chapter 11: A promise to listen

That's a great revision idea! Here's Chapter

The rain outside tapped gently against the window, filling the silence between them. Hotaru sat cross-legged on the floor, her sketchbook resting on her knees, while Kai leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on her as if memorizing her every detail. The soft glow of the desk lamp made her hair shimmer like threads of gold, and for a moment, Kai forgot why he was even here.

But reality struck quickly. The truth he carried — heavy, bloody, impossible to confess — clawed at his throat. He had always known there would come a day when Hotaru would look at him and wonder who he really was. And tonight felt dangerously close to that moment.

Hotaru glanced up and caught him staring. "You look like you're planning something."

Kai blinked. "What?"

She smiled faintly. "You always get this weird look when you're thinking too much."

He hesitated. "Maybe I am."

The room fell quiet again, until Hotaru broke it with a story she rarely told.

"You know," she began, her voice softer than before, "My dad was a firefighter. He saved people for a living. But he couldn't save himself."

Kai's brows furrowed slightly. He had known her parents were gone, but she had never shared the full story.

"He died in a fire when I was eleven," she said, tracing circles on the cover of her sketchbook. "And my mom… after that, she won a lottery ticket and decided to go on a cruise to celebrate. I told her to go have fun and not worry about me. And then the cruise sank."

Kai's heart clenched. "Hotaru…"

She smiled, but it was the kind of smile someone wore when they were tired of crying. "It's okay. It's been years. My relatives didn't use me or anything—everyone just kind of disappeared after that. I was left alone when I entered high school."

Kai felt something stir inside him — that same protective instinct that always burned too brightly when it came to her. But tonight, it wasn't just instinct. It was guilt.

Because the very people responsible for her suffering — the cruel hands that shaped her fate — were the ones he worked for.

"So," Hotaru said suddenly, sitting up straighter. "When you say you want to deal with those guys who bullied me, you mean... like scaring them, right? Not actually hurting them."

Kai hesitated for half a second too long.

Hotaru's eyes narrowed. "Wait. You're not thinking of... killing them, right?"

There was silence.

Hotaru gasped dramatically, clutching her heart. "Kai! No! Killing is a grave sin and crime!"

Kai was caught so off-guard, he almost laughed.

"And besides," Hotaru added with a mischievous grin, "I'd never kill anyone because I do NOT want to end up with a criminal record. Imagine my future book's author bio saying, 'Ex-convict turned writer.' Who would even buy my books?!"

Her sudden burst of seriousness mixed with unintentional comedy made Kai chuckle under his breath. She really was a handful — but that was exactly why he liked her.

Still, her words tugged at something deeper inside him. Sin. Crime. Branding. All things he knew too well — things he was made of.

He couldn't hold it back anymore. "Hotaru," he said quietly.

She tilted her head. "Hmm?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

His voice was lower than usual, almost strained. Hotaru's smile faded, sensing the shift in the air. "Okay… I'm listening."

Kai clenched his fists. "You'll hate me if I do."

Hotaru blinked in surprise, then shook her head. "That's not fair. I can't hate you unless you're secretly a war criminal or something."

Kai flinched. Hotaru's face paled slightly. "Wait… you're not actually… are you?"

He shook his head quickly. "No. Not… not that. But I'm not someone you should trust either."

She took a deep breath, scooting closer to him. "Whatever it is, I promise to listen. When you're ready, I'll listen."

The weight of her words, the softness in her voice — it made Kai's heart ache. Someone like her shouldn't be caught up in his world. And yet, she was the only reason he wanted to leave that world behind.

"Okay," he whispered. "Someday, I'll tell you everything."

But even as he said it, he wasn't sure if she'd survive knowing the truth.

End of Chapter 11

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