𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 | 𝐓𝐨𝐣𝐢 𝐅𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐨

- Chapter 38 -

A few days later, Helia is walking through the corridors on her way to her next task, when she hears the now familiar sound of footsteps getting closer behind her.

The steady, confident walk and the hint of something familiar in the pattern of those steps gives her a good idea of who it might be even before she turns around.

When she does, her suspicions are confirmed, and there stands Toji, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her. A warm smile spreads across his lips, and he closes the gap between the two of them in a few quick strides.

"I'm surprised you heard my footsteps. You surely made a lot of progress thanks to my incredible training sessions."

"Maybe it's because my teacher wasn't too bad himself." She says with a shrug.

He gives her a charming smile at her compliment. He leans against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest in a relaxed manner as he responds.

"Oh, you're too kind, Helia. But I'll take the compliment anyway." His comment making her scoff, amused.

His expression brightens, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Let's go to town today. I've been craving a day out in the town, and I could use a break from the stuffy atmosphere here." He speaks.

He pushes himself away from the wall and starts walking, gesturing for Helia to follow him. But she can't follow him, not in the middle of her day.

"But I have work to do today!"

He grins mischievously, clearly amused by the idea he's just come up with.

"I could just tell them that you were working for me today. The head maid won't question my word, don't worry."

Helia hesitates for a few seconds, but spending a whole day with Toji is too tempting to refuse.

"Alright, I guess it could be okay."

His lips curve into a satisfied smirk at her decision, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"Excellent. Spending the day with me is far more fun than whatever dull task you were going to do anyway. You won't regret skipping work for a day with me, I promise."

[...]

After a few minutes, Helia finally changed into something more comfortable than her maid uniform. It's an outfit she bought last time she was in town, because she had realized that she didn't have any other clothes than her pyjamas and maid uniform.

Toji waits for her at the entrance to the estate, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a casual yet expectant expression on his face. As soon as she appears, dressed in her more comfortable clothing, his eyes flicker with appreciation, taking in her appearance with a quick glance.

"You look good without the maid outfit, Helia."

A smile lights up her features at his compliment. "Thanks!"

He notices the slight reveal of her scars through the outfit, and his gaze briefly flickers to them. However, he quickly averts his eyes, remembering her discomfort with people staring at those scars.

He respects her privacy and doesn't draw attention to it, instead focusing his gaze back up at her face.

A wave of guilt washes over him as he remembers the circumstances that led to those scars. He knows very well that those marks on her back are a constant reminder of the pain he unintentionally caused.

And yet, he can't find her any less attractive because of them. To him, her scars don't diminish her beauty one bit, they only serve to deepen his admiration for the person she has become, despite the hardships she has faced.