A Shatterd soul

Ch.6

It hasn't been too long since he had met up with Mikey and Draken at his school. The conversation after that led to an almost eager agreement to join Toman, which earned him a small smile from Mikey and a strange look from Draken.

Later, he decided to meet Hina to make up for the morning. They spent time together at the park, casually chatting and enjoying ice cream to fill the silence. Afterward, he walked her home and said goodbye.

Returning home, he headed straight to his room. The day had been tiring yet enjoyable. He felt a mix of sadness and relief that his connections with Toman had been erased and left in the past. It saddened him to pretend not to know anyone to avoid suspicion, but he was glad not to repeat past mistakes.

However, he couldn't shake his worries. In his previous time leap, Hina had slapped Mikey and tried to defend him from a nonexistent threat. This time, nothing had happened. It made him wonder what other changes would occur. He hoped they wouldn't be important events, he's already stressing enough as it is.

At least now he had an idea of what was to come, right? He had some preparation this time, or so he hoped.

Sigh

A heavy sigh escaped him as a sense of emptiness engulfed his being. The lingering question clouded his thoughts: Would he be capable of protecting them this time? Or would he fail as he had on numerous occasions before?

Desperate to divert his attention, he engaged in various activities, attempting to convice others(himself) he was fine, and mask the fact that he felt utterly defeated. He knew what to do after completing his mission-no. His purpose.

They would have the bright future they deserved while he withered away, trapped in the confines of a room that belonged to the innocent child he used to be, now left behind and forgotten.

-♡-

A few days had passed, and Takemichi is fucking stressed.

A text from an unknown number instructed him to meet at Musashi Shrine. Although he had a hunch it was Mikey, the real question lingered: How did Mikey obtain his number? Nevertheless, that wasn't why he was stressed.

The thought of meeting everyone again overwhelmed him, he doesn't think he'll be able to handle the situation. Let alone keeping up a conversation without spacing out and accidentally staring at one of them or say the wrong thing,

Thank god he met hina when he was on his way who had insisted on accompanying him. While he didn't want her to become entangled with the gang at such an early stage, he appreciated her support. As they arrived, they were confronted by two guys with tomans uniform who aggressively yelled about it being their gang's territory.

"Who the fuck even are you two?!"

A figure slighlty taller then him with lilac hair approached, drawn by the commotion. His eyes met Takemichi's, and a flicker of recognition sparked within him, causing Takemichi's heart to sink and his throat to go dry in a matter of seconds.

"Leave them alone. He's the president's guest," the man declared, his stern tone silencing the two troublemakers who were about to protest before they left muttering to themselfs

Mitsuya's undivided attention shifted entirely to Takemichi, and it felt as if the universe were mocking him by making him suffer further.

"Hey, you," Mitsuya spoke, his tone softer than before. "Yeah?"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Mitsuya continued, "You're Hanagaki Takemichi, right?"

Takemichi let out a small hum of confirmation , Mitsuya smiled and extended his hand for a handshake, which Takemichi reciprocated with a slight smile of his own.