Arisa strolled over to Nao with her signature smug grin. Without a word, she held out her hand.
Nao sighed, cheeks puffing like a sulky balloon as she handed over her card.
"Enjoy it now… The debt collector will come," she muttered, slightly pouting.
I blinked before looking over at Arisa. "That… Sounded ominous, and you should watch your back from now on"
"Neh, I mean if she takes me out I'll haunt her forever." She replied casually.
Nao marched toward the store's front door, Arms swinging.
"I'll remember this injustice." She murmured under her breath before taking a step outside.
Now it was just me, Reina, and Arisa.
Arisa glanced around for a second, now having the power of Nao's money, then casually strolled off to grab a drink. She returned, flashing Nao's card like a trophy.
"Get whatever you want, it's on me… Well, Nao," she said sweetly.
"Uhhh… Sure?" I replied, suspicious, can't say no to free food even if it's technically a dodgy 4-1-4 scam.
The moment I picked up a drink, she smirked. I closed my eyes and felt like that one dog meme.
"Well, since you're buying something, you can handle the rest too~" She chimed, spinning on her heel. "Nao's card's all yours. I'll be outside~!"
She dumped the full basket into my arms like I was her personal mule and disappeared before I could form a response.
"…She hustled me," I muttered softly, finally opening my eyes.
Reina just watched with that same neutral expression, her lips barely parted.
"You coming?" I asked.
She shook her head softly.
"I'll wait here."
Classic Reina, clearly too shy to join a queue with people.
I joined the queue, arms loaded with Arisa's snack hoard. An older man stood in front of me, and a scruffy-looking guy around my age lined up behind.
Didn't think much of him. Why should I? But that changed when I heard it.
"Damn… You're pretty."
His voice was low, smug.
"You alone here, cutie?"
I turned around and saw Reina, as she continued to blank him.
He leaned in closer, clearly not getting the message. "C'mon, don't ignore me. What's your name? Just give me your number, I'll make it worth your time."
She stepped back, trying to create some distance from a guy who just never got the hint.
And of course, he stepped forward.
"You don't gotta be scared. I'm a nice guy. I'll treat you right."
He smiled like he was doing her a favour.
Reina turned her head away slightly, visibly uncomfortable. Her hand gripped her sleeve.
"You shy? That's okay. I like 'em quiet."
I clenched my jaw, ready to jump.
But still, I hesitated. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the fact that I thought she could do it herself.
"Maybe she'll shut him down herself?" I thought to myself
But then he reached for her wrist.
That was it; there was no way I could ignore it any longer. Whether Reina was going to do something or not, it was clearly too late for her to actually make a move.
"Yo! Hands off."
I stepped out of the line with precision and planted myself between them, staring him down, with the best mean mug face I could muster up in my limited arsenal.
"She's not interested. Get lost."
He blinked slightly, tilting his head, before scoffing.
"Who the hell are you, her boyfriend or something?"
I didn't answer. Just pulled Reina closer to me, gently, and guided her behind my shoulder.
Another guy behind him stepped up, letting me reclaim my spot in line. A silent "bro code" exchange. "I might just be that guy," I said to myself, getting the spot back and also looking cool, saving Reina. Though my hands were shaking, letting my whole aura down.
But instead of him giving up, the creep's lip curled.
"Big man, huh? Think you're hot shit?"
He raised his voice like he wanted a scene.
I didn't flinch. Didn't look back either.
Truth was?
I was scared shitless.
My fighting skills were strictly Naruto in the first arc tier, the pre-shadow clone days. But I stood my ground.
The guy eventually muttered some curses and stormed out, kicking a display stand on his way.
And then finally, silence returned.
That's when I noticed I was still holding Reina's hand.
"Ah, sorry," I muttered. "You okay?"
She looked up, wide-eyed.
Her cheeks were flushed, her breath shallow.
"…Thank you," she whispered, barely audible.
Was she… Blushing? No, that can't be… Or maybe she was.
Her fingers lingered a moment longer before letting go.
We stepped outside, groceries in hand.
