#nearlyrae

Kiyomi Takada. A proper lady under the thumb of the world’s most notorious crime punisher, one that she fell in love with from the beginning. That mural she had draped herself upon was far beyond her reach, the tips of her fingers just barely grazing its toes. Would his air they shared steal her breath away as it always did, she wondered as she clutched the phone to her chest.

She knew exactly what was going to happen to her.

As clearly as she felt attached to Light, who she was supposed to be the love of her life, she could see the truth for what it was. There, sitting in the back of a truck with a blanket wrapped around her naked body, she would die at the hands of her lover.

She inhaled the fresh morning scent of dew, masked with flowery cologne, one that he would wear frequently. The mornings she spent encased in that scent helped her steady her breathing, her smile at the back of his head as he left almost deafening as he never once looked back at her.

“Do you… Like blowing bubbles?” He asked one night.

“Ooh, yes,” she replied, a bit too eagerly for her taste, “I mean, I know it’s a strange hobby.”

“No, no, I want to hear about it. I like learning new things about you,” he rested his chin on the palm of his hand, offering her a reassuring smile.

Kiyomi cleared her throat, before continuing.

“I’ve been public speaking ever since I was a little girl. Joining debate clubs, winning all state… Though I’ve always had a stutter, ” she paused to guage his reaction, and satisfied with his surprise, continued. “My mother told me to practice blowing bubbles into fun shapes, and I didn’t know why until nationals. Somehow, I thought of public speaking like blowing bubbles. Gently carrying each word, each syllable into the air as if I was trying to blow a bubble. Because of that, I’ve always loved bubbles, and never really stopped wanting to blow them.

"I guess that’s the one childish thing about me, isn’t it?” Her eyes cast down, her hand gripping the sheets.

“Hey,” Light raised her chin to meet his eyes, and there she saw in them the most beautiful amber color, shining and swirling as they held her gaze. “I think that’s beautiful.”

Kiyomi shut her eyes tightly, forming her lips into an ‘o’ shape. There, the bubble planted a kiss on her lips and dissapeared, then she heard the child, happy to win nationals, dissapear.

“Lidner, please, you mustn’t be so rough with her. She’s an old friend,” Kiyomi snarkily commented, waving away her blonde rival.

Lidner immediately dropped Misa, who let out a surprised yelp. Her nose crinkled as she scoffed at Kiyomi, then stomped away erratically.

Kiyomi laughed a bit at the reflection of the dinner with Misa crossed her vision, the bubble gyrating with her breath. That woman never stood a chance with Light. He said it himself, Misa wasn’t intelligent enough to be his partner. Though that was true, Kiyomi thought sadly, why was she the one by his side now? Why was Kiyomi sitting alone, waiting like cattle to die?

“I did what you asked…” She echoed to herself, “Light, I did what you asked!”

She slammed the pages to the ground, her pen stabbing her hand and causing her to double back in pain. Her tears spilled out like a fountain, bubbling and rising as the reflections obscured and were cast away.

None of it was enough for him. She wasn’t enough.

“You’re enough,” Light’s voice cut through her head like a knife.

“What?” She blinked back her tears, sitting up in bed.

“Those producers don’t know what they’re talking about. You’ve always been intelligent, beautiful and resourceful. The world needs you, Kiyomi,” he pulled her in to embrace her form, and she could feel his smile on her neck. “I need you.”

Kiyomi stood up, keeping her blanket firmly in place as she made her way through the back, the air thick with dread. Yes, she was resourceful, wasn’t she? Light said it himself too. Perhaps she could find a way out, escape Light and the fate that awaited her. No, she had to think quickly.

What if…

She gripped the paper close to her chest. She couldn’t… Could she?

The pen hovered above the page. Her eyes shone brightly, a gentle amber settling amidst them.

Do it for love.

A car pulled up, and she heard aggressive footsteps followed by the turning of metal. Kiyomi looked up, and her eyes met with Lidner’s, who worriedly hurried to her side.

“Miss Takada! Are you hurt anywhere?”

She shook her head.

