Later that night, Seiji sat at the low table in the living room, scrolling aimlessly through his phone. The glow of the screen was a learned distraction. He didn't enjoy spending his time like this, but he got used to it.
It's just for now. I'll change. I don't want to turn into my father.
His father was always on the phone. Jun held it like it was his firstborn child. Like it was the only thing that mattered in his life.
Seiji sensed Haruko appearing in the room almost silently.
She was always like that. Considerate. Quiet. A pretty, polite smile plastered on her face, a perfect hostess in a house that wasn't really a home. She wasn't his mom. Seiji's mom left his dad a long time ago.
Haruko was just… furniture.
Graceful furniture.
She set a cup of tea on the table beside Seiji. Her hand brushed his.
It should've been nothing.
But a jolt, sharp and warm, suddenly shot up Seiji's arm. It wasn't just static. It was the amulet, humming against his chest, feeding him a signal.
What the hell?
Seiji froze, his thumb hovering over the screen. He looked up.
Haruko's eyes were wide with shock. Her hand jerked back as if she'd been burned.
"Oh! S-sorry, Seiji," she stammered, her composure shattering like glass.
She turned away quickly, her back rigid and straight as an arrow. The polite curtain had slipped. He'd seen what was behind it for a split second.
That's not like her. Why did she jump like that? She must've felt it.
And he'd felt it too.
Strange energy had passed between them. It felt like… recognition.
Seiji slowly focused on Haruko.
He really looked at her. Not as his dad's wife. Not as furniture.
He saw the soft curve of her neck, the way her house dress hugged her hips. For the first time, he saw her as a woman.
And he felt the amulet pulse with a low, steady heat.
She isn't family. Not like Yumi. Yumi is mine to protect. Haruko… she's just here. But she and I felt it. So there must something there. This new power reached her too.
Seiji gave her a slight nod and looked back down at his phone.
The spot on his hand where she'd touched him tingled.
He didn't need to wonder if Haruko saw him anymore. He knew she did.
And now, he saw her too.