Future Sight (2)

" I know all you've been keeping from me, Ando, so drop the act already! "

!!!

Uttering his feelings loud and clear, Itsuki didn't say a word and kept silent for a while.

" You've found out what I've been keeping from you, you say? " He confronted him before asking, " And what would that be, Shirano? "

With a gaze as piercing as a knife, he waited for his friend's response which came a while later. Staring at him, he uttered truthfully, " You're the masked man who aided me the other day and you've been pretending to not know what I'm talking about. Isn't that right, Ando? "

—

Instead of answering him, Itsuki stood up slowly and as he tried to walk, he stumbled down. Not allowing his father to help him, he kept walking as the blood from the injury dripped on the ground.

Staring at his friend after a while, gazing at his foot injury, he uttered, " You're right, Shirano. Everything you've just said is accurate. "

What? "

Surprised, he continued, " I mean, I might have gotten this injured while rescuing you yesterday, I presume? "

Ironically, Itsuki could only laugh while Akira got even more confused. After a while, he mumbled, " You were not injured, at least not on your foot. I'm certain of it. " He uttered with assurance to which Itsuki cornered him, " If not the foot, then where else am I supposed to have hurt myself? "

Walking toward him at the sound of the question, he suddenly touched the leg, especially the place where he got the cramp.

Flinching as the pain was resurfacing within him, Akira uttered while gazing at him sternly, " That's the place you're supposed to be feeling pain. After executing that risky attack, you twisted your foot when you landed, so if there's somewhere you should be feeling pain right now, it should be nowhere but there. "

As he kept staring at him, he asked, " Am I right, Ando? "

Flinching even more at the thought that he might have been uncovered, his father stepped in to aid him with his predicament.

" What you said cannot be accurate, Akira-Kun! "

" What do you mean, Sir? " He asked, confused to which the father gave out a stern response, " That's because my son here didn't step out of this house and I'm proof of that. "

?

Confused even more, he stared at his son before returning his focus to Akira and uttered, " Itsuki lied to you when he mentioned having gotten his injury from the shower. "

?

" The truth of this matter is that he got this injury while training here with me. " He accentuated his statement.

" He was training? "

" Yes. " He nodded before adding subtly, " I've been trying for years now to get Itsuki to learn the way of the arts but to no avail. Miraculously when I was beginning to lose hope in him, he finally agreed with my prerogative and gave in. "

Gazing at Akira, he uttered, " The move he performed while rescuing you the first time, I was the one who taught him that and he succeeded in executing it after months of intense training. " He concluded.

" What you said cannot be accurate because yesterday I was in the process of teaching him a new move, but it was unsuccessful. Isn't that right, Son? "

Staring intensely at him, Itsuki nodded, confirming his father's story. " Yes, what he said is right. I've been learning the way of the arts and the result of my first-ever training was the moment I rescued you from those defiants. "

Analyzing the situation and recalling yesterday's fight, Akira uttered soon after, " Why didn't you tell me you aired from a Martial Arts family, Ando? "

Responding hypothetically to the question, Itsuki uttered as he gazed at him, " The same way you didn't tell me you aired from a Ninja family. "

" What? How did you come to know about that? "

Speechless for words, Itsuki inferred, " Did you forget the first time I rescued you? "

Recalling their first meeting, he emphasized, " That time, you were dressed in a ninja costume and although I couldn't see your face very well, I could spot your eyes under the disguise you were wearing. "

Accentuating further, he continued, " At the time I didn't know you aired from a ninja family. What I thought that day was simply that you might have put on a costume, but later on, after doing some research, I learned that ninjas usually wear those kinds of costumes to keep their identities incognito, but I still couldn't guess that you were one of them. "

" Then, how did you come to know of my identity that I've been concealing from everyone? " He asked him the obvious question straight up.

