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My lips were mere inches away from touching Maki's.
My shirt collar was suddenly yanked upward, catching me completely off guard and forcing me to stumble backward. I'd been so focused on Maki that I hadn't even noticed someone approaching behind me.
The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. Pain shot through my tailbone as I hit the pavement, and the rain came down relentlessly, drenching me within seconds. Raising an arm to shield my eyes, I looked upâŠand immediately regretted it.
Standing over me was my sensei.
He crouched down to my level, a deep scowl etched across his face."Why the hell do I have to come all the way back to Tokyo just to drag your ass to Osaka for a mission?" he snapped. "I've gotten thousands of phone calls about this drama, Yuta."
He jabbed a finger at my chest. "You should've been in Osaka hours ago."
My eyes flickered toward Maki before returning to him."Sorry. I got caught up." My voice sounded weak even to me. "I was heading there, but I wanted to see (Y/N) first..."
Gojo slowly lowered his glasses, revealing piercing blue eyes that felt capable of seeing straight through me. His gaze shifted toward Maki, lingered for a moment, then returned to me. "That's not (Y/N), you idiot."
Before I could finish, his hand shot forward, grabbing my collar again and slamming me back against the nearest wall. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. I immediately grabbed at his wrist, trying to pry him off, but it was pointless.
Which meant I had seriously screwed up. I felt like a teen again, but not in a good way.Â
âMaki, go home.â He says without looking at her. âI need to deal with Yuta myself.âÂ
The drive was long, but thankfully quiet.
At some point, the anger that had consumed you during your argument with Yuta had settled into something heavier. The betrayal was still there, lodged deep in your chest, refusing to fade. If anything, it had only grown stronger after he left. After he walked away. After he didn't turn around, even when you were screaming his name.
Maybe he would never admit it out loud, but you knew where his mind had been. If he had wanted to, he could have stopped. He could have taken a breath, cooled off, and talked to you the way a husband should. Instead, he did what he always did.
Yuta had a habit of running from his problems rather than facing them, and this time was no different.
You let out a tired sigh as your car slowly made its way down the road leading into the Zenin Estate. It had been years since you'd last been here, probably not since you were a teenager.
Megumi had never been the type to enjoy having people over. After the downfall of the Zenin Clan, he had spent years rebuilding it from the ground up. Honestly, he never struck you as the type to become a clan leader. He was too laid-back, too uninterested in status and tradition.
Yet somehow, he'd excelled at it.
While Megumi preferred to keep a low profile, he was involved in every aspect of the clan's restoration. Under his leadership, the Zenin Clan had been completely modernized, blending tradition with practicality in a way few people could have managed. It was honestly impressive.
The car finally came to a stop.
You stepped outside and were immediately greeted by the relentless rain. The cold droplets soaked through your clothes within seconds. Pulling your arms over your head in a futile attempt to shield yourself, you hurried up the stone pathway and sprinted toward the estate's front steps.
The moment you reached the door, the locks clicked one after another before it swung open from the inside. A woman with a warm smile greeted you from the doorway. You barely had time to knock on the door.Â
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm here to see Megumi."
"Oh!" Her face immediately brightened. "He's been expecting you."
You stepped inside, slipping off your shoes as you spoke. âThank you.â
She stepped aside to let you pass before motioning for you to follow. "Come with me. I'll take you to his room."
You nodded and followed her through the estate, taking in the familiar yet strangely different surroundings. The traditional architecture remained, but modern touches had been woven throughout the hallsâa reflection of Megumi himself. Practical, efficient, and completely uninterested in preserving tradition for tradition's sake.
"He's been expecting me?" A small smile tugged at your lips before you could stop it.
The words lingered in your mind as you followed her through the estate. It was strange. You couldn't quite explain why that simple phrase affected you so much. It wasn't romantic or profound, it was such a small thing.
Yet it made something in your chest soften.
Maybe it was because someone had been looking forward to seeing you. Maybe it was because your arrival mattered to someone. Or maybe it was because, after months of feeling alone in your marriage, it was nice to know someone actually wanted you there.
The thought left a bitter taste in your mouth.
For so long, it had felt like you were fighting for scraps of Yuta's attention. There was always something else demanding his focus, a mission, a problem, another responsibility. And when things became difficult between the two of you, he pulled away instead of drawing closer.
You'd spent months standing out in the cold, waiting for him to meet you halfway. So hearing that Megumi had been expecting you shouldn't have meant anything.