"Took you long enough," Arisa said, one brow raised. "What was that guy yelling about in there?"
"Yeah, it sounded like a fight!" Nao added.
I glanced at Reina. She nodded slightly.
"Must've been having a rough day," I said casually, beginning to walk off.
"Hmm…" Arisa squinted at us, but didn't press. Instead, she handed me a plastic bag. Reina walked ahead, humming under her breath, a rare sight.
Arisa's eyes tracked her the whole way.
That smile she wore? At the start and throughout the shopping trip.
Gone. Now her eyes were filled with a death stare, an almost jealous one in fact.
I walked behind Reina and Nao, pretending nothing happened, and also pretending Arisa wasn't just creating a doughnut like I was Rengoku.
I genuinely thought that was just going to be it. Arisa was just going to be staring at me until we got home.
But oh boy, I was wrong.
"Ngh!" I softly cried out.
Because a soft hand landed on my shoulder.
Gentle at first, then tightened.
Hard.
"Soutaaaaa~" She cooed, dragging out my name.
My eyebrow twitched, and a bead of sweat dripped down the side of my head.
"Yesss, Arisa?" I replied sheepishly.
At that point, I truly felt the pain Naruto felt every time he pissed off Sakura, because goddamn, she had some monster strength.
Arisa leaned in, her tone sugary but venom-laced.
"Sooo… Reina seemed really, really happy just now," she said sweetly. "Like the kind of happy a girl gets when something special happens. Anything you wanna share, hmm~?"
I turned to her with the most blank, deadpan face I could manage.
"No ma'am. We just talked about how you abandoned me and made me carry your shopping. That's all."
My voice cracked. I was stuttering like a kid caught with stolen cookies.
She stared at me.
Then slowly smiled.
"Good. I trust you," she said, releasing my shoulder with a pat-pat on the back.
"Don't get too flirty now, okay?"
"Yes, M'am," I replied.
I didn't breathe again until she walked ahead of me.
"That was close; telling her the truth would have most likely gotten me killed," I murmured under my breath.
The walk back from the shop should've been peaceful. Late-night breeze. Faint smell of rain in the air. The kind of silence that makes you feel safe, like the world hit pause for a moment.
Nao was spinning in slow circles as she walked, humming something I didn't recognise.
Reina had the bag of ingredients in her arms, cradled like treasure.
And Arisa… Was back to walking beside me.
But she hadn't said a word since that whole don't flirt with my sisters " talk.
Just footsteps.
Four sets.
Click-clack. Crunch. Click-clack. Crunch.
Streetlights above us flickered like cheap horror effects.
"I feel like we're walking into a movie scene," I muttered, trying to lighten the mood.
No one replied.
"Thanks, guys."
The sidewalk stretched ahead in quiet, the warm glow of the apartment building just barely in view.
Almost there.
Almost.
Snap.
A twig cracked behind us.
It was faint. Too faint.
Could've been a squirrel. Could've been nothing.
But something about the sound made the hairs on the back of my neck stand like soldiers.
I turned.
The road behind us was empty.
"Did you guys hear that?" I asked, already scanning the shadows between the trees lining the street.
They all stopped, also turning around and searching the area too.
Nao blinked. "Huh?"
"I heard it too…" Reina said, her voice unusually serious.
Arisa turned her head slightly. "Probably just-"
"OI."
The voice cut through the air like a knife.
Loud.
Low.
Too familiar.
"You jackass."
We froze.
From the shadows between the distant trees, a figure stepped out like I was in an actual horror movie.
His Hands were stuffed in his pockets as he slowly walked towards us.
The streetlamp behind him cast a long shadow across the road, creating an even scarier effect.
But that wasn't the worst part of it, no, not at all, because a second later we heard.
clank
Metal.
A glint.
A heavy, dragging sound.
The unmistakable clink of a bat against asphalt.
"Didn't think we'd meet again so soon, huh?" He said, and though I couldn't see it clearly, thanks to the darkness, I know he was grinning from ear to ear
And this time... He wasn't alone…