Chapter 7 : Spending time to investigate

Ah—no, no, Grandma Saito, it's fine!" I protested, stepping out onto the small balcony that overlooked the stairs leading down to the lower floor. "Really, you don't have to—"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Nonsense! You have guests, and guests should be treated well. I'll be right back!"

And with that, she was already shuffling down the stairs.

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair as I watched her disappear into her own apartment below. "She never listens."

Haruto leaned over, curious. "Who's she?"

I walked back inside, shutting the door behind me. "She's Grandma Saito. She lives downstairs and insists on bringing us food every now and then."

Yuna smiled. "That's so sweet."

I nodded. "Yeah, she's been looking out for us ever since my parents started working offshore. If I ever run into trouble, she's always the first to help with whatever we need."

Renji snickered. "So she's basically your actual guardian?"

I shot him a look. "She's just a kind neighbor."

"Mm-hmm," he hummed, still grinning.

Before I could argue with him, there was another knock—softer, more hesitant this time.

I opened the door again, and sure enough, there was Grandma Saito, now holding a larger plate of freshly cut apples, pears, and oranges.

"Here you go," she said cheerfully, handing me the plate.

I sighed but took it anyway. "You really didn't have to do all this."

She scoffed. "A little hospitality won't kill you, boy."

With a small chuckle, she patted my arm and turned to leave again. "Take care of your friends!"

As I closed the door, I turned back to find everyone watching me with varying degrees of amusement.

"She's adorable," Yuna said.

Haruto nodded. "You're lucky to have someone like her looking out for you."

I huffed, setting the plate down in the center of our circle. "Yeah, yeah. Just eat before she comes back with even more."

Mio wasted no time, immediately grabbing a slice of pear. "This is why she's the best! Unlike someone who won't buy me ice cream."

I groaned. "Mio—!"

Renji cackled, clapping me on the back. "Face it, Kyoya. You can take care of school, groceries, and everything else, but you'll never win against a little sister's grudge."

The sound of laughter filled the room, momentarily drowning out the weight of the night's events.

The night had stretched on, and the earlier playfulness had simmered down into something quieter. The sound of cards shuffling had faded, and now, the only thing filling the room was the occasional rustle of fabric as we shifted around, lost in our own thoughts. Yuna, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for a while, finally spoke up.

"I've been thinking…" she started, hesitating for a moment. "About changing schools."

Her voice was light, almost casual, but I could tell there was more to it.

The words hung in the air like an unwanted guest.

Changing schools.

It wasn't a new topic—after what had happened, most students had already transferred out, either because their parents insisted on it or because they simply couldn't bear to stay. The incident had shaken up everything. The classrooms weren't the same. The halls felt emptier. Even teachers spoke differently, carefully choosing their words like they were afraid of stirring up something ugly.

Yuna's eyes flickered between us, gauging our reactions.

For a second, she almost sounded hopeful as she asked, "What about you guys? Have you ever thought of transferring too?"

The responses came almost instantly.

Haruto shook his head. "No."

Mio, hugging her stuffed bear, frowned. "I don't wanna move schools."

Renji scoffed. "Not a chance."

And me?

I hesitated.

For a moment, I thought about it—about the possibility of a fresh start, of leaving behind everything that had happened.

But it wasn't possible. Not for me.

With my parents away most of the time, transferring schools was out of the question. Who would handle the paperwork? The moving process? The new commute? There was no way I could just pick up and leave like the others had.

So instead, I gave a small, almost insignificant reply.

"No, I wouldn't… I mean, I couldn't."

The words came out heavier than I expected, laced with something bitter that I didn't want to acknowledge. Yuna looked at me for a moment, her expression unreadable.

Before anyone could dwell on it too much, Renji—bless his chaotic soul—leaned in, grinning like he had just found the perfect moment to cause trouble.

"Aww," he cooed dramatically, clasping his hands together. "Kyoya, are you sad that I'm going to exchange? That's so sweet~!"

I turned to side-eye him with the full force of my irritation.

"Don't make it weird," I muttered.

Haruto chuckled. Yuna sighed, rubbing her temples. Mio just blinked at Renji, then at me, as if trying to figure out what nonsense was happening now.

Renji, of course, was unfazed. If anything, he looked delighted by my reaction.

But then—just as I was about to tell him to shut up—he said something that caught me off guard.

"It's fine," he said, grinning, but his voice was softer now. "If you're not changing, then I'm not changing."

I blinked.

Then he added, in a voice filled with exaggerated mischief, "Didn't I say that I'll haunt you forever?"

That idiot.

That absolute menace.

I sighed, pressing my fingers against my forehead, but despite myself, I felt something ease in my chest.

I wasn't alone in this.

And maybe… I never really had been.

A Flashback – Kindergarten Chaos

At that moment, I found myself remembering the first time I met Renji.

I was five. Kindergarten had just started, and I was completely uninterested in making friends. While the other kids ran around screaming, I sat quietly in the corner with my coloring book, perfectly content with being left alone.

And then he happened.

A kid with messy hair, a scuffed knee, and a smile way too big for his tiny face plopped himself down next to me.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"Coloring," I muttered, hoping he'd go away.

He didn't.

Instead, he leaned over, squinting at my paper. Then—before I could stop him—he grabbed a crayon and scribbled all over my drawing.

Pure, absolute, chaotic scribbles.

I froze.

He grinned at me like he had just performed the greatest artistic masterpiece in history.

"There! Now it's more fun!"

I stared at him. Then at my ruined picture. Then back at him.

And then, with all the fury of a betrayed five-year-old, I yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

He burst out laughing.

And just like that, my peaceful kindergarten life was over.

From that day on, Renji stuck to me like glue. He sat next to me in class. He followed me around at recess. If there was a game, he dragged me into it. If there was trouble, he was the cause of it—and somehow, I always got roped in.

"I've decided," he had declared one day, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "You're gonna be my best friend, Kyoya!"

I had groaned, already exhausted. "Do I get a say in this?"

"Nope!"

And just like that, my fate had been sealed.

Back to the Present

I shook my head, pulling myself out of the memory.

Renji was still grinning at me, completely oblivious to the nostalgia he had just triggered.

Yuna rolled her eyes. "You guys are weird."

Haruto smirked. "You just now realized that?"

Mio, still chewing on an apple slice, tilted her head. "So brother Renji been haunting brother Kyoya forever?"

Renji beamed. "That's right!"

I sighed, rubbing my temples again. "I should've changed schools just to get rid of you."

"Too late now," he said, smug. "You're stuck with me."

And despite everything—the night's events, the lingering tension, the uncertainty of what lay ahead—I found myself smiling, just a little.

Maybe change wasn't always a bad thing. But having something that stayed the same?

That was kind of nice too