They didn't go back to campus after that.
Juri had advised the siblings to go home. Something about how unwise it would be to return when everyone was already expecting some sort of grand reveal or explanation.
Akira wasn't really listening, though.
Not really.
She was still thinking about the look Geisha had when she found out about—
[ "My name is… Mrs Kisaragi Juri." ]
Akira clutched her shirt.
Her fingers were shaking again.
Her breathing was ragged again.
"His… wife," she thought.
Her body did that awkward in-between jerk whenever her heartbeat spiked.
[ "Shh…" ]
Her forearm recoiled closer as the man's gaze retraced its memory all over her body again.
Her eyes shut.
Goosebumps trailed across her skin.
The engine thrummed.
"Akira?"
Her eyes snapped open, wide and a little glassy around the edges.
"Huh?"
Akashi's expression immediately became skeptical as he opened the door for her.
"We're home."
"O-Oh. Right…"
The door shut with a soft click.
The hybrid retreated into the two-story building, her stride just a little too quick.
Akashi saw it all.
The soft, hurried patter of the glowing flipflops as she moved through the patio.
Go inside.
Kicked them off.
And immediately hurried upstairs.
Downstairs, his jaw set.
Silent frustration.
"Dammit, smallie, just what the hell did they do to you?"
He knew he could always ask.
But he dismissed the thought as he prepared some lunch.
Not because he didn't care, but because he knew the woman upstairs had a habit of keeping things in.
It was around three in the afternoon by the time they ate.
Akashi had to leave early, though.
"Another emergency," he said, putting on his jacket by the door. "My lovely friend Toyorumi's still giving me some trouble…"
Akira nodded from the living room doorway.
"I'll be back, okay? Be safe and please… don't blame yourself, okay?"
He didn't wait for a response.
He was already in the car by then.
Akira stared down at her feet, the faint residue of the flipflops' green dust motes glowing softly beneath her socks.
Her mind immediately drifted back to Geisha.
Her gentle gaze.
The soft smile she offered.
She'd even given her the small teddy bear now resting on her lamp stand.
A smile crept onto Akira's lips.
"I hope I see her again." she murmured to herself.
Her door opened.
The room itself was relatively simple and tidy.
A few drawings hung on the walls, gifts she'd once made for an old friend she'd since lost contact with.
Rose-scented candles lined the bookshelves.
Bookshelves filled with manga she'd reread at least five times this month alone.
A bed that was never lonely thanks to the numerous stuffed animals she'd named on nights she'd cried herself to sleep.
And a lamp stand that held a very important friendship token.
She crawled into bed.
Her phone had fallen in the burning apartment earlier, so she couldn't even read her favorite series.
"He's gonna kill me when he finds out I broke another one…"
She rolled onto her side and met the gaze of a giant pink bear smiling kindly at her.
"Isn't that right, Reiko?"
She laughed softly at herself.
Reiko wasn't the best name for a teddy bear as adorable as him, but she'd grown attached to it.
The breeze drifted in, brushing the curtains as she glanced out toward the balcony.
There was something about Tokyo that made afternoons feel particularly special.
Maybe it was the hovering trains that zipped past.
Maybe it was the distant sound of neighbors mowing their lawns.
She didn't know what it was.
And somewhere along her pondering, her mind drifted into a gentle haze.
If only the dream itself had been kinder.
...
It was dark.
Darker than most nights had any right to be.
She could barely see past the edge of her bed.
The air felt ten degrees colder than normal.
Akira reached for her lamp.
The light barely illuminated the room.
Her body screamed internally, but she pushed it down.
"It's okay… I'm at home…"
A soft mantra.
One she kept repeating as she made her way toward the light switch—
A sharp gust burst through the crack in the balcony door.
Akira panicked and stumbled forward to close it.
She looked outside.
She couldn't see Tokyo.
All she could see—
was the silhouette of something standing in the darkness.
Black.
Almost worn-down clothing.
The sight unsettled her deeply.
She turned around.
And her heart stopped.
A man.
Standing beside the opposite side of her bed.
Staring.
Her back pressed so hard against the glass door she could barely breathe.
She lost what little air remained when he noticed her.
And then—
He moved.
Slowly.
Polished black boots stepped onto her pink duvet.
Akira's irises shrank to pinpoints.
The glass strained behind her as if she could somehow melt through it.
"H-Ha…"
She barely whispered as tears began to form.
Then she felt a hand touch her leg.
