Love All Your Vices || Haitani Rindou/OC

19 - arsonist

"take a seat first; both of you."

Genjo's gruff voice fed the tension in the room. Kei moved to pull out one of the leather chairs before his own, yet Rindou beat her to it. a passing look that can't be subtle crosses them both as she sat down, his hands on the back of her chair.

he lightly—reassuringly—caresses her nape, unseen by her father's eyes before he took a seat beside the girl. if Genjo had found out about them both, it wasn't a problem what story would be told. Rindou took advantage—that's the story. and to an extent, he knows that he did.

"what were you thinking?" he asks, his voice deadly.

Kei picked at her nails, yet her eyes betrayed nothing of her fear as she passively looked at him.

"about what, dad?"

"don't you play dumb with me."

"I can't actually tell what you're mad about this time," she says, an accidental frustration leaking into her words. "last time it was because I shopped too much."

Rin was just a spectator. her guard. he tries to be exactly just that, at least for now. yet all he wanted to do was flip Genjo's table over his head and crush him with it. she tries to feign bravery under his glare.

it was tormenting. how could he dehumanize Kei so? they both know she was afraid. she was the only one sweating in the room. it seemed for how far up she was in his eyes, she was significantly that low to Genjo. although, what mattered now was how she thought of herself.

"look, whatever it is, it's my fault," Rin says, out of the blue.

he leaned closer on Genjo's table, resisting the urge to hold her hand as he looked at the old man.

"why are you so hard on your daughter? she's been good really. all she does is study. all she goes to is at school, the library, and at home."

he quirked a brow.

Rin shrugs. well, if this was really about his ambiguous relationship with Kei, he supposes he'd have heat on himself too and not just her.

"her friends." he clicks his tongue. "her friends must've influenced her so."

"my friends?" Kei echoes.

"Akira's seen it. you bought a plane ticket recently. just where in the world did you plan to go?"

Rin turned to look at her. he didn't know about that one, and now he was genuinely curious. had he scared her enough to make her want to run away? all without him realizing?

"I bought it with my own money," she says.

"you have no money to call your own."

"I literally work." her brows furrow. "I'm exceptional compared to the geezers you've given positions to."

that you are. Rin watched her, hoping she'd let it all out without holding back. his eyes held a glint of subtle pride and amusement.

"why did you book a ticket without me knowing? you've never ridden a plane before. and the date's on a school day, Kei—just what the hell has been keeping you so distracted?"

"did your precious son Akira tell you the date?"

"he did."

Kei pursed her lips, eyes narrowing into slits as she looked at her father. "and?"

"and?" he mimics.

"I see."

and as quickly as it had came, all anger had seemed to escape her as she drops her gaze.