? ????? ??? ?????

✧˖°. ࣪𖤐 𝐒𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐧

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━───  On the other hand, you were fighting the urge to let a smirk slip as you gradually increased the tension, pulling on Keisuke's hair with agonizing slowness.

"What's your problem?" you hissed through gritted teeth, just loud enough for him to hear.

Keisuke's grip tightened in retaliation, his own whisper laced with irritation. "You are."

"The fuck did I do to you?"

"Your lying ass is breaking a promise."

Your brows lifted. "Whaaaat? What promise?"

Keisuke's scowl deepened. "The one where you can't fall in love until you're twenty."

You blinked at him, processing. Then, slowly, your lips parted in sheer disbelief.

"Huh? Did I say something like that?"

"Yes," he deadpanned. "And of all fucking people, why the Kawata Twins? You could do better."

You stared at him, trying to make sense of the absurdity, before your expression twisted in suspicion.

"Kei, do you have some bad ties with your comrades in arms?"

The corner of Keisuke's she twitched. The fuck with bad ties! He just doesn't want you to have a gangster as a boyfriend, alright?!

Just like that, the both of you were locked in a silent war, fingers tangled in each other's hair, yanking with just enough force to be annoying but not enough to start a full-blown fight. The occasional wince, the barely restrained gritted teeth, it was childish as hell. Still, neither of you let go, too damn stubborn to be the first to back down.

"Stop pulling on my goddamn hair."

"You first."

Baji's scowl deepened, dark eyes flashing with frustration as he gave one last tug before hissing under his breath. "You should focus on relaxation like you told Aunt you'd come here to do, not finding a boyfriend. Gin will kill me if he learns I let you date a gangster."

You shot him an exasperated look, lips curling into a sharp, amused grin. "Don't worry, I'll help bury you."

The banter continued, the two of you whispering harsh insults under your breath, shoving at each other like kids in the back of a classroom, thoroughly ignoring whatever the hell this meeting was about. You barely registered the voices around you, too focused on irritating the shit out of Keisuke, who, to his credit, was matching your energy blow for blow.

Then—Draken's voice cut through the room like a damn whip.

"Alright! That's all for today! Toman meeting, dismissed!"

You and Baji instantly let go of each other's hair at the same time, huffing like two stray cats forced to call a truce. You looked away with a muttered curse under your breath, while he rubbed his scalp with a scowl.

Across the room, Chifuyu who had witnessed the entire childish display was barely holding back his grin. Honestly, he wasn't even mad about missing out on whatever Mikey had been rambling about. This meeting hadn't been all that serious anyway, just another declaration of war. Some small-time gang had grown too bold, thinking they could pull a 'Toman' move and take down a bigger name like how Toman crushed the Black Dragons.

Bold. Stupid. Typical.

As the crowd began to disperse, Chifuyu noticed Mikey approaching, his usual lazy grin in place. There was an undeniable curiosity in his steps. It made sense, this was Keisuke's cousin, after all. And Mikey, being Keisuke's childhood friend, had every reason to want to check you out.

"Hey, (Y/n)! How are you settling in? I wanna ask if you brought any chocola—"

Mikey hadn't even finished his sentence when you walked right past him without so much as a glance. The shift in the air was immediate. A stunned silence rippled through the few lingering members who had witnessed their leader get blatantly ignored.

Mikey blinked. The fuck?

But Baji?

Baji sucked in a sharp breath, the kind that screamed, Oh, you little shit, you did not just do that.

"Hey! Get back here, (Y/n)!" he barked, already reaching for you.

You sidestepped him with ease, a smirk twitching at your lips as you continued forward, completely unfazed.

Your target?

The Kawata twins.

Both of them definitely took noticed your approaching figure by now. The one you had your eyes on definitely recognized you too, with the way his eyes widened in surprise despite his angry expression, making you smile in delight.

Excitement bubbled in your veins, a wildfire beneath your skin, reckless and consuming. Every step toward him felt like treading a live wire, the static charge crackling in the air between you. The raucous meeting dulled into background noise, distant and irrelevant, as your eyes locked onto his. It was like gravity had shifted, pulling you toward him with an invisible force, drowning out the world until only the two of you existed.

His lips parted, whether to ask a question, give a greeting, anything at all. But his words barely registered over the pounding in your chest. Your pulse thrummed in your ears, drowning out rational thought, and before you could stop yourself, the words tumbled past your lips, unfiltered and bold.

"Hey, would you like to be my boyfriend?"

The room fell utterly silent, a momentary vacuum of shock enveloping the gang. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, gasps erupted, screams of disbelief punctuating the air, and jaws dropped in unison.

Toman: "...?!!!!"

Souya: "...?"

Keisuke's reaction was almost theatrical, an immediate, bone-deep facepalm that smacked against his forehead with a thud. His fingers dragged down his face, his eye twitching as the realization crashed over him like a goddamn tsunami.

Didn't I just fucking tell her we agreed not to fall in love?! This liar!!!

Disbelief and exasperation warred inside him, blending with the sheer absurdity of the situation. And as the tension thickened, one thing was certain, this was only the beginning of whatever fresh hell was about to unfold.

───── · ·End of Chapter 17· · ─────
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𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫

❝ You finally read through this part, huh? Must be a long wait lmao. Uhm....this might be too much to ask, but can you review a book of mine titled 'You Wanna Know Evil?'. ❞

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