship. At first it seemed somewhat impossible as Saya hated the woman, but her always kind answers and the fact that she is the only one who always understood her made that hatred fade away before she realized it.
Her relationship with Hirano did not evolve too much. It could be said that they were more partners than friends, although in the case of the chubby guy he preferred to think of her as his friend.
Meanwhile, Hirano and Takashi became sort of inseparable friends. At the Academy they were now no longer "the fat guy and the useless guy." They were now known as "Busujima-sama's protégés", which was not a good title, but it was certainly much better than the previous ones. That made them untouchable men, at least until Saeko graduated.
But that also brought its disadvantages, as hanging out with "two mortals" made Saeko much more earthly, though everyone still revered her as a Goddess.
Takashi's parents had another opportunity to get to know their new friends a little better, and this time it was in totality, as Hirano was also present.
And so the days of the Academy passed, until they reached the present day.
"Now let's move on to the next pose." Saeko commented, putting one foot in front of the other to place the katana in front of her face vertically.
"Hum, I don't want to sound like a bad thank you, but..." Takashi commented, mimicking Saeko's pose. "We were working on the postures for three weeks." He commented with some disappointment. "Can't you teach me something else?"
"The postures are the most important thing in kendo. You must keep practicing until you perfect them." Saeko commented with a smile, causing Takashi to raise an eyebrow.
"And when am I supposed to know that?" He asked with much hesitation.
"It's by muscle memory." Saeko replied with a smile, making Takashi pale.
"Muscle memory? Don't you think you're overreacting?" Takashi asked, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Huh? Not at all." Saeko shook her head, showing great innocence. "If you want, we can do one or two small tests per day." She commented, breaking her posture.
"Tests? Sounds interesting." Takashi smiled hopefully, seeing that they would finally do something different.
"Well, come closer." Saeko raised her katana above her head, readying a strike. "Use posture 3."
Takashi complied, bending his knees and stepping back to place the katana above his head vertically, causing their katanas to slowly clash.
"Now do posture 2." Saeko commented, who placed her katana on her sheath, as if preparing a horizontal attack.
"Huh?" Takashi commented awkwardly, complying with the order of his mistress and best friend.
His stance did not change much from the previous one, the only thing he did was to place his katana horizontally. That made both katanas clash against each other once again. But this time, Saeko easily broke through his defense and ended up clashing the katana against his chest.
"Readjust your posture as needed." Saeko gave him a tip, then took Takashi's katana and pressed it to his chest with great ease. "And keep your stance steady. Otherwise, it will be very easy to break your guard."
"But, I thought we would do something with more action..." Takashi commented very confused.
"You want action? Wait a moment." Saeko commented, backing away a little. "Go back to the basic posture." She ordered again, and Takashi responded with some hesitation.
This time, Saeko attacked with a lunge, again at a very slow speed, just like the previous ones. Takashi heeded the previous advice and shifted his posture a bit to his right to parry the lunge firmly.
"Nice." Saeko nodded with a smile. "Go back to posture 3." This time, Saeko charged her attack even harder and faster than last time, forcing Takashi to react faster.
"Posture 2."
Takashi responded instantly, countering the attack once again.
"Basic posture."
Takashi responded in kind, causing Saeko to take a couple of steps back.
"Saeko?" Takashi wondered hesitantly as he watched the young woman take a big breath of air while closing her eyes calmly.
In the next second, her eyes suddenly opened, as did her lips:
"Posture 3!"
Takashi was barely able to respond when Saeko lunged at a great speed, causing their katanas to clash loudly.
Unlike before, she didn't stop there and continued to lunge relentlessly, causing Takashi to block all the slashes and thrusts out of pure instinct, feeling more and more overwhelmed, though he was genuinely impressed that he could keep up with her.
In fact, he didn't even know how he was doing it.
Finally, his posture was broken when a final lunge from Saeko was so powerful that it knocked him butt-first to the ground. The protagonist closed his eyes tightly as the katana swung one last time to strike him, but great was his surprise when it stopped right in front of his face.
"Now do you see the improvement?" Saeko asked, crouching down in front of him to shake his hand.
"Holy shit." Was all Takashi could reply, accepting his future lover's help. "You could have at least warned me. I almost fainted from fright." He chided her, drawing a sweet chuckle from Saeko.
"For the time being, that's all. Tomorrow we'll take a break for your birthday, but then we'll continue and start with the offensive poses." Takashi was excited at this, and it showed as he clenched his fist tightly.
"I can't wait." He declared with a toothy grin, and Saeko responded in her own way when she smiled at him with a mixture of excitement and affection.
Even if she didn't say it openly, she loved seeing Takashi getting stronger every day and improving in such an exponential way.
Besides, the fact that she was training him every day made them spend more time together, although that had nothing to do with her feeling much happier.
...
...
...
Right?
_LINE JUMP_
Takashi's House
The next day...
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
A large amount of confetti was thrown on Takashi's face, who was being accompanied by Hirano as he entered the tent.
