New Dawn Chapter: 078

Tysone's jaw tightened slightly. He could feel the warmth of her body pressing against his back, her wet hair draping over his shoulders. And those squishy, enormous masses of boob flesh squishing into him. 

Shizuka's soft hand found itself curving over a very prominent and growing bulge. 

"Oh my..." Her eyes widened at the sight, giggling to herself. "What an unexpected response."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Tysone scoffed, staring at the hand perched on his hard-on. "How dirty, Shizuka-sensei."

Shizuka responded with a cheerful, chirping laughter that carried itself throughout the dark room. Now, though, she didn't rub anymore. Her hand was frozen stiff over it, her playful smile now a tad more bashful.

Tysone sighed, running a hand down his face. "Shizuka, you're drunk." His voice was firm but not unkind. He could feel her warmth, her softness pressing into him, and yeah—he was only human. If she kept this up, things could get real messy, real fast.

"But I feeeel fine." She whined, leaning closer, her breath warm against his ear. "Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself too~"

What proper, self-respecting man wouldn't be enjoying himself? 

There were only two kinds of men when it came to this question: those who admitted the truth and those who lied.

It had been a long time since Tysone had any. You could even jokingly say it was a lifetime ago. But that kind of willpower was like a worn-out band that would quickly snap if you were to tug too hard at the right spot.

After all, he had been under constant threats, injuries, and the burden of leadership wasn't an easy one to bear. He found that his tolerance for this type of 'playfulness' was very, very thin at the moment. 

"Shizuka-sensei… if you come at me like this when you're sober, you won't find me complaining, but for now, I have to ask you to stop. I might not be able to hold back if you do that for any longer... "

He found his voice surprisingly hoarse and strained, even for himself. 

After all, look at her. Anime aesthetics were truly unfair. A big-breasted, beautiful nurse clad only in a towel—that didn't even manage to truly cover everything. The curvature of her asscheeks were quite visible. 

Shizuka blinked, her usual teasing nature faltering just a little. A shiver ran down her spine. "Oh my…" She muttered, cheeks burning a deeper shade of red.

Before she could respond, the door to the room swung open, and a very irritated, blushing dSaya stood there, hands on her hips. "Okay, seriously, what the hell is taking so long?!"

Her eyes flickered between Tysone and Shizuka, noting their proximity, the tension in the air, and most damning of all—the way Shizuka was still practically draped over him. 

Her face contorted in both embarrassment and jealousy.

"Oh, for the love of—Shizuka-sensei! Get off of him!" Saya stomped inside, grabbed the older woman by the arm, and yanked her away. "You're such a mess when you drink!"

Shizuka pouted. "But Tysone was being so sweet~"

Saya ignored her, dragging her toward the door. "I don't even wanna know! Just go to bed before you do something you'll regret!"

Tysone couldn't help but grin a little, finding the situation humorous. "No regrets on my end."

Saya snapped her glare toward him. "And you! Quit encouraging her, you damn pervert!"

"But I was being so sweet~" He chuckled.

Saya's expression soured even further. The damn bastard was messing with her. "Arghhhhh!!!" She finally turned around and dragged Shizuka away with an embarrassed and angry growl.

Tysone couldn't help but sigh, slumping into the bed, rubbing his temple. His gaze settled upon his lower region, where he noted he had a full-blown hard-on. 'A cold shower it is.'

...

Rei was slouched over the stairs by the time Tysone finally came down for a light snack. She was slightly blushing and dazed, which meant that she also partook in a round of drinking alongside the rest of the girls.

He hoped they wouldn't develop a habit in between fights. But for now he'd let them indulge.

"What are you doing here, looking like a sad potato?" Tysone said as he walked past her. "Is the drinking making you all emotional?"

Rei sat up straight. "Huh? Tysone?" She looked up at him. He had visibly just walked out of the shower, wearing clean clothes. She had yet to see him wearing anything that wasn't bloodstained, so she was a bit taken aback.

