CHAPTER 2 — PART 7: I WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS TOO!!

It had been a month since I'd seen Yami-kun in the morning. I even waited for him every single time, but he hadn't shown himself...

Is he trying to avoid me!?

That idiot...

I'm worried, you know?

Flashes of Oharu straddling him in that cosplay store, and Yami walking with Katsumi to the exit of the school, went through my head.

Today it was the same. I waited for that pig, and nothing. Still isn't coming out. Is he even home!?

How can you make a lady wait!?

Again, I went to school without him. Wait... I haven't even walked to school with him!!

Argh... why is he so... annoying?

There he is, looking exhausted like always... wait, why does he have a bruise on his face?

My hands fidgeted in my skirt. I wanted to talk to him so bad... But I won't! As long as he talks to me!

Twenty minutes later...

WHY HASN'T HE TALKED TO ME!?

STOP IGNORING ME!!

I had enough of being left behind!

"Yami-kun!" I slammed his desk, making him jump up a bit.

"Shizue-san?" Yami looked up at me, with that handsome face of his, and for some reason, it seemed sharper than ever. Has he been working out!?

"Where have you been?" I began, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Places..." I saw him look away awkwardly. Is he hiding something?

"Places, huh? Where would that be?" I pressured him; I wanted to know why he hadn't been home.

"Gym..." He said slowly, as if thinking before speaking.

"Yami-kun..." I gritted my teeth.

"Relax! Relax! I get it! Yuna-san was the same some days ago!"

"Yuna-san as well?!"

This damn pig... who else!? Oharu-san, then Katsumi-chan, and now Yuna-san!? Who's next!? A teacher!?

"Achoo!!" Ryuna-sensei suddenly sneezed as she was writing something on the board in front of us.

I'll ignore that...

"Look... Shizue, I am staying somewhere else for now, okay? I'm being trained by... a peculiar wrestler? Yeah, she's very peculiar..."

"She?"

I saw how Yami flinched a bit, making him nervous.

"Yami-kun..." I hissed.

"Alright! Fine! Geez... Her name is Kurokawa Reina, a wrestler. I became her student, and I'm staying at her place because she wants to keep tabs on my training."

"Reina-obasan!?"

"O—Obasan...? She's your... aunt?" Yami seemed shocked and began staring at my face.

"Y—Yeah! Wait... you're staying at her place!?" I immediately remembered what she is: a damn perverted, seductive gothic. This made my heart pump faster.

"Has... has my aunt... done anything...?"

Yami blushed hard. "What... do you mean by that...?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"..."

"..."

"What did she do?"

"What... didn't she do..."

"..."

"..."

Bzz.

Bzz.

Yami took out his phone; someone had sent him messages.

His reaction to the messages troubled me; he jumped and slammed his phone face down on his desk, looking flustered.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That!"

"I... don't know..."

I suddenly took his phone and gazed at his screen; he immediately tried to take it back.

"Wait!! Don't look!!"

My eyes narrowed, a vein popped in my forehead, and flames began to surround my hair.

It was Reina-obasan, sending pictures of herself in a lewd manner. She just finished showering and sent an image of her covering her parts with just a finger through her mirror...

Yami slowly stood up. "Give me 10 seconds for a head start..."

"10..."

"9..."

"8..."

Yami took off running, and I began chasing that damn pig.

"Waaaahhhh!!!" Yami was running away as if death itself was chasing after him, and yes... I was!!

"COME HERE YOU DAMN BASTARD!!!"

We cut corners, we dodged students, and even exited the school. We went to the Great Lake and ran through the foliage.

"Please!!! Let me explain myself! I didn't ask for them!!!"

"Die! Die!! DIE!!"

Yami suddenly tripped and began rolling like crazy, which caused me to also trip and roll with him on the grass.

"Hmmmph!?"

"Hmmmmm!!!?"

I gazed down at him, our eyes locked as I felt his lips press against mine, my body locked up, and my heart began drumming like crazy.

Yami's face turned red, just like my hair.

We didn't move; we didn't even attempt to pull away.

We held our breath for a long time...

It was slow and painfully awkward...

I finally pulled away, softly gasping for air. I hadn't expected my first kiss to go this way, but for some reason... it didn't bother me...

Yami was flushed, extremely red, and didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean for this to happen..."

"It's... fine, but you did steal my first kiss..."

"Your first kiss...?"

I couldn't help it, but it made my eyes glow, and my lips curved up a lot.

"Why do you look so happy!?" Yami retorted.

"I'm just glad I was your first kiss..."

"You stole it!!"

"Hmph! Well, you have lewd pictures of my aunt!!"

"I didn't ask for them!!"

"It's only fair I take something precious of yours!!"

"Hey!! Give it back!! My first kiss!!"

