"AHHHHHHHHH, MY FREAKING FACE!!!"
Itoshi's scream tore through the morning quiet, loud enough to shake half the apartment complex awake.
The door slammed open a second later. Tomori stood there—hair messy, eyes alert, kunai already in hand.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!"
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Hoshizaki!"
Aldrin's voice cracked slightly, one hand raised in defense. A thin drop of sweat rolled down his temple.
Tomori blinked, scanning the room. Her stance loosened, confusion setting in.
"Wut..."
The place was a scene.
Itoshi sat slouched in a chair, face completely buried into the table.
Kirashi was doubled over, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
Ryujin, meanwhile, sipped his coffee without a care in the world.
And Ayro—nowhere in sight.
Then came the sound of soft footsteps padding behind her. Kara entered the kitchen with Jayu dragging her blanket, eyes half shut.
"Oh! Good morning!"
Kara greeted, her voice light as ever.
"Good morning..."
Jayu mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she yawned.
As Kara passed Tomori, she whispered with a tiny smile,
"You can keep that now, Tomori-san."
Tomori froze mid-step.
"Ah!"
She quickly hid the kunai behind her back, pretending she hadn't just charged into the room like an assassin.
"Flameboy screamed so loud I thought he was under attack or something..."
"I WAS ATTACKED, ALRIGHT! DEFINITELY!"
Itoshi's voice came out muffled, face still pressed to the wooden table.
Kirashi fell apart again, laughing so hard he nearly fell off his seat.
"BWAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man, your face—"
Tomori stared at them both, one eye twitching.
"Something's... wrong with these two..."
"Come on, Itoshi! Raise your head!"
Kirashi teased, nudging him with his elbow.
"NO!"
Tomori folded her arms.
"What the hell did they do this time..."
Aldrin poured another mug of coffee, voice low.
"Art... in face..."
"Kirashi had his reply..."
Itoshi muttered bitterly from the table.
Tomori leaned forward a little, curiosity winning her over.
"Oh, I gotta see!"
"No."
"Pfft. KJ."
Tomori rolled her eyes, muttering as she left for the bathroom.
The kitchen fell into a short lull. Ryujin quietly flipped a page of the morning paper. Kirashi's laughter tapered off into soft chuckles. Steam rose from Aldrin's mug.
Then Jayu, still half-asleep, shuffled past Itoshi.
He cracked a smile under the shadows of his arms. Just a tiny one.
And then he shifted his foot—barely—into her path.
"WAAH!"
She tripped. The sound of her body hitting the floor made everyone freeze for half a second.
Kara gasped.
"JAYU-CHAN!"
She darted forward, kneeling beside the girl. Jayu rubbed her forehead, still too sleepy to process what happened.
Itoshi didn't move. He stayed perfectly still, face planted against the table like nothing happened.
Ryujin slowly turned his head. His stare could've cut through stone.
Kirashi raised his hand immediately.
"Itoshi did it!"
"Snitch..."
Itoshi whispered from under his breath.
A second later—BONK.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Kara yelled, holding a pan she probably didn't even remember picking up.
A bump started to swell on Itoshi's head, but his face didn't leave the wood.
Aldrin sipped his coffee.
"That was just mean, Itoshi."
Then he felt it—the air shifted. A dark presence loomed beside him.
Tomori stood there, fists clenched tight, an awkward smile on her face. Shadows pooled under her feet, her aura practically vibrating with restrained violence.
Aldrin didn't dare look at her.
"Oh, shit..." he muttered.
Kara was still busy helping Jayu up, patting the girl's hair flat again.
Itoshi, meanwhile, slowly lifted his eyes—just enough to see Jayu's sleepy, dazed expression.
"That was... pretty mean..." he thought.
He pressed his forehead back down onto the table, hands over his head like he was trying to block out the world.
"Why did I do that?..."
And then it hit him—a faint echo from last night.
The sound of one flickering light in the dark.
A small voice, trembling, whispering in that lonely corner of the room.
"Eh?... Why... my eyes... they're... so... heavy..."
Itoshi's words slurred, his voice dragging lower with each syllable. His arms went limp. Within seconds, his body started to slump forward again, breath evening out.
Kara, meanwhile, helped Jayu to her feet, steadying the little girl by her wrist.
"Are you okay, Jayu-chan?"
Jayu gave a slow nod, still half asleep, her hair a tangled mess. Kara smiled faintly, brushing some strands off her face as they both walked past the table.
Behind them, Itoshi's eyelids drooped. The world tilted. His consciousness slipped like sand through his fingers.
The two girls stopped by the bathroom door, still holding hands. Kara gave a light knock.