She felt her cheeks warming.

"Are you alright?" Tysone asked as he turned around.

Rei sighed, slumping back down. She hugged her knees, tears welling up. Tysone exhaled; it looked like she was going through some shit, or the alcohol had merely brought memories to the surface. 

"I'm all worn-out." She slurred, clearly tipsy. "Everything went crazy in a day. I can't even contact my dad. Hisashi's dead too..."

For all Tysone cared, he'd have left her there to cry it out.

He could pretend as if he hadn't noticed anything, and get a damn drink himself, or go back up and get some shut-eye.

But...

He didn't want to go there. He didn't want Rei's inner problems to drag him down, but it would make things difficult for the group in the long run if one of its most competent fighters were emotionally crippled.

The next best choice was to nip the problem at the root.

He took a few steps back and sat down on the stairs, leaning back. "You know..." He started, his voice calm but tired. "The world doesn't give a damn about what we've lost. It keeps moving, whether we're ready or not."

Rei snorted. "That's a shitty way to comfort someone."

Tysone shrugged. "I'm not trying to comfort you. I'm telling you the truth." He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "You're right. Everything did go crazy in a day. You lost people. We all did. And yeah, it's not fair." His fingers tapped against his knee absentmindedly. "But if you let this break you, what happens next?"

She was silent for a moment.

"Do you think Hisashi would want you to fall apart?" Tysone continued. "Or your dad, wherever he is? If they're gone, then the only thing left of them is what you do next. You think crying on these stairs is what they'd want?"

Something of a smile finally came to her face. She wiped at the corner of her eyes. "You're right... it's just that I don't know how to deal with all of this. It's too much."

"You think you're the only one carrying this weight?" He asked. "Everyone's lost something. Someone. You're not special in that."

Rei flinched slightly but didn't look away.

"You don't deal with it all at once." He continued, running a hand through his damp hair. "You take it in pieces. One step, then another. You don't have to carry it alone, but you do have to keep moving. That's the only choice you have."

This world gave very few choices, very few second chances. You couldn't waste any of that by wallowing in despair.

She held back her tears.

Tysone glanced down. "I know it might sound a little corny, but put your trust in me. I won't let anyone in this group die. We might've not known each other for long, but you've had my back in every fight. Y'all literally the closest thing to a family I have right now, and I hope the feeling is mutual."

A stretch of silence ensued.

When he finally looked up, it was to meet Rei's stunned gaze.

Then she cracked up. She threw her head back and laughed until her tears started to flow, though they were no longer ones of despair and loss. "Wow. Did that whole speech really just come out of you?" She asked when she could finally breathe properly.

Tysone chuckled softly. "See? I can sound charming, too, when I want to." He stretched out his hand to help her up. "Though next time I'm gonna demand a payment for the counseling."

Rei raised a challenging eyebrow. "What kind of payments?"

"A lap pillow would be nice. I've heard they're very comfortable and relaxing." Tysone replied without missing a beat. "Always wanted to experience one, and yours look especially comfy."

"What the heck are you talking about? Idiot..." And despite everything, she was smiling once again. She giggled at Tysone's playfully and outlandish answer.

Her cheeks burned red and her heart fluttered a little in response.

Tysone shrugged in faked nonchalance.

When he was sure her hand was secure and steady in his grasp, he pulled her up in one fell swoop. She barely got out a yelp, her hands clasping onto his shoulders when their chests nearly met.

"Th-Thanks..." She murmured after regaining her composure.

"Don't worry about it. I'm heading down to get some food. You should get some sleep."

Rei nodded, wiping the corner of her eyes one more time. "I thought Takashi would've been the one coming to cheer me up. I was sort of hoping it would be him actually. But... I suppose you did help." She flashed a tiny grin his way before, much to his surprise, she went on the tip of her toes and gently placed a peck on his cheek. "Thank you! Have a good night, Ty."

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support