She didn't have enough time to react before that same withered blue gaze dragged itself across her body again.
This time it wasn't just a look.
The man grabbed her cheek and pressed himself against her.
The pressure against her chest was suffocating.
Pitch fingers traced her skin.
She couldn't think.
Couldn't move.
Her eyes remained locked on the faceless man with withered blue eyes and a smile that made her blood run cold.
The glass cracked behind her as his hands touched her neck—
"See?" the darkness said. "I told you I wouldn't stop at just looking."
Collarbone.
Her lungs burned with every desperate inhale.
Sternum.
"Now…"
Lower.
Her vision blurred.
Brain numb.
Throat constricted.
Too low—
"How about we have some fun?"
...
The scream that tore from her shattered the night's silence.
Her body folded so violently into itself, her knees stabbed her chest.
She lunged for the lamp.
Light flooded the room.
...
Nothing.
Left.
Nothing.
Right.
No one.
Check again.
Her head snapped toward the shelf.
The balcony.
The door.
Again.
She didn't move.
No.
No moving.
She waited.
Waited.
Waited again.
Her breathing stuttered as she stared at the door.
Watched the hinge.
Waited for it to turn.
Waited for a certain blonde-haired surgeon to walk in.
He didn't.
Somehow that made it worse.
"Akashi?"
Nothing.
The glow of neighboring house lights seeped through the balcony curtains.
Akira didn't know if now was the time to move.
So she tried again.
"Akashi?"
Nothing.
She swallowed.
Her leg shifted.
Only when both feet touched the carpet did she become aware of the cold sweat drenching her body.
Her palms were sweaty.
Knees weak.
Arms spaghetti—
No.
Focus.
She checked behind her again.
Nobody.
Looked forward.
A warm tear rolled down her cheek.
Then another.
Her feet retreated back to her chest as she curled into a ball.
"Dammit…"
An embarrassing hitch escaped her.
Every single inhale caused a twitch.
And every twitch made her body remember.
The only witnesses to her breakdown were the countless toys scattered around the room.
But when she looked up, it wasn't Reiko she searched for.
It was him.
Bravey.
The small purple bear given to her by a very special friend she already wished was here.
She squeezed him tightly.
Steadied herself.
Took a breath.
A proper one this time.
"Geisha was right…" she said, voice ugly and cracked. "I feel better already…"
It took a while before the carpet brushed beneath her feet again.
She walked into the hallway.
Dimly lit.
The closet light flickered behind her as she made her way toward the stairs.
The hallway light barely reached the threshold.
Her palms gripped the railing tighter.
Fingers twitching.
A soft creak escaped the metal.
Her head spun again.
Just in case.
No one.
And pressed against her chest, Bravey endured another squeeze as she took the first step.
The journey itself was simple.
Kitchen.
Glass.
Water.
Check voicemail.
He always called when he'd be late.
She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.
Most of the time she didn't bother listening to the messages.
If he wasn't home by ten, she'd already know.
But in all honesty...
As she drank the water, all she wanted was to hear that annoying nickname he kept calling her.
She set the glass down.
Kitchen. Check.
Water. Check.
She turned toward the living room.
"Breathe..." she whispered to herself.
She made sure every light stayed on.
That way nobody could hurt her.
She pressed the glowing blue button.
A faint trail of blue light pulsed from the phone line.
{ "You have 2 missed calls." }
"Heya, smallie. Hope you're good…"
Her shoulders immediately relaxed.
Bravey could finally breathe again.
"So yeah, I'm stuck at work. Seems like there's a couple here saying their kid caused an electrical circuit to misfire and— y'know what, you don't need to know all that, dum dum."
She chuckled despite herself.
"Just make sure you close the windows this time, yeah? Don't do anything stupid, okay? Talk later, you goober."
Beep.
The blue lines shifted into a gentler green.
But she didn't listen to the second message.
She only needed one.
The lines disappeared as she pressed the button and headed back upstairs.
On the way there, the faint feeling of being watched still lingered.
But immediately after—
She thought of him.
Of Geisha.
Of Yui.
Of Bravey.
And even though sleep was off the menu for tonight...
As she sat on her bed, rereading the same manga volume for the sixth time, with some ohagi beside her and a teddy bear named Bravey tucked beneath her arm, she carried a naive little feeling.
That she didn't need to worry about the next few months.
Just make till tomorrow.
And for once—
That goal seemed reachable.