Chapter 10 – The Truth We Hide

The weight of Himari's embrace lingered long after we left the alley.

She clung to me for what felt like forever, her warmth pressing against my chest. I held her just as tightly, trying to convince myself that she was safe now—that the worst was over.

But her trembling hands, her uneven breathing… they told me otherwise.

We walked back to my place in silence.

Not because we had nothing to say, but because neither of us knew how to start.

The night air felt heavier than usual. It pressed down on me, whispering reminders of what had just happened.

I had lost control.

Again.

I knew it the moment I felt my knuckles split against Ryosuke's face. The moment I leaned in and let that other part of me speak—the part I had buried years ago.

And Himari had seen it.

She had felt it.

And yet, she was still here.

Once we reached my house, I unlocked the door, stepping inside first. Himari hesitated, her fingers gripping the hem of her sleeve before she finally followed.

The quiet between us stretched as I grabbed the first-aid kit and sat beside her on the couch.

She didn't meet my gaze.

Instead, she watched my hands—the ones that had been covered in blood just an hour ago—as I cleaned her scraped wrist.

Then, finally, she spoke.

"I thought… that this form of you had vanished."

My fingers froze.

"I thought it would never come back," she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

The unspoken words hung in the air between us.

But I didn't say anything.

Because she was right.

I had spent years pretending I was someone else. That the past was dead. That I was just another normal high schooler, living an ordinary life.

But it had all been a lie.

And tonight, that lie had shattered.

Himari lowered her head, gripping the fabric of her skirt. "I'm sorry for awakening this side of you."

A sharp pang shot through my chest.

She wasn't afraid of me.

She was afraid for me.

I set the first-aid kit aside and gently took her hands in mine.

"You didn't awaken anything," I said softly. "It was always there. It just took something like this to bring it back."

Her hands trembled in my grasp.

"Ryosuke…" she whispered. "He knows now, doesn't he?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"And if anyone finds out about your past—"

"I won't let that happen."

She finally met my eyes.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I could see the doubt in her gaze, the fear that maybe this was bigger than both of us. That maybe Ryosuke wasn't the real threat—maybe it was me.

But then she exhaled, closing her eyes briefly before leaning forward.

Her forehead rested against my shoulder.

"I don't care about your past," she murmured. "I don't care what you did, or who you used to be."

I felt her fingers tighten around mine.

"All I care about… is the person sitting in front of me."

My chest tightened.

She was too close.

Her scent, her warmth—everything about her was pulling me in.

I had spent so long keeping her at arm's length.

But right now, I didn't want distance.

I wanted her.

Slowly, I tilted her chin up.

Our eyes met—deep brown against midnight black.

I hesitated.

But she didn't.

She closed the space between us, her lips brushing against mine in the faintest of touches.

It was warm.

Gentle.

But it was also real.

When she pulled back, her face was flushed, her breath unsteady.

"Haruto," she whispered, my name trembling on her lips.

I swallowed hard, my hand still cradling her cheek.

"...Are you sure about this?"

She didn't answer with words.

Instead, she kissed me again—deeper this time, as if trying to erase every doubt, every hesitation.

And for the first time in a long, long while…

I let myself believe.