"No way!! It's mine now!! And nobody will take it!"

"Damn it... Shizue-san..."

"Also, don't ignore me! I hate being ignored!"

"You damn brat..."

"What did you say?" I popped another vein in my forehead.

"I said, you damn brat!" Yami had balls for some reason.

"Ghh... the audacity!"

"You didn't deny it."

"SHUT UP!"

Yami stood up, dusted off his clothes, and coughed. "I'm busy, okay? I need to keep training."

"You're joining the Grand Maiden Royale?"

"The... what now?"

"You know, the biggest, most grandiose tournament across all of Kazumaki?"

"So that's the name of the tournament... Yeah, I am joining it."

"No wonder." I gazed at his body and definitely noticed a change: sharper, stronger, and annoyingly handsome.

"I'll... go now. I have to train..." Yami began taking a step back, as if waiting for my input.

"May I come with you...?"

Yami sighed. It seems he expected this...

Well, come on! I've seen you have fun without me. I remember that time you went out with Oharu-san and Teruko-san to the mall. I wasn't stalking... Hotaru-san was! Not me! I just... happened to follow Hotaru-san since she always stalks you... Not me, though!

And then... hearing how crazy Yuna-san became because of you...

Katsumi-chan... telling me how similar you are to her...

Everyone is getting closer... why am I the only one left behind...?

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that. Then come with me." Yami nodded, walking slowly, waiting for me to follow.

We walked together for the first time, and it was... not bad, just a quiet stroll, with nothing to say.

After a few minutes of walking through the streets, we made it to my aunt's street.

"I haven't talked to Reina-obasan in a while, maybe years..."

"Why...?"

"Because... I don't like her."

"That's... fair."

Yami rang the doorbell, and Reina immediately opened the door, grinning playfully and seductively... this damn pervert!

Yami flinched and got extremely bashful.

Reina-obasan was wearing nothing but an apron...

"Hey there, handsome~! I've been waiting for you—"

Reina-obasan's playful nature halted as she gazed at me; a long silence stretched out, making this awkward...

"Shizue-chan...? What brings you here? It's been a while..."

"..."

"..."

"Look... It's not what it looks like..."

I glared at her deeply, making her look away.

"Okay, it is what it looks like..."

"Don't make me call Momo-sama, Reina-obasan." It was a threat meant to stop her depravity.

This made Reina-obasan look pale as chalk; she even took a step back in fear. "Surely... you're joking, right?"

I dialed Momo-sama's phone number. "Hello? Hi! Momo-sama! I called you because I wanted to tell you something interesting."

"Hello there, Shizue-chan, what is this interesting thing you want to talk about?" I had placed Momo-sama on speaker.

Reina began sweating buckets, looking around for an escape route. This made Yami look incredulous.

"Reina-obasan wants to talk to you!"

"Hah? That stupid son of a bitch wants to talk to me? The fucking audacity! Tell her that next time I talk to her, I'll bust her ass so fucking hard, she'll wish she were dead!"

I giggled in a cute way. "Yes, Momo-sama! Please do~! In fact, she's listening!"

Yami's mouth went wide open in pure shock. It was kinda cute how he reacted to my adorable grandma.

"That bitch is listening? Oi, Reina. What the fuck do you want?"

Reina-obasan flinched hard, took a long step forward, and took my phone rigidly. "H—Hey there... mother... It's been a while..."

"Shut the fuck up bitch. Quit it with the pleasantries. What d' ya want?"

"M—Me? N—Nothing... just hanging around... you know, doing my own thing..."

"You mean that wrestling bullshit? I had bigger plans for you. You were destined to become a great S-class Battle Maiden. What the fuck happened that you decided to be a brute?"

"It was... my dream..." Reina-obasan was getting smaller and smaller as she spoke, making me smug about this.

"What a disappointment you are."

Yami suddenly swiped the phone from Reina-obasan's hands. His face was grim. So pissed off that it actually rattled me a little. "Y—Yami-kun...?"

"Hey, I don't care who you are, but badmouthing my dear master pisses me the fuck off. Who the fuck gives you the right to force people into your shitty plans? She can live her own life however she wants, without a shitty parent forcing their own agendas onto their kids!"

"Who the fuck is this?" Momo-sama's voice was menacing.

"Oshima Yami." He said, keeping his composure.

"Oshima? So you're that boy who's running amok, huh? This doesn't concern you, boy."

"Yes, it does. I won't let anyone talk shit to people I hold dear. Reina is special to me! So this concerns me!"

Hearing Yami say that Reina-obasan is special to him sent a weird pain into my chest.

Especially after seeing that... face. Reina-obasan's face spoke volumes...

Glistening eyes, wide like dinner plates, a deep blush, and vulnerable, like a damn schoolgirl who is in love.

