Finally, once the sharp pricks of adrenaline wore off, I slowly slid out from under the car, wincing as my knees cracked like broken twigs. "Damn, I feel like an old man," I said to myself as I got out, then I reached back and carefully helped Yuki out too.
"Ugh, look at me... Covered in dirt," she groaned, brushing herself off with little flicks of her hand like that would somehow make her sparkle again.
"To think I had to go through so much pain because of your lack of awareness... Unforgivable," she muttered, trying to sound angry, but the way her hair stuck up and her voice wobbled made it hard to take her seriously; in fact, she looked more cute than anything else.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry, princess," I replied with a lazy wave of my hand.
"What are the chances they show up right before we leave?" Yuki muttered as we poked our heads and checked out left and right.
"Don't jinx us," I muttered.
"Just saying," Yuki replied.
We crept out of the parking lot, heads on a swivel like low-budget spies. Left. Right. Behind the lamppost. Wait five seconds. Dash forward like idiots.
Once we were sure the coast was clear and we weren't about to get snatched by another group of goons, we relaxed into a normal walk.
Except it wasn't normal.
The silence between us felt... Weird.
Awkward.
Soft.
Yuki walked a few paces ahead, then slowed down, then walked beside me again. Her hands fidgeted at her sides.
Then she spoke.
"Hey, Souta... Don't get the wrong idea or anything, but... The least you get is a thank you," she said, not looking at me.
Her voice was low, almost swallowed by the quiet night. But I heard it.
And in the dark, I could swear her cheeks were glowing. That totally threw off my game. "D-Don't mention it," I stammered, scratching my head. "It was the least I could do after the whole… Uh... Boob incident."
It was a stupid thing to bring up, but it was the truth, and it slipped out before I could stop it. I meant what I said, though. I did care. I wasn't trying to be a hero or anything, but if anything had happened to her, to any of them, I could've lost more than just my job. And not just in the professional sense.
"God knows what their dad would do, maybe even higher a private hit man for me?" I thought about whether it ever did come down to the worst-case scenario. I'd probably get killed."
I kept walking, trying not to glance her way, but I couldn't help it. My legs felt weird, like jelly, but also... Light? My chest was buzzing. My heart pounding. Everything was hot, even though the night air was cool. Don't look at her.
Don't look at her.
I looked at her.
She wasn't looking back.
Thank God.
We were just a few steps away from the apartment when suddenly, Yuki grabbed me from behind.
Her arms wrapped loosely around the collar of my top. Not tight, but just enough for me to stiffen up like a plank. My breath caught in my throat.
"Ngh!" I quietly cried out, "What's the big idea-" I started to turn around and complain, but froze.
"S-Souta..." She said softly, eyes meeting mine for just a second before darting away again.
"U-Um. Yes, Yuki?"
I didn't know what was coming. Another thank-you? A confession? A punch?
Whatever it was, she struggled with it. Her face turned red, really red, like someone had lit her cheeks on fire. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally forced the words out.
"You see… What happened today... Please don't mention it to anyone, okay? I can't be having people think I'm... A lowlife."
Her voice was quiet.
And genuine.
I blinked. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Don't wor-"
Then it hit me.
"…"
"A low life…" I murmured, letting the words process for a second.
Wait.
"HEY, WHAT WAS THAT LAST PART?!"
I turned to face her, completely thrown off.
She huffed, the fire in her face vanishing as she flipped back into her usual smug self.
"Hmph. I can't be seen around with you like that," she said, crossing her arms. "So keep what I said in mind… or I'll tell Daddy about what you've done. And trust me, he won't stop at just firing you."
GULP.
"Wowww, using the daddy card against me. How classical."
"Wait, that sounded weird."
"U-Um, sure sure! No need! My lips are sealed shut!" I laughed nervously, waving my hands in surrender, no chance I was going to argue out of that.
But deep down, I was sweating bullets. The way she said it? That wasn't a joke. Not even a little bit. And well, I think we now know that wasn't a bluff, she most likely will tell ol'd daddy.
