Akira’s Suspicions

Landing back on his foot, it unexpectedly twisted, hurting him a little as he lost his balance and fell.

" Are you okay? "

Seeing Akira running to him to check on him, Itsuki mumbled, " he must be coming here because of my foot, but how do I make sure he doesn't see my face? "

Reaching him, Akira knelt on one knee and asked, " It was your foot just now, wasn't it? Is it twisted? "

Not daring to utter anything, he simply nodded to ascertain his response to Akira. Checking his foot, he saw no visible injuries and uttered, " You don't seem to be injured. Let me get an ointment for your foot! "

—

Watching Akira leave to get the ointment from his school bag, he mumbled, " I'm sorry, Shirano, but I can't let you treat me or you might see my face by mistake. "

Standing on his twisted foot, Itsuki made a run for it, close enough before anyone could notice.

By the time Akira was back and holding the ointment, he didn't see any traces of the man he owed his life to anywhere.

Mumbling at that moment, he said, " He vanished in the same manner, Itsuki vanished when he saved me last time. Is this also another coincidence? "

whereas Itsuki, who was treading on his injured foot, managed to reach home two hours later. Taking off the mask and hiding it inside his school bag, he rang the doorbell, and his father opened the door for him.

" How come you're back so late, Son? Where were you? "he asked, but his anger vanished in an instant when he noticed his son limping as he walked inside the house.

Concerned, he asked, " How come you're limping on one foot? Did you twist it? "

Lying, he uttered, " I just fell, Dad. It's nothing serious. "

Sitting down, his father tweaked the other way as a means to massage it and he screamed. " That hurts! "

Meeting his son's gaze, he questioned him even further, " You fell, you said. Is that right? "

Unable to lie any further, he had no other alternative but to admit to the truth. " I lied, Dad. Are you happy now? "

Stating further, he added, " I didn't fall like I said. I executed the Pirouette technique and I know you were against me using it, but that was to save a friend. He was in trouble and I couldn't simply sit idly by and do nothing. Sorry for not listening to you. "

Listening to the deeper apologies, the father asked, " The friend in question, was it Akira Shirano? "

" Yes, it was him. " He nodded affirmatively.

" Then, that's good. I'm not angry, son. " He grinned warmly, confusing him in the process.

" How come you're not angry, Dad? I used that technique which you forbade me from using and you're simply forgiving me? "

" Yes, I am. " He nodded. " And the reason for that is because you didn't disobey me out of selfishness, but for the sake of someone else's. You took great risks to get that friend of yours out of trouble, didn't you? As your father, how could I be angry at my son's noblest deeds? "

" More than being angry at you right now, I'm proud of you, son. You did a great job. I knew you had in you. "

Complimenting him, Itsuki felt good inside as he grinned slightly at his father. Touching the twisted foot, the father uttered, " Let me repair your foot, alright? "

Before he could start with the massage, he asked, " It's not broken, right? " He asked, concerned.

" Why would it be broken? "The father asked, to which the son responded, " You told me there were risks of me losing my foot or being seriously injured, didn't you? "

Looking at the twisted foot, the father uttered, " Yes, I did say that, but only if the technique was badly executed, which you didn't, isn't that right? "

Adding further, he uttered, " You don't have any injuries on your feet, which indicates what I just said. Aside from the minor injuries on your face and hands, you didn't suffer any casualties, so you're fine. "

Delighted, he grinned as he looked at his feet, his father was about to massage.

" That being the case, you should be more careful and not exert this foot, understand? I may massage you now, but it'll take about a week for your foot to fully heal and be back in shape. "

Listening to the prerogative given, Itsuki nodded and uttered, " Yes, Dad. This time, I'll listen to you and wait for my foot to fully heal. "

Relieved, the father massaged his son's twisted foot, and although Itsuki screamed in pain. Within an hour of massaging the twisted foot, the pain seemed to have lessened.

