SUB ROSA | Wind Breaker

Arc 4 || 13. Discipline vs. Control

*Long ass chapter sorry about that, but the arc to come to an end

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Akame didn't know how she wound up here.

One moment, she was standing outside the school with Yuta and Umemiya, the weight of the day pressing against her ribs. The next, she was here—in Kaji's room, sitting at the foot of his bed like she belonged there.

The transition between spaces felt seamless, like stepping from one dream into another, one reality into a different kind of limbo. Her hands rested loosely in her lap, fingers grazing the hem of her skirt, her breathing slow, composed—but her mind was a mess of static.

Across from her, Kaji sat in his chair, his chin resting in his palm, dark gray eyes watching her with an unreadable weight. He wasn't pushing, wasn't demanding answers, wasn't asking about the bruises that she knew he had already seen.

But his silence was sharp, coiled with something heavy beneath it.

Back in the courtyard, Umemiya had been too quiet, his usual easy presence suffocated by whatever thoughts had taken hold of him. He hadn't looked at her, not really, and she had known why.

She had never looked at him the way she looked at Kaji.

And that had hurt him.

So, she had done what she always did—run.

Handing Yuta the small black kitten, she had made some teasing comment about how Choji would love it, something light, something effortless. He had blushed and scowled, like he always did, and then she had turned away, stepping back inside her school, away from them, away from the weight pressing against her chest.

Himeko, observant as ever, had taken one look at her and dismissed her from the rest of the event, saying she had done more than enough.

It was an excuse.

But she had taken it.

And now she was here.

In his space, again.

The familiarity of his room settled around her like a second skin—the soft hum of his monitor, the faint scent of something sharp and sweet, like him.

Kaji leaned back slightly in his chair, one leg bent, the other stretched out, completely at ease in his own world. But his eyes never left her, not once.

She crossed her legs, the motion slow, deliberate, and the edge of the bruise on her thigh peeked out from beneath her skirt.

Kaji saw.

But his gaze didn't drop. It remained steady, locked onto hers, like he was daring her to say something first.

Akame's lips curled, slow and knowing.

"So why the headphones?"

His fingers drummed lightly against the armrest, his voice low, calm, but with that ever-present bite.

"People piss me off."

She hummed, her smirk deepening, as if she had already predicted that answer.

"And the lollipops?"

The candy was between his lips, the red glistening against his mouth, and before he could answer, she leaned forward and took it from him.

Her lips brushed against the surface of the candy as she slid it past her teeth, replacing his taste with her own.

Kaji didn't react immediately.

Didn't flinch.

Didn't move.