And yet, somehow, it did.
A warmth you hadn't realized you'd been missing until now.
The woman led you deeper into the estate before stopping outside a large wooden door. "He's inside," she said with a small smile.
You thanked her quietly and turned your attention toward the door, your hand hovering over the handle for a moment before you finally knocked.
Without giving yourself another chance to overthink it, you knocked on the door.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then you heard movement from insideâthe faint rustling of footsteps and shifting furniture. A second later, the door opened.
Megumi stood in the doorway.
The moment he saw you, something in his expression softened. His eyes brightened, and a small, lazy smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I thought you would've canceled."
"No." You exhaled slowly, trying to keep your emotions from spilling over. "I needed to get out of that house."
Understanding flickered across his face. Without another question, he stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Well, you're always welcome here." His voice was gentle, reassuring. "If you ever need a safe place to go."
The sincerity behind his words made your chest tighten.
You offered him a small smile, though it didn't quite reach your eyes, and stepped inside.
The room was far different from what most people would expect from a clan leader's private quarters.
It barely felt like a bedroom at all.
Instead, it resembled a spacious office that happened to have a place to sleep.
A large couch stretched along one wall beneath an expansive floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the estate's gardens. Despite the rain outside, the view was still beautiful, the greenery swaying beneath the storm. Across the room sat a massive desk covered with neatly organized documents, folders, and stacks of paperworkâevidence of the endless responsibilities that came with leading an entire clan.
The space was clean, practical, and completely free of unnecessary decoration.
You found yourself glancing around the room for a moment longer than necessary, appreciating the quiet atmosphere. For the first time all day, the knot in your chest loosened ever so slightly.
âHungry?â Megumi asked, glancing over at you. âI can have someone make you something.â
You sank onto the couch and pulled one of his pillows into your lap, hugging it against yourself. âRamen would be nice. That rain was freezing.â
Megumi nodded as he sat down beside you, pulling out his phone. âAnything else?â
âNo.â A soft, breathless laugh slipped past your lips. âIâm just happy to be out of that house. I know I keep saying it, butâŠâ You shook your head. âItâs nice not being constantly reminded of everything.â
Megumi's thumbs paused over his screen. He looked up, his gaze lingering on you for a moment before dropping back to his phone.
âI don't want to come on too strong,â he said quietly, âbut if you need somewhere to stay for a few days, you're welcome to stay here.â He glanced back at you. âI can have a room prepared for you.â
Your heart skipped a beat as you stared at the raven-haired man. Was he serious?
A warm feeling spread through your chest, small but undeniable. There had been so many nights when you felt completely alone, convinced there was no one you could turn to or confide in. But now, sitting here beside Megumi, that loneliness didn't feel quite as overwhelming.
A smile tugged at your lips. âI might have to take you up on that offer.â
âReally?âMegumi's own smile appeared as he set his phone down beside him, giving you his full attention for the first time since the conversation began.
âJust so you're prepared,â he said, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice, âYuji's been staying here too.â
Your eyebrows lifted. âSo it'd be quite the reunion.â
Megumi laughed. âIt would be. He's in the middle of moving into a house, so he'll be here for a while.â A small grin tugged at his lips. âIt'll be fun. Almost like we're in high school again.â
You laughed softly, your mind immediately drifting back to those days.
Back when it was just you, Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara.
The four of you would spend entire afternoons together, eating greasy burgers and staying up far too late. Well, "telling ghost stories" was a generous way to describe it. Most nights consisted of Yuji desperately trying to scare everyone while the rest of you sat there completely unimpressed.
Still, they were some of your favorite memories.
Back then, everything felt simpler.
You had friendsâreal friends. The kind who showed up when you needed them, who understood you without explanation, who made even the worst days feel manageable.
And after that, everything changed.
Yuji left the country to focus on his mental health. Megumi threw himself into rebuilding the Zenin Clan. Nobara moved back to the countryside. She still visited whenever she could, but it wasn't nearly as often as before.
As for you, you found yourself growing closer to your seniors.
Yuta. Maki. Panda. Inumaki.
Somewhere along the way, friendship with Yuta became something more. Months of dating turned into marriage, and for a long time, those years felt like the happiest of your life.
You had built a future with him.
And while everyone had drifted onto different paths, you always believed the bond between all of you would remain intact.
Life had changed, but the friendships survived.
At least, that's what you thought.
