Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Akio’s eyes bugged out as he tugged hard to veer out of the way. Apparently, Misaki thought about dodging as well. Unfortunately, both of them made the same snap decision synchronized in the worst possible way.

Now, their eyes were locked together, a staredown with the only possible result was a head-on collision at full speed. For Akio, he was too stunned to even manage a blink, much less process another action. Rather, he was conditioned to believe the worst would happen and he would take the blame.

This is it. ‘Wada murderer’ will be the last thing people say about me. Dangerous girl she may be, that doesn’t make it any better- huh, sudden thigh shot!

While Akio was busy staring at a flash of skin, a foot slammed into his side. The force was so great that he was sent spinning off the bike and into the air. Moments later, he crashed into piles of garbage. It cushioned him for a split second before it all compressed against a solid brick wall, knocking the wind out of him. It hurt like hell, and he doubted that he’d be standing up soon.

Yet, his jaw was left slack as he stared at the fate of the bike, which tumbled over and over, out of control, before crashing into a nearby wall. It proceeded to ricochet off hard surfaces and continued its self-destructive trip, tearing itself up into a mangled mass of parts.

STELLAAAAA!!! Wait, that’s not my bike. I actually don’t care.

Akio shivered, muttering a silent blessing that his appendages were still attached. But then, a foot crashed into the wall, right next to his head. It was the same attack that had cleared a several-hundred kilo bike for takeoff. Shards of brick peppered his back as he nervously eyed the inner thigh attached to the other end of the explosion of pure might.

FUCKKKKK.

Now, that was a leg. He traced the muscular contours as his gaze veered into the dangerous territory of zettai ryouiki under a dark navy skirt. It was too much for him, so curiosity forced his head to the kneesocks, turning slowly towards her foot. A thirty-centimeter wide crater greeted him, a brutal welcome that would have crushed his head like a melon dropped from a high-rise had it connected.

By now, Akio had already accepted death several times over. What was once more? His face couldn’t fall any further into surprise after everything that had happened.

“Wha the hell’s the big deal, ya asshole! You don’t mind becoming a smear in the pavement?!”

Akio suddenly let out a chuckle, having totally expected that based on her personality. After all, he had attempted vehicular manslaughter on a yankee. Madness dotted his lips. Once again, being head empty from shock caused him to say the first thing on his mind.

“Kind of late for that. Maybe I should be grateful for the view before the execution. Would’ve been perfect if I had died right then. At least, it would’ve been a high of my day – death by thicc thighs.”

That earned him a foot digging into his chest, squeezing the air out of his lungs. If he was going to die anyways, asphyxiation by feet wasn’t the worst way he could think of.

Even as he gasped to suck in any bit of oxygen, his eyes daringly looked up at the unbelievably strong girl before him. Strange circumstances aside, his attention couldn’t look away at how much she was a looker. Truly like a valkyrie coming to reap his soul from the battlefield.

He wasn’t the type to enjoy being dominated, but the sheen of pure confidence emitted from Misaki added to her allure. Her crimson eyes held a dead-serious expression that signaled nothing was off the tables, more or less ensuring that he was at her whims.

He gripped her surprisingly thin ankle, wondering if he had the leverage. Try as he might, Akio couldn’t budge a single bit, those legs of hers hiding a monstrous strength that matched every bit the rumors of her violence. It was hard to imagine any other option as the darkness seeped into his vision. It would leave behind a far less pathetic rumor than getting offed by a gang for swiping their bike.

But to his surprise, the pressure let off. A burst of fresh air flooded back into his lungs as he gasped in wonder. His vision immediately filled with color again.

“Sounds more like you’re enjoying it. What gives you the idea that I’d go along, seeing that?”

Misaki kneeled down, staring at him with suspicion. She had decided that he was harmless, but the sprinkle of confusion on her face looked almost cute. It was certainly a gap compared to her ferocity before, the muscular limbs almost an illusion. She slapped him across the face for staring.

“Oi, boke. Wha the hell’s wrong with ya? Can’t tell if ya trying to start something or just a fucking idiot.”

“Huh, and here I thought you’d be the first to jump to conclusions and slit my throat with the panty knife. Surprise, surprise.”

Sure enough, Misaki had a switchblade against his neck the next moment, the same one he happened to see among the flash of thigh. He really had to do a better job at withholding information that didn’t need to be mentioned.

Instinctively, his hand grabbed hers in a futile attempt to hold her back. His fingers fought to get a good grip around her palm, like it was the one lifeline keeping him alive. There was an obvious disconnect between his words and actions, something that Misaki didn’t fail to notice.

Regardless, her strength easily won out as she lifted him to his feet before pushing him into the brick wall with a dull thud. He was in no way a suitable match-up, not with the biceps that she had. Not to mention, she was a whole head taller. That gave her every right to kabedon him any day.

Akio watched as she holstered the switchblade under her skirt, as if treating him as insignificant once again. But as she turned to walk away, Akio broke into a laugh again. Frustration came out like a dam.

“Hehehehe, mercy from the craziest person in town. What’s going on with this world? Normal people treat me like shit. Misaki Haibara turns out to be alright in comparison. It’s like nobody understands us at all!”

A hand gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him up to her eye level. The confusion in her eyes now turned into intrigue.

“You’re right. No one understands me at all. Are you saying that you do?”