"I'm almost done!"
Came Tomori's voice from the other side, muffled by the sound of running water.
"Oke!"
Kara chirped back, her tone bright as ever.
She turned to Jayu, who swayed slightly on her feet.
"She probably won't take long, right?"
Kara teased, watching her head start to droop.
Jayu's chin fell to her chest. Her fingers went loose.
Then suddenly—
"J–JAYU-CHAN?!"
[Itoshi's Point Of View]
Itoshi's eyes fluttered open.
Cold air bit at his skin. His breath came out in small clouds. He was lying on rough stone — a dim cave, tucked somewhere deep in a snowy tundra.
He pushed himself up, disoriented, blinking at the flickering light that danced along the cave walls. Everything outside was white and endless. The wind howled faintly through the entrance.
Then it hit him.
"Oh! Miz-sama!"
He looked around, grinning despite the cold, scanning the shadows like a kid spotting a friend in a crowd.
But she wasn't there. The cave was silent, empty except for the echo of the wind.
His smile dimmed.
"Is... she here?" he muttered under his breath.
Just then, a light flared deeper in the tunnel — faint at first, then steady. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the sudden glow.
"M-Miz... sama?"
The cold draft pressed against his back as he stepped forward. His boots crunched against frost, echoes bouncing off the stone.
He followed the light, every step quieter than the last. The air grew warmer, carrying the faint smell of smoke.
At the end of the tunnel, he found it — a small campfire, flickering against the frozen walls.
And sitting beside it... was Miz.
Itoshi's face instantly brightened.
"Oh! Miz-sama!—"
The words died in his throat.
She was there, yes. But not like the Miz he remembered.
Her brows were furrowed, arms crossed tightly, expression sharp enough to cut through the chill.
She wasn't calm. She wasn't patient. She was furious.
Itoshi froze, stammering as he stared at the white-haired girl sitting by the fire. Even here, in the middle of a frozen tundra, she wore her usual black dress — not a hint of discomfort.
"W-what's u-up?.. Y-you s-seem like you're in a bad m-mood..."
Miz didn't answer. She didn't even look at him. Her brows stayed tight, lips pressed in a firm frown.
The silence stretched. The only sound was the fire crackling between them.
"What the hell...? Is she alright?..."
Itoshi wondered, slowly taking a cautious step closer.
Then a voice — cold, low, sharp.
"What do you think... idiot."
He froze mid-step, eyes wide.
"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED!"
He blurted, panic leaking into his voice.
Miz finally moved. Her head tilted slightly, and one eye opened — the right one. That bright, fiery red glare.
Even with half her face hidden, it was enough to make his spine go stiff.
"Eep!"
Her expression stayed hard for a moment longer... then, out of nowhere, it softened. She smiled.
"Itoshi-kun!" she called, cheerful again, patting the ground beside her.
Itoshi blinked in confusion, but his face lit up almost immediately.
"Hoh! She's okay now!"
He thought, practically skipping forward.
"Don't mind if I d—"
The instant he sat down—
BONK. BONK. BONK. BONK.
A barrage of strikes came flying down on him like a storm.
Miz was furious again, hair swaying with every swing.
"OW—WAIT—STOP—WHAT'D I DO?!"
She didn't answer. Just kept smacking him, the flames flickering wildly around them as the cave echoed with the chaos.
Itoshi threw his arms over his head as Miz's blows kept raining down.
"AH—AH! IT'S HOT! OW!! I'M SORRY!"
The smacks finally stopped. Smoke curled off Miz's clenched fists, the air around them still sizzling with heat.
She stood there, shadow cast by the fire, her fiery red eye and drowning blue locked on him like a blade.
Itoshi peeked up slowly, one eye shut, half-expecting another hit.
"W-what happened?!"
Miz inhaled sharply, chest rising, and then she exploded.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!"
Her voice roared through the entire cave, bouncing off every wall until it spilled out toward the snowy wasteland beyond.
Itoshi winced, covering his ears.
"C-covering myself?.."
"Not that, idiot!"
She barked, snapping at him like a whip.
"Eep!"
The echo faded, leaving only the soft hiss of the campfire.
Miz exhaled, rolling her eyes with a sharp hum.
"Hmmp." She sat down again, arms crossed tight, frown unmoved.
The fire crackled between them. The silence that followed wasn't peaceful — it was heavy, like the calm before another storm.
"W-what the hell?! She's so fucking cute!"
Itoshi thought to himself as he looked at Miz, still frowning by the campfire.
A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I can hear you, you idiot."
He flinched, instantly straightening up.
"W-what happened?.. Are you ok?"