Now, sitting on Megumi's couch with your marriage falling apart around you, you couldn't help but wonder when exactly everything had started slipping through your fingers.
â(Y/N), get out of your head.â Megumi's voice pulled you from your thoughts. âYou're only going to spiral.â
You leaned your head back against the couch and let out a quiet sigh. âActually, I wasn't thinking about Yuta.â
Megumi glanced over at you. âNo?â
You shook your head. âI was thinking about us.â
His brows pulled together. âUs?â
You turned to face him, a small smile tugging at your lips.âOur younger years. Back when we were all ridiculously close. Remember when we'd randomly show up at Gojo's house and end up sleeping in his living room?â
A faint laugh escaped him.âI remember. Back when nothing really mattered.â
The conversation faded, leaving a comfortable silence in its place. Together, you stared out the large windows as rain streaked down the glass. Neither of you felt the need to fill the silence. Instead, you sat there reminiscing about simpler times, days filled with late-night conversations, stupid arguments, and the certainty that no matter what happened, you'd all find your way back to each other.
The memory settled warmly in your chest. It was a feeling you hadn't experienced in a long time.
Megumi's phone suddenly buzzed, startling both of you. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. âYour ramen's ready.â
A genuine smile spread across your face.âI can go grab it. You've already done enough for me, Megumi.â
âYeah.â You pushed yourself off the couch. âJust tell me where the kitchen is.â
Megumi nodded.âGo straight down this hall until you reach the end, then make a right and keep going until you hit another hallway. The kitchen's at the very end.â
âThat sounds unnecessarily complicated.â
âIt probably is,â he admitted.
âIf you get lost, just ask someone,â he added. âEveryone here is pretty friendly. They'll point you in the right direction.â
With one last smile, you headed toward the hallway, following Megumi's directions as the smell of warm broth already began to drift through the house.
Your phone buzzed in your back pocket, a text message from Yuta. That same anxious feeling that was in your chest this morning returned. Fuck, you stared at the screen, debating if you should open it. Was it worth it? I mean, you had finally found some sense of peace with everything.Â
Too busy with your phone, you had bumped into someone. Your eyes glanced up at the person, âMakiâŠâ
You both stood in the hall frozen, staring at one another.Â
You didn't even see the slap coming. One second she was standing there, and the next, the sharp sting spread through your palm. You glanced down at your hand. Your skin was red, throbbing from the impact. Your body had moved before your mind could catch up.
And honestly? It felt good.
This was the first time youâd seen her since Nanami's party. Funny, considering she always seemed to know exactly where Yuta was. Even funnier was the fact that she'd never once apologized for everything she'd done, especially for confessing her love to my husband.
Your jaw tightened, my fingers curling into a fist. Part of you wanted to do a lot more than slap her. The collective gasps echoing through the hallway pulled you back to reality. Slowly, you lifted your gaze. Maki stood frozen, one hand pressed against her reddening cheek where you had struck her. Shock flashed across her face.
You took a step closer, a strange sense of confidence settling over you. âIf you thought for even a second that I wouldn't put my hands on you, then you're sadly mistaken.â Your voice came out cold and steady. âI should beat your ass right here in front of everyone.â
You paused, letting the words hang in the air. âBut I won't. I'll let karma handle that for me, Maki.â
Brushing past her shoulder, you started walking back toward Megumi's room. You appetite was completely gone. After a few steps, you stopped. A bitter laugh escaped you as you turned slightly. âAnd if you honestly think Yuta loves you, you're wrong.â
âIf he did, he would've chosen you. He would've married you.â You shook your head. âMaybe you knew him first. Maybe you shared things with him when you were younger. But there are parts of him you'll never have.âÂ
Your eyes locked onto hers.âYou'll never know the version of him that comes home to me. The version that trusts me with his fears, his dreams, his heart.âÂ
A humorless smile tugged at your lips. âYou can spend the rest of your life chasing what we have, but you'll never get it.â You turned away again. âBecause at the end of the day, he chose me.â
âHeâll never make love to you the way he makes love to me. Youâll never get that side of him. Youâll never experience his love at its purest because he gave it all to me, Maki.âÂ
âFunny how youâre using this time to have him replaced. Youâre not better than me. You canât wreck a home that isnât a home.â She shouted. âIt was never yours to begin with.âÂ
âThat's funny coming from the woman who had to settle for being someone's secret.â You stopped walking, shaking your head. âYou keep talking about what was mine, but at the end of the day, he stood in front of me, not you. He chose me, not you. If the home wasn't real, then why were you spending all this time trying to break into it?â
âBut if that's true, then congratulations. You spent all this time fighting for something that was never yours either.â The smile faded.âBecause a man who belongs to someone doesn't cheat. And a man who cheats doesn't belong to anyone.â
âWhat the fuck do you know!?â Maki sneered, and she stormed up to you, mere inches away from your face. âYou donât know anything.âÂ
âBack off.â You said quietly. âI know that Yuta keeps me around, unlike you. He tossed you away pretty fast to marry me.â You laugh, stepping closer to her. âIâd be pissed too if I wasnât getting fucked by Yuta.âÂ
The left side of your face stung as Maki's slap landed. For a moment, everything went still. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have. If anything, it only fueled the anger already boiling inside you.
