(Y/n)'s POV
"Yes, I'm sure Trigger'll be pleased to hear your positive answer."
"No, it's my pleasure to be working with them."
"Thank you for accepting. We'll set up the date at a later time."
"Okay, sure. Bye."
As soon as I hung up, I began flipping through documents, giving a signature here and there. Most were regarding Trigger's next projects, entailing important dates and contract specifications.
Tsumugi had already secured the details with IDOLiSH7's next concert, and now I had finally gotten time to fill out some paperwork. Taking one by one, the pile on my left soon got smaller and smaller as I worked through the stack.
I looked at the red-haired male lying on the hospital bed in front of me. His breathing had become steady, unlike those quick, shallow breaths before. Why had he kept his respiratory illness hidden from us?...
"(Y-(Y/n)?"
"Riku, you're awake."
"I um..."
He looked away from my eyes as he bit his lip. I offered a small smile, asking how he felt and if he required anything. His answers were short but still polite. He cautiously opened his mouth to speak. However, I got to it before him.
"You should have told us about your illness. I don't want your life in danger because of a little mistake. You're an important member of the group. It's my job to ensure that you achieve your dream as smoothly as possible."
"You're not going to tell me to quit?" he asked.
"...I see where you're coming from but there is no reason for me to tell you to stop following your dreams."
His eyes flickered to the documents beside me. I nonchalantly stepped in front of them, pretending to check his temperature as I placed my hand over his forehead.
"Hey (Y/n)?"
"Yes?"
"Were you doing work the whole time?"
"Yes, I was."
"You don't even get a break, huh?"
"I'm used to it. I have a friend who's fainted from exhaustion and I had to look after him."
"I see. You must really care about that friend."
You would care about him too. I wanted to believe that he cared about you as well. You were once brothers that lived under the same roof, that had the same family. Clearly your bonds could not have changed no matter how much time has passed...
~Some time later~
"Keep up with the good work! But don't forget to have a good night's rest. I don't want any of you collapsing."
"Alright (Y/n). It's already late. We're gonna head back to our dorms," replied Yamato.
"See you tomorrow, and one of you look after Riku."
"I'm not a kid anymore!" he argued.
"Sure you aren't," Iori exclaimed.
"I'm older than you!"
"You don't act like you are."
I waved goodbye as I walked away, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. They called out goodbyes before heading the other way. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I heaved the full bag in my hands.
The sun had just set, casting a gentle evening glow across the area, coating everything in a mystical, midnight-coloured sea of silence. A warm breeze blew past, carrying with it its silent breathy whisper.
Without so much as a warning, someone suddenly lifted the bag from my hand. I turned to see Mitsuki's smiling face. He had come back alone.
"Was there something you needed?"
"No, I just wanted to talk," he replied.
"Before that, I can carry my bag myself."
"No way, it's really heavy."
"Oh? Heavy, is it?"
"That's not what I meant!"
"*laughs* I'm just teasing you. So what did you want to talk about?"
"...I think you help Iori open up more than anyone else," he said quietly.
"Me? Help him?"
"Yeah, you may think no one has noticed but I'm his older brother. I know these kinda things."
"So you think Iori acts different around me?"
"Yeah. That's why I want to make a request."
"What request?"
"Please don't leave him alone."
"Don't him alone...huh?"
Although I didn't intend to, I couldn't predict the future. I didn't know if father would find a way to force me to quit this job. I didn't like making empty promises but I had promised myself that I would not leave no matter the consequences.
"Sure thing."
"Thanks (Y/n)."
I smiled. He returned the gesture before stretching his arms. Three feral-looking men stood against a fence as we walked past the local park. Mitsuki and I immediately avoided any eye contact and headed down the path as naturally as possible.
"Hey little missy, we have some business with you," exclaimed the tallest one with cropped hair and numerous tattoos staining his arms.
"I'm sorry but do I know you?"
"No but we know your father. He sure as hell wrecked our business. Now me and my gang are jobless."
"Threatening him with my life isn't going to work."
"No, we figured as much. That man only cares about his company. That's why we've come to you. We know what you value and you'll help us if you don't want your brother's pretty face beaten up so badly that no one'd recognise him."
"What makes you think I'm any different from my father?"
"Oh, we've been watching you. We know what you're like."
Damn it, how was I supposed to talk my way out of this one? The three watched me intensely, searching for an opening in my emotionless expression.
Mitsuki, who had stayed silent, reached for my arm but the leader's subordinate pulled out a knife, keeping it by his side. I felt the male beside me tense as his grip tightened yet his gaze was fierce and unyielding.
"Well then clearly you weren't thinking."
"What do you mean?" he asked, now suspicious.
"We were in public. We couldn't exactly show the world our high disregard for each other. People'd be talking, gossiping. I wouldn't want the business ruined because of baseless rumours."
"Then how about the boy next to you?"
"Desperate now, are we? He's just an unimportant errand boy. What makes you think I'd care about his life?"
"We'll see about that."
YOU ARE READING
Charismatic Lie (Iori x reader)
Fanfiction(L/n) (Y/n) is Trigger's assistant manager, and Gaku's younger sister. She has many clashes with her father due to their incompatible personalities, where their anger leads to the both of them thinking they despise each other. She later becomes IDO...
