Chapter 22: “Rurika’s Realization”

Rurika had prepared herself for a boring Parents’ Day. Smile for the teachers, pretend to enjoy the class exhibits, listen to her mother complain about the school fees — nothing exciting.

She didn’t expect him.

She didn’t expect the man from that night.

She had only taken a few steps down the hallway with her mother when she caught sight of Touko walking between her parents. But it wasn’t Touko she noticed first this time.

It was the man beside her.

The moment she recognized him, her breath vanished.

That’s him…

The dim lights of the station platform, the cold wind, her shaking legs — it all rushed back. She remembered how she almost fell, how her voice wouldn’t come out, how the stranger stepped between her and the man who grabbed her.

And how he guided her home, slow and steady, without touching her again unless she stumbled.

Back then she hadn’t seen his face clearly. Only the outline, the calm voice, the warm grip on her arm when she nearly collapsed.

Now the sunlight hit him cleanly.

Now she saw everything.

And he was handsome. Not in a flashy way, but in a quiet, reliable way that made her chest tighten.

She froze mid-step. Her mother kept walking for two paces before noticing she wasn’t following.

“Rurika? What is it?”

Rurika didn’t respond at first. Her eyes stayed locked on the man — Kei — standing beside Touko.

Touko…

Her throat tightened.

She had posted that photo thinking it would hurt Touko’s reputation. She didn’t know who the man was. She didn’t know how important he was to Touko.

She didn’t know he was… him.

Her fingers trembled.

When Touko finally noticed her across the hallway, their eyes met.

Touko didn’t glare. She didn’t frown. She didn’t say a word.

She just looked at Rurika with a blank, cold expression that made the back of her neck prickle.

But it wasn’t Touko’s stare that made her legs weak.

It was Kei’s gentle, confused gaze when he noticed Rurika’s mother waving happily at someone nearby and glanced in their direction.

He still didn’t recognize her.

He didn’t know she was the girl he rescued.

Rurika’s heart thumped painfully, loud enough she felt it in her throat.

He’s… Touko’s stepfather…?

The realization sent a shock through her. She felt her face burn all the way to her ears. She remembered the way she had leaned against him, trembling, when she couldn’t walk. How he held her steady. How close their hands were.

And the moment she had looked up at his silhouette and felt a strange safety she had never felt before.

Her mother nudged her. “Rurika? Why are you spacing out?”

“I’m… I’m fine.”

She wasn’t. At all.

She kept her eyes on Kei as Touko guided her parents toward their class display. The crowd shifted, and he disappeared behind a parent with a large backpack. Rurika felt an odd pull in her chest, like she was afraid to lose sight of him.

They turned a corner, heading toward the 2-B exhibit.

Rurika hurried after them with her mother, pretending she was just excited about her own class projects. Inside, the hallway got quieter for a moment. Parents wandered around, looking at the posters taped to the walls.

Touko stood beside Kei again, keeping close. Rurika noticed the subtle way she held the hem of his sleeve.

Her chest tightened.

She really is close to him…

Her mother wandered over to the mathematics board, chatting with a teacher. Rurika stayed behind, eyes drifting to Kei again.

He was talking to another parent, answering something politely. His voice was calm and smooth — exactly as she remembered.

Her hands grew warm.

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had replayed that night more times than she should have. The way she felt safe for the first time. The way she wished she could thank him properly. The way her heart reacted when she thought about him.

And now he was here… with Touko.

Touko didn’t look away from her. Rurika felt it — the stare, sharp and cool. Not angry. Something else.

Possessive.

Rurika swallowed hard.

She turned toward her desk to distract herself, picking up a pen to check her own handwriting display. Her mother was still absorbed in a conversation, unaware of the quiet tension building behind her.

Her fingers shook, and the pen slipped from her grasp.

It hit the floor with a soft clatter.

She bent down instinctively, but before she could reach it—

A hand moved faster.

Kei crouched and picked up the pen, completely natural, as if he always did things like this.

Rurika froze.

He held it out to her.

“That’s yours, right?” he said.

His tone was gentle. The same tone he used that night when he told her she was safe.

Her heart kicked hard inside her chest.

She reached out to take it, and for a moment their fingers almost touched.

Almost.

Rurika’s breath caught as their eyes met for the first time in clear daylight.

Deep brown eyes. Soft. Calm. Familiar.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Touko’s gaze sharpened from across the desks.

She saw everything.

Kei stood, unaware of the storm he had just stirred.

Rurika held the pen, hands trembling, face burning bright red.

He didn’t remember her.

But she remembered everything.

And now she knew exactly who he was.

And why her heart reacted the way it did.