SHINICHIRO'S GIFT

The days continued to pass, bringing the heat of summer along with an unshakable sense of anticipation. Asuka knew something was about to happen—she just didn't know when.

Would Manjiro fall from the second floor? Or would he end up hurting Sanju?

Either way, she refused to let either happen.

Determined to keep a watchful eye, Asuka made sure she was always with Manjiro and the others, ready to intervene the moment things took a wrong turn.

Afternoon, inside the Sano household

The front door creaked open, and Shinichiro stepped inside, his voice carrying through the house.

"Emma! Manjiro! Where are you guys? I got something for both of you!"

At the sound of his voice, Emma and Manjiro rushed toward him, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

With a grin, Shinichiro handed Emma a soft teddy bear, its plush surface warm in her hands. Manjiro, on the other hand, was given a model airplane kit—the kind that needed to be assembled piece by piece.

Ruffling Manjiro's hair, Shinichiro smirked. "I'm not helping you with this. You gotta build it yourself."

Manjiro's lips curled into an eager smile as he clutched the box. "I got this!" he declared before darting off to his room.

Evening, Manjiro's room

A knock on the door interrupted Manjiro's concentration.

"Who is it?" he called, not looking up from the scattered airplane parts.

"It's us," Asuka's voice came from the other side.

Manjiro stood up and swung the door open to reveal Asuka and Keisuke.

They stepped inside, their gazes immediately landing on the half-built model.

"What are you doing, Mikey?" Keisuke asked, raising an eyebrow as he plopped down beside him.

"Building my plane," Manjiro muttered, his fingers carefully piecing parts together.

Asuka's eyes widened slightly. "A plane? Is this a gift from Shin-ni?"

Manjiro looked at her, his brows furrowed. "Yeah… how'd you know?"

Asuka quickly shrugged, forcing a casual smile. "Just a wild guess."

Seemingly satisfied with her response, Manjiro returned to his task, completely absorbed.

Keisuke watched him for a moment before smirking. "You know, you could ask Asuka for help."

Manjiro scoffed. "No need. Shinichiro said I have to do it myself."

Asuka observed him in silence. She couldn't afford to miss even the smallest moment—anything could be a turning point.

Days later…

Manjiro was rarely seen without his airplane. He took it everywhere, always tinkering with it, testing it, and never let Senju, Keisuke, and Sanju play with it.

Takeomi happened to catch Senju running after mikey for playing with the plane too, and his disapproving gaze darkened.

"Senju, stop that. This isn't something a girl should be playing with," he said, his voice laced with authority.

Takeomi turned his glare toward sanju who was about to leave with the boys to play outside. When takeomi called him back.

"This is your fault, Sanju. You can't even take care of her properly when I'm not around."

Sanju's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his expression tightening with guilt.

But before he could respond, Asuka stepped forward.

"Stop blaming Sanju. It's not his fault," she snapped, her voice sharp with irritation. "And what exactly is wrong with Senju playing with a plane?"

Takeomi turned to her, his eyes narrowing. "You really don't get it, do you? Senju is a girl—she shouldn't be playing with this kind of stuff." A smirk tugged at his lips. "Then again, I don't know why I'm even explaining this to someone who doesn't have a single habit of a girl."

Asuka let out a scoff, her arms crossing over her chest. "Oh, that's rich. You, of all people, lecturing us about what's 'right' and 'wrong' for boys and girls? Maybe work on your own outdated mindset before trying to 'educate' others."

Takeomi's expression darkened, his hands twitching as if itching for a fight. But before the situation could escalate, Shinichiro placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

Sanju, who had been standing quietly, exhaled in relief and turned to Asuka.

"Thank you," he said softly. "If only I could talk back to Takeomi like you did, maybe things would be different."

Asuka gave him a reassuring look. "You don't have to be like me to be strong. I spoke up because he was wrong, but strength doesn't always mean fighting back. You don't have to waste your breath on people who refuse to listen."

Sanju nodded, a small but genuine smile tugging at his lips.

Meanwhile, Manjiro and the others remained oblivious to the heated exchange, too busy running around with the plane, their laughter filling the air.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, everyone eventually parted ways, heading home.

For now, Asuka allowed herself a brief moment of relief. Everything was fine.

But she wasn't letting her guard down just yet.

Tomorrow was another day, and she would be ready.