final boss | kenma kozume

the concept of shame

"What a heartless man," she cursed again and again as she stared at the front door of his house, hoping he'd return.

"How dare he just leave me outside," she hissed and clicked her tongue.

"If this was Moon Tower, Fang Ning would have taken care of all my needs by now." She was right. But this wasn't the Moon Tower. Right now, she was sitting down in a cold bench in a Tokyo neighborhood with nowhere else to go.

°
°
°
°
°

Meanwhile, the "heartless man" was sitting in a corner of his room, contemplating about her as he turned on his gaming console. "She'll be fine. She's a villainess anyway," he tried convincing himself.

"Right. She's a villainess. With or without her powers, she's a wicked person herself," he continued, nodding at his own convictions. "It's best not to be with her."

After a few more convincing words, he placed all his attention to his game, or at least he tried to.

Something about abandoning a girl with nowhere to go felt wrong.

"Damn it," he cursed, but his fingers continued tapping on the game controls. Just at that moment, having conscience felt regrettable. He only wanted to continue his game with ease.

Minutes pass and after a few victories and losses, he finally placed down his game console. He sighed, not wanting to do what his conscience was compelling him to. "Fine. Damn it."

He stood up from the floor and sighed again. He headed towards the window and glanced at the view. With nothing on site, he decided to open the windows and take another look. "Did she really go somewhere else?" he wondered.

He checked, swayed his head left and right but to his avail, there was nothing. Just an empty bench outside.

"Oh well," he mumbled, unsure if that was supposed to be a good thing or not.

"Are you taking me in or not?" He heard a deep but feminine voice. He was sure it was hers.

Out of impulse and surprise, he forcibly pulled the window rail down to close it.

It was futile though. Her hands were much faster than his. "You open the window to look for me and now you're shutting it down?" she said, holding the window rail so he couldn't close it.

"Are you crazy?" Kenma grunted.

"No. Are you crazy?"

"You want to sleep in a man's room for the night?" he said, his voice hinting his annoyance.

"I've read about this too. Do you think I'll do something to you?" she asked in the same old proud tone.

"Does she, does she even have the concept of shame?" Kenma asked himself, unable to argue any longer.

"You can't stay here. My parents will find out."

"They won't."

"You're so sure?" he scoffed.

"Yes."

"How are you so sure?" he groaned. This argument was getting more annoying than all his conversations with Lev combined.

"I'll put a silencing spell."

"Right. She thinks her powers are real," Kenma reminded himself.

"On me?" he went along with it.

"Fine. A silencing spell on me."

"She's actually compromising. Weird," he thought.

"Well?" she said.

"Fine."

He let go of the window and so did she. He stepped aside to make way for her and she entered.

"Finally some warmth," she mumbled as she sat down on his bed. The moment he heard the faint sound of her sitting down, he turned around and furrowed his brows.

"Hey. You're not sleeping there."

"Then what's the purpose of a bed?"

"My bed."

"Okay. Then half of it is yours. Half of it is-"

"No way."

"Why?" she asked. She looked like she genuinely had no clue.

"You- You really don't know?" he stuttered.

"Just say it. Say it and I'll understand."

"You're, you're a woman."

"That I'm aware of."

They simply exchanged strange looks at each other.

"And I'm, I'm a," Kenma spoke but he couldn't continue.

"You're?"

"Kokoe. Empress. Or whatever." He gave up with all the nicknames. "You'll sleep on the floor, I'll sleep on the bed."

"But the-"

"I thought you had a silencing spell on?"

"I haven't put it on yet."

"Then please just do it."

With the "silencing spell" in effect, Kokoe finally had her mouth shut. But for Kenma, as he readied a blanket and a pillow for her, his thoughts were now messing up his head.

"Am I really letting a girl sleep in my room? A girl is sleeping in my room? I'm spending the night with her?" His thoughts repeat like a broken tape.

"A blanket and a pillow," she mumbled and stared at the floor. Misery was all there was in her face.

"If that's not enough," Kenma spoke, making her look at him. "then just deal with it. This isn't like Moon Palace."

"How did he know I was thinking about that?" she asked herself.

"Sleep now," he told her before he went to his bed.

Believing she was under a silencing spell, she simply nodded and laid down. "Why isn't he sleeping yet then?" she asked herself again, staring up at him. His face was lit by the brightness of his PSP screen.

"Goodnight, you heartless man," she mouthed before closing her eyes. "I'll just repay you when I can."

Kenma began playing as usual, trying to forget the presence of the girl right next to him. Not exactly right next to him, just right next to his bed. That thought didn't help that much though.

"Why did I let this happen?" he questioned himself. "I can't let this villainess stay here for too long."

"Wicked, hateful, and-" he thought of words to describe her and while he did, he swayed his head to his right, then looked down.

She was already peacefully asleep, not making a single noise.

"But maybe you do look innocent when you're asleep," he mumbled, a subtle smile forming on his lips.

However, before he could take his eyes off her sleeping face, he noticed her brows beginning to furrow for a bit. "Did I wake her up?" he panicked.

"Don't," she mumbled, "Please."

"Shut up," she continued, but the rest were barely audible.

"A nightmare?" he guessed and raised a brow.  "Am I supposed to do something?"

She tossed her head to her side but she was still trapped in her own nightmare.

"Empress," Kenma whispered.

"Empress," he repeated. "Hey. Kokoe, Kokoe."

His voice eventually reaches her and she's slowly brought out of her nightmare. Ironically worried that he woke her up, Kenma hurried and laid down on his side to pretend he was asleep.

"Stupid. Why did I have to to that?" he scolded himself, hoping she won't say a word.

"Thank you," she mouthed.