Bread

“Dammit. I forgot to buy the chips.” Mochi cursed, scanning the table where a few boxes of pizza, packages of breadsticks, and soda cans sat.

“Ooh! I’ll go buy them. I have to get something anyways.” Y/n waved their hand rapidly.

“Alright.” Mochi shrugged.

“I can go too-” Rindou started.

“I’m going. I need to buy something too.” Izana interrupted, stalking towards the group.

“Great! Go on you two. Hurry back~” Ran grinned.

Rindou blinked before shrugging, a lopsided grin appearing on his face as he stared at the two figures that headed out of the building.

———

“Sooo? What were you gonna get?” Y/n asked, entering the store and grabbing a basket.

Izana paused for a second, muttering something to himself before thoughtlessly pointing ahead.

“Hmmm…That.” Izana said.

Y/n turned their head and let out a choked laugh, proceeding to bite down on their lip. Wouldn’t want to anger the king after all.

“Alright…” Y/n said, taking in a sharp breath and beginning to head down an aisle.

Izana could feel his face heat up and he internally smacked himself. Out of all the things he could’ve pointed at…he pointed at a package of diapers?! Oh how he wished the ground would just swallow him up right then and there.

“Yup…Kakucho said he needed them…” Izana forced a cough.

“Did he? Wow.” Y/n snorted, grabbing a few bags of chips and placing them into the basket.

“He wets the bed. Very bad habit. He’s been watching a lot of horror movies lately.” Izana continued, much to Y/n’s amusement.

“Alright. We’re done. Let’s hurry back.” Y/n said, heading towards the front.

“Huh?” Izana blinked, following behind.

“Weren’t you here to get something?” Izana asked.

“Right. About that…” Y/n paused.

“I forgot what it was already!” They grinned, looking back at him.

“Huh…?” Izana deadpanned.

Izana knew Y/n was forgetful, but jeez…How hopeless can they be? At this point, Izana might just start telling Y/n to write down their thoughts just in case. Is this why Y/n ended up leaving Rindou stuck in a hole that they made?

The hole was about 10ft deep and Rindou slid down by accident. Y/n was supposed to call Ran or someone and bring rope, but they forgot. It wasn’t until Ran asked about Rindou that they remembered. Safe to say, Rindou kicked Y/n’s ass when he got out the next morning.

Moving on…

Having been lost in his thoughts, Izana hadn’t noticed that Y/n already paid for the stuff until they were pulling him out of the store.

“Hey, Izana. Do you ever think about the future?” Y/n asked as they walked down the sidewalk.

“What do you mean?” Izana raised a brow.

“Well, I don’t know.” Y/n shrugged. “Just plans for yourself. It can be anything. Like maybe a job or to accomplish something? Family even?”

“I see…” Izana muttered, slightly squinting his eyes.

He hasn’t really given his future much thought. Well, other than building the largest criminal syndicate, he can’t say he has his future completely planned.

Like family. That’s a difficult thing to say. He’s not sure. Having grown up in a not so perfect environment , he was unsure of what exactly a ‘normal’ family would be.

“I don’t really know. But, what about you?” Izana said.

“Me?” Y/n pointed to themself.

“Who else?” Izana deadpanned.

“Hmm…Well! I want to own a dog and a cat! I also want to become famous and rich so I can relax all day and buy whatever I want!” Y/n grinned while stretching their arms out.

“Hah. Good luck with that.” Izana scoffed.

“Huh? You really don’t think I can do it?” Y/n feigned sadness, poking the male’s shoulder.

“No.”

“Wow. How blunt.” Y/n muttered.

Izana found himself slightly grinning, walking just ahead of Y/n who was dramatically slumped and trailing behind him like a sad puppy.

“Nah. Just being realistic.” Izana shrugged.

“Just you watch. I’ll get famous and rich that you’ll come crawling to me for something! Anything! And I’ll laugh but help you anyways because if I don’t, you’ll end up kicking my ass. Not that I’m weak, you’re just unfair.” Y/n huffed.

“Don’t blame your inferiority and lack of strength on me.” Izana stuck his tongue out.

“It’s not blaming if I’m right.” Y/n waved their hands to the side as they walked past Izana with long strides.

Yeah…

Y/n’s lucky enough to have caught Izana’s eye, but Izana’s lucky enough to have found Y/n. His future.

———

The three older kids whipped their heads back and there they saw the young girl who stared at them curiously.

“What?! Where’d this one come from?!” Manjiro, aka Mikey, gaped.

“She’s small. Is she 3 or something?” Izana raised a brow.

“This is so sudden. She’s cute though.” Emma commented.

“Hmph. I’m not 3!” Y/n huffed as she was placed on the floor.

“Hm? Really? How old are you then?” Izana deadpanned.

“I’m Y/n and I’m 5 years old! I like cheesecake!” The girl introduced herself while holding a hand forward and using the other to grab onto her grandpa’s leg.

“5? Really?” Mikey snorted.

“Yeah! And what’re you? 12?” Y/n said, blowing a raspberry.

“No! I’m 17!” Mikey exclaimed.

“Suuuurrrreee…” Y/n dramatically yawned.

“You little-!”

“Mikey!” Emma warned as she stood.

Y/n watched curiously as the girl kneeled in front of her and smiled.

“Hi, Y/n. I’m Emma, your big sister.” The girl introduced herself.

“Hm. You’re pretty.” Y/n commented.

“Thank you. You too.” Emma giggled.

“Little brat…Acting so innocent…” Mikey grumbled as he turned to watched TV.

Y/n frowned.

———

“What’re you going?”

Y/n looked back to see Izana leaning against the wall, raising a brow while wearing an unamused expression.

“I’m just making lunch.” Y/n slightly pouted, messily slapping a slice of turkey on a slice of bread.

“Lunch is in 30 minutes though, and if you were hungry, you could’ve asked for help or something. You could fall.” Izana said, looking as the stool the girl stood on.

“Huh? Really?” Y/n blinked, looking back at him.

“Where’d you even come from?” Izana asked, grabbing the girl and making her sit.

“Uhhh…An orphanage.” Y/n replied while rubbing her chin.

Izana paused, eyes slightly widening.

“Orphanage?”