In response to the question, he uttered, " The day I brought you to the hospital, things became clearer to me then. I thought why you would have been left lying there half-there and adding it to the discussion I overheard outside, all the pieces of the puzzles added and made perfect sense. "

Even more speechless, Akira admitted to the truth, " You busted me, Ando. Everything you guessed is as it seems, but it's nothing to be proud of because as a ninja, I don't hold a fork to my family. I'm worthless as a ninja and let's be honest! If it hadn't been for you saving me and for the incognito man rescuing me yesterday, I would have probably died. That would have been better, I think. "

—

" Shirano? "

" Yes! "

Glaring at him with an intensity that could burn anything in place, he uttered sternly, " Don't ever say that you're worthless! "

" But that's what I am. "

" What did I just say a second ago, Shirano? " He glared at him even further before uttering his earliest words, " I asked you never to repeat those words! You're not worthless and if you ever utter those words again, we'll have to part ways here. "

To everything Itsuki uttered before him, Akira asked one thing and that was, " Why? Why are you doing this? "

" I don't understand what you're trying to emphasize. "

Expressing his confusion, Akira uttered, " I don't deserve this kindness you're showing me. I've been using you for my own benefit, Ando. When I came to know of your identity as the one who rescued me, I used it as an excuse to get close to you and that's because—-------- That's because I was—--------"

Concluding his statement for him, Itsuki emphasized, " Because you were lonely, correct? "

" You gave me 100,000 Jewels even though you knew straight away I was joking with you, so I can only imagine why you would result in such methods. "

Guessing his father requested an explanation from him, Itsuki inferred to him, " I'll explain everything in a bit but before that, there's something that I must do straight away. "

Stumbling to his feet, Itsuki went to his room only to return from there a moment later with the suitcase containing the 100,000 Jewels Akira gave him.

Handing the suitcase back to him, he inferred, " I've been meaning to return this money to you, but now that things have come to this, I'll say it now. "

—

" I never needed this money and I won't ever need it. We don't need something like this to be true friends. Accepting to be friends with you was the sincerity of my heart expressing itself. "

" I didn't consent to being friends with you out of charity, so please take back this money of yours because I don't need it. " He grinned slightly.

Listening to his son expressing himself, his father grinned warmly, proud of him.

Staring at the suitcase, Akira uttered, " I gave you this money, so keep it, Ando! "

Before he could oppose it, he continued, " I understand all that you said, but I cannot take this money back. I gave you this money not only because I owed you my life, but also because I wanted you to have it. I'm certain you'll find a better purpose for this money than me. Also, I'm sorry! "

" Sorry? "

" Yes, I'm sorry for doubting your intentions and for inviting myself over like this without warning. I'm very sorry for my immature behavior and for the trouble I caused unknowingly. "

Gazing at his open wound, he asked, " May I assist you in bandaging it up? "

" Yes, you may. " He answered. 

Within minutes, after bandaging his injury, Akira stood to leave and that's when out of the blue Itsuki uttered, " You're welcome to come visit whenever you want, Shirano. Our doors will always remain open for you, so come visit us anytime. "

Touched by the sincerity shown to him, he uttered, " I'll gladly take you up on your offer, Ando. See you tomorrow at school! "

" See you tomorrow, Shirano! "

When the doors shut themselves, Itsuki's father requested an explanation from him. Explaining himself before him, the father asked, " Are you going to keep your true skills a secret from him? "

" For now, yes. " He nodded. " For the time being, I'd like to keep things that way until the day I can finally open up to him and tell him the truth. "

Later that night, after having dinner with his father and turning in for the night, Itsuki couldn't stop thinking about Felix Amamiya's sudden shift in attitude.

" What should I do about what I saw? "

Sleeping with that thought in mind, the following morning, as Itsuki was having breakfast, a knock was heard on the door.

" I'll go check, so keep eating. "

Hurrying over to the door, the father was surprised to see Akira standing there. " It's you, Akira-Kun? "

" Good day, Ando-San! " He greeted him warmly.

Letting him in, Itsuki was stunned to see Akira in his house again. Not knowing why he came, he asked, " What are you doing here this early, Shirano? "

" I'm here to fetch you for school, of course! What else would I be doing here? " He responded.

Not asking further, Itsuki hurried with his breakfast while Akira waited for him. Less than fifteen minutes later, they left for school as Itsuki's father saw them off with a smile.

Meanwhile, at school, Felix Amamiya hurled, " I didn't do it. It wasn't me. I'm innocent. "