• Suki Nakamura •
"Takeru-senpai..."
The rain poured down heavily, drenching our school uniforms. He turned away from me, blood dripping from his hand into the drain. In the distance, a faint siren could be heard.
"What did I tell you, Suki?" he said, disappointment etched on his face.
"They had a knife, senpai! What did you expect me to do? Just stand there and watch you bleed?" I reasoned with him.
He firmly held my shoulders. "Listen to me, and listen well. No matter what happens to me, I don't want you to save me, okay? I'll protect you, and if I ever go down, run in the opposite direction and find a safe place to hide."
I looked into his eyes and gently removed his hands from my shoulders. "I don't want to."
"Suki..."
"When you're in danger, I'll be there with blood on my hands. Those who harm you have chosen their own demise," I declared, and a sense of hopelessness washed over him.
Takeru let out a sigh and pulled me into a tight embrace, enveloping me in warmth. It was the first time I truly felt secure, like I had finally found my family.
I jolted awake from a deep sleep, drenched in cold sweat. The room looked familiar, but something was off. I glanced down and realized I was wearing different clothes that didn't belong to me, but I recognized the scent.
I stumbled out of the bed and found the two brothers, Masaki and Hiroto, cooking in the kitchen.
"Suki!" Masaki rushed to my side, holding a spatula. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
Confusion filled my mind as I tried to piece together what had happened. "How did I end up here?"
"You showed up at our door last night and passed out," Masaki explained, while Hiroto leaned against the counter with a furrowed brow, sipping his coffee.
As they spoke, flashes of yesterday's events came back to me—the kidnapping, the men, the blood.
"Suki?" Masaki's voice brought me back to the present.
"I was kidnapped," I calmly informed them. Masaki's face registered shock, while Hiroto's expression grew angrier. "Yesterday, on my way home from work, two men were waiting in front of the unit. They mistook me for you, Hiroto, and took me to a place. I was drugged, but somehow managed to escape. I blacked out after that."
"Did they...do anything to you?" Masaki asked, trying to control his emotions.
I shook my head. "They tried."
"I will kill them," Hiroto declared, reaching for his jacket.
Before he could leave, I stopped him and held onto his arm. "I can save you the trouble. I already did."
Masaki gasped in shock, "Y-You killed them?"
"They were going to use me as bait to get Hiroto," I explained, locking eyes with Hiroto, who was still glaring at me. "But I don't have faith in anyone to save me."
"Suki, do you realize you might have killed someone with powerful connections?" Masaki asked worriedly.
"I have nothing to lose," I replied, releasing Hiroto's arm and sitting down to eat the breakfast before me. "I'll just have to be extra cautious and put extra locks on the doors."
Hiroto scoffed, "Like hell you're going back to that unit."
"What are you going to do about it?" I challenged him, crossing my arms defiantly.
"Listen, stupid," he retorted, making me roll my eyes, "I don't care if you want to die, but if those people were originally looking for me, I don't want your blood on my hands."
"Then what do you expect me to do?" I fumed, grabbing a piece of toast and spreading butter on it.
"You can move in with us," Hiroto suggested.
I burst into laughter, glancing at Masaki, who looked nervous. "Your brother is good at spewing shit in the morning, isn't he?"
"I'm serious," Hiroto said, leaning on the table and glaring at me.
I met his gaze, refusing to back down. "I'm not moving in here."
"You'll take Takeru's room," he said, smirking.
I slammed the bread knife on the table, standing to face him even though he was taller. "Say that again, and I won't hesitate to stab your hand."
"Fine," he said, crossing his arms. "I'll move in with you instead."