“Mhm. It wasn’t anything special. My mommy left me there and said she’d be back soon. It’s been forever though.” Y/n muttered, fiddling with her fingers.

“I see…” Izana muttered, wearing an unreadable expression as he fixed the sandwich before placing it in front of Y/n.

“Thanks!” Y/n said with a close-eyed smile.

Izana stared at her before saying, “No problem.”

Just then…

“Hey, is that you, Izana-?”

A black-haired man entered the kitchen and Y/n’s eyes grew wide, her body then jumping off the stool as Izana slightly flinched.

“Shin-nii!” Y/n said with a huge smile as she hugged the man’s legs.

“Ah! So gramps picked you up already, huh, N/n.” Shinichiro grinned as he ruffled the girl’s head.

“You knew? About her…?” Izana questioned, observing Y/n.

“Well, I found out about her around a year ago. I wanted to tell you, Manjiro, and Emma, but it wasn’t the right time.” Shinichiro slightly chuckled.

“Right.” Izana muttered.

Y/n opened her eyes as she stared at the ground, arms tightly wrapped around Shinichiro’s legs as she slightly pursed her lips.

———

It has been about a month since Y/n arrived at the Sano household and things have been…a bit complicated?

Shinichiro did his best to check on Y/n, but he was often busy with his shop. Grandpa Sano was also busy with his dojo. There’s Emma who also did her best to keep an eye on Y/n, but with school and chores, she had very limited time.

Izana and Mikey were a bit more distant. They don’t exactly hate Y/n, but it was just a bit awkward since she was much younger and didn’t grow up with them. They weren’t sure how to deal with her, so they chose to keep their distance.

At this point, Y/n felt lonely. It was a familiar feeling, yet it never failed to deepen that hole of hurt and sadness in Y/n.

Currently, Y/n tiptoed down the hall before peeking from a doorframe to see Mikey and Izana shouting while playing a video game. Emma sat on the side, laughing at their reactions and words as they insulted one another, but there was no malicious intent.

Y/n stared for a few seconds before walking past the room and slipping on her shoes by the doorway. Then, she left.

“Shin-nii was wrong…I don’t feel anymore loved here…” Y/n muttered as she walked down an empty sidewalk.

“I’m just bothering them…Did I bother mommy too…? Is that why- sniffle why she never came back?”

Tears pricked the girl’s eyes as her lip quivered, and she harshly rubbed at her eyes, coming to a stop.

“Don’t cry…Don’t cry…!” She whispered to herself.

“Hey…!”

Y/n peeked up to see a blonde heavily breathing, his wide blue eyes staring down at her with an unreadable emotion.

“Are you okay? Are you Mikey-kun’s little sister?” The boy asked.

“I’m fine…And no. I don’t know who that is. Wrong person.” Y/n replied, glancing away.

The boy seemed to glance around nervously before holding a hand forward, to which Y/n furrowed her brows at.

“Do you want to talk?” He asked.

Y/n doesn’t know why, but she grabbed onto the boy’s hand and they ended up on a park bench where Y/n learned his name. Hanagaki Takemichi.

“Hey, Michi.” Y/n said.

“Yeah?” Takemichi hummed.

“What kind of person is Mikey?” Y/n asked.

“Huh? Uhm, well, he’s very playful and unserious, and he likes to joke around with his friends. But despite that, he can also be serious and just holds a presence that makes others admire him.” Takemichi replied while rubbing his chin.

“Playful, unserious…I wonder if it’s only with me that he…” Y/n muttered.

“Huh?” Takemichi blinked.

“Nothing.” Y/n shook her head as she jumped off the bench.

“I have to go now! Maybe I’ll see you later, Michi.” She smiled as the boy stared at her with wide eyes.

“Wait-!”

But the girl ran off, and the moment she was out of his sight, he knew he lost her.

“Dammit…!”

———

The sun had completely set and the cold wind of the night caused goosebumps to litter Y/n’s skin as she walked alone.

She wasn’t sure about where she was going, but it was fine. There was no one to bother anymore.

Meow!

Y/n paused and looked over to see a cat lying on the curb, waving its paws while twisting around. Without much hesitance, she approached the feline and kneeled next to it.

“Hey, kitty. You alone too? No family, huh.” Y/n said as she caressed its head.

Meow

“Yeah, it’s cold out here and I’m hungry. Maybe we can team up and find something.” Y/n hummed.

SCREECH!

In an instant, a bright light shone ahead of Y/n and it quickly came towards her as she looked up, startled, and the cat quickly ran away.

“Eh-?”

Before the light completely came to Y/n, she felt her body be yanked back, and a car was seen crashing into the fence behind her.

Y/n looked up and there she saw Mikey staring at her with what seemed to be a frustrated expression.

“Mikey-?”

“You idiot! Why’re you out here so late?! Why’d you even leave the house, especially without telling anybody?!” Mikey exclaimed.

Y/n flinched as she could feel a knot form in her throat as her eyes began to sting.

“I didn’t want to bother you guys anymore…” Y/n muttered, just barely loud enough for Mikey to hear.

“You…!” Mikey took in a sharp breath before picking her up and walking over to his bike, placing her on it.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being a horrible big brother. I just didn’t know what to do. I’ve never dealt with young kids and I was scared of messing up, so I ignored you. Izana felt the same. He’s scared of messing things up and he tends to be a reserved person.” Mikey spoke.

“I must’ve made you feel alone. Izana told me about you coming from an orphanage. You must’ve been alone this whole time, huh…But, not anymore. You have a family. You have a grandpa, three older brothers, and an older sister. You’re not alone anymore.” He said, placing a hand on her head.

Then…

Y/n burst out crying, a flood of tears streaming down her face as she began wailing.

Mikey understood though. She’s only 5. She’s experienced loneliness for a long time, and when the opportunity to have people there for her came, she was rejected. Mikey felt guilty, and now he’s going to do what he can to be a good older brother. Just like Shinichiro.

Without saying a word, he pulled her into a hug, and they stayed there for a few minutes before leaving for home where Y/n was greeted with hugs from Emma, Izana, and Shinichro.

They would not make the same mistake again. Sano Y/n is their little sister, and it’s their duty to make sure she grows up knowing it.

———

———

“Ack-!”