“We need to get you back immediately. And—” Lidner paused and looked at the front seat. “Mello is…”

“He suddenly dropped dead,” Kiyomi cried, “Kira must have punished him for kidnapping his spokesperson.”

“Right,” Lidner’s brow furrowed, and she helped Kiyomi into the car, grabbing all her clothes as well. “You’re safe now.”

“Thank you,” her head rested on the window, and when she opened her eyes, the violent shade of amber met her.

“I’ve just collected miss Takada… What? Light Yagami is dead? Then who…” Lidner’s eyes widened before she shut the phone in her hand.

To Misa Amane, Light Yagami is way more than her savior; he is her one true love and her new family. After her parents’ unjust death, Light is the closest thing she has as a normal life that can be read about in fairy tales. In her fantasy, Light slayed the monster who kept her trapped, took her in, made her his equal, and they share a relationship so pure it can create a better, crimeless world.

She has no complains so far—why would she when Light is still as wonderful as when she first met him? —but there is still a ghost of a symbolic representation of their eternal love that can only be fulfilled if Light wasn’t so cautious about every little detail. L is gone and Kira is considered a God, what else is he waiting for?

“It really is a shame that more faces keep getting leaked on the Internet,” Light sighs, his arms crossed against his chest. “It’s almost as if people are deliberately giving Kira help to create this new reality we are living in.” Before the case, a typical Yagami dinner involved discussions about Light’s achievements, Sayu’s gossip about the entertainment industry, and a brief overview of their father’s current workload. For the last few years, however, the glooming threat of Kira’s next move has kept them fearful. Even if every member of the family considers themselves good people, who is to say that Kira might not come after them next? After all, Soichiro and Light were this close to losing their lives after confronting Kira; unless Kira is truly gone, they are not safe from random judgment.

“Seriously, Light?” Sayu pinches the bridge of her nose, exasperated. “You and Dad always talk about Kira every time we meet up as a family. We can see the news; we are not missing anything. Can we change the subject?”

“I’m sorry, Sayu,” Soichiro nods, giving a brief sympathetic smile. “We didn’t mean to worry you, it’s just that this has become our livelihoods now. You are right, we can discuss something else. What do you have in mind?”

“Well,” Sayu darts her eyes at the other couple sitting across the table. “Isn’t there something you want to ask them?”

Misa, who was squeezing Light’s arm with hers this entire time, perks up.

“What do you mean, Sayu?”

“Come on, Misa, how long are you going to let Light get away with making you live with him with no sign of proper commitment? Six years is way too long.” She giggles.

“Sayu, don’t do this—” Light shakes Misa off him and pleads to Sayu with gritted teeth.

“I didn’t want to bring it up, but she’s right,” Sachiko comes in from the kitchen with a tray of teacups. “It’s bad enough that you temporarily quit your studies to be with her and you still haven’t proposed?”

“Mom—” Light wanted to argue, but Sayu intervenes.

“Light, come on, you are living with Misa Amane, and you don’t plan to keep her off the market? At this point, I’m surprised that none of her famous friends has taken her away from you. For such ladies’ man, you sure don’t know what you are doing!”

Misa looks at Sayu with glazed eyes, her heart beating faster than normal. Could this be her chance to finally have her happily ever after? If the family supports this union, then, the next step should be getting it over with a ring and a ceremony. It is now or never, if she doesn’t speak up, she loses her opportunity to cement her and Light’s future together.

“Aw, Sayu, don’t worry about us,” Misa rubs her head against Light’s arm, practically beaming. “We wanted to keep it a surprise, but I guess I can’t contain it any longer. The truth is, Light already proposed and we are getting married by the end of the month!”

Light bolts upright from his seat—unintentionally making Misa fall from her grasp—and his breath becomes shallower by the second. He needs to get out of here, now, there is no way this is happening, it must be a nightmare, and he’ll wake up soon. If that’s the case, why is his father staring at him like he committed a crime?

“Light,” Soichiro begins talking carefully. “Is this true?”