Tending to his other minor injuries from across his face and hands, the father inquired inquisitively, " Were they strong? "

" What? "

" Your opponents, I mean. " He clarified the question for his son to better understand where he was coming from.

Gazing at him, he asked, " How strong were they? "

Recalling the confrontation, he admitted before his father, " They were strong, very strong, so strong that if it hadn't been for your teaching, I would have ridiculed myself out there. "

Grinning suspiciously at the sound of the response, he inquired, " Does that mean you'll keep up with the training? "

" Yes, Dad. "

The father was surprised a bit, but later on, he grinned. Looking at him, Itsuki added, " I'd like you to teach me even more things, Dad. I want to be the strongest, so I'll never come to lose against anyone, no matter how strong they might be. "

Later on, Itsuki went to change and had dinner with his father who didn't eat as he was waiting for him to safely return home.

Enjoying a family dinner just the two of them as a family should, Itsuki thought of helping with the dishes, but due to his tweaked foot, his father denied him.

" Head to bed because you have school tomorrow. "

Thinking about school, he uttered, " Dad, may I skip in tomorrow? "

Gazing at him, he asked, " Is it because of your foot? "

" Yes. " He nodded to which his father responded, " If you skip tomorrow, you might miss out on lots of things. Besides, your foot isn't in such bad shape that you wouldn't be able to walk. "

Out of excuses to justify his day off, Itsuki left for bed, leaving his father alone in the kitchen.

Walking inside his room and shutting the door, Itsuki sat on the bed and subconsciously wondered, " What am I to do now? If I head to school tomorrow, Shirano will notice my injuries and my twisted foot. What will I tell him if he inquires about it? " 

With those thoughts in mind, Itsuki fell asleep. The following morning, he didn't hear his alarm clock go off.

Waking him up was his father who rushed him to go to school. Half an hour later, after having breakfast, Itsuki was about to head to school when he was stopped by his father.

" Aren't you forgetting something, Itsuki? "

?

Handing him Akira's lunch, he uttered, " You forgot your friend's lunch. Were you about to leave without it? "

" No, of course not. " He grabbed the lunch awkwardly. " Thanks for reminding me, Dad. I'll see you after school. "

" Have a good day, Son. "

Walking out of the house, he opened his school bag and put the lunch box inside before shutting it and heading toward the station to grab the train to school.

Forty-five minutes later, as he reached the school premises, he was stunned to spot Akira from afar, waiting for him.

When he was about to turn back to take another route, he heard his name. " Itsuki, over here! "

Waving at him, Itsuki mumbled, " I'm done for. "

Walking as well as possible, he reached Akira who noticed the injuries straight away.

" Ando, how did you get yourself injured? "

Grinning awkwardly, he responded most naturally, " I was helping out in the kitchen and I fell. My dad patched me up the best he could with the bandages. "

" Is that so? " Akira stared at him as if he didn't believe him.

Checking out his foot, Itsuki made sure he was standing properly, so he wouldn't give himself away.

" Is everything alright, Shirano? " He asked his friend who wouldn't stop staring at his feet. " Why do you keep staring at my feet? Are you checking something? "

" No, of course not. " He chuckled. " I was simply making sure you were fine. "

Watching his behavior from a close range, he subconsciously thought, " I know exactly what you'd like to find out, Shirano. You'd like to confirm my identity, isn't that right? "

Opening his school bag, Itsuki took out Akira's lunch box and handed it to him. " Let's meet on the rooftop during lunch period as usual, alright? "

" Alright, Ando! "

Grabbing the lunch box, the two walked together to the classroom. Reaching Itsuki's classroom first, Akira uttered, " I'll see you later at lunch. "

" Yeah, see you later, Shirano. "

Leaving promptly, Itsuki finally relaxed his feet, feeling a sharp pain as he walked inside the classroom.

Fortunately for Itsuki, the students seemed to be outside, chatting, so the classroom was empty by the time he sat at his desk.

Momentarily later, a student walked in and said, facing him, " Ando, we need to talk. "

—