Tsurune Fanfic-Shot Your Heart!

Chapter 04

Ishida Andini went down the stairs of her house carefully.

The girl had to use crutches to help her walk because both of her feet were injured from running without shoes when she ran away from the shrine belonging to Takigawa Masaki's family. When her parents, who were still looking for her, came into her room in the morning and saw her injured feet, they immediately panicked and scolded her. However, not long after a long scolding session that made both her ears hurt, her parents immediately took her to the hospital. As a result, both legs were bandaged from the soles of the feet to the ankles. When asked by the hospital why both of her legs were injured like that, Andini only answered that she accidentally stepped on broken glass at school.

The doorbell kept ringing. Both of her parents were still in the office at this hour. Ishida Andini struggled down the stairs so as not to fall. But, her efforts were in vain now. She lost her balance and stared wide-eyed when she realized her body was swaying downward. Even though there were only three steps left, the girl still fell down the stairs and screamed in pain.

"Ouch! I'm really unlucky," grumbled Andini. She blinked and looked up when she heard her door open from outside. "Dammit! Did I forget to lock the door?!"

Suddenly, Andini saw a group of Kazemai High School students whom she knew were members of the Kyudo club, as well as Fujiwara Shu and Takigawa Masaki, breaking into the house. Kurosaki Inga was in the front row. The shoulder-length-haired girl widened her eyes and her mouth wide open, then ran frantically toward her.

"Kyaa! Andini-chan?! Why did you fall down the stairs?! Are you hurt?! Is your leg broken?! Your hands?! Is there a lump on your head?!" cried the girl frantically as she knelt beside her. "You're on crutches! Oh, God! Are your two legs injured so badly that you need crutches?!"

Andini grinned and tilted her head.

"Kurosaki-san, you have to calm down. If you make a fuss like this, won't it make Ishida-san panic?" Takehaya Seiya tried to calm his friend down. His words made Inga blink and snap her fingers.

"You are right!"

"Andini-chan," called Fujiwara Shu. His expression and gaze looked worried. "Are you alri—"

However, Shu's words stopped and he froze when he noticed Takigawa Masaki walking past him. The blue-haired man bowed in front of Andini, then slipped his hands under the girl's knees. His other hand was on Andini's back and the man carried Andini without difficulty. Not only Inga and everyone else but Andini was also surprised by Masaki's current actions.

"He—hey! What are you doing, Masaki-san?!" Andini exclaimed in panic. She looked at everyone's faces. "Put me down! I can walk alone. I—"

"You fell down the stairs," Masaki interrupted in a firm tone. "We broke in because we could hear the sound of you falling hard and also your screams. Besides, you hurt the soles of your feet trying to run away from me last night, didn't you? Let's just say I'm doing my duty to be responsible."

Andini took a deep breath and let Masaki carry her to the nearest sofa. The man sat Andini down carefully, then took the girl's two crutches and put them beside Andini. He was standing next to Andini, while the others were already sitting on the available sofas. Fujiwara Shu sat right beside Andini, making Andini raise an eyebrow, as well as Narumiya Minato and Takehaya Seiy. Shu's current attitude was very different from his usual attitude.

"Are you okay, Andini-chan?" Shu asked in a worried tone. He reached out and held Andini's cheek which was plastered with plaster. "This... Is this the wound from the fall earlier?"

"Ah, this?" Andini smiled faintly and glanced at Masaki, who raised one eyebrow and was still standing beside her. "This wasn't because of falling down the stairs earlier. This... is a wound from a simple slash. I got it on my first day back in Japan."

"That's because of me."

Masaki's words made everyone stare at him, as well as Andini. Andini even groaned softly and glared at Masaki.

"That night, Andini was chased by several bad men and she entered the range of my family's Kyudo dojo. I was shooting my arrow when she ran in front of me." Masaki pointed to Andini's bandaged leg. "And that wound was also because of me."

"What do you mean, Masaki-san?" asked Inga, not understanding. "And, since when do you and Andini call each other by their first names without using honorifics?"

"Forget about it," Andini said directly when she saw Masaki ready to explain. She stood up from the sofa and almost fell if Masaki and Shu didn't immediately grab her from both sides. However, the actions of the two men made the situation even more awkward. Andini glanced at the two of them and cleared her throat, making Masaki and Shu let go of their hands. "I'll get you guys something to drink."

"Let me help!" shouted Inga excitedly. However, Andini shook her head and smiled.

"I can do it myself. You guys wait here and chat."

Masaki stared at Andini's back as she disappeared into the kitchen. The man looked down and ruffled his hair, then took a deep breath. Then, he looked at the nine students he trained.

"I will help Andini for a while. Anyway, there's something I want to talk to her about. You guys wait here, okay?"

When Masaki caught up with Andini, Shu could only remain silent and looked at him with displeased eyes.

In the kitchen, Andini tried to take the teacup that was in the top cupboard. The girl was about to give up when she saw a hand reach out from above her head. She turned her head around and reflexively held her breath when her face met Takigawa Masaki's sturdy and athletic chest. The man lowered his head to look at her and smiled.

"You want to take this, don't you?"

Andini recovered from her shock and cleared her throat. The girl nodded and accepted the teapot from Masaki, then thanked him. She created some distance, causing Masaki to smile knowingly as he noticed the girl's discomfort.

"I... came here after hearing about your condition from Inga-chan," said Masaki. "I also want to apologize and return your shoes that were left at my place last night. Are you okay?"

Andini nodded again. "I am alright. This wound on my leg is not your fault. This is my own fault. So, you don't need to feel guilty." After pouring hot water into each glass, Andini turned her body. However, her face hit something hard and warm. Something that seemed to breathe. She touched her nose and looked up, then widened her eyes.

Again, Masaki's face was right in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Andini. For what I did to you last night."

Andini swallowed hard and looked away.

This man in front of her was truly dangerous!