SUB ROSA | Wind Breaker

Arc 1 || 5. The Distance You Created

This chapter will include SA, I Will put  *** where it begins and ends if you want to skip the part

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Akame walked beside Yuta, her pale hair catching the fading light of the setting sun. Her eyes traced the cracks in the pavement, but her thoughts were elsewhere—on the quiet that had settled over the past week. Everything had felt... wrong since the fight with Shishitoren. It wasn't just the lingering tension in the air or the strange silence from Togame. It was the way Yuta had brushed off every mention of their friend, the way he had tightened his jaw and changed the subject any time she brought it up.

Togame hadn't shown up. Not at the convenience store, not at the park where they used to hang out. He was just... gone.

Yuta's cold silence on the matter didn't help. He hadn't mentioned Togame once since the night of the fight, as if erasing him from their lives would fix everything. But it didn't feel right to Akame. They had been friends, the three of them—close. And now, Togame was out there, somewhere, drifting further away into a world Yuta didn't want any part of.

But Akame couldn't help the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. That Togame's silence meant more than Yuta was willing to admit.

The quiet of their walk was broken by the sound of laughter. Akame's head snapped up, her heart skipping a beat when she saw a group of boys gathered on the corner. Their bright orange jerseys stood out starkly against the fading daylight, each emblazoned with the familiar lion head of Shishitoren.

And there, standing with his hands shoved into his pockets, laughing along with the group, was Togame.

Akame's breath caught in her throat, her steps faltering. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she took in the sight of him—his familiar tousled black hair, the casual slouch in his posture—but something about him felt... off. His smile, the way he moved, it all seemed different, distant. He wasn't the same Togame she had known.

Yuta noticed him at the same time. His expression hardened, his entire body tensing as he grabbed Akame's arm, pulling her forward with a rough jerk.

"Keep walking," Yuta muttered, his voice low and cold.

Akame stumbled slightly, torn between her brother's urgency and the confusion blooming in her chest. "But—"

"No," Yuta snapped, his grip tightening. "You're not talking to him. He's made his choice."

The finality in Yuta's words stung, but Akame didn't resist. She knew how much Yuta hated the idea of gangs, hated the way Shishitoren used power and violence to control others. To Yuta, Togame's decision to get involved with them was a betrayal. He didn't trust the path Togame had chosen, and in his eyes, there was no room for compromise.

But still... Togame.

Akame's gaze lingered on him as Yuta pulled her along. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest. Why didn't he reach out? Why didn't he tell us? The questions swirled in her mind, each one heavier than the last. She couldn't understand how Togame had so easily slipped away from them. And now, there he was—laughing, joking with the very people who had caused the rift between them.

As they passed, one of the Shishitoren boys—a tall, brash-looking kid with a smug grin—noticed them. His eyes lit up with interest as he nudged Togame, his voice loud enough to cut through the street noise.

"Hey, Togame," he called out, his grin widening as he motioned toward Akame. "Who's the pretty girl?"

Akame's face flushed with embarrassment, her heart thudding uncomfortably in her chest. She cast a quick, uncertain glance at Togame, her breath catching as she waited for him to respond. Would he acknowledge her?