First year student, Yashiro Nene, grunted as she tripped over an object, having just stepped into the old school building. The mokke had suddenly came to her and insisted she visit the place, but to tell not a single soul! Sure, she was skeptical, but what could really go wrong? She’s confident that Hanako would be there to help her as he always was.

“I wonder what they were talking about…I don’t see anything here.” Yashiro muttered, looking around as she walked down the quiet halls of the building.

Crash!

Yashiro flinched and whipped her head to the right, having heard the sound come from there.

“It just has to be the darkest hallway here, huh…” Yashiro muttered with a hint of nervousness.

Taking in a deep breath, she walked down the dim hall, eyes shifting all over as she fiddled with her fingers.

Thump!

Yashiro paused, having stopped in front of the door where the sound seems to have come from. With a shaky breath, she held the doorknob and turned it, the door opening with a creaking sound.

“Eh?” Yashiro blinked.

Inside, the room was quite tidy compared to the rest of the building. There was also a blanket laid on the ground and several desserts sat on it, the delicious aroma making Yashiro’s stomach rumble.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Yashiro spoke up as she approached the middle of the room.

“Oh? You’re here.” A voice was heard.

Yashiro turned and her mouth instantly feel agape at the sight of the girl who looked really familiar.

Y/n floated over to Yashiro and leaned very close, faces centimeters apart which caused Yashiro to step back.

“H-Hello…Are you the one who told the mokke to lead me here?” Yashiro asked, closely observing the girl.

“Mhm! I’m Y/n!” The girl happily responded, grabbing the girl’s hands and slightly squeezing them.

“From what I heard, you’re Yashiro Nene, the Kannagi girl.” She added, eyes slightly gleaming.

“Ah, you know me?” Yashiro blinked.

“Nope! That’s all I heard! Guess you’re not interesting enough for people to talk about.” Y/n said with a close-eyed smile.

“Urk-!” Yashiro flinched, feeling as if an arrow shot her heart.

“Well, sit down. I spent a lot of time preparing these desserts for us.” Y/n said, pulling Yashiro to the blanket and making her sit.

A small creature suddenly came and Y/n swatted at it, grumbling orders for it to leave. It listened, but it continued returning, and Y/n would continue to tell it to leave.

And then there was Yashiro. She was quite nervous and she couldn’t help the continuous glances she sent towards Y/n. I mean, how could she? The girl was most definitely…

“You’re such a great baker…!” Yashiro sniffles, munching on her final piece of cake.

“Thank you!” Y/n hummed, munching on a piece of cheesecake.

Clearly, Yashiro got distracted by the tastiness of the dishes. But, she wasn’t feeling nervous anymore. Y/n seems like a normal girl, and despite her blunt remarks, she was nice.

“Hey, Y/n.” Yashiro said, sipping a bit at her tea.

“Hm?” Y/n hummed, sipping chocolate milk through her straw.

“Are you…Hanako-kun’s sister?” Yashiro asked.

Y/n paused, straw falling out of her lips as she stared at Yashiro.

“Hanako…” Y/n muttered before shaking her head.

“Nope! I’m his mother!” She grinned widely.

“Eh?! Mother?!” Yashiro gawked. “But you’re so young!”

“Pft-! I was kidding!” Y/n snickered, causing Yashiro to deflate with a red face.

“But, yes. I’m the youngest triplet, and my brothers are Yugi Tsukasa and Yugi Amane. Nice to meet you.” She said with a lopsided grin.

Just then, the small creature from before returned and continued to bump into Y/n, making a fuss and saying words that Yashiro couldn’t understand.

“Seems like it won’t-” Yashiro awkwardly chuckled.

Splat!

Yashiro felt chills run down her spine as she stared at Y/n. Y/n was no longer smiling. Her expression was blank, an unhinged and cold look visible in her eyes. The hand she had brought down was covered in red liquid, and she raised it to reveal a flattened figure who no longer moved.

“What a nuisance…” Y/n muttered, patting her bloodied hand on the blanket.

Yashiro trembled as she continued to stare at the girl. Y/n really reminded her of Hanako just moments ago, but now, all she could see was Tsukasa.

“I- I think I should get going-” Yashiro stammered.

“No.” Y/n cut off.

In an instant, Y/n held Yashiro’s hands to ground and kneeled in front of her, face centimeters away from the other.

“I just wanted to talk. Why are you leaving so soon?” Y/n muttered while narrowing her eyes.

“No reason…! But, why’d you kill the poor little creature…? It was-” Yashiro mumbled.

“It was just some noise. Everyone seems to be a bunch of noise lately. That creature, the mokke, the other wonders of the school, exorcists…and you too.” Y/n listed, bloodied hand dragging down on Yashiro’s cheek and leaving a stain.

“Me…?!” Yashiro gaped.

“I’m just so annoyed that you came out of nowhere. You and Amane have been stripping the other wonders of their Yorishiro. It’s not their fault their rumors were changed. Why didn’t you kill those stupid mokke? They’ve done more damage. And you could’ve just changed the rumors of the other supernaturals, but no. There’s no time for that, huh.” Y/n said.

“I really don’t like you.” She added. “You’re just gonna come for me next, aren’t you?! You and Amane! Well too bad! You won’t find my Yorishiro! And if you did, I doubt you’d want to pull it when you know what it is!”

“Get off…!” Yashiro grunted as she pushed the girl back.

Y/n began floating in the air as Yashiro stumbled up, taking cautious steps back.

“Amane really annoys me even now.” Y/n muttered.

“Do you hate him? Did something happen?” Yashiro asked while furrowing her brows.

“…Yeah. He’s a liar. Liar, liar, liar! Why was I always in trouble for lying, but he gets to get away with it all the time?!” Y/n scowled.

“What’re you talking about?” Yashiro asked, clearly confused.

“Back in our first year of middle school, Amane lied. He had lied to everyone about me. They all hated me. They hit me and laughed at me.” Y/n replied as she dragged a hand down her face.

“I didn’t care before though…I was used to it. From Tsukasa…But Tsukasa was nicer, even if he was a liar and a fake too.” She continued.

“That why I ignored when Amane began to show up with injuries. Sure, I spoke with him and acted like a normal sibling would, but I never bothered to care enough about what was happening. Why would I? I didn’t care when it happened to me. Why would I care if it happened to someone else? But Amane snapped one day…He killed Tsukasa…Then, he killed me. I still remember the day that knife was plunged repeatedly into my chest.”

