Discovering 'Aki'

 “Is there a problem, young master?” Misha asked. Akari spun around to face her with a shocked expression on his face.

“Of course there’s a problem!” He gasped in a harsh whisper. Afraid of Ayano overhearing their conversation, Akari gestured for Misha to follow him as he stormed out of the room. He slid the door shut quickly behind them.

“Does she know what we do?!” Akari asked, hinting at their gang’s activity.

“If you have not told her already, then she does not,” Misha stated.

“Then why are we allowing her to stay here?!” Akari frantically inquired in a quiet voice. “She’ll discover who we are!”

“There is no need to worry, young master,” Misha calmly replied as she held a hand up to calm him down. “Our members do not behave out of order and we are currently posing as a large real estate and loan business where you are the wealthy young master.”

“So we’re loan sharks now?!” Akari asked.

“Don’t worry, young master. Our gang’s privacy is always our top priority. We will be sure that Miss Ayano will not know more than she needs to,” Misha declared.

Akari let out a concealed grumble, unable to find the right words to respond. He hadn’t told Misha that Ayano was unaware of his gangster persona. And he couldn’t tell her. Revealing that Ayano had no knowledge of his dual life might lead them to suspect he was lying about having a girlfriend. That would only drag him back into more dull and tiresome dates with Himeko.

“I-Is she fine with this?” Akari asked as he lowered his head in defeat.

“Miss Ayano was well aware that she would be sharing a room,” Misha explained, her tone gentle yet matter-of-fact. “However, she was not informed that it would be with you. But rest assured, we made a promise to her that we would switch her to a different room if one becomes available in our apartments.”

The young gangster took a deep breath, trying to wrap his head around the predicament he had found himself in before sliding his door open. Sharing a room with Ayano would be quite a challenge. He would have to set up clear boundaries with the class president if they were going to coexist for a while. He knew she didn’t like him, and he wasn't exactly a fan of her either. As Akari, he was the ice prince gangster to Ayano, and he had to be clear that he had no bad intentions during her stay here.

“Alright, class president, we need to set up some rules if you’re going to be here—” Akari began to say before his eyes landed on her. Ayano was holding up a large teddy bear with a black bowtie, examining it intriguingly as she sat on the couch.

Almost immediately, Akari rushed over and snatched the stuffed animal out of her hands, placing it in the opposite corner away from her.

“Don't touch that!” He stated firmly in a calm yet rushed tone.

“I was just looking at it,” Ayano stated innocently as she placed her hands on the white pillow in her lap. “You don’t have to get so defensive, you teddy bear gangster.”

“Teddy bear gang—” Akari’s face flushed red from a mix of embarrassment and anger, not sure how to respond. While Ayano returned to relaxing on the couch, Akari felt their phone vibrate in their pocket.

Pulling it out, he saw an urgent text message from the gang, indicating a need for all available members to head to a given address. Without uttering a word to Ayano, Akari stormed out of the room.

“Hey! Where are you going at this hour?!” Ayano called after Akari, but they had already stood up and left the room.

Arriving at the location, Akari was met with a scene of utter chaos and fury. The air was filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and desperate cries as the Tiger gang clashed fiercely with the Viper gang in the dimly lit alleyway, identified by the black snake tattoos on their arms. Blood was already staining the ground, marking the wounds of those who had fallen in the violent fray.

Without hesitation, Akari thrust himself into the heart of the battle. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a metal bat lying abandoned on the ground, and he swiftly snatched it up.

As a Viper gang member swung a knife at him, Akari instinctively dodged the attack, feeling the cold steel slice through the air just inches away from his face. In a fluid motion, he brought down the bat with all his strength, striking the assailant’s leg. The man stumbled, wincing in pain, but before he could recover, Akari delivered a fierce punch, rendering him temporarily incapacitated.

Navigating the battlefield, fending off adversaries with the bat as he advanced, Akari found himself positioned back-to-back with Naoki, the two working in synchrony to provide cover for each other amidst the ongoing battle.

“How did this start?!” Akari shouted above the commotion, deflecting yet another attacker’s assault.

“I don’t know!” Naoki responded, his face twisted in a mixture of anger and determination as he deftly parried a strike and delivered a punishing knee to an incoming assailant. “Someone launched the first attack and chaos erupted!”

“We had a truce!” Akari reminded him, frustration coloring his voice.

“I thought so too!”

The two continued to defend themselves while taking down any attackers that struck towards them. However, as Akari stole a moment to catch his breath and survey the battleground, a figure caught his attention. Ayano was cowering around a corner, her eyes wide with fear as she watched the tumultuous scene unfold. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones to notice her presence. Another gang member had also spotted her and began making his way toward her, his intentions clear.

Ayano attempted to flee but stumbled, falling to the ground. Paralyzed by fear, she could only watch helplessly as the gangster closed in on her. Reacting with instinctive speed, Akari fought his way toward her, determined to protect her. With a swift sweep, he caused the assailant to lose his balance before delivering a decisive blow to the side of his neck, rendering him unconscious.

“What are you doing here?!” Akari asked urgently. Ayano, still trembling with fear, remained unable to respond, her voice silenced by the intensity of the situation. Grimacing, Akari seized her arm and pulled her to her feet, guiding her away from the ongoing battle.

As Akari led her around a corner, an assailant materialized in front of them, brandishing a knife aimed at Akari’s face. Reacting with split-second reflexes, Akari managed to dodge backward, narrowly avoiding the blade as it sliced through his hair, severing his hair clip in the process. Seizing the opportunity, he swiftly struck the attacker with a powerful knee to the stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. Leading a shaken Ayano by his side, Akari hurriedly retreated, seeking refuge in a quiet, deserted street away from the chaos.

As the echoes of battle gradually faded, the two finally came to a halt, seeking solace in the calm surroundings as they fell upon the ground. Taking deep breaths to regain their composure, Akari turned to face Ayano.

“Are you alright?” He asked, concern etched in his voice. Ayano’s gaze gradually lifted, finally meeting Akari’s face. As their eyes met, Akari noticed a flicker of surprise dancing in Ayano’s eyes rather than fear. A realization dawned upon the both of them as she parted her lips open while staring at the young gangster.

“Aki?”