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

ななじゅう | seventy

もののけ | kaiju | monster

70

[A lengthy chapter ahead]

Soshiro

THE MOMENT I WALKED INTO THAT ROOM, I felt the rage boiling in my veins, burning hotter and hotter with each fucking second. Every goddamn Captain from every division was there, gathered like vultures, circling around for the kill. I wanted to fucking lunge at each and every one of them, especially that smug piece of shit, Juzo Nogizaka—the Chief of the Eastern Staff Division.

He was sitting there with that twisted smirk on his face, practically glowing with the satisfaction of watching Kiyomi's world crumble around her. He and his cronies were enjoying every second of this, basking in the glow of Kiyomi's supposed downfall. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms so hard I was surprised they didn't draw blood. I wanted nothing more than to wipe that goddamn smirk off Nogizaka's face, to make him eat every fucking word he's ever said against her.

But I couldn't. I had to stand there and watch, watch as they all conspired to bring her down, to break her in ways she didn't deserve. I had to keep my anger in check, had to keep myself from doing something that would get us both killed.

They were all here for one reason and one reason only: to see Kiyomi destroyed. It wasn't just about her; it was about power, about control, about eliminating a threat they couldn't contain. And Kiyomi, with all her strength, all her brilliance, was a threat they were desperate to erase.

And these fuckers were just waiting for the right moment to strike, to dig their claws into her and tear her apart. They wanted her dead, and not just dead—they wanted her ruined first, humiliated, reduced to nothing before they snuffed out the light in her eyes.

I caught Nogizaka's eyes across the room, and for a split second, our gazes locked. His smirk widened, a sickening, knowing grin that made my blood boil. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My muscles tensed, every fiber of my being screaming at me to cross the room, to slam my fist into his face, to make him bleed for every word, every fucking action that had led us to this point. But I didn't move. I couldn't. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't give them the satisfaction. They were looking for any excuse to bring me down with her, to discredit me, to paint me as unstable, as a liability.

So I stayed rooted to the spot, swallowing down the fury, the helplessness that threatened to choke me. I had to stay focused. I had to keep my mind sharp, my emotions in check, because this wasn't just about me. This was about Kiyomi.

This was about our fucking baby.

But fuck, how could I even begin to think about that? How could I even let my mind go there when I didn't know if she'd even want to keep it? I couldn't assume anything, couldn't project my feelings onto her because, at the end of the day, it wasn't my body. It wasn't my choice. It was hers. It was all hers.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

Scared of what she might choose. Scared that she might look at me, at this mess we're in, and decide that bringing a child into this world wasn't something she could handle. And how could I blame her? With everything going to shit, with every fucking thing stacked against us, how could I blame her if she chose to protect herself?