“Y/n…” Yashiro muttered with a look of horror.

“Just leave. I’m sure Amane’s worried about you.” Y/n said, turning her back to the girl.

Yashiro did as she was told and Y/n was left standing along in silence. But then…

…she burst out laughing, hand clutching her stomach as her eyes seemed to glow.

“Amane’s got quite the naive servant there. Seems like she’ll spare sympathy for anyone, even if they’ve wronged her.” Y/n hummed while skipping out of the room.

“Well, guess it’s time for me to start.” She grinned.

———

“Hey, have you heard the rumor of The Girl in the Ribbons?”

“No, what is it?”

“I heard that if you go to the old school building alone, and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll see a girl wearing an old school uniform. She’ll invite you to eat with her and that’s when you make a wish. Your wrists will immediately be tied with a ribbon connected to her and if it’s red, you’re wish will come true.”

“And if it’s not red?”

“If it’s black, you have to make her wish come true or you’ll die.”

———

“Are you two done get?” Isagi asked, arms crossed as his lips tugged into a straight line.

“Almost, but don’t you think we did a good job?” Bachira grinned as he dramatically gestures to a tray of cupcakes.

“It took a while ‘cause Bachira kept mistakin’ which ingredient we needed to use, but I think they look great, especially for his first time!” Y/n grinned, licking a spoonful of icing.

Isagi, blankly, shifted his stare from the pair to the cupcakes on the counter.

It was quite obvious that no professional was present during the baking and decorating process, based on how some of the cupcakes had icing that was leaning to the side, but they looked decent enough.

“They look…fine. So, you two done? It’s getting late, y’know, Bachira.” Isagi informed, slowly taking in a deep breath.

“Aww, but I was having fun!” Bachira pouted.

“We were thinkin’ on using the leftover icing for weird food combinations too!” Y/n said, rubbing their chin.

“Don’t you wonder what icing and pickles will taste like? Icing and banana? Icing and carrots? Icing and-” Bachira listed.

“No.” Isagi interrupted.

Bachira stared at him, slightly raising a brow before…

“Ah.” He uttered, brows shooting up as a mocking grin stretched on his face.

“I see. You’re right, Isagi. I should get going.” Bachira nodded as he began storing a few cupcakes in a container.

“Do ya’ want some of the icing?” Y/n asked, holding up 2 containers.

“Thanks!” Bachira nodded as he took them before approaching the front door.

“I’ll see you two some other time!” He waved.

“Bye-bye!” Y/n waved with a friendly smile.

Click

Bachira was now gone and Y/n turned, ready to clean up the mess that was left over. They were completely unaware of Isagi who trailed behind like a lost puppy, lips tugging into a frown, brows furrowed, and eyes narrowed.

“Hey, Yoichi.” Y/n said, finally noticing his presence.

“Do ya’ want a cupcake? Bachira and I made quite a lot too so do ya’ think yer parents would want some?” Y/n questioned, storing away the dessert.

“I don’t know. Ask Bachira.” Isagi absentmindedly huffed.

“Obviously he took some cupcakes. He took some for himself and his mom.” Y/n said, not noticing Isagi’s behavior while wiping down the counter.

“Why’d Bachira ask you to help him make cupcakes anyway? Couldn’t he have done them at his house? Alone.” Isagi questioned.

“He doesn’t know how. The cupcakes we made are also for his mom since her birthday is apparently comin’ up.” Y/n replied.

“Couldn’t he have bought the cupcakes? That would be easier and less annoying.” Isagi rolled his eyes.

“He wanted them to be homemade. Anyways, the baking process wasn’t really annoying and Bachira can surprisingly follow directions when he wants to.” Y/n said, done with washing the dishes.

“Are you sure it’s just that?” Isagi whispered, rolling his eyes once more.

“Yer eyes are gonna get stuck if ya’ keep rolling them.” Y/n grinned.

“What’s up? You seem upset.” Y/n finally brought up, rubbing the male’s back.

“It’s nothing…” Isagi frowned, eyes drifting to the side.

“Ya sure? Yer acting like Bachira did that time you watched a football game without him.” Y/n pointed out.

“…”

“Alright, ya’ don’t have to tell me. Let’s just go to bed.” Y/n chuckled, waving their hands while guiding Isagi to their shared room.

When Y/n finished getting ready for bed and finally settled onto the bed, they noticed Isagi who sat with his back turned to them.

“Yoichi?” Y/n raised a brow.

“Hm.”

“Hmmm…” Y/n stared. “Are ya’ sad?”

“Hm.”

“Are ya’ angry?”

“Hm.”

“Hmmm…Are ya’ jealous?”

The moment those words were uttered, Isagi’s body noticeable stiffened and Y/n sweat dropped.

“Yoichi…There’s nothing to be jealous of.” Y/n said.

“Of course there is!” Isagi insisted, head snapping in their direction as he leaned over, hands now placed on his s/o’s shoulders.

“You’re so kind, thoughtful, funny, loving, and beautiful! Anyone would want to date you so how can I not be jealous when my best friend and absolutely precious partner are having fun without me?!” Isagi exclaimed.

“Bachira and I did ask you to join us but you refused.” Y/n piped in.

“That’s not the point!” Isagi sighed, head plopping onto Y/n’s thighs and arms encircling their waist.

“I don’t want you to leave me one day for someone better.” Isagi said, voice slightly muffled as his cheek pressed against Y/n’s thigh.

“You have nothin’ to be afraid of, Yoichi.” Y/n assured, gently running their fingers through Isagi’s hair.

“I love you and only you. I don’t care if someone taller, buffer, wealthier, or more famous were to arrive at our doorstep, asking to be my lover. The one I truly love and will love forever is you.” Y/n said.

Isagi turned his head and looked up as Y/n stared down at him with a loving smile.

“Really?” Isagi blinked.

“Mhm. Really.” Y/n nodded.

With that, Isagi’s mood did a 180 and a lovesick smile stretched onto his blushing face as he completely engulfed Y/n’s figure, pushing his and their bodies to lay down.

