The Promised Revenge [Manjiro Sano]

10

Almost three weeks had passed since that night. The one where all your nightmares stopped, and those voices hunting your mind whispered for the last time. It was weird to live in such quiet, but at the same time, it was so peaceful that you wished that it would last forever.

You knew that it wasn't over yet. You knew that just a simple wrong gesture could wake them to become even louder and more painful than before. But still, you enjoyed every moment of it. Those three weeks were the most calming weeks of your entire life.

Emma once asked you about your headphones, curious as to why you hadn't been wearing them in a while, asking if they had broken at some point.

You were taken aback that she had noticed that small detail, and you simply explained that the headphones didn't match the outfits you had been wearing. Surprisingly, your excuse seemed to convince her, and she did not press the issue any further.

Being the music lover you were, it felt slightly odd not to have headphones hanging around your neck every day and every time. However, your ears needed the break they deserved now that the mumbles had gone quiet.

With August behind and September on the horizon, the school was about to restart, and it was a perfect coincidence that Draken was discharged from the hospital on the last day of summer break. 

You hated to admit it, but you were looking forward to spending some time with Emma and the others before tackling another mundane school year.

"Who's finally getting out of this place today!", you slammed the door open with a cheery voice and a paper cup of coffee in your hand, sounding as excited as ever.

"Y/n!", Draken wailed, his blond hair getting braided by Emma standing behind him while he sat on the side of the bed, both chuckling from your energy. "It's not official yet, you know. It depends on how I'm doing on today's physical therapy session."

"Yeah, I know you're killing it", you teased and stepped into the room with a bright smile, handing the guy the cup. "That's why I got you a latte as an early gift."

"Thanks", he laughed, taking a sip from the drink as you searched the room.

"Where's Manjiro?"

"He said he was craving Taiyaki and went to buy some", Emma explained, tying Draken's hair while you took a small box from your bag and put it on the table.

After nearly a month of getting to know the three, you finally felt as if you made it into the "close friend" stage. You were feeling comfortable around them, and you were sure they were as well. That's what friendship is based on after all, or so Aaru told you once.

It was all going smoothly, your plan to destroy Toman was being played so perfectly that you started to enjoy it yourself. Manjiro was a really fun guy now that you got to know him better. Not that you didn't know that he was "cool" before, especially after your actual first meeting...

Yet, you still hadn't met any of the Toman members other than Chifuyu who you met again at the entrance of the hospital one day where he insisted on giving him your phone number only to send you cat memes every single morning.

You didn't mind it, you sent him pictures of Luna almost every day as well. And his reaction when he learned that you had a cat too was priceless, he even begged you to make Luna and his cat Peke J meet.

You frequently crossed paths with Takemichi on your way home, and he always seemed a bit different, almost as if he was distracted by something else. You assumed that he was simply exhausted and didn't think much of it.

"Oh, Hina's here", Emma spoke all of a sudden, holding her phone in her hands and leaving the room quickly, as you turned to Draken for a clue of what was going on.