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

ごじゅうなな | fifty seven

もののけ | kaiju | monster

57

[A lengthy chapter ahead]

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Soshiro

KIYOMI'S GAZE REMAINED FIXED ON HER PLATE, her expression unreadable as Kikoru's desperate words hung in the air. "Finish your food first," she said, her tone firm and unwavering. "We'll talk later..."

Kikoru's eyes shifted away from Kiyomi, clearly distressed. Her shoulders were tense. "Oneesan, I talked to Father yesterday..." she continued, her voice cracking under the strain of her emotions. "But he wouldn't listen to me. I tried to explain, but he's so set in his ways—"

"Kikoru..." Kiyomi's voice cut her, stern and unyielding. She raised her voice slightly, her gaze sharp and unforgiving as it locked onto Kikoru. "Let's be polite," she added, her tone leaving no room for defiance. "This is not our house. Eat your food, and we'll talk later."

Kikoru flinched at the sharpness in Kiyomi's voice, her earlier courage dissipating in the face of her sister's stern gaze. She looked away again, her mouth snapping shut as she focused on her plate, clearly upset but too afraid to argue further.

Kenji and I exchanged a glance, the kind of look that spoke volumes without a single word being uttered. But I knew these two girls, Kiyomi and Kikoru, better than anyone else. I shook my head slightly, a subtle movement meant only for Kenji to see. It was a silent plea, a wordless request for him to stay out of it, to let things play out as they needed to.

I scrubbed the plate with more force than necessary, the tension from earlier still simmering under my skin. My frustration had nowhere to go, so it found an outlet in the dishes. Beside me, Kenji was drying the already cleaned dishes, carefully sorting them into their rightful places. The clinking of the plates and the distant murmur of Kiyomi and Kikoru's voices from the living room were the only sounds filling the kitchen, but it was the silence between Kenji and me that spoke the loudest.

"You made me get into so much trouble earlier," I muttered, half-shouting as I rinsed the suds off another plate. The frustration in my voice was unmistakable, but I tried to keep it from boiling over. I knew he didn't mean for things to get out of hand, but that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

Kenji let out a deep sigh—his ninth one, if I was counting correctly. He set down a plate with a loud clatter, clearly just as frustrated as I was. "I already said sorry, okay? How many times do I have to say it? And I didn't know that was going to happen—I didn't know you'd be coming home today, let alone with the Lieutenant!" His voice matched mine in volume, tinged with the same mix of exasperation and guilt. "You don't know how scared I was when she was yelling at you earlier! My heart was practically in my throat!"

I sighed, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease a fraction as his words sank in. I scrubbed the next plate a little too hard, the rough texture biting into my fingers. "You'd better keep your mouth shut about how I helped you with Kikoru," I warned, though there was no real heat behind my words. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, but he just rolled his eyes in response, a defiant smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.