“I love you too and I promise to make you the happiest person on Earth. I’ll always be here for you and even when we have our difficulties, I promise I won’t let our love die out.” Isagi spoke, burying his face into Y/n’s stomach.

“Really?” Y/n hummed.

“Mhm. Really.” Isagi nodded.

“Then there’s nothin’ to worry about.” Y/n smiled.

“You love me and I love you. I’ll do anything to make sure our love lasts for an eternity.” The promised.

“Don’t need to do anything, nothing at all. The moment I told you that I love you was the day I gave you my heart to keep for eternity.” Isagi said.

–––––

“I did good, I did good, right?” Y/n asked, hands gripping the hem of her shirt as she stared up at Rin.

“Mhm.” Rin nodded, patting her head.

“I bet you’ll be the best female striker in the world. Both of us will be the best strikers.” He added.

Y/n felt her face heat up and she nodded, “Definitely, Rin-nii.”

“Huh? What’s going on here?” A voice questioned.

Rin felt his mood sour, and in contrast, Y/n felt giddy at the sight of none other than their eldest brother, Itoshi Sae.

“Hey, Y/n. You practicing football?” Sae questioned, patting the girl’s head.

“Mhm! I even hit the target Rin-nii set up.” Y/n said, pointing at the wall.

“I see.” Sae said, deadpanning at the sight of his photo on the wall, covered with dirt.

“Let’s go, N/n.” Rin said, beckoning the girl to follow him.

“Okay.” Y/n nodded.

Y/n quickly hugged Sae before running after Rin and gripping onto his sleeve. Looking up, she saw that Rin looked back at Sae while sticking his tongue out. Following his example, Y/n looked back at Sae and also stuck her tongue out.

Although Sae was annoyed at Rin, he wasn’t at Y/n. It was understandable that the young girl was much closer to Rin since Sae had lived in Spain most of her life and wasn’t able to grow up with her like Rin did.

The first time he had spoken to her was when she was a year old, and it was through a video call. Sae felt guilty at times but he couldn’t deny that his decision to go to Spain was the best choice to allow him to reach his dream. Now that he was older, Sae was doing his best to visit often, hoping he could make up for the time he missed and build a close relationship with Y/n.

Shaking off his thoughts, Sae quickly ran to catch up to Rin and Y/n who were two blocks away. Rin attempted to run off upon noticing Sae’s approaching figure, but Sae had noticed and quickened his pace.

“So, where are we going?” Sae asked.

“Y/n and I are going to get ice cream.” Rin shortly answered.

“Hm.” Sae nodded.

“Do you like ice cream, Sae-nii?” Y/n asked, tilting her head to look up at him.

“Well, I don’t eat it much anymore, but yes, I like ice cream.” Sae replied.

“Which one is your favorite?” Y/n asked.

“Not sure.”

“Do you have a flavor you don’t like?”

“I don’t think so. As long as it’s not too spontaneous or weird.”

“Do you care about Rin-nii?”

Both Rin and Sae immediately let out a surprised sound, teal eyes meeting before snapping in opposite directions.

“Umm…” Sae awkwardly muttered.

“Hm?” Y/n blinked.

“Ah, look, we’re here, N/n.” Rin said, gaining the girl’s attention.

“Yay! Let’s go!” Y/n happily said, pulling the both of them into the shop.

–––––

“Ooh. I won.” Y/n said, owlishly staring at the printed letters on the popsicle stick.

“I did too.” Rin said.

‘You lose’, Sae nonverbally read on the popsicle stick. His expression was blank and he proceeded to toss the object into a nearby garbage can.

“Someone who wastes their luck on stupid stuff like this could never become the best in the world. Way to waste your luck.” Sae said, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Hm? Really?” Y/n blinked, slightly huffing as she stared at her popsicle stick.

“Don’t believe him. He’s just mad that he lost. You beat him, Y/n.” Rin said, speaking in a slightly mocking tone that was directed at Sae, which the latter noticed.

“I won against Sae-nii?” Y/n questioned, eyes shining.

“No-”

“Yes. You did.” Rin cut Sae off.

Y/n was noticeably happy about her win and she was practically bouncing with every step she took.

“Ooh? What this?” A voice spoke.

“Ah! Is that Rin?” Another voice was heard.

Both Sae and Rin felt a dreadful feeling consume them as 1 person approached them from the left and a group approached them from the right.

“What do you want?” Sae scoffed at Shidou, feeling his eye slightly twitch.

“I saw ya’ and figured I say hi, so hello~!” Shidou grinned.

“Bye.” Sae immediately said.

“What’re you guys approaching me for? Go away.” Rin scowled at the group, subtly blocking their view of Y/n.

“C’mon, Rin-Rin! Don’t be mean!” Bachira pouted.

“Just go away. I’m busy-” Rin scoffed.

“Ooh? Who’s this?” Shidou suddenly questioned.

Rin whipped his head back and there he saw Shidou holding Y/n in the air while Sae was noticeably restraining himself from knocking Shidou down since doing so meant he’d be knocking Y/n down along with him.

“Do my eyes deceive me? She has the same under lashes! Is she under lashes senior and junior’s younger sister?” Shidou questioned.

Y/n only blinked back at Shidou, but she did feel a bit uncomfortable that he, a stranger, was holding her up. He then spoke in a lower tone where only she could hear as the others spoke amongst themselves.

“Hm? You have a younger sister, Rin?” Isagi questioned.

“She looks like you.” Chigiri commented.

“Can I hold her? Pleeease!” Bachira pleaded.

“What’s it like having a younger sister?” Reo questioned.

“Shut up.” Rin sneered, snatching Y/n away from Shidou.

“Did she just pop out of the womb? So small.” Karasu commented.

“What the actual hell is wrong with you?” Chigiri side-eyed him.

“I’m leaving.” Rin said, ready to run away with Y/n.

Only then did he notice the girl’s absence.

“Wow! You play football too?” Bachira grinned widely, crouched in front of the young girl.

“Mhm! Rin-nii says I’m very good and both me and him are going to be the best strikers.” Y/n said, noticeably happy.

“Better yet, how about you and I become the best strikers? Your Rin-nii may be good, but I’m definitely better. I can even train you.” Reo spoke in a teasing tone as he crouched near the girl.

“Huh? You’re better than Rin-nii? But he said that he’s the best?” Y/n spoke in an obviously confused tone.

