𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍~ 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐈𝐑𝐎

♡Chapter-37♡

Third point of view.

The gathering at the shrine buzzed with excitement as usual. You stood beside Emma, quietly tapping on your phone to send a quick message to your brother about being home late.

The men in uniform, especially those who had been present during the last fight, kept sneaking glances at you. You knew why, of course. They'd seen you step in to stop Baji from hurting himself, and it had clearly left an impression.

As you saw Baji riding up on his bike, and a grin tugged at your lips. Without hesitation, you excused yourself from Emma and made your way toward him.

"Alright, Baji." You said with a playful smirk."What's this announcement you've been talking about? Spill."

Baji slowed his dismount from the bike, stretching out with a smug grin on his face.

"Hmm... Well." He began, feigning a dramatic pause. "I was thinking of telling you but... Nah. I changed my mind." He stepped closer, his voice lowering to a teasing tone. "You'll have to wait like everyone else. I'm not giving you any special treatment, Y/n."

You stared at him in disbelief, crossing your arms infront of your chest. "You're seriously making me wait more?"

Baji simply chuckled. "Yup. Deal with it."

You groaned in playful defeat, but before you could say anything else, a familiar voice interrupted your back-and-forth. Takemichi arrived, and you noticed him wearing his Toman uniform. A smile spread across your face.

"Hey, Takemichi."  You said, walking over to him with a grin."That jacket looks really good on you."

Takemichi blushed slightly, but his smile grew wider. "You really think so?"

"Definitely." You replied, your tone genuine. "It really suits you."

Before Takemichi could respond further, Baji, who had been watching the interaction with a grin, popped his arm around Takemichi's neck. "Oh, come on, man. Loosen up!" Baji teased. "You look just fine in it. But maybe do something about that hair, huh?" He chuckled.

Takemichi blinked, still flustered but also trying to laugh it off. "My hair's fine, right?"

As you watched them interact, you felt a deep sense of relief. You were glad Takemichi wasn't upset about the secret you had shared with Baji. You remembered the day you told Takemichi the truth and how surprised he was when you revealed that Baji knew about it.

At the time, Takemichi had been caught off guard by the fact that you trusted Baji enough to tell him. But to your surprise, he didn't feel betrayed. Instead, he understood that telling Baji the truth had somehow played a crucial role in saving him from his death.

Even the part of you coming into the fight. He was definitely surprised to see you, worried even. But if you wouldn't have been present, then Baji Keisuke would have definitely died like in the previous timeline and all his efforts would have been gone to waste once again.

Looking at the latter, he pulls up a smile on his face, laughing along with his words.

        ________ ⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ________

Draken stepped forward, his usual presence commanding attention. The members of the Tokyo Manji Gang, who had been chatting and joking moments before, fell into silence almost instantly. You stood off to the side, watching quietly, your eyes scanning over the crowd of familiar faces.

"Alright, let's get this started."

The air was still for a moment, before you heard the soft thud of footsteps from the stairs ahead. Everyone's attention snapped forward as Mikey made his appearance, standing at the top of the stairs.