Midnight Call | SANO. Manjirou

Chapter eighty two

I turn around, my heart plummets when I see him – Hanma, the very personification of my nightmares. His presence alone is enough to send a wave of fear crashing through me, memories of past horrors flooding my mind.

"Yuna~" he greets me again with that chilling smile, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and something darker, something that makes my skin crawl.

I try to keep my composure, to not show how much his presence terrified me. Clutching the teddy bear Mikey had won tightly to my chest, I force myself to respond, my voice barely above a whisper, "Hey".

His gaze flicker to the teddy bear, and I can feel his mocking amusement. "He won you a large plushie, huh? How cute," he remarks, his tone dripping with condescension.

I nod, not trusting my voice to respond. Every fiber of my being scream for me to get away from him, to find Mikey and seek safety in his presence.

Hanma's next words send a chill down my spine. "Back with the invincible Mikey, I see. You two are cute together" he says, his smile widening in a way that makes me shudder inwardly.

"We're just friends" I blurt out, the words coming out in a rush as I try to maintain some semblance of control over the situation.

Hanma leans in closer, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that makes me want to shrink away. "Just friends, huh? That's a shame. You two seemed so... closely close for friends" he remarks, his voice taking on a predatory edge that makes my blood run cold.

I swallow hard, desperately wishing for Mikey to appear and rescue me from this nightmare. Hanma's presence is suffocating, his proximity sending my heart into overdrive.

"So, Yuna, tell me, how's life been treating you lately?" Hanma asks, his voice deceptively casual, but I can sense the underlying threat in his words.

I force a weak smile, trying to buy time as I search for an escape route. "It's been... okay. Just trying to enjoy the night with my friend" I reply, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound calm.

Hanma chuckles, a sound that sends shivers down my spine. "Enjoying the night with a friend, huh? Well, that's good to hear. I always knew you had a knack for finding trouble" he says cryptically, his eyes narrowing in a way that makes my stomach churn.

I shift uncomfortably on the bench, inching further away from him as I pray for Mikey's swift arrival.

As I continued to engage in this unsettling conversation with Hanma, his eyes boring into mine, his gaze fills with a twisted sense of curiosity. "You know, Yuna, I've always wondered what it is about Mikey that makes you so devoted to him" he muses, his voice taking on a dangerous edge.

I tense, my mind racing with a million thoughts. I can't reveal the depth of my feelings for Mikey to Hanma, not when I know the history between them and the dangers that lurked within the gangs conflicts.

"He's just... a good friend" I reply cautiously, choosing my words carefully to avoid revealing too much.

Hanma's smirk widens, as if he sees through my facade. "Ah, but there's always more to it, isn't there? A little crush perhaps?" he teases, his words dripping with malice.