Your hand shot forward before you could stop yourself, tangling in her dark hair. Maki let out a sharp gasp as you yanked her head back, forcing her to meet your glare. The room seemed to narrow around the two of you. Every ounce of frustration, betrayal, and resentment that had been building for months surged to the surface.
Without thinking, you drew your arm back and swung. The impact snapped her head to the side.Â
The kind of silence that came when there was no taking something back.
It lasted all of two seconds.
Maki pushed herself upright and came at you again. Her fist flew toward your face, but you managed to turn away just in time. The punch barely grazed you.
The kick was another story. You never saw it coming. Pain exploded through your stomach as her leg connected, knocking the air from your lungs. You doubled over instinctively, fighting to catch your breath as your abdomen throbbed.
Maki seized the opportunity. Her hand fisted in the front of your shirt, yanking you forward in an attempt to drag you to the ground. Your survival instincts kicked in before you could think. You drove your arm upward, forcing her to release her grip and stumble back.
Both of you immediately put distance between yourselves. Your stomach ached with every breath, but the adrenaline kept you standing. You straightened slowly, wiping at the corner of your mouth before fixing her with a cold stare. A humorless laugh escaped you. âFor someone from the Zenin Clan,â you said, your voice dripping with mockery, âyou sure lack curse energy. It would be unfair for me to use my cursed energy on you. Itâll be a waste to use it on you.â
A wicked smile spread across Maki's face. âDon't get too confident,â she said, rolling her shoulders. âWe're just getting started.â
âSTOP!â Megumi's voice thundered through the hallway.
Both of you turned as he stormed toward the scene, fury written across his face.
âMaki, what the hell is wrong with you?â he barked.
Maki rolled her eyes, completely unimpressed. âStay out of it, Megumi. This has nothing to do with you.â
Megumi let out a sharp laugh.âNothing to do with me?â He gestured around him. âYou're attacking a guest in my home. It has everything to do with me.â
âSheâs fucking insane,â you muttered, still trying to steady your breathing.
Maki immediately pointed at you. âSays the one who slapped me first.â
âBecause you deserved it, bitch.â
Megumi dragged a hand down his face. âUnbelievable.â
His gaze moved between the two of you. â(Y/N) go back to my office.âÂ
You huffed, every muscle in your body still tense with anger. The only reason you were walking away was because Megumi had asked you to. If it had been anyone else, you wouldn't have listened.
Your stomach still ached from Maki's kick, and your cheek stung faintly from her slap, but neither compared to the fury simmering beneath your skin. The argument, the accusations, the audacity of her showing up here, it all replayed in your mind with every step.
You shot one final glare over your shoulder. Maki was still standing where you left her, looking just as furious.
She should consider herself lucky Megumi stepped in when he did.
Tearing your eyes away from her, you turned and headed down the hallway. The sound of your footsteps echoed through the estate as you triedâand failedâto calm yourself down.
A few moments later, you heard another set of footsteps behind you.
Neither of you spoke right away.
The silence stretched between you until you finally reached his office. You pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately sinking onto the couch with a frustrated groan.
Megumi closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment. His eyes traveled over your face, taking in the reddening mark on your cheek and the anger you were still barely containing.
âYou know,â he said, crossing his arms, âmost people don't start fistfights within an hour of arriving at my house.â
You stared at him for a beat before letting out a reluctant laugh. âMost people don't invite Maki Zenin into their house.â
To your surprise, the corner of Megumi's mouth twitched upward.
And for the first time since arriving, some of the tension in your chest began to ease.
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