"When did you guys buy that? I didn't see put it in." Takashi commented with a smile as he wiped off the confetti, receiving applause from Saeko and Saya, who were waiting for him inside kneeling.
"If you had seen it, then it wouldn't have been a surprise." Saya commented with a half smile.
"Why did you bring more pillows?" Saeko asked curiously, watching as Hirano carried a large amount of pillows.
"Are you kidding?" That question made everyone look at him sharply. "The best thing about a sleepover is the pillow wars!" He exclaimed with great excitement as he threw one without warning that smashed into Takashi's face, who landed on Saeko rather hilariously.
"Are you okay?" Saeko cradled him as if he was a baby, but that moment didn't last much longer as she too got a pillow all over her face.
"Hey...!" Saya didn't seem to agree much with this idea, her frown showed it.
"Now it's your turn!" Takashi shouted with competitive airs as he threw the pillow at Saya, who was unable to defend herself.
"Takashi...!" She intended to complain, but again she was interrupted.
"It's my turn!" Saeko exclaimed happily as she threw the pillow at her, causing it to impact on her face for a second time.
"You too...?!"
"Everyone against Saya!" The chubby boy exclaimed, interrupting Saya for the third time, and evidently the third pillow didn't take long to land on her face.
"You...!" She exclaimed with a small vein at her temple.
But, guess what...
Again she was interrupted.
A pillow fell on her face.
"This game...!"
Yet another pillow.
"This game is from...!"
Another one.
"Stop, you sons of...!"
Obviously, another one.
"You'll see!" Saya shouted as she emerged between the pillows like some kind of titan, and then started throwing all the pillows at a great speed, as if it were a machine gun.
Hirano rolled outside the tent to dodge the projectiles, while Saeko and Takashi hugged each other in a rather funny way, as if their little son was saying goodbye to his mother forever. The image would have been very touching if they didn't end up buried between some very comfortable and soft pillows.
In the end, a great commotion broke out inside the tent, which could hardly stand all the war that was unfolding inside. Meanwhile, Hirano laughed from outside the tent like some kind of dictator, until a pillow thrown with great force landed on his abdomen and sent him straight to the ground.
Hours passed, feathers were scattered over much of the courtyard, as most of the pillows had broken. Inside the tent it looked like paradise itself, as everyone was sleeping on beautiful white feathers. But, being such a small space, the inevitable happened.
Takashi woke up slowly, feeling the heaviness of his eyelids. When he wanted to move his hand to carve his eyes, he realized that something was obstructing his path. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed how he was imprisoned in a bear hug by Saeko, who seemed unwilling to let go of him.
Seeing her sleeping so peacefully, Takashi couldn't ignore that smile that emerged from his face. His arm was being crushed by Saeko's waist, while his legs were entangled with hers. Still, there was a part of his body that was free, so he took the opportunity to adjust his posture.
Saeko sighed softly as she felt the movement and settled even more on Takashi's chest, using him as her personal pillow.
Seeing this, Takashi couldn't resist giving her a second smile.
She looked really cute.
He stared at her for a few more seconds, contemplating her beauty.
"Thank you, you helped me so much..." Takashi thought with a look covered with affection as he placed his free hand on her cheek.
A small smile appeared on Saeko's face as she snuggled more on his body.
That simple gesture made Takashi's smile falter a little.
It was strange.
The memories he spent next to her made his heart clench.
But it wasn't pleasant.
It wasn't unpleasant either.
It was simply a bittersweet feeling.
As if something was missing.
As if everything they experienced wasn't enough.
Those feelings were perfectly complemented by his next thought:
"If only the promise had been with you..."
His thought lingered in the air.
Perhaps he didn't dare to complete it because of the simple respect and affection he had for this woman in front of him.
It was definitely not just that.
He couldn't compare her to Rei.
Saeko was much more than her.
Much more.
That thought made a slight smile appear on his face as he began to caress the young woman's cheek.
"Huuumm, Takashi..." Saeko commented sleepily as she began to wake up.
"Mind if I go get some air?" The protagonist asked, receiving a somewhat sleepy smile from Saeko.
It was amazing how she looked so beautiful and radiant even when she was sleepy. Especially if she was sleeping on her chest with those beautiful sleepy eyes and that silky long hair spilling over in all directions.
"May I join you? I have to give you something." The young woman stated, receiving a slight smile from Takashi.
"That's fine. In fact, there's something I want to tell you." He concluded, resuming his caresses.
Saeko rested her face on his so affectionate touches unconsciously, even her eyes closed for a few short seconds in order to better feel all that affection and unconditional love he was delivering to her with something as simple as a caress.
Both were like that for longer than they would have believed, completely silent, an extremely passionate and comforting silence. Finally, Saeko was satisfied with her dose of love as she sat down on the feather mattress, then slowly stood up.
Saeko held out her hand to him, and they both silently watched the rather peculiar scene unfolding right next to them.
Hirano was lying on top of Saya while she hugged him as if he were one of her teddy bears. The really funny thing fell on how Hirano's face was drooling between her breasts.