She let out a soft smile before walking ahead of me, slipping back into the apartment building like the night hadn't just tried to kill us. I followed behind, half limping, half floating from everything that had just happened.
As we stepped into the lobby, the old man from this morning was there. But unlike before, he wasn't cool and collected. He looked like he'd been pacing for hours, and the moment his eyes found Yuki, he rushed over.
"YUKI! Are you alright!?"
His voice cracked, raspy with panic, but filled with deep, genuine fear. You'd think she'd been missing for a week instead of just one crazy night.
"I'm fine," Yuki said softly, smiling as she leaned into his hug. "Just a knock on the ankle. I can still walk on it."
"Yeah, a knock you did yourself," I murmured.
"What was that?" She scowled as she looked back.
"Ah, look at that, the ceiling is really high," I said, looking everywhere but at her.
The old man didn't look convinced by Yuki's story.
His eyes immediately dropped to her right foot; it was redder than the left, slightly swollen. Without saying a word, he crouched down and inspected it with the intensity of a retired war medic, poking, rotating, checking pressure points like he'd done it a thousand times before.
"Nothing broken... No fracture... good." His tone softened again. "Still, we'll ice it. And no more running for a few days."
Yuki only nodded like a scolded child, and the old man gently guided us upstairs. When we reached the hallway on her floor, he turned to me.
And then, he bowed.
Deep.
"I'm truly thankful, young man," he said, voice filled with quiet gratitude. "For protecting Yuki and the others tonight..."
I panicked.
Like I felt as if a noble warrior was bowing his head to a commoner like me, which just didn't feel right.
"N-No, please lift your head!" I said, waving my hands nervously. "I didn't really do anything. Anyone would've done the same."
He raised his head and smiled at me. "Perhaps. But not everyone does the right thing."
Then, like he just remembered, he added, "Ah, I never introduced myself, did I? My name is Wilhelm."
Wilhelm. That name tickled something in the back of my mind, like I'd heard it somewhere before. Maybe from a book? An anime? I couldn't quite place it.
Still, I shook his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you, Wilhelm."
That's when Yuki, now leaning against the wall, folded her arms and cleared her throat.
"How long are you guys going to flirt over there?"
Both Wilhelm and I blinked at her. We shared a small laugh before walking over to join her.
But just as Yuki reached for the doorknob.
BOOM!
The door blasted open as someone kicked it in. Standing there was Nao, eyes wide, full of chaotic sunshine energy.
"YUUUUKIIII!!!" She screamed, launching herself like a missile.
It was too fast. Yuki barely had time to brace herself before they crashed to the ground. Nao tackled her with a force that could've dented steel.
And then.
It happened.
As Yuki tried to catch her and stay upright, the momentum spun her slightly. Her skirt flipped up.
Time slowed.
There it was.
The forbidden zone.
A full shot of a very grown-up piece of fabric.
"It's… Pink."
That was all my brain could register.
I turned away in a panic, but it was too late. My eyes were forever cursed, blessed, ruined by the sight.
Yuki exploded up like she'd been electrocuted, pushing Nao off her like she was radioactive.
Her entire face was red. Not just embarrassed-red.
No.
Murder-red.
"YOU PERVERT! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
Her scream shook the whole damn hallway. I panicked.
"SHIT SHIT SHIT, WHY ME?!" I screamed, running down the hallway.
Ran for my life like I was in a horror movie and the killer had high heels and rage. Behind me, her footsteps thundered with terrifying purpose.
"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE!" Her voice echoed, as if I were playing some Roblox horror game.
I darted down the staircase, skipping steps like my life depended on it, because it did. My heart wasn't racing from the run. It was racing from what I saw.
Every cell in my body screamed abort mission.
But in between the screaming, running, and praying to any god who might listen, I felt something weird…
A tiny flutter in my chest.
No.
Don't say it.
I shook my head violently. That wasn't romantic.
That was survival.
…Right?