"That disappointment is special to you?" I heard my grandma begin laughing her ass off. It was... infuriating.

I didn't expect this to happen, and I felt guilty.

"Grandma... please sto—"

"Shut the fuck up, you old piece of shit." Yami's voice was full of venom, and a bit of dark energy wave came out of him, making me feel pain.

The line hit the entrance like a hammer.

Even I froze.

Reina froze, too.

On the other side of the phone, Momo-sama went dead silent.

For one long second, nobody spoke.

Then—

"...What did you just say to me, you little bastard?"

Yami didn't flinch.

He just kept staring at the phone with that dark face of his.

The same face he made when he was really pissed off.

The same face that made even me want to shut up sometimes.

"I said what I said."

My eyes widened.

He was really doing this.

He was really talking back to my grandma like that.

Momo-sama laughed.

Not a happy laugh.

A nasty one.

"Oh? You've got balls, huh?"

Yami's grip on the phone tightened.

"Yeah. And you've got a shitty attitude for a parent."

That made my heart jump.

Reina's eyes widened too.

Momo-sama didn't answer right away.

Then she clicked her tongue.

"Explain yourself."

Yami let out a rough breath through his nose.

"Simple. If you force your kids into your stupid plans, ignore what they want, and spend your whole life acting as if they belong to you, then you're not a parent. You're just a fucking manager with a blood contract."

Silence.

Total silence.

I stared at him.

Reina stared at him.

Even the air felt weird after that.

Yami kept going.

"A real parent helps their kid grow into their own damn person. They don't try to turn them into some trophy or weapon or whatever the hell you were doing with Reina. If you can't do that, then you don't deserve to call yourself family."

That was...

It sounded as if he was speaking because of his experience...

My chest felt tight for some reason.

Reina slowly looked at Yami like she had just seen him for the first time.

Her face was still red.

Her eyes were soft.

Way too soft.

"...Yami..."

Momo-sama was quiet again.

Then she spoke, slower this time.

"You little brat..."

Momo-sama sucked in a breath.

Then—

"Hah... hahahahahaha!!"

Her laugh burst out loud through the phone.

Yami blinked.

I blinked.

Reina blinked.

What the hell?

Momo-sama was laughing like crazy.

"You're a rude little shit, aren't you?"

"You're damn right, old bitch."

"The audacity to talk back to me; you have balls."

"Also, damn right I do. Made of steel."

Another loud laugh.

Then she stopped.

"...Fine."

Yami frowned.

"Fine?"

"Yes, fine. You win this round, boy."

I felt my jaw drop.

She actually backed down?

Momo-sama let out one last snort.

"And, Reina."

"Y—Yes, mother?"

"You better not be wasting your life."

Reina straightened up like a kid getting scolded.

"I'm not."

"You better not be lying."

"I'm not."

Another pause.

Then Momo-sama spoke again, this time in a rougher voice.

"And you, boy."

Yami narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"You better keep making her better."

That made everyone go still again.

Yami looked surprised.

I think I was, too.

Momo-sama continued, "If she's chosen to train someone, then that means she sees something. Don't waste that. And if you hurt her feelings, I'll gut you myself."

Yami stared at the phone for a second.

Then he gave a slow nod.

"Fair."

"That's all I wanted."

Then, after another beat—

"And, Reina..."

"Y—Yes?"

"You really were a disappointment."

Reina's face fell flat.

"Mother..."

"Still, if that brat's going to keep running his mouth like that, maybe he's not completely useless."

Yami blinked.

I think he didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.

Probably both.

Then Momo-sama hung up.

The whole entryway went quiet.

Reina slowly lowered the phone.

Yami rubbed the back of his neck.

I just stared at both of them, still trying to process what the hell had happened.

Then Yami looked at Reina.

His face softened a little.

He scratched his cheek and muttered, "Sorry."

Reina blinked.

"...For what?"

"For stepping in."

Reina's blush returned instantly.

She looked away.

"I... didn't mind... it was... really cool."

That made me clench my fists a little.

Damn it.

Why was she looking at him like that?

Why was he looking at her like that?

Why did my chest feel weird again?

Yami coughed and turned toward me.

"So, you coming in or what?"

I snapped back to reality.

"W-What?"

He looked annoyed.

"I dragged you all the way here. Are you coming inside or just gonna stand there and glare at her forever?"

I opened my mouth.

Closed it.

Then opened it again.

"Hmph."

That was all I could get out.

Yami rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Reina let out a soft laugh.

"Tch... fine!! I want to be a part of this, too!"

"Yeah, I know." Yami walked past Reina, inside her house, as if he owned it.

"She wants to train with us?" Reina looked back at Yami with those damn soft eyes again.

"Yeah, give her hell, Reina." He looked back over his shoulder, grinning.

Damn... maybe I shouldn't have asked to join...