Miz opened both eyes this time—one blue, one red—each burning with fury.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK?!"
"O-ok.. I... I'm sorry!"
She leaned forward, voice sharp.
"I told you to look after her, not bully her!"
Itoshi blinked, dumbfounded.
"Protect who—what now?!"
The glow in Miz's eyes dimmed. Then—
BANG.
Her fist slammed into his face, sending him flying straight into the cave wall. Loose rocks crashed down as he slumped to the ground, dizzy, eyes spinning.
Groaning, he sat back up, hand clutching his forehead.
"That was two days ago!"
Miz shouted.
"And you already forgot?!"
"W-what?! No! Our conversation?!"
He blurted.
"Then what are you doing?!"
"Uh... umm..."
He froze.
"I may have... forgot..."
Miz's voice rose again.
"Frail pink-haired girl!"
He blinked, still blank.
Then it hit him.
"OHHHHHHHHHH, JAYU!"
"Took you long enough!"
Miz barked, arms crossed, firelight flaring against her glare.
"I told you to look after her!"
"You did?"
"I DID!"
She snapped.
"I told you two days ago, after what she went through! And then you go and bully her?"
Itoshi wilted.
"S-sorry... I don't even know why I did that either."
Miz sighed heavily, rubbing her temple.
"I kept my clues simple, yet you still didn't get them... Do you even understand any of them?"
He scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact.
She threw her arms up.
"SUKAI-SAN, HELP MEEE!"
"Come on, come on!"
Itoshi waved both hands.
"I—I was just teasing her!"
"I know things are hard for Jayu-chan right now... really hard..."
Itoshi's voice dropped as he stared at the floor.
"It's not something a child should have to face at that age."
Miz froze. Her teary eyes flickered, the flames reflecting faintly in them.
"So you do think that way..." she thought, watching the fire crackle between them.
She quietly wiped her cheeks and turned toward him. Itoshi stood now, fists clenched, the firelight cutting along his jaw.
"When everyone was asleep... after I talked with Hoshizaki..."
He swallowed.
"I heard Jayu crying. Alone. I could've done something. I could've done what Kara or Hoshizaki would've done—but I didn't. I froze."
Miz said nothing, only listened as the wind crawled through the tunnel.
"But I swear,"
Itoshi said, locking eyes with her,
"I won't do anything that'd really hurt Jayu."
Miz's lips curved in a dry scoff.
"'Won't do anything,' my ass. You made her crash into the floor first thing in the morning."
Itoshi dropped to his knees, hands pressed together in mock prayer.
"I'M SORRY! I COULDN'T HELP IT!"
Miz exhaled, smoke still rising faintly from her fists.
"You're such a bully... honestly..."
Miz took another deep breath and patted the ground beside her once more.
Itoshi saw the invitation—but hesitated.
"Don't worry about it... I won't do it again,"
Miz said softly, her tone low, almost a whisper.
"Come... it's warmer here."
Itoshi slid closer, sitting beside her. They both stared into the flickering fire. Silence stretched between them, heavy but not uncomfortable.
Then, without warning, Miz leapt forward and wrapped him tightly in an embrace, pressing him against her chest.
"This is what they would've done,"
She murmured.
Itoshi's face flushed crimson. For the first time, He heard her heartbeat.
"You two are the only ones Jayu has... Even if you bully her, her trust in you will never falter, She'd always run towards you.."
Miz continued. Her voice softened, almost fragile.
"But if you left her alone, all by herself... who would guide her to trust her own strength?"
Itoshi lowered his gaze, chest tight, as Miz's arms hugged him tighter, warmth seeping through.
"You've seen yourself in her, right?"
She asked.
His breath caught. He didn't answer.
Finally, Miz eased back, settling into her usual calm composure. The fire crackled between them. Silence returned, but it felt lighter now, carrying something unspoken yet understood.
Miz took another deep breath.
"Well... I guess I can't stop you from... teasing people. I can see why you're that way."
She turned to Itoshi, eyes steady.
"At least you're still doing what you have to do."
Their gazes locked as Miz reached out and patted his head gently.
"I hope this reminds you of where you belong in Jayu's life..."
Itoshi flinched slightly, then nodded.
"Now... try to de-escalate things, okay?"
Miz tilted her head, a small, knowing smile on her face.
Then, without warning—
"JAYU-CHAN!!"
Kara's voice cut through the cave, panicked and sharp.
Itoshi's eyes fluttered open, blurred and hazy, memories still tangled in the fog of sleep.
"What happened?!"
Ryujin's voice echoed faintly, muffled.
"H-Her skin! I-It's so cold!"
~~~To be Continued~~~