𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼

𝟎𝟑𝟒

Sensitive

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Four days. Douma is a very... interesting character, to say the least. He isn't the type that I would deliberately hang out with, though. He was so insistent and stayed with me for the whole night. I didn't get any sleep. How did everyone else not notice?

"You're so adorable, Y/N-chan!" He said.

I got the sense that he didn't really see me romantically, which was a relief. ... Wait... Since when were we on first name basis? Before I could think about it too much, the door slid open, and Akaza walked in. His eyes almost immediately narrowed at Douma, and the atmosphere tensed. Do they not like each other?

"Hi there, Akaza-dono! Y/N-chan and I were just-!" Douma started.

"Don't call the future empress by her first name," Akaza spat, cutting him off, "What are you doing here, anyway? Kibutsuji-sama deliberately stated that you can't be here."

"Well... Yeah, I know that, but can you really blame me? She's such a cutie."

Akaza clenched his fists.

"Get. Out."

Douma laughed and stood, putting his hands up.

"Why? Are you mad because I'm taking Koyuki 2.0 from you?"

That seemed to push Akaza over the edge. I didn't even see him as he striked Douma in the face, leaving a bad mark on his cheek. Douma didn't seem to care, though. In fact, he just laughed it off.

"Jeez, did I strike a nerve?" He teased, "Okay, okay, I'll go. See ya, cutie!"

He walked leisurely out of the room, leaving just Akaza and I. Akaza trembled in what I could only assume was rage. I didn't want to ask anything in fear that I might be next, but if I just left him to his own devices, he might just hurt someone else really badly.

"U-Um... Who's Koyuki...?" I asked.

His gaze snapped to me, and, for a split second, I thought that these were going to be my last moments. To my surprise, he didn't hurt me. His eyes softened, and he took a few deep breaths before replying.

"Koyuki... Is my late fiancé."

"Oh..."

To think Douma would bring up such a sensitive topic... Does he have no shame?

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

He looked at me with wide eyes that slowly welled with tears. He sat next to me, and words just seemed to spill out of him. His name was actually Hakuji, and he grew up pretty poor and was a criminal, which was why he had those marks on his arms. His father was sickly, and in order to pay for medicine, pickpocketed people. He was caught three times, though, and was beaten by the magistrate.

After his third beating, when Hakuji returned home, he saw that his father had hung himself due to his arrest. His life was turned around when he met a man named Keizo, and he trained martial arts under him while also taking care of his sick daughter, Koyuki. The two of them fell in love, and they got engaged.

His life was going so well, but everything flipped upside down when Keizo and Koyuki were poisoned by a rival dojo. In a fit of rage, Hakuji killed sixty-seven of the members of that dojo. Eventually, he met Kibutsuji, and he started working under him, but he never forgot about Koyuki.

By the time he was finished, the both of us were crying. I held him close to me, tears running down my cheeks while he sobbed.

"I'm so sorry... You must have really loved her..." I uttered, patting his back.

He cried for what felt like an eternity until his tears dried. He pulled away and wiped his flushed face.

"I'm sorry... That was embarrassing..." He murmured.

"No, no, it's completely okay. I bet you feel better after getting that all off of your chest, huh?"

He nodded as he took control of his breathing.

"Yeah..."

A sudden wave and fatigue hit me, and it quickly made me remember that I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. I didn't want to just leave Hakuji with his thoughts, but when he smiled at me, I knew everything would be alright.

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After Hakuji walked out of the room, he reached for the locket in his pocket and looked at the picture. Koyuki... He still felt guilt, and he could never forget about her, but... She would want him to move on... She would want him to find happiness. With a sense of determination, he pocketed the locket and made another vow to himself. He would get the both of you out of this situation, and when he did, he would marry you. This time, he wouldn't let you slip out of his fingers. Never again.

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✿Sengoku-Era Secrets✿

❥ Douma has no sense of empathy or sympathy.
❥ If Koyuki were around, she would be very proud of Hakuji.

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