𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒕'𝒔 𝑻𝒖𝒕𝒐𝒓 | Kazutora Hanemiya x Reader

Chapter 13

The cultural festival went off without a hitch and class 2-D's haunted house was the most popular exhibit. Everyone congratulated each other on a job well done as they cleaned up their classroom. There was still a fireworks show that evening, and the class rushed to get the room tidy so that they could enjoy their free time at school before the show started. Kazutora eyed Y/N from across the room. He was taking down the façades and she was putting costumes in boxes. After their talk the other day, Kazutora thought Y/N was completely done with him. He racked his brain trying to think of what she could possibly say to him, but he really couldn't come up with anything.

His phone buzzed in his pocket—a text from Y/N.

Let's meet at the rooftop after we clean up.

He looked at her to find that she was already staring at him. He gave her a quick nod and the two of them went back to helping their classmates clean.

+ + +

When Kazutora made it up to the rooftop, he wasn't surprised to see Y/N already there. He had dawdled as much as he possibly could, dreading this confrontation—although he knew he wouldn't be able to get around it one way or the other.

"Hey," Y/N said.

"Hey," he said back as he walked towards her. It was already dark out, but his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting as he took in the girl in front of him.

"Let me just spit it out," Y/N started. "A couple of weeks ago, when you didn't show up for our tutoring session, I saw you out with Emma." Kazutora was confused by this, but didn't interrupt. "I thought that maybe you guys were together and I had crossed a line the night before—and maybe that was why you had been ignoring me." Both their faces burned with the memory of her giving him a peck on the cheek. "But when I met her earlier, she said that she wasn't your girlfriend. So I wanted to just ask you head-on why you ignored me. I mean, I still could've crossed a line even if you didn't have a girlfrie—"

"It's not like that at all," Kazutora interjected, looking down at the floor. He realized he had created such a huge mess—accidentally involving people who weren't involved, making Y/N feel uneasy, depriving himself of her. He decided it was time to come clean. "That night I dropped you off, your mom showed up..." Y/N furrowed her brows. She had an idea of where this was going. "She saw me. I explained that I had just dropped you off, but all she told me was to stay away from you..."

When he looked up at her, she had a stony expression on her face. "What else did she say?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"She said...she said it wouldn't be good for you to be seen with someone like me."

"Bitch," she hissed under her breath. Her face was twisted in anger and she had to consciously stop herself from shaking. "She said that to you? And you believed her?"

"I mean, yeah," he replied. "Look at me and look at you. I can understand why she'd say that to me."

"Look at me and look at you?" Her anger was directed towards him now. "Have I ever made you feel like I don't want to be around you? Because I always want to be around you."

"But, but—," he stammered. "Only trouble will come if you hang around me. You saw how we got into that fight with those gangsters at the beach, and that was only because they knew who I was! I'm a gangster, Y/N. Why's that so hard for you to see?"

"Because!" she exclaimed. "Because the Kazutora I know is a shy, funny, sweet person. I know you heard what I said about you to that senpai when we were at the stairs, and I meant every word. Why's that so hard for you to see?"

Kazutora didn't know what to say. Suddenly, they heard a loud boom. Glittering lights rained down from the sky and enveloped them. They watched the fireworks together, passing the time in silence.

When the last of the sparks faded into the night sky, Y/N spoke. "It's kind of funny, I really wanted to watch the fireworks with you...but not like this." She turned to face him and he did the same. "See you in class, then." She walked off, leaving him alone under the stars.

Kazutora lingered at the rooftop. Wow, I messed up, he thought. But he couldn't see how he could fix this. He still couldn't get passed the feeling that he would never be good enough for her.

+ + +

Y/N wasted no time commuting home to confront her mom. First, she was in her business about school, then extracurriculars, and now, even her social life? Y/N couldn't believe the audacity of that woman—to say those things to someone she didn't even know. And she couldn't believe how easily Kazutora listened.

She took off her shoes at her home's entryway and stomped to her mom's home office.

"What is wrong with you?!" Y/N screamed as she threw open the door.

Y/N's mom peaked at the girl through the top of her glasses. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're the one screaming for no reason."

"You're the one who told Kazutora to stop hanging out with me," she spat back. "Why would you even do that?"

"Kazutora? The delinquent with the blonde streaks? He's clearly going to be trouble for you, so I told him to tell your teacher to assign him a different tutor."

"He's not just my tutee, he's my friend!"

"Friend?" her mom really looked at her now. "Why would someone like him be your friend?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? Kazutora's a good person! Why are you being so judgmental?"

"Judgmental? I'm protecting you! I'm ensuring your future! But all you do is scream and fight me about it!" Her mom stood from her chair, all her attention was directed at Y/N now. "Ever since your dad died, I've just been trying to make sure that you're able to set yourself up for life. Shouldn't you be grateful for that?"

Y/N couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe her mom would bring up her dad that way, especially since she had always been closer to him than she was to her. He was an artist, just like her. He was even able to mellow out her mom. She hadn't thought about him in a while because of how busy she had been, but now that her mom brought him up, a new wave of sadness washed over her. If he was still here, they wouldn't be in this situation. He would've been on her side, telling her mom that it's what's on the inside that counts, giving Kazutora the benefit of the doubt.

"I wish he were here instead," she said under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"I wish he were here instead," she said clearly, enunciating every syllable. "I wish you died instead of Dad! You just never understood me like he did. 'Get straight As, join these clubs, do these things, be a lawyer like me'—I don't want to be like you! Stop treating me like some sort of show dog! I want to be able to choose how to live my life! Why don't you understand that?"

Her mom was taken aback, but before she could say anything, Y/N ran to her room, tears streaming down her eyes.