30 - I am FATED to change your DESTINY

Rion lowered his head, adjusting his hair slowly, seemingly trying to hide his reddened hand after Nagi swatted it away. For a moment, I caught a glimpse of his tense expression, but the next second, he wore that disgusting, mocking smile again.

Without a second thought, Nagi extended his arm in front of me, blocking my path forward. I froze, staring at him in confusion. Was he doing this to protect me? Why would he go this far..? It felt strange, to see him who is usually so calm, start to act protective.

Rion started carelessly cleaning his ear, acting as if we posed no threat to him. Once he was satisfied, he blew the remaining dirt from his fingers toward Nagi. I felt a surge of irritation, though I knew I should stay calm right now.

"Oh— sorry, sorry. I didn’t think this sweet little lady already had a boyfriend," he smirked. "My bad, mister boyfriend, for almost touching what's yours without your permission."

My gaze shot to his condescending smile, and my fists clenched involuntarily. My heart began to race faster.

Rion knew exactly how to toy with people's minds; he was a master at pushing emotions to their limit.

"You two… Your names are Yuichi and Nagi, right?" He said our names as if he already knew, just to provoke us further.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO AKANE-SAN?!" My anger erupted; I couldn't take this nonsense any longer. I knew I shouldn't let his words get to me, but every word from his mouth made my chest ache even more.

"Hey, hey, shouldn't you be answering my question first? Basic manners, you know?" he said, feigning disappointment.

Without a second thought, I grabbed his collar tightly, staring at him with fierce eyes. I wanted to punch his face so badly, but to carry out our plan, we couldn’t be seen as the bad ones.

So in the end, all I could do was hold myself back, huh..?

I hated myself for it...

I shook my head in frustration, then refocused myself on Rion.

"HURRY UP. ANSWER ME!" I snapped angrily.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO AKANE-SAN JUST NOW?!"

His face twisted in annoyance. Rion quickly slapped my hand away from his collar. "Tsk! Go check on her yourself. I hate answering questions from rude women." He looked at us with a cold gaze. "Don’t worry, I’m not the type of guy who likes to hurt women."

Rion turned to leave, but his body seemed to pause for a moment. He looked back at us with a condescending gaze. "One more thing, just a warning for you. DON’T EVEN THINK OF DOING ANYTHING STUPID. Because from now on, Akane’s fate is entirely in my hands."

Those words sent a shiver through my whole body. I knew very well that Rion wasn't someone who liked to joke around, especially with his enemies.

"I know you’re close friends of hers, but DON'T EVER CROSS THE LINE. If you dare to violate that boundary—" Rion leaned in, his face just inches from ours, with a menacing expression, "then it’s your precious friend who will suffer the consequences."

Satisfied, he turned his body away. He walked off casually, as if he had no more burdens weighing on him.

I clenched my fists, tempted to lunge at him and take him down right here. But I realized that wouldn’t be the right choice. Besides, I wasn’t even the angriest one here, especially since he was also holding himself back...

Nagi… He stared at Rion’s retreat with sharp eyes. Veins pulsed on his forehead, and his hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Honestly, this was my first time seeing Nagi react like this. I had always known him to be someone so forgiving; he’d never truly been angry at anyone since birth.

For him to even struggle to hold back his own anger, it must have been due to Rion’s behavior crossing the line.

"Nagi..."

After a few moments, Nagi took a deep breath. He cracked his knuckles a few times, as if trying to redirect his focus from the anger he was suppressing.

Nagi seemed to notice my worried expression. He gently patted my head, while giving me a warm smile. "Yuichi, you should probably go check on Akane-san now. We don’t know what Rion might have done to her."

"She might be in her worst state right now. I don’t even want to imagine it. You should go comfort her; it’s your job as her best friend, right?" Nagi added.

I nodded slowly, though still feeling a bit hesitant. "But what about you..? Aren’t you coming too?" I asked, confused.

"If I could, I’d love to come. But I probably don’t have a place there. Yuichi, this is something that only you could handle with her, so I can't go. You got this, right?" Nagi replied with a sheepish smile, scratching his head awkwardly. I sighed; that was so typical of Nagi.

It seems that Nagi had already known about Akane’s feelings towards me…

Nagi’s response was unsatisfying, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Right now, I needed to comfort Akane and bring her back to our side.

I wanted to see that innocent smile she wore when tasting something sweet, her excitement, and even the way she used to tease me.

I didn’t want to see the "smile" hidden behind the thick mask you wore, Akane. I wanted to see your true smile, the innocent one you had as a child. I wanted to make you realize that, even in your worst moments, we would always be here for you.

I knocked on her door.

"Akane-san. It’s me, Yuichi."

Silence filled the room. A few leaves blew in through the open window, carried by the breeze. I swallowed nervously, waiting for her response. Time felt slow, and the longer I waited, the heavier the anxiety in my chest became.

"...Yuichi-san.. Why..?" After a moment, Akane finally responded. But I was a bit surprised, as the first thing she said now was a question. "Why?"

"Why do you keep trying to help me, even after I rejected you so harshly?" she continued, her voice from behind the door sounding so hoarse, I couldn’t imagine how bad her situation had been.

I lowered my head in confusion; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my voice out.

Yes, back then, Akane rejected my plan to solve everything together and left me standing in the rain. I initially felt upset, but not with her, but with myself for being such a coward.

If only I had chased after Akane back then— and not just stood in the rain like an idiot— maybe... Maybe I could have shown her a little support, a little hope.

Suddenly, Nagi placed his hand gently on my shoulder, giving me a small smile and a silent thumbs-up. I looked at him, stunned, and then nodded at his encouragement.

Yes, even though I failed back then, I had no intention of backing down now. I would try again to show her that fate could still be changed. As a friend, I wanted to give her that hope.

"Of course, as a friend I want to show you, Akane-san. That fate can still be changed."

"Haven't I shown you once before? Like when we first met, the scarf I gave you— the warm smile you showed was the beginning of that changed fate. And I’ll do it again for you. I’ll keep doing it until I can, I WILL change your fate," I continued.

"…"

I had made up my mind. Even though my path might not be as smooth as I’d imagined, I believed that I could change the fate of that lonely girl once again. I wanted to see that innocent smile, like in the past. Even though time could and would never be turned back, with this faith, I would bring that warm smile into this present. AGAIN.

TO BE CONTINUED.