Chapter 24: “The Slip”

The Parents’ Day crowd shuffled down the hallway, talking, laughing, and pausing to admire the student displays. Touko stayed close to Kei’s side, fingers brushing his sleeve lightly. Her calm gaze swept the corridor, scanning everyone — but she never took her eyes off him for long.

Rurika Hanabusa followed a few steps behind her mother, trying to keep her composure. Her mind was racing. That morning had been awkward enough; now, seeing Kei here in person, in the bright school hallway, had thrown her heart into chaos. She tried to focus on her mother’s words, on the conversation about classroom rules and display projects, but her eyes kept drifting to him.

He was talking to a teacher, polite and patient as always, standing tall in a way that made people notice, without even trying. His presence made her pulse jump.

Rurika tried to ground herself by looking at the floor, but the hallway was crowded. Students scurried around with papers, parents chatted in little groups, and someone brushed past her unexpectedly.

“Excuse me!” a voice shouted, apologetic.

Rurika stumbled. Her heel caught awkwardly on the edge of the floor tile. She felt herself losing balance and tried to steady herself with her hands. Panic shot up her spine.

A flash of movement in her peripheral vision, and a strong hand grabbed her arm. She froze.

“Careful,” a calm, steady voice said.

Her heart nearly stopped. She looked up. Kei.

His hand held her arm firmly, but not harshly, guiding her upright like a practiced parent would. He bent slightly, ensuring her footing was secure, his other hand hovering instinctively to help if she fell completely.

Rurika’s cheeks flamed. Her hands automatically went to her skirt to cover herself, fumbling as if she were caught doing something inappropriate.

“I-I’m fine,” she stammered, though her voice barely carried over the hallway chatter.

Kei didn’t move his hand immediately. He waited until he was sure she could stand properly, then checked her feet discreetly. “Your heel is okay. Don’t walk too fast on these tiles,” he advised quietly, almost like a father checking a child’s shoelaces.

Rurika’s brain froze. That gentle tone, the calm authority, the careful attention… she had never experienced anything like it before. Her heart pounded, and her hands shook slightly.

Touko, meanwhile, had been walking a few steps ahead, helping her parents navigate through the exhibits. She had glanced back instinctively, curious about the tiny commotion. By the time she turned fully, it was already too late.

She saw Kei’s hand on Rurika’s waist, steadying her. Not a loose grip, but firm enough to stop a fall, intimate in its precision.

Touko’s smile froze.

For a heartbeat, everything in her chest tightened. Her calm, calculated composure faltered. Her eyes narrowed slightly, lips parting as if to speak, but no words came.

The air between them seemed to shift. Touko’s hand twitched at her side, still lightly brushing Kei’s sleeve, but the grip on her sleeve felt heavier now — a silent tether. Her mind raced. The image she had constructed in her head of her “Papa” being only hers was suddenly intruded upon, a stranger so close, so familiar in the wrong way.

Kei, oblivious to the storm brewing behind him, straightened fully and offered Rurika a polite, reassuring nod. “Better?” he asked.

Rurika nodded rapidly, cheeks still red, and muttered a shaky “Th-thank you.”

Touko’s lips pressed into a thin line. Her calm, perfect demeanor remained externally intact, but the mind behind it whirred. She had seen the subtle tilt of Kei’s body, the way his hands reacted automatically to protect. It was instinctive, unthinking, natural. And it wasn’t meant for her — it was meant for Rurika.

Rurika, for her part, didn’t fully register Touko’s glare. She was too flustered, too aware of Kei’s closeness, too caught in the strange warmth of being saved.

Kei, satisfied she was safe, released his hand and stepped back. “You’ll be careful now, won’t you?” he asked kindly.

Rurika nodded, fumbling with her skirt and brushing the hair out of her eyes. “Y-Yes. I-I’ll be careful.”

Touko’s gaze never wavered. She followed them silently, processing. The world felt slightly off-kilter. The plan she had carefully maintained — the mental space around her Papa — had shifted, even if only for a fraction of a second. She would not forget this.

Yui, unaware of the silent tension, was chatting happily with Reika Hanabusa, praising the students’ projects. Touko’s parents didn’t notice the moment, and no one else around them had the faintest idea what had just happened.

Touko’s fingers tightened on Kei’s sleeve briefly, a small, almost imperceptible gesture. A claim. A reminder. A warning.

Rurika’s blush deepened as she turned away slightly, trying to regain her composure. She had never expected the kind of presence Kei exuded — gentle, protective, calm, yet unmistakably commanding. She wanted to linger in the moment, to feel it again, but the sudden awareness of Touko’s watchful gaze made her stiffen.

As the group moved forward, the moment lingered in the air like a held breath. Touko’s internal calculation had already begun: she would not let anyone, not even Rurika, touch what belonged to her. Her eyes followed Kei closely, making sure the space between them remained just as it should — nothing more, nothing less.

The day continued outwardly as normal. Laughter, chatter, polite introductions, and photo-taking carried on around them. No one suspected the quiet storm brewing between the three girls and Kei.

Touko’s smile returned, just slightly, controlled, as she led her parents onward. But inside, the icy, possessive thought remained:

No one touches Papa. Not even her.

And from that moment, Rurika Hanabusa knew — Kei Nishima was untouchable. But that did not stop her heart from wanting him even more.