“Nope. I am.” Reo grinned.

“Nuh-uh. I am.” Nagi, surprisingly, said.

Normally, he didn’t care about kids, believing they were a hassle to look after. However, Y/n seems calm enough for him to talk to without being overwhelmed by the energy a child often has.

“You’re very tall.” Y/n commented.

“You’re very short.” Nagi replied.

“Hey, you wanna learn how to fly Y/n?” Bachira suddenly asked.

“Huh? Fly?” Y/n questioned.

Rin saw where this was headed and moved to intervene, but Bachira was faster. He scooped Y/n into his arms before putting her onto his shoulders, instructing her to outstretch her arms as he tightly held onto her before running off.

“WHEEE!!!” Bachira shouted.

“Eh?! Bachira?!” Isagi gasped.

“Get back here, you damn blunt bangs! If you drop her, I’ll drop you off a ledge!” Rin shouted as he ran after the boy, Sae in tow.

“Bye bye!” Shidou sang before wandering off to wherever the hell he wanted.

–––––

“Y/n, the next time you see those guys and I’m not with you, run as far as you can and scream ‘stranger danger’.” Rin said, holding the girl’s hand.

“Okay!” Y/n nodded.

“If they catch you, don’t be afraid to kick them.” Sae added.

“I don’t want to kick them though. Especially Bachira. He said that he wants to be my big brother too.” Y/n said.

“No. He isn’t your brother. I am.” Rin rejected, face scrunching up.

“We are.” Sae corrected.

“Oh, I have a question.” Y/n said.

“What is it?” Rin asked.

“What does it mean to feel ‘dopamine’ after ‘shooting the egg in the womb’? The tan man asked if I ever felt that when playing football.” Y/n said.

“…”

“WHAT?!” Rin and Sae shouted as they froze in their places.

‘That damn insect…!’

–––––

–––––

“Where is Y/n?” Reo muttered, impatiently tapping his foot on the sand while looking around.

“And Isagi.” Bachira piped in.

“Yeah yeah.” Reo shrugged off.

“Isagi said that they were already here. That was 8 minutes ago though.” Chigiri said, staring at his phone.

“Maybe they got lost?” Kunigami guessed.

“Maybe.” Kurona nodded.

“No way. They were probably kidnapped!” Bachira dramatically gasped.

“They weren’t kidnapped!” Reo denied.

“Oh.” Nagi suddenly said as he stared at his phone.

“Was is it?” Reo glanced at him.

“I want ice cream now.” Nagi muttered, presenting his phone’s screen to the others.

There the others saw a photo of Y/n with Isagi, the former sticking their tongue out and the latter deadpanning, both of them holding ice cream cones.

“Aww! No fair!” Bachira whined.

“I want some.” Kurona slightly huffed.

“I bet Y/n dragged Isagi along.” Chigiri deadpanned.

“Definitely.” Kunigami agreed.

Nagi retracted his phone and glanced beside him to see Reo tightly clenching his teeth while his eye twitched.

“Hm?” Nagi raised a brow.

“Hey guys!” A voice was heard, catching their attention.

“Y/n, you should’ve said you wanted ice cream so we could go too!” Bachira complained as threw his arm around their shoulder.

“No time to do it. Isagi was excited for ice cream so we headed straight for it.” Y/n excused.

“You liar! You’re the one that wanted ice cream and said that you didn’t care about making these guys wait longer!” Isagi gaped.

“I don’t remember that.” Y/n said, turning away and licking the ice cream.

“Hey, can I have the rest of your ice cream? Please?” Bachira pouted as stared at Y/n with puppy eyes.

“No. I really want it.” Y/n shook their head.

“Y/nnnnn!”

“It’s fine. I was able to buy some ice cream sandwiches for you guys.” Isagi said as he held up a bag.

“Ooh! Gimme!” Bachira beamed as he practically snatched the bag away from the boy.

“Thanks.” Kurona nodded before biting the sweet treat.

“Hey, Y/n. Have you put on sunscreen yet? You’ll get a sunburn.” Reo said.

“Yeah. Yocchan reminded me on the way here.” Y/n nodded, eyes somewhat darting around.

“And I had to put it on you because you claim to not like how it feels on your hands.” Isagi said, eye twitching.

“Hm.” Y/n shrugged, not confirming or denying the statement.

“It’s hot so just remember to reapply sunscreen.” Reo advised with a smile.

Y/n stared at him for a moment.

“I’m not stupid. Shut up.” Y/n told Reo who only chuckled.

“I’m ready to get into the water.” Chigiri said, pointing at the ocean.

“Let’s have a race!” Bachira suggested.

“Alright. I’m confident that I’m gonna win though.” Kunigami said, stretching.

“Psh, as if. I’m the fastest one here.” Chigiri said.

“I’ll get second place then.” Kurona raised his hand.

“Are you coming, Y/n? Nagi?” Isagi glanced at the two.

“Seems like a hassle, but it’s too hot right now.” Nagi said as he stored away his phone.

Isagi nodded before his eyes shifted to the person who had yet to answer.

“…Y/n. What are you doing?” Isagi deadpanned.

“Nothing.” Y/n said, kneeling next to Chigiri and digging through the sand.

“Just get up already or we’re leaving you behind.” Chigiri said, raising a confused brow as he look down at Y/n.

“Okay.” Y/n nodded while standing.

“Alright!” Reo clapped his hands as he took a stand beside Y/n.

“On your marks…get ready…set…”

All of them got into running position, awaiting the signal.

“…and go!”

They immediately took off running and much to their surprise, Chigiri did not get ahead instantly. The boy seemed to stumble or lose balance upon stepping forward and that gave the others a head start.

“Woohoo!” Y/n lifted a fist, winning first place.

“Second place!” Kurona raised his hand.

“How did Chigiri lose?” Kunigami furrowed his brows.

“You plotting bastard…” Chigiri narrowed his eyes at Y/n.

“Hmm?” Y/n raised a brow.

“Explain why my foot landed in a hole when I stepped forward.” Chigiri demanded.

“I don’t know. Maybe you were just unlucky.” Y/n shrugged.

“Liar. The hole just happened to have coincidently been in the spot you were digging?”

“I guess so.”

