Accidental Reverse

Chapter 22

Sorry for the wait, guys, I've been really busy! You can thank my friend A (for lack of a better name) for this, she told me to upload XD

Now, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

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Accidental Reverse Arc 2

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Tenma is worried.

Something about his childhood friend seems off. Maybe it's the way she won't look at him, or how her hands are tightly holding her skirt, or the way her lip is trembling. He's not completely sure, but something is wrong.

''Aoi?'' he asks carefully, worry creeping into his voice. ''Are you okay?''

The girl's head snaps up and she stares at him incredulously. ''Am I okay?'' she repeats, disbelief clear in her voice. ''Am I- Tenma, I should be asking you that!''

For some reason, she seems really bothered by that fact. The brunet's features are pulled into a confused frown, not knowing why she seems so distressed. ''Aoi, what's wrong? I don't understand what you mean.''

To his complete horror, his friend chokes on what sounds like a sob.

He can count the times he has seen Aoi cry on two hands and still have some fingers left. She might not look like it, but the young manager is one of the toughest people Tenma has ever met. Physically any of Raimon's soccer players could take her, but emotionally she's much stronger than most.

To see her like this, especially when the brunet has no idea what could have reduced her to this state, is shocking. It hurts, seeing his childhood friend like this, looking so scared and desperate.

When she chokes on another sob, he doesn't hesitate anymore and instead slings an arm around her shoulders in a half hug. Usually he wouldn't be so easy with giving physical contact to a girl, but this is Aoi.

She seems to calm down a little and finally looks at him. Fortunately, she doesn't look like she's crying, even though her blue eyes are still lost and shockingly concerned. ''I-'' her voice wavers and she takes a deep breath to calm herself. When she speaks again, her voice is steady. ''I don't know what's wrong with you and I know no one else has noticed it, but Tenma, I've known you for almost five years,'' she tells him, the tightening of her jaw telling him that she won't back down. ''You've changed, too much, and I didn't know how to bring it up before- you still seemed alright, but now... you don't seem to sleep and just now you actually collapsed-''

Her sky blue eyes, so earnest and worried, pin him in place. ''What's wrong with you?'' she asks softly.

Tenma lowers his gaze. Before Aoi can respond in anger, he tries to scramble for an answer. ''I... I'm sorry for worrying you,'' is the first thing he says and the manager relaxes a little now that he is at least answering. ''I hadn't realized that you were so concerned.''

He looks up, grey meeting blue, and sighs. He owes her an explanation, but how can he ever explain something like this?

''I'm just... I don't know what I can say, Aoi. You'd never believe me.''

She reels back as if he slapped her, out of his reach, an insulted and hurt look on her face. ''How can you say that?'' she asks fiercely. ''Out of everyone on the team, I've known you the longest! I've been your friend for years, Tenma! And yet you say I won't believe you?!''

Tenma opens his mouth to respond, but instead closes it again and bites on his lower lip, balling his fists. ''I'm just... it's all too much, Aoi. Fifth Sector, this whole mess, I don't even know where to start.''