もののけ | monster | soshiro hoshina (Kaiju No. 8) (COMPLETE)

にじゅうさん | twenty three

もののけ | kaiju | monster

23

Soshiro

IT WAS HAPPENING TOO FAST FOR ME TO PROCESS. My mind spun with confusion and surprise, making it difficult to think straight. Should I salute? Acknowledge her presence? Or should I ignore her, just as she's been ignoring me all these years?

She tore her eyes away from me so easily, but for me, it wasn't easy at all. My eyes had been longing to see her, to see her up close. Time seemed to slow for me as she walked past, barely acknowledging my presence, as if I were invisible. That indifference sent a pang of pain through me—just a pinch, yet too painful to handle.

Even without looking back, I knew she went to stand beside Kikoru. At least that stone-cold heart of hers still had a trace of softness. I sighed heavily, feeling utterly out of place. I should just leave; I wasn't needed here anyway. My knees trembled as I walked, each step feeling uncertain. Who wouldn't be surprised by the Lieutenant's sudden appearance? I reached for the door, my fingertips brushing the handle, ready to leave.

This cruel woman had a little heart, after all. A foreign thought, but at least she cared—

"Quit."

Her voice, sharp as a blade, stopped me in my tracks. My squinting eyes widened in disbelief. Did I hear her right? I turned to look at the two sisters, seeing Kikoru's shocked expression mirrored my own.

"Oneesan... What did you say?" Kikoru asked, her voice barely a whisper, trembling with shock.

The Lieutenant's voice was cold and unyielding. "I do not like to repeat myself. You heard me well, Kikoru."

What the hell was she saying? She wanted her sister to quit? I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Quit?" Kikoru echoed, her voice small and disbelieving. "Oneesan, I don't understand. Why are you saying thi—"

"Can't you look at yourself? So pathetic. No wonder Father keeps comparing you to me." Kiyomi's voice was filled with such harshness it made me flinch. "And you're proud because you killed a Honju-level Kaiju? Oh please, that's nothing to be proud of. You think that's an achievement? It's laughable..."

Kikoru's eyes were welling with tears, her lips quivering. She was at a loss for words, unable to defend herself against the onslaught. The pain in her eyes was palpable.

Kikoru's voice breaking. "But I've worked so hard... I've given everything to be here! Why can't you see that, Oneesa—"

Kiyomi's expression remained unmoved. "Hard work means nothing if you don't have the strength to back it up. You're a disgrace to the Shinomiya name."

I need... I need to do something...

"Lieutenant—" I started, my voice cracking with the effort to intervene, but Kiyomi's sharp tone cut me off before I could finish.

"You stay out of this, Vice-Captain," she snarled, her eyes burning with cold fury. "This is between us."

I wanted to talk back, but it was as if she had cast a spell on me, rendering me unable to do so. I could feel her anger radiating, and I knew Kiyomi well enough to see that despite her harsh tone and cold demeanor, she was holding something back. But this? This was too far, way too far. My blood boiled, my nerves alight with fury. I had accepted that she hated me, but I would not accept her treating Kikoru as if she were nothing, a stranger.