Before Chigiri could strangle Y/n, Kunigami defused the situation and the group proceeded to enjoy the cool water of the ocean.

“Gah!” Y/n let out, eyes widening as their body was suddenly pushed underwater.

“Let’s have a fight and see who can last longer without falling!” Bachira grinned, now sitting on Y/n’s shoulders.

“Kunigami and Chigiri as a pair, then Reo with Nagi, and Isagi with Kurona.” He instructed.

“I’ll carry you on my shoulders since I can probably hold out more when it comes to balance.” Kunigami said.

“And I doubt I’ll be able to carry you.” Chigiri sweat dropped as he got onto the male’s shoulders.

“Reo, you get on my shoulders. It’s less of a hassle being the one who carries the other.” Nagi exhaled.

“I wasn’t really counting on you actually putting up a fight against them anyways.” Reo chuckled.

“I’m knocking Bachira down onto you, Y/n.” Isagi claimed.

“Same.” Chigiri piped in.

“No fair. Why team up on me when Reo’s right there?” Y/n huffed.

“Huh?” Reo deadpanned.

Bachira then poked Y/n’s forehead, causing their attention to go to him. Bachira discreetly pointed at the opponents before making a face, and Y/n nodded as a result.

“Alright. On the count of three.” Bachira grinned.

“One.”

“Yocchan, Chigiri told me that your plays up until now aren’t striker material and you’re only worthy in being a mere midfielder.” Y/n suddenly said.

“Huh?!” Isagi gaped.

“What?! I never-” Chigiri gawked.

“Two.” Bachira counted.

“Chigiri, Yocchan told me that the only reason you’re succeeding in football is because of your speed and without it, your value is at most that of a benchwarmer’s.” Y/n said.

“Excuse me?!” Chigiri glared.

“What?!” Isagi furrowed his brows.

“Three! Go!” Bachira finished.

In an instant, Chigiri and Isagi were at each others throats, shoving and tugging in any way to make the other fall. It didn’t last too long and they were both sent crashing into the water. When they came up for air, their eyes subconsciously trailed to Bachira and Y/n. Their smug expressions brought them to realize something.

“Dammit!” Chigiri scowled.

“That damn instigator…!” Isagi muttered.

“It’s Bachira and Y/n versus Reo and Nagi now.” Kunigami sighed.

Y/n moved forward and Bachira was quick to start shoving Reo who returned the gesture.

“Sup.” Nagi said, staring at Y/n.

“Yo.” Y/n replied.

“Y/n!” Bachira suddenly shouted.

Y/n quickly backed up and just like that, Bachira yanked Reo down, sending him underwater.

“Woohoo!” Bachira cheered as he threw his hands up in victory.

“Woohoo!” Y/n imitated.

Suddenly, they were pushed into the water, courtesy of Isagi and Chigiri.

Y/n went into a coughing fit as he rose out of the water, hand thrown around the shoulders of whoever stood beside him to give themself balance.

“You okay?” Reo questioned, being the one to stand beside Y/n and deciding to pat their back firmly.

“Mhm.” Y/n nodded, clearing their throat.

“That’s good.” Reo smiled.

Y/n stared at him in silence before looking away.

“What’s with that dumb expression?” Y/n said out of the blue.

“Eh?” Reo sweat dropped.

“Sorry. Not really actually. I was just thinking out loud. Keep quiet.” Y/n said.

Reo only nodded with a small smile, which Y/n didn’t see as they continued to stare in another direction.

“Hey, Y/n, I have a soda for you!” Bachira called out, standing in the area they set their belongings in.

“Oh. Thanks.” Y/n said, quickly walking over.

“Y/n’s pretty blunt, but it feels as if they’re much more mean when they talk to you.” Kunigami said from beside Reo.

“Huh?” Reo furrowed his brows before thinking back on some of his interactions with Y/n.

“Shut up.”

“You’re weird.”

“So annoying.”

“Why are you so loud?”

“You should wear a mask. Your face bothers me.”

“Leave me alone.”

“I guess I know what you’re talking about…” Reo muttered, now sulking.

“There there.” Kunigami awkwardly patted his back.

Back to the others…

“Hey, Y/n.” Chigiri said.

“Hm?” Y/n hummed, sipping the soda.

“Why are you always so mean to Reo?” Chigiri questioned.

Y/n paused.

“…”

“He’s pretty nice to you and practically favors you over the rest of us, so why?” Chigiri continued.

“Ooh! I know!” Bachira grinned.

“Huh?” Isagi raised a brow.

“It’s because Y/n has a crush on Reo~” Bachira sang while poking Y/n’s cheek.

“Huh? Really?” Chigiri raised his brows in surprise.

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Kurona pointed out.

“Even I noticed how you’re always being a bit colder to Reo.” Nagi told Y/n.

Y/n took in a deep breath before slapping their hands onto their cheeks, expression forming to a panicked one which was completely out of character.

“I just don’t know how to act towards him! He’s always so nice and I enjoy when he’s here, but whenever I try to say something to him, I always say something bad! When I try to be nice, it’s even worse!” Y/n whined.

“Woah…Y/n’s actually…guilty?” Chigiri said in astonishment.

“The last I saw Y/n like this was in grade school when they accidentally dropped the cupcake my mom gifted them.” Isagi sweat dropped.

“Don’t worry, Y/n! Reo is very careful in his relationship with you because he doesn’t want to lose you. He’s always smiling at you too.” Bachira grinned as he threw his arm around their shoulder.

“That makes me feel even worse!” Y/n sulked.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Kunigami questioned as he and Reo approached.

“Are you okay, Y/n?” Reo asked, seeing them curled up on the ground.

“I would be if you kept quiet.” Y/n said with a bland tone.

‘NO!’ They internally cried.

“Okay…” Reo chuckled.

‘Hmm…Y/n really is cute…’ He thought, a red tint on his face as he recalled the words Y/n had said moments ago, unaware that he (Reo) was in earshot.

‘Y/n is completely hopeless…Luckily, Reo is a lovesick puppy at this point and doesn’t care about their cold comments.’ The others thought, deadpanning.

–––––

–––––

Sweat trailed down Rin’s face as he held his hair in a tight grip, body in a fetal position.

