Yuko watched us, her dark eyes softening as she took a deliberate step back, as if physically carving out space for us to breathe. The corners of her lips lifted in a smileāgenuine, but tinged with something unreadable.
"Good," she said, her voice carrying the warmth of approval, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. "Because my sister deserves happiness, Jack. And if youāre the one who can give it to her..."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with implication. She paused, her gaze flickering between Haruna and me, her expression shifting from warmth to something far more serious.
The air around us seemed to still, as if the world itself was holding its breath. "Then Iāll be the first to welcome you into the family." Her tone was steady, but then it sharpened, like a blade being drawn from its sheath. Her eyes narrowed just slightly, the warmth in them replaced by something colder, more dangerous.
"But if you hurt her again..." She didnāt finish the sentence. She didnāt need to. The threat was clear, etched into every syllable. "I wonāt hesitate to make you regret it."
I met her gaze without flinching, my own voice firm, unyielding. "I know," I said. "And I wonāt."
Haruna let out a shaky breath beside me, her fingers trembling as she reached for my hand. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Jack..." The way she said my nameālike it was a prayer, a confession, a promise all at onceāsent a wave of determination through me. "I wonāt mess this up," she vowed, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions. "I swear on everything I am."
I cupped her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing away the tears that clung to her lashes. The touch was gentle, but my voice was steady, unwavering.
"I know," I murmured. "And neither will I." I leaned in, pressing my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling in the small space between us. The world outside this moment ceased to exist. "Weāll do this together, Haruna. No more secrets. No more fear."
She nodded, her hands rising to cover mine, her grip trembling but strong. "Together," she whispered, and the word felt like a vow.
Yuko let out a long, contented sigh, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched us. There was a satisfaction in her stance, as if sheād been waiting for this moment for a long time. "Finally," she said, her voice warm, almost amused.
"Itās about time you two stopped dancing around each other." A smirk tugged at her lips, her eyes twinkling with mischief. But then, Harunaās face paled.
Her grip on my hands tightened, her voice suddenly laced with guilt. "Hannah..." she whispered, as if the name itself was a weight she couldnāt bear. "I have to talk to her. I have to explainā"
Yukoās smirk faded, replaced by a more somber expression. She nodded, her arms still crossed. "Yeah, you should call her," she agreed. Then, after a beat, she added, "And you should explain to Aunt Julie, too. She didnāt know it was all fake, so sheās probably hating Jack right now."
There was a hint of something in her voiceāregret, maybe, or resignation. She turned toward the door, but not before pausing to glance back at us one last time. "And Jack..." Her voice dropped, the warning in it unmistakable. "Remember what I said."
I didnāt look away from Haruna, but I nodded. "I will."
Yuko slipped out of the roomāor at least, thatās what she wanted us to think.
The moment the door clicked shut, Harunaās breath hitched. Her fingers trembled against my skin, her voice filled with wonder, as if she still couldnāt believe this was real. "Jack..." she whispered, her eyes searching mine. "I still canāt believe this is real."
I smiled, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones in slow, reassuring strokes. "Believe it," I murmured. "Because it is. And itās only the beginning."
A soft, disbelieving laugh escaped her, her eyes shimmering with tears of relief and joy. "The beginning," she repeated, her voice trembling with the weight of the words. "I like the sound of that."
I pulled her closer, my arms wrapping around her as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Me too," I whispered against her skin. "Me too."
And then, without warning, Haruna surged forward, her lips crashing into mine with a desperation that was equal parts clumsy and fierce. The kiss was hard, immature in its urgency, as if she was afraid this moment would slip away if she didnāt hold onto it with everything she had.
When she finally pulled back, her breath came in ragged gasps, her cheeks flushed. "Jack... Iāll go talk to Hannah," she said, her voice a mix of determination and shyness. She didnāt wait for a response. Instead, she turned and hurried into her room, presumably to grab her phone.
I noticed Yuko still standing by the door, her body half-hidden in the shadows as if she were torn between leaving and staying. She wasnāt just lingeringāshe was listening, her sharp eyes darting toward the sound of our voices, her breath held just a little too long.
There was something almost vulnerable in the way she hesitated, as though she were fighting an invisible pull. Curious, I reached out with my
Telepathy
, slipping into her mind to hear the storm of thoughts she couldnāt voice aloud.
At first, her emotions were a tangled mess, but then they crystallized into something raw and aching:
[Why... why do I feel this way? Itās not like me to care so much. But seeing Haruna like thisāseeing the way Jack looks at her, the way heās willing to go to such ridiculous lengths just to give her the chance to confess... Itās infuriating.]
[And yet... I canāt deny it. Iām jealous. Not of Haruna, not really. But of what she has. Someone who sees her, who chooses her. Someone who would move heaven and earth just to make her smile. Haruna doesnāt even realize how lucky she is.]
Her thoughts darkened, twisting into something sharper, more painful.
[And then thereās my past. Kenzo. That motherfucker, monster. Just thinking about him makes my blood boil.]
A flash of violent imageryāher hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
[Because of him, I became this broken thing. If Master hadnāt found me when she did... if she hadnāt pulled me back from the edge... I wouldāve let the darkness swallow me whole.]
For a moment, her mental voice trembled, the weight of old wounds pressing down on her. But then, almost as if she were shaking herself out of it, her thoughts shifted again, this time tinged with reluctant honesty.
[But why am I even thinking about this now? Harunaās happy. Thatās what matters. And Jack... heās not what I thought he was. I accused him of being just like every other manāselfish, opportunistic. But he never got angry at me. He never took advantage of me. He just... teased. It was like some kind of game between us. And maybe it was. Maybe it still is.]