It sounded like a threat. A ‘how dare you think you know me’ moment, complete with a tightening hold and clenched fist rearing back. One wrong answer would shut him up. Yet, Misaki’s eyes drew in Akio deeper and deeper.

She had a look of craving and worry all the same. It was so out of the blue that Akio couldn’t help but remit into his habit of speaking his mind without filters.

“At this point, I’d rather know you than anyone else. At least, it seems like you give a shit. And if people actually saw this side of you, I can’t help but wonder if things wouldn’t be better.”

“I’ll fucking murder you.”

“At least you’d be honest about it. I’m tired of people playing games and dancing around like idiots to make fun of me. I hate acting like I have to be goddamn normal in front of them!”

For the first time in the encounter, Misaki looked like she was at a loss. It was clear she was searching for answers, but to what, Akio had no idea. Who knew what a crazy person like Misaki had going through her mind anyways? He just shut up and hoped for the best.

After several moments, she finally let out a sigh. It was like a bomb had been deactivated when she pushed him back against the wall, gently. However, she wasn’t letting him go just yet. A probing glare from her said that forcing one step around her meant negotiations were over.

“What do ya want from me?”

Akio had been given a chance. A way out if only he could string the right words. Saving grace if he kept calm and talked like a normal human being.

“Ehhhh… a chance to clear the air. Make amends, I dunno, confess whythehellI’mhere and kissandmakeup or something-”

Fat chance in hell!

Akio’s expression dropped at the word salad he just offered Misaki. That was always the case. His good intentions came out as a hodgepodge of easily misunderstood statements that he could hardly even remember himself.

Hopes of salvation crumbled as Misaki’s brow arched higher and higher, unsure how she had digested those words. In the next instant, she brought her face forward, slapping the wall right next to him. An actual kabedon.

Misaki tilted his wincing face up. She looked down at him. There was at least another 15 centimeters between her and his modest 170-centimeter height. Akio whimpered at the gender roles being reversed. He tried to look away, but her grip didn’t let him escape.

“Interesting. You have balls, don’cha know that? Tryin’ to run me over with a bike, then picking a fight with me. And now, saying all that. I have half a mind to tie a cinder block to your legs and heave you into Negishi Bay. But you know what, maybe I should do something more interesting? Let’s start with a name so I know who I’m messing up.”

The way Misaki’s lips curled into a smile set off alarms in Akio’s constantly primed defenses. But then again, it seemed like he was going to die no matter what, so he swallowed down a sense of acceptance with a gulp.

“Akio. Akio Wada. Make it quick then, Haibara.”

Akio closed his eyes, not wanting to see what gruesome fate was in store for him. She could kill him any number of ways, however she desired. The best he could hope for was murder in one stroke, so the pain was minimal. But as she pressed up against him, he couldn’t help but let his teeth chatter.

It didn’t last long as something wet slipped right over his lips.

Akio’s eyes popped open, seeing a face far too close to him. Closed eyes with enjoyment, lips digging around his own with rough strokes, fingers unsure how tightly to hold his head in place.

He could feel his feet grow cold, all the blood rushing up to his head.

Misaki didn’t stop. She opened her eyes and changed positions. Her breath clashed with his sharp, shallow sucks as if trying to seal air from getting in. When he tried to move away, she lifted him. His legs floated as Misaki tried to nail him in place. Not like he could walk anyways as they wobbled like jelly.

It seemed like minutes of mixed despair and endorphins had rolled by before Misaki was satisfied. She pulled back, a thin trail of saliva breaking between them. A blush had dyed her cheeks, and her eyes gave a soft expression.

Someone could have told Akio that the world had already ended and he was living out some disturbed version of heaven, and he would have believed it. Maybe death had been just that quick.

“What’s the matter? You were the one that said things like ‘confess’ and ‘kiss’, did you not?”

Frankly, Akio had no idea what had spilled from his mouth, but he wasn’t about to admit that. Not when it had apparently triggered something in Misaki. His look of shock was met with a hand stroking his chin.

“Maybe, that was a bit forward of me. Sorry, a bad habit of mine. I was simply impressed. Since you have the balls to take such interest in me, that must mean you care.”

Misaki bent over and whispered into his ear.

“Something about death commitments really gets me going.”

A peck landed on Akio’s cheek. It was so gentle compared to the voracious kiss before. Even the look she gave him had a thick mask of feminine charm to it.

He had no idea what to think anymore.

“See you later, Akio-kun.”

It took the time for Misaki to walk around the corner, the traffic lights to cycle once, and a random jogger shooting him a strange look before Akio could breathe again.

His body lurched forward. He rubbed his lips to check if they hadn’t dissolved from poison. And only then, did he realize what had happened.

“S-She… she…”

…kissed him.

And not just a simple one. The kind that one gave when they wanted someone, needed someone. But why the hell would Misaki Haibara need him?

He pinched himself and felt it hurt. When that didn’t give him the right answer, he socked himself in the gut next. And then, he tackled the wall, sending a painful jolt from his shoulder down into his spine.

He ran down the street like he was trying to escape reality.

It not being a dream meant that he had, in fact, gotten mixed with the most dangerous person in Yokohama. It not being a dream meant his day had continued to get worse. It not being a dream…

“Hey asshole! There you are! We’re gonna kill you!”