Chapter 13: Unexpected Moments

The next morning, Junpei noticed the bruise near my lip as I sat at the table sipping coffee.

"What the heck are you doing, bro? If you get caught by the police—" he started, his tone both worried and exasperated.

I interrupted him with a tired sigh. "I was saving my daughter yesterday."

Junpei's face twisted with confusion. "You mean Rin? How?"

I recounted everything that had happened the previous day, from the frantic phone call to the fight with the bullies.

"That's wild..." Junpei muttered, leaning back in his chair, clearly processing everything.

I nodded. "Yeah, it was intense."

Junpei smirked after a moment. "Well, from your story, it sounds like things went pretty smoothly this time. You're finally connecting with both Keiko and Rin." His tone was teasing, but there was genuine support behind it.

I sighed. "Maybe. But there's still a long way to go."

Junpei leaned forward, his expression suddenly serious. "Speaking of which, you're getting your salary next week, right? Please find a place to stay quickly, man. I can't bring my girlfriend here while you're crashing on my couch."

I chuckled at his bluntness. "Alright, alright. Don't worry. I'll be out of your hair soon."

---

At the restaurant, I arrived early for my shift. It was my turn to prepare the kitchen and dining area before opening. I was in the staff room, halfway through changing into my uniform, when I heard the door click open.

"Waaa! Keiko! You scared me!" I yelped, instinctively pulling my shirt to cover myself.

Keiko froze, startled by my reaction. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ryuko! I didn't mean to surprise you."

She glanced at me, her brow furrowing slightly. Then, to my surprise, she stepped closer. My heart started pounding as she moved near, the space between us shrinking rapidly.

"Uh, K-Keiko?" I stammered, frozen in place.

She leaned in, her gaze focused intently on my face. "Hmmm... why do you have a bruise here? You didn't have this yesterday."

I gulped, trying to stay calm as her face hovered just inches from mine. I had promised Rin not to tell her, but Keiko's sharp eyes were making it hard to dodge the truth. "I-I was careless walking home... tripped and hit something," I lied, awkwardly.

Keiko tilted her head, unconvinced. "That's not the kind of bruise you get from a fall. It looks like you got punched. Did you get into a fight?"

"N-no! Of course not. Why would you think that?" I stammered, my voice cracking slightly.

Keiko didn't back down. "Well... my husband used to come home with bruises like that sometimes."

Her words caught me off guard, and a strange warmth filled my chest. "Really? Why did he get beaten up?" I asked, genuinely curious about her pov.

She smiled faintly, a bittersweet expression crossing her face. "It wasn't because he was reckless fighting or anything. Most of the time, it was because of envy by his co-worker at workplace or because he was protecting me or Rin. He always tried to endure it, even when it hurt, because he was afraid of losing his job."

Her words hit me hard, guilt bubbling up inside me. This was her perspective on my past self—a man she saw as flawed but not bad. "He... doesn't sound like a terrible person," I said quietly.

Keiko let out a soft laugh, her smile growing. "He was a mess, but no, he wasn't a bad person."

I felt a warmth spread through me upon hearing that, because despite everything I had done to her, she still thought well of me.

For a moment, the air between us felt heavy with unspoken emotions. It was strange, almost surreal, to hear her talk about me like this, as if I were a stranger she once knew.

Then Keiko's tone softened, and she met my eyes. "But, Ryuko... you don't have to lie to me."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Rin already told me," she admitted, her voice gentle but firm.

I froze, cursing Rin in my mind for not keeping quiet. Damn, Rin, you're making things so difficult for me.

"Thank you, Ryuko," Keiko continued, her lips curling into a warm, genuine smile. "For saving Rin."

Before I could respond, she leaned closer, inspecting the bruise again. Her face was so close now that I could feel her breath against my skin. My heart raced wildly, and I struggled to maintain my composure. Keiko looked so sweet, so beautiful in that moment, and all I wanted to do was close the gap between us and—

No! Stop! I yelled at myself internally, quickly averting my gaze.

Keiko noticed my reaction and tilted her head. "Ryuko? Are you okay?"

Before I could answer, the door suddenly burst open.

"Ahhhhhh!" Aki's scream pierced the air as she stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes darted between me, half-dressed, and Keiko, who was still leaning in close to me. "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

Keiko's face turned bright red, and she jumped back, waving her hands frantically. "It's not what it looks like, Aki! I was just—she was—"

"It looks EXACTLY what it looks like!" Aki shrieked, pointing at us dramatically.

I sat there, completely frozen, trying to keep my heartbeat under control.

"No, really! I was just checking Ryuko's bruise!" Keiko tried to explain, her voice rising with embarrassment.

Aki crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "And you needed to get that close to check a bruise?"

Keiko stammered, clearly flustered, while I sat in silent agony, praying for the moment to end.

"Ugh, whatever!" Aki finally huffed, throwing her hands in the air. "Just... keep it professional, you two!"

She stomped out of the room, muttering something about inappropriate behavior.

Keiko and I sat in awkward silence for a moment before she finally spoke. "That... was embarrassing," she mumbled, her cheeks still flushed.

I couldn't help but laugh, even as my own face burned with heat. "Yeah. Definitely not how I imagined starting the day."

Keiko glanced at me, her lips twitching into a small smile despite herself. "Well... let's just forget this ever happened, okay?"

"Agreed," I said quickly, though the image of her flustered face was burned into my memory.

As we left the staff room, ready to start our shifts, I couldn't help but think about how close we'd been—both physically and emotionally. For a brief moment, it felt like we were back in the past, before everything had fallen apart.