The air was stifling.
Shuichi didn't speak, and neither did Akemi.
It was as if an invisible, bottomless abyss lay between them, and neither had the courage to step across.
If they were a normal couple, the man would either have angrily rushed over to hit someone by now or be cursing at her.
But Shuichi couldn't do either.
First, he couldn't beat Makoto.
Second, he had no right to blame Akemi.
Back when she was being silenced by the organization, he had been on the other side of the ocean, seeking refuge with his ex-ex-girlfriend.
"Dai-kun."
Akemi bit her lip and spoke first. "You need to run."
Akemi knew her sister too well… if Shiho found out that Shuichi had actually come to her, she couldn't imagine what would happen.
Shuichi looked at her for a long time, then answered irrelevantly:
"Is he better than me?"
Akemi was stunned. Her gaze darted back and forth between Makoto and Shuichi. She almost asked back, "Better in what way?" But she held back.
"Don't think about that."
Akemi's tone grew more urgent. "My sister... anyway, it's very dangerous for you to stay here."
"Sis, where are you?"
Shiho's voice came from the street.
Akemi's face turned pale. She stomped her foot anxiously.
"Hide! Shiho really will kill you!"
Shuichi hesitated for half a second, then shrank back into the alley.
He understood why Shiho would be hostile toward him. He didn't want to die just yet.
Akemi turned around, clasped her hands together, and pleaded with Makoto. "Makoto-sama, please help me delay Shiho. I want to speak with him alone for a bit."
Makoto pinched his chin and thought.
"I want sister bowl for dinner."
Shuichi's face darkened.
Although he usually spent most of his time in America, as a true Japanese, he understood the meaning of the words 'sister bowl'.
Akemi hadn't understood the phrase before, but over the past two years, she had picked up quite a bit from little perverts like Darkness and Hana.
Although she had just lost her virginity today, she was already used to the meaning of those dirty jokes.
Her face red, Akemi's lips trembled several times. Hearing her sister's calls getting closer, she had no choice but to agree.
Shuichi felt the weight of the black knit cap on his head increase.
"Dai-kun, let's talk."
Akemi looked up, meeting his gaze.
The sunset's afterglow slanted into the alley entrance, dividing the two into light and dark halves… Akemi bathed in warm orange, Shuichi hidden in cold gray shadow.
At the alley entrance, Shiho, having noticed Makoto, had already trotted over.
"Commander, did you see my sister?"
Shiho's gaze passed over his shoulder, ready to peer into the alley.
Makoto pulled her into his arms.
The smell of male hormones hit her face, carrying an aggression that made her scalp tingle.
Shiho's face suddenly turned red. She had never had such close contact with a man before.
Like a cat suddenly scruffed, she didn't know where to put her limbs.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Her voice rose a few octaves, carrying a clear nervousness.
"You're about to give me your body. Why so formal?" Makoto's lazy voice came from above her head.
Shiho punched him, like a cat paw batting. "That's for tonight! Let me go now!"
She had already noticed that many passersby were casting ambiguous looks their way.
Don't let Shiho's cool exterior fool you. She had no romantic experience, let alone being held in a man's arms on the street.
Makoto didn't let go. He greedily inhaled the scent of her neck a few more times.
Like petting a cat?
Deep in the alley, the atmosphere between Akemi and Shuichi grew even heavier.
"Dai-kun, let's break up."
Akemi knew this couldn't go on. She gritted her teeth and made up her mind.
As she said this, a bitter smile even appeared at the corner of Akemi's mouth. "I don't even know if our previous relationship counted as dating."
If her sister didn't yet know what Shuichi had done, maybe this love-struck girl would want to reconcile.
But now, her sister saw Shuichi as an irreconcilable enemy, and she had just lost her virginity to Makoto.
From every angle, things between her and Shuichi were impossible.
Shuichi was silent for a long time. His Adam's apple bobbed. After several attempts, he finally made up his mind. "I can take you back."
Akemi was completely dumbfounded. Her pupils reflected Shuichi's extremely serious face.
'Do you know that tonight, I'm going to be with my sister for him?'
Shuichi looked at the changing expression on her face and lowered his voice. "I don't mind."
This sentence was also heard by Makoto, who was releasing his Observation Haki.
He couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.
'Wow. When I read the manga in my past life, I never noticed this guy could be so tolerant.'
'That's right. This guy's voice was so similar to the Face King's, and that guy was pretty tolerant too.'
"What are you laughing at?" Shiho looked up at him.
A light bulb appeared over Makoto's head. He looked down at the little cat in his arms and smiled. "Give me a kiss, and I'll tell you a secret."
Shiho rolled her eyes. "Go use that line on a little girl like Iris's age."
"Are you picking a fight?"
Makoto nudged her. "It's about Akai Shuichi. Are you going to kiss me or not? Are you or not?!"
The two people in the alley stopped and turned their heads to look back.
The next second, Shiho's expression changed. She grabbed Makoto's face, stood on tiptoe, and began frantically kissing him. Smooch, smooch, smooch.
No technique at all. Just lips pressed against lips, rubbing back and forth a few times.
Makoto licked his lips. They were covered in her saliva. "Tsk, not romantic at all."
With that, he pinched her on the butt.
The force was just right, enough to make her body jerk.
"Ah—!"Shiho yelped. Her mouth opened, and Makoto's tongue slipped in.
Her mind went blank. Her body went from stiff to soft, like butter left in the sun, melting bit by bit.
The sound of saliva exchange came from the alley entrance, faint and sticky.
Hearing that sound, Akemi's body inexplicably grew hot.
She remembered the tingling sensation of his breath against her ear in the hotel room earlier.
Fortunately, Makoto and Shiho's act didn't last too long.
With a 'pop', like uncorking a vintage bottle of red wine, their lips parted, drawing a thin silver strand that glistened in the setting sun.
Shiho's eyes were slightly red. Her lips were a bit swollen. Her chest heaved violently.
"Can you tell me now?"
Shiho gave Makoto a hard glare.
Makoto's smile remained. "Back when your brother-in-law was tricking your sister, he had another girlfriend."
In the alley, Akemi's pupils dilated sharply. She turned her head sharply to look at Shuichi.
Shuichi swayed, stumbling to lean against the wall. He looked incredulously at Makoto's back in the alley entrance.
He didn't understand how Makoto knew about that.
After all, he had never mentioned it to Akemi.
"Her name is Jodie Starling. She's also an FBI agent."
Shiho's pupils went from dilated to contracted.
Hatred surged from within her, enough to form an evil persona like Demon King Piccolo.
"I want to make his life worse than death."
Shiho said each word clearly, one at a time.
In the alley, Shuichi looked at Akemi and saw her gaze toward him had changed.
No regret, only disappointment.
He opened his mouth to say something, but after a long time, couldn't utter a single word.
Finally, Shuichi left her with 'Wait for me', and stumbled out the other end of the alley.