SUB ROSA | Wind Breaker

Arc 5 || 10. A Declaration of War

Togame's footsteps were slow, heavy, as he made his way back to the group. The air outside had shifted—cooler now, quieter, like the city itself was holding its breath. He tugged his sleeves down, trying to shake off the echo of Akame's trembling in his arms, and the look on Kaji's face when he came to take her back. There was something final about the way she clung to him, something sacred. So Togame didn't follow. He just nodded—entrusted her to the one person she'd allowed to see her fall apart.

As he rounded the corner near the club, the voices grew faint again. The group hadn't left. They lingered like something unfinished.

Yuta was sitting on the curb, his elbows on his knees, head hanging low. Choji sat beside him, close but not too close, their shoulders just brushing in a quiet show of solidarity. A little ways off, Umemiya and Hiragi stood facing each other, their tones low and serious, casting worried glances back toward Yuta every few moments.

The tension hadn't lifted—not at all. In fact, it had sunk in deeper.

Togame didn't say anything at first. He just walked over and stood nearby. Yuta didn't look up, didn't need to. His voice was flat when he finally spoke.
"She okay?"

Togame nodded. "Yeah, She's with him now."

There was a silence that followed—not empty, but filled with the weight of too many thoughts. Yuta ran his hand over his face, dragging it down like he was trying to wake himself up from some sort of nightmare. His birthday. This was supposed to be a celebration.

"She should've come to me," he muttered, not angry—just lost. "I'm her brother. Why the hell wouldn't she tell me?"

Choji glanced over, his voice even but kind. "Sometimes it's harder to tell the people who matter most."

Yuta shook his head, almost bitterly. "I didn't even know who Endo really was. Thought he was just... some guy. Not someone who'd..." He trailed off, not even sure how to finish that sentence.

Umemiya turned slightly toward them, his arms crossed. "Endo's not someone easy to understand," he said carefully. "He's... twisted. Possessive. And if what Kaji said is true... he's fixated."

That word again. Fixated. Obsessed.

Yuta's fists clenched in his lap. "What the hell happened between them to make him like that? Why her?"

No one had an answer. Because no one truly knew.

Togame sat down beside him, letting out a slow breath. "I don't think it's about understanding Endo. I think it's about understanding her. Whatever happened... she didn't want to bring anyone else into it. Not until she had to."

"And she brought Kaji in." Yuta's voice cracked slightly—not in jealousy, but in guilt.

Choji nudged his shoulder gently. "He didn't just show up, Yuta. She let him in. She chose that."

Yuta nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek. He'd spent so long hating Kaji for his sharp tongue, for his closeness to Akame, for being the one she turned to first. But now... now he just felt small. Like he'd missed something. Like he hadn't been watching closely enough.

"I was so cold to him," he said quietly. "But he really... cares about her. Doesn't he?"

No one answered. They didn't have to.

It was obvious.

Umemiya finally turned to face the group fully. "We're not gonna let this go unanswered. Whatever Endo thinks this is—it ends. We'll see to it."