“How lukewarm…Why am I acting like this after so long? I don’t have time for this. I’m finally reaching the spot of being the best striker…” He muttered with heavy breaths.

“You’re nothing but a nuisance that’s holding me back.”

“Please, let’s talk instead of you just berating me like an immature asshole!”

“I don’t need you, don’t you get it?!”

“I’m leaving! I don’t care anymore!”

“I really hate you, Rin…!”

“Lukewarm…” Rin whispered as he sluggishly sat up, half-lidded eyes shifting around the room.

When the man calmed himself and finally steadied his beating heart, he stood and turned on the television, flipping through channels while opening a water bottle to soothe his dry throat.

“Hm?” He curiously raised a brow upon stopping on the news channel.

The screen displayed the worrying sight of a truck crashed into a building, panicked people running away as emergency vehicles arrived to the spot.

Curious as to what happened, Rin sat down and focused on the screen as it transitioned to present a news reporter.

“There appears to have been a dispute between two criminal syndicates in the city and recently, uninvolved citizens fell victim to the dispute.” The reporter spoke.

“Just a bunch of guys who have nothing better to do.” Rin scoffed, listening as the reporter listed some names.

“Within the many victims, there was one fatality. The victim was 25-year-old, L/n Y/n.”

Rin felt his blood turn cold and his eyes snapped wide.

“L/n…Y/n…?” He whispered shakily.

–––––

‘Never did I imagine that after all these years, the next time I’d hear about my ex-girlfriend from high school would be because she’s dead.’ Rin thought, walking down the sidewalk.

‘Still…Why? Why am I acting as we didn’t break it off years ago? Yes, it’s unfortunate but we haven’t spoke for 9 years already. I have no right to mourn for her and it makes no sense for me to be depressed about it.’

Arriving at an intersection, Rin adjusted his cap as he stared at the concrete.

Cars began moving across the road when the lights turned green.

‘L/n Y/n is a stranger to me…’

A truck honked as it drove forward.

‘We have nothing…’

Shove

“Huh…?”

Rin’s eyes widened as a harsh push was placed on his back, sending him stumbling forward where he fell flat onto the hot pavement.

Screams were heard all around him but they seemed to deafen as Rin looked up, the blaring headlights of the truck shining on him.

‘No way…’ He thought as his heart seemed to stop.

‘The instant when I thought “I’m going to die”, I didn’t of my family, football, team…I thought of L/n Y/n…Only now am I realizing that the reason I was able to continue down the path of football was because of the support I had back then…Did I really toss it all away that day…?’

Ba-Dump!

Teal eyes snapped wide open and Rin was greeted by the sight of a field as a few boys picked up some stray balls.

“Itoshi-kun, are you okay? You just suddenly froze.” A boy noticed.

“You tired? You seem stressed lately.” Another pointed out.

“Huh…?” Rin uttered in disbelief as he looked around.

The other boys stared at Rin both worried and perplexed as his behavior was totally out of character.

“How about you leave the cleaning to us and just head home already? You need to rest.” One of the boys advised Rin with a reassuring smile.

Rin momentarily glanced at the boys before slowly nodding and walking away.

‘I’m in a high school. The high school I went to, to be exact. How? I was just at the intersection on death’s door, but now I’m here…’ Rin thought.

When he arrived to the locker room, he caught sight of his reflection and felt his body stiffen.

‘Not only do I seem to have changed locations, but I have the appearance of myself at the age of 16…? Is this a dream? A flashback maybe? They do say your life flashes when you’re dying…But, this seems too real.’

Rin pinched the skin on his wrist and retracted his hand upon feeling a stinging sensation.

‘This is definitely not a dream and it’s also most definitely not flashback. Taking into account my change in location, appearance, and surroundings, time seems to have rewinded…? No, that’s not it. I am the one who is out of place, meaning that somehow, I’ve traveled back in time.’

–––––

Rin made it to the front of the school and stopped, staring into space with an unreadable expression.

Step

‘What’s the point of traveling back in time? How is this even possible anyways? Do I really have to relive this time of my life and make my way up again? Those 9 years were all a waste, huh.’

Step

Glancing to his left and right, he slightly furrowed his brows.

Step

‘Why did I stop? I rather go home and think about this further, but, for some reason, my body seems to have a mind of its own. It feels as if I’m supposed to stand here.’

Step

“Rin! Sorry I’m a bit late!” A voice was heard approaching him.

Rin froze and he felt his heart stop.

“The net got all tangled up and it was a struggle fixing it.” The voice continued.

Slowly turning around, Rin caught sight of a girl stopping behind him.

She adjusted the strap of her bag that hung on her shoulder, one of her bandaged hands pushing a few of her hair strands back, mouth moving as she spoke, and eyes staring straight into Rin’s teal ones.

“Hey, you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.” The girl pointed out with slight confusion in his uncharacteristic behavior.

Then, her eyes grew wide at the sight of tears falling from Rin’s eyes.

“Huh? Why am I crying…?” Rin muttered while wiping the tears.

Still, more continued to come and the girl grew even more worried.

“Did something happen? Did you have a bad day? Want to talk about it?” The girl asked as she took a step forward.

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Rin insisted, finally drying his tears.

The girl pursed her lips before reaching forward and placing her hands on the boy’s face, much to his surprise.

“Spit it out! I want to know everything about you. I’m your girlfriend and it’s my job to make sure that you’re not feeling down and to be there when your need to confide with someone.” The girl said with a determined expression.

Thump!

Rin stared at her before a small smile stretched on his lips.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing. You already made things better by being here.” He said.

The girl stared at Rin in surprise before smiling.

With that, they interlocked hands and walked away, the girl chattering away as Rin stared at her as if she were the most precious being to walk on Earth.

‘This time, I won’t make the same mistake. After so long, I finally realize that she’s the one who kept me going. She was here for me when I needed it, whether I wanted her help or not, and I won’t take advantage of that now. I’ll definitely save her with this chance I’ve been given.’

The girl is the light that guides Itoshi Rin through the dark world and she is someone who Itoshi Rin considered to be irreplaceable and a gift from the gods.

Who is this girl, you may ask?

L/n Y/n is her name.

–––––

A/N: Ngl, I dislike this, but I’m only assuming there are people who will like it, so I’m posting it anyway.