Jay-jay's POV
"The wound's shallow. There's no need to stitch it up, but I made sure it was properly cleaned and closed to stop the bleeding," the maid explained to me.
Sorry, Yuri!
He didn't call Keifer, but he did call the maids to help me.
Now I feel guilty. Damn it.
"Th-thank you," I said, forcing a smile at them.
They smiled back. "Please wait here for Young Master," they added before leaving.
I was left alone in what seemed like their mini clinic. I just sat there, dazed and weak.
I looked at my apron—stained with blood.
It's gone...
I don't understand why this only happens with fresh blood.
What exactly is wrong with me?
There was a soft knock on the door, and when I looked, it was Yuri. His eyes looked sad.
I felt embarrassed facing him. I shouldn't have told him to call Keifer.
"Is your wound okay now?" he asked as he walked over. I gave him a small nod and bowed my head in shame.
"S-sorry... I shouldn't have asked you that earlier."
He pulled up a chair and sat in front of me, taking both my hands.
"It's okay... but I hope you can explain to me what happened earlier.
I feel like I don't know anything about you."
I bit my lower lip. This is my fault. I should've told him a long time ago.
What if we get married and he still doesn't know anything?
"You do know things about me... just not everything. I was just scared to tell you... all of you.
Because even I don't understand what's happening to me," I explained.
"There's nothing wrong with telling me. Who knows? Maybe I can help you figure it out?"
He's right...
I've been trying to understand it on my own for so long but haven't gotten anywhere.
Maybe he really can help me.
"Yuri, it's just that..." I began and took a deep breath, "...t-there's something wrong with me."
He looked me straight in the eyes and waited for me to continue.
"W-when I see blood, something strange happens. At first, I thought it was just a phobia, but eventually... it got worse. I black out, but people say I move, I act, and... I start hurting others," I confessed.
I saw how focused Yuri was while listening to me. I didn't want to say more, but I knew I needed to tell him everything.
"...N-no matter how hard I try, I don't remember hurting anyone like that. Nothing at all..."
Tears started falling before I even noticed.
"I don't know where it came from. It started happening after we were kidnapped by Aries' father. Then it happened again after my fight with Cyrus. And the last one... was with Ram."
"B-but Keifer said you guys helped Ram," Yuri said.
I shook my head. "That's what we agreed to tell you. But Angelo and Aries know the truth. We told them, hoping they might know something... but they didn't."
"Keifer knows? Is that why you wanted me to call him?"
I nodded.
Yuri looked down at my wounded hand, then fell silent, as if in deep thought.
"I-if you don't want me anymore because of this—"
"No. No. Don't say that," he interrupted. "I love you, Jay. No matter what happens or what you do, I will and still love you."
"But what if—"
"Don't think of anything. Please, just don't think..."
I had no choice but to nod.
But honestly, my mind was racing.
What if it happens again and I end up hurting him? What would I do?
He stood up and came closer. He lifted my chin slightly so I would face him.
"We'll figure this out. You trust me, right?" he asked. I gave a small nod.
He smiled. "Now, can I kiss you?"
W-what?
I couldn't answer. He was already leaning in even though he was pretending to wait for permission. Nice move, huh?
I had no reason to say no. I just closed my eyes and waited for his lips to touch mine.
No one was moving. I was even holding my breath.
I admit it—I didn't want the moment to end. I didn't know why, but what I did know was that I felt comfortable with Yuri.
His lips lingered on mine for a few seconds before he began to move them gently.
Whoa! Wait a second...
I tried to pull away, but he immediately cupped the back of my neck.
My hands were pressed against his chest, but even that didn't stop him.
What the hell...
I had no choice but to respond to his kiss, for reasons I couldn't explain. Even though his kiss wasn't rough, something inside me was telling me to stop.
He's not like Keifer... obviously, they're different people.
But honestly, Yuri kisses softly. Sweet, gentle, and full of emotion. Something I never felt with Keifer.
So why am I still thinking about Keifer's kiss?
With all my courage, I pulled my lips away from his.
I gasped for air and looked down.
"What's wrong?" Yuri asked.
"S-sorry..."
"Were you uncomfortable? Did I surprise you? You didn't like it?" he asked quickly.
I shook my head. I didn't want him thinking that way. It's not like I didn't like it.
"N-no... I just remembered something," I replied.