They both stood in silence watching that scene, until Saeko broke the silence:
"Saya will be very angry when she wakes up."
"Don't even say it."
Takashi leaned on the fence, watching his neighbor's yard for a second, until he raised his gaze to the night sky. Saeko mimicked his action, though instead of fixing her gaze on the sky, she only looked at him.
"Happy birthday." Takashi lowered his gaze with some surprise when Saeko handed him a wooden katana. "Now you have your own weapon to defend yourself. I hope you like the gift." The young woman concluded with a smile.
"Thank you very much, I don't know what to say..." Takashi rubbed his hair rather awkwardly, looking at the small purple ribbon on the hilt. "These past few years I've only received gifts from my parents, so it's kind of..."
"It's not a big deal to me, you know money is not something I lack." Saeko bowed her shoulders, emphasizing her words.
"I know, thanks anyway." Takashi thanked her again, they both shared a smile for a second.
Takashi turned his gaze back to the sky, and at that moment Saeko had a small flashback of how they met.
"Are you still attracted to clouds?" Saeko asked, looking up at the night sky.
"There are no clouds today." Takashi replied, not taking his eyes off the night. "Do you know when was the last time the sky was clear?'
"I don't know, Tokonosu is a very stormy city." Saeko replied, lowering her gaze to watch Takashi with utmost curiosity.
"To be honest, I don't remember it either. But this timing is perfect..." Takashi remarked, flashing a smile so unique that it lit up Saeko's face. "Today I start my 17th. A new stage of my life. And as a new stage, I want to leave everything bad behind. Completely." He concluded, widening his smile a little more as he closed his eyes. "The promise with Rei is already behind me. But, promises are always something that have marked my life, for better or for worse..." Takashi commented, then fixing his gaze on Saeko, giving her a toothy smile.
"This new stage requires a new promise!"
"A new promise?" Saeko wondered with great interest.
"And this will be the last one." Takashi commented with conviction. "To completely leave the past behind and forget Rei. To enjoy from now on without having to think about those stupid things anymore. That's why I chose this new promise." He commented, getting a little serious.
"My new promise is to never fall in love again or fall in the hands of another woman!" He exclaimed with great conviction as he clenched his fist tightly.
Saeko knew she should feel happy.
She should be happy to see that Takashi was about to forget about Rei completely.
She should be happy to see that Takashi would no longer let the memories of the past continue to affect him.
But...
Then why did she feel that strange pang of despair and pain that stabbed straight into her heart?
It was only for a second, but she could feel it.
"Are you sure? It's a very risky promise." Saeko commented matter-of-factly, pretending perfectly that there was something bothering her.
Something that even she didn't understand.
Takashi had no choice but to look at her with great confusion, as it was the first time his very precious and close friend didn't seem to agree with him very much.
"Uh, don't worry." He replied with a smile cloaked in assurance. "That's what I have a contingency plan for!" He exclaimed, holding up one of his fingers.
"What?" Saeko couldn't help but tilt her face to the side at how ridiculous it sounded.
"It's a condition! If that condition is met, then the promise will be broken! But this time it won't depend on mortal circumstances, it will only be a divine calling!" He exclaimed, earning Saeko's interest.
"And what is that condition?" Saeko asked very curiously, ignoring the fact that it sounded completely ridiculous.
Takashi folded his arms, sketching a faint smile that indicated the confidence and pride he had in the "magnificent plan" he had made.
"Only if an unprecedented catastrophe befalls Japan will the promise be broken!"
A rather awkward silence arose between the two.
"Aha, that sounds very childish." Saeko scoffed, crossing her arms with a smile.
"That's why it'll be divine intervention, what other way would there be to bring down an entire country?" Takashi shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing, making his way to the tent next to Saeko.
"What do you say about a meteorite?" Saeko humored him.
"Could be."
"A sunami?"
"It would have to be really big, but it's also a possibility."
"Nuclear bombs?"
"That time is long gone."
"Zombie apocalypse?"
"Are you kidding me? That's impossible...I think."
_ END OF CHAPTER! _
I hope you enjoyed it!
Here goes a bit of drama to make things more interesting, though it'll be more of a sleeper drama since neither of the two main characters will be feeling much pressure. Saeko just doesn't know exactly what she feels, plus she has that "something" that still prevents her from seeing things clearly. Let's say Takashi is the same, only his traumas are different.
The next arc will be a final development to the relationship between all the characters, and new ones will also appear. You know, a certain nurse hasn't made an appearance yet.
I'll create a couple more events, and we'll go straight to Z-day. I think the next arc will be 5 to 7 chapters long. This arc will be quite important because it will also explain the origin of the virus.
Remember to follow me on Patre-on, there you will get all the news when I upload a new chapter of any story, or give really important notices. You can search for me as "Jyanzein". You can also become a paid member, and that guarantees that you can ask for a double chapter for any story that is in development.
I'll say goodbye now.
I love you all!