Always The Spare [ Okkotsu Yuta ]

Chapter 12

Inumaki doesn't really speak; no more like he can't that is in scenarios he didn't fight. He had hurt people family, friends or enemies simply because he couldn't control with words he spoke. The older he grew the more restrictive he became to himself as he decided to only speak using rice ball ingredients instead to speak.

Despite all that, his friends started to recognize the words he used and the patterns to which he implied those words, where he felt as if he was able to converse freely and one such friend was Yuta.

Right now, Yuta with his bed hair, his dark fair all tousled walks into the common room with sleepy eyes for breakfast; his eyes wandered around for a second as if he was searching for something or someone.

"Heh..." Inumaki who had a toast in hand peered over to Maki who let out a scoff; the girl had a smirk With her face laced with amusement as she opens her mouth to speak. "Kaede left already."

Inumaki then turns to look at Yuta who pinked at the comment as his raises his hands, flailing it around in denial. "No- Th-That's not what I was doing!" He clears his throat as he he simply walks to the kitchen counter and starts making himself a morning cup of tea.

Inumaki maybe due to not being able to speak freely meant he was more observant, he was almost always aware of what was going around and that meant he knew there was something going on between Yuta and Kaede.

He knew how whenever someone makes a joke Yuta would always look over to Kaede to see if she was smiling.

He knew Yuta would look a slight bit proud of she laughed at one of his jokes.

He knew Yuta would always exclaim whenever he sees camillas, the flower Kaede always grew, and take a photo to send it to her.

He didn't miss the hair clip Kaede would wear at times and a similar colored hair band around his wrist, the same one he noticed was once worn by Kaede herself.

He knew Yuta's shoulders deflate whenever he finds out Kaede was sent on a separate mission or the glances Yuta took during classes at her and when he gets caught Kaede would smile at him to which he would go pink and smile back followed by him rubbing the back of his neck, probably beating himself over it.

Any time Yuta enters a room, the first thing he would always do was to search for her dark eyes of Kaede's.

Inumaki knew Yuta liked Kaede but the surprising part was when he realized Kaede also shared the same sentiment.

Kaede from what Inumaki could make out was always 'nice'. She always knew the right things to say and right way to react; almost too robotic as if there was always an answer ready.

But the first time he saw the crack in her was probably was when Gojo asked her to take up the katana as the choice of weapon, the girl's eyes were widen simply for a second before she nods but later he finds out that it was simply for practice not for mission; apparently it was against the Kuuji clan's beliefs. And the next time when he saw her flatter was when after a mission with the new classmate, Okkotsu Yuta.

Inumaki didn't know the details from the mission other than that Kaede was injured but the mission was completed with 'all goals reached', Gojo's words not his. After that the girl seemed to be almost 'breathing'. She would smile more often -it was no longer the business smile she wore- , she would join into their conversation more -it no longer felt like a diplomat making connections- and finally a soften gaze mainly towards Okkotsu Yuta...

The same Okkotsu Yuta who was fidgeting, his fingers tapping on his cup with his feet dropping down and up in a repetitive manner, around the kitchen. He finally looks like he mustered up his courage with a deep inhale as he looks over to Inumaki and Maki. "Kaede had gone home right?"