He hugged me instantly. "Maybe the timing was wrong. Sorry."
Before I could respond, I froze.
I looked toward the door and saw a little girl. She had full bangs and super pale skin.
A ghost?!
"Why are you eating Yuri-san's face?" she asked me.
Yuri quickly pulled away and looked shocked.
"Yoichi!" he called out.
The girl—Yoichi—ran off from the mini-clinic. Wait! Yoichi?
Yuri's sister!
"She's really something..." Yuri commented, turning back to me.
"I'll go check on Yoichi. You can find your way to my room, right?"
"Y-yeah..." I guess?
He smiled at me and then followed after Yoichi. I was left staring into space.
This feels right. Yuri should be the one—after all, I agreed to marry him.
But something deep inside still feels wrong.
Whenever I'm with Keifer, my mind screams that it's wrong.
But my body refuses to listen.
What's happening to me?!
What should I do? I'm so confused!
I took a deep breath and began walking toward Yuri's room.
I wasn't sure where I was going. I could remember some parts of the house, but not all.
As long as there's a staircase going up!
That's all I remembered, so I ended up going up every staircase I saw.
By the fourth one, I finally found the correct hallway leading to his room.
Success!
His room hadn't changed at all. Except for the curtain—
it used to be closed. Now it was open, showing a huge balcony.
This was my chance to look around his room. I didn't get to do it before because he used to be so grumpy with me.
I walked over to his study table and looked at the picture frames.
Just him and his family. There was also a class picture from Section E.
Must be from last year!
Then my eyes landed on the books. He really studies a lot!
There's internet, but this guy still prefers books. Impressive.
Suddenly, someone entered the room. I thought it was Yuri, but it was just the maids.
They brought the food we cooked earlier. They also brought a pitcher of juice and some utensils.
Can I even eat after all that?
They placed everything on the coffee table near the glass door to the balcony.
When they were done, they bowed and left me alone.
Why do I feel like Yuri's maids don't like me?
"Hey..." Yuri called from the door. "Did you get bored waiting?"
"Not really. Did you find Yoichi?"
"Yeah... She's in her room," he replied. I just nodded.
We both fell silent.
We kept looking away from each other. This is so awkward.
Pffttt...
"D-do you want to eat now?" he asked, pointing at the food.
"Sure..."
He immediately went to the coffee table and started serving food.
I, on the other hand, returned to his study table and looked at his bookshelf.
One book caught my eye.
It was labeled as a photo album, though it looked just like an old book.
"Can I look at this?" I asked Yuri.
"Go ahead..."
I took the book—turns out, the cover was just for design.
It was filled with photos inside.
Fancy photo album!
I sat next to Yuri and opened it in front of him.
A photo of a crying little boy popped up.
"This is you?" I asked, laughing and pointing at it.
"Don't look at that. Skip it!" he ordered.
But I couldn't stop laughing at his face in it.
He must've gotten annoyed because he flipped to the middle of the album himself.
"Hey! I was looking at that."
"You'll only see my embarrassing moments," he muttered while eating.
I had no choice but to look at the pages he opened.
It was him during his elementary years.
I flipped a bit more and saw a photo of him with Keifer, Percy, and... Aries.
They all looked happy in the picture—except for Keifer, who was serious as usual.
Even Aries was smiling, and Percy had his arm around him.
I looked at more pictures.
There was one where Yuri and Aries were riding bikes, with Keifer and Percy riding at the back.
Another where they were in school uniforms—most of the time they were all smiling and looked happy.
There was even one where they were wearing altar server robes.
"You guys served at church?" I asked.
"Yeah, Angelo made us do it. He thought it would make us behave," he explained while eating.
"What happened?"
"We got kicked out fast. Keifer punched the senior altar boy."
Pfffttt.
"Crazy guy."
I kept flipping.
I saw a photo of Aries in a basketball uniform.
I remember he used to play, but I didn't know why he stopped.
There were also pictures of Percy and Keifer in baseball uniforms.
Wait...
I remembered Keifer throwing a ball at me in the gym.
The way he threw it—makes sense now.
I flipped another page.
There was only one photo on it. Just one.
Percy was holding the camera or phone.
They were in a car.
Aries was driving.
Keifer was asleep.
Only Yuri and Percy were looking at the camera. But they weren't smiling.
The photo felt heavy.
"That was our last picture together."