The Yakuza's flower

Decision was final ?

Ume's POV

Staying with Hanayama wasn't my choice.

Not really.

He didn't ask. He didn't negotiate. He just decided.

And now, here I was, standing in his home again, the air between us thick with something I couldn't name.

I watched as he shrugged off his jacket, setting it aside without a word. His silence wasn't new, but this time, it felt heavier.

I took a slow breath. "I can sleep on the couch."

He didn't even glance at me.

"No."

I swallowed. "Hanayama—"

"Don't argue."

His tone wasn't harsh, but there was something final in it.

I pressed my lips together, knowing I wouldn't win.

I had been avoiding him for days, thinking that if I kept my distance, I could control how much he saw—how much he knew.

But Hanayama wasn't the type to be kept at a distance.

He had let me run for a while.

Now, I was here. And he wasn't letting me go anywhere.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Fine."

He walked past me toward his room, tossing me one of his shirts. "Wear this."

I caught it against my chest, frowning. "I have my own clothes."

"Wear mine."

That was it. No explanation.

Just a quiet command, like it had already been decided.

I sighed again but did as he said. The shirt was huge on me, but soft. Familiar.

By the time I slipped into bed, Hanayama had already turned off the lights and settled in beside me.

The room was quiet.

Too quiet.

I shifted slightly, staring at the ceiling.

"...Are you mad?"

He didn't answer right away.

Then, finally—

"I don't like being avoided."

His voice was low, unreadable.

I hesitated. "I wasn't trying to avoid you."

He didn't say anything.

I turned my head to look at him, barely able to make out his face in the dark. He was staring at the ceiling, expressionless, but his hand rested on his stomach—his fingers curled slightly, tense.

I knew that meant something.

He was thinking.

I swallowed hard. "I just... didn't want you to see me like this."

A muscle in his jaw moved.

I waited for him to say something, but he didn't.

So I kept going.

"My brother... He's the one I fought." My voice was barely above a whisper. "His name is Rey."

Hanayama didn't react.

But I knew he was listening.

"He's different now. I don't know what they did to him, but he's not the same." I exhaled shakily. "He's... lost."