“I—” Light’s throat is starting to get dry, and he takes his cup of tea from the table, sipping slowly, still standing. “I don’t know what to tell you—”

“Oh, my sweet Light,” Misa is quick by his side, trying her best to soothe him with a gently hold of his hand. “I know we should have told them sooner, but it’s too late now. Don’t you think this is the right thing to do? I want them to attend the ceremony, it’s no use keeping it to ourselves.”

It feels like a trial for his life, everywhere he moves, concerning eyes surround him, begging for an explanation for his actions. What else is there to say? If he tells truth that Misa is a blatant liar, then the question arises on why she would do that in the first place? He couldn’t reveal that he isn’t in love with her, it will blow his entire cover. If he goes along with it, then he has no choice but to keep up the act and marry Misa as soon as possible.

She put him in a terrible predicament, and, for the first time in his life, he couldn’t think on his feet. Damn her and her desperate attempt to keep him trapped. If only he could kill her now, he would never have to deal with her ever again. And yet, he still needs her …

“Mom, Dad,” Light takes a deep breath. “It’s true, Misa and I are getting married.”

“Light, I—” Soichiro clears his throat. “Congratulations?”

“What’s the matter with you?” Sachiko gives her husband a quick glare. “Light, I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait to see you get married, it’s one of the things I always wanted for you.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Sayu stands up and hesitantly gives Light a hug. “You did it, you finally did it. I’m so happy for you, Light. Oh, my gosh, my big brother is getting married to Misa Amane!”

Light gives Sayu a quick pat on the back and holds on to her, resisting the urge to cry. In any other scenario, this would have been a tender moment between siblings, and for a few minutes, he’ll pretend that he is truly making his sister proud. He hates disappointing her, so he’ll keep up the act for her sake.

He finally lets her go and the tears roll down in front of her. To someone who doesn’t know any better, those are the tears of a man who is experiencing the height of happiness. However, those are the tears of someone who feels trapped and doesn’t know how to escape.

“Sayu, I have to go,” Light gives her a quick smile. “We can talk about this later, but I have to be with Misa for the rest of the day.”

“Of course,” Sayu weeps some tears that she didn’t realize at first were there. “Don’t forget to send the invitations.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Light chuckles softly. “When your time comes, I’ll make sure to embarrass you in front of your groom.”

“Hey, that’s not funny,” Sayu punches Light’s shoulder lightly.

“It is for me. Mom, Dad, I’ll see you later.” He waves at them as he guides Misa in front of him towards the door.

~~~

The trip back to their apartment was uncomfortably ice cold, no said one word to each other with the anguish that the wrong move could cause irreparable damage. Misa didn’t like how Light was being so mean towards her; the best day of their lives was coming, and he was not celebrating. She could be clueless at times, but even she knew better than to intervene when Light had that look in his eyes; she knew he was angry, so she waited for the okay to speak again.

Light unlocked the door of their home and he let her come in first, giving her time to see that he wanted some distance. Despite attempting to getting over what happened in his head, his true feelings were revealed when once he grabbed the doorknob, he slammed the door back in with such a brute force that the echoes of his actions resounded across the entire room.

Misa had never seen Light like this before, and she wanted to reassure him so badly, but he walked towards the kitchen as if she didn’t exist. With deliberate hesitation, she followed him silently, and drew in her breath to say something, anything.

“I would suggest you stay where you are because if you move, there is no way I would hold back.” Light didn’t even look at her, it was hard to read him when his hair covered his eyes. The iciness of his statement caused some chills to roll down her spine, but she was still willing to speak.

“Shut. Up.” He finally lifted his head and Misa gasped at what she saw. Light’s eyes were bloodshot red, and his nostrils were flaring audibly. Maybe Light was right; one more step and there was no way to tell if he would stop from putting his hands on her. Misa gulped and retracted herself, giving Light further distance.

“Oh, so you do get it, huh?” Light scoffed, making his way towards her. “What you did back there was a blatant disrespect of my boundaries and my trust for you. I asked you to live with me, I let you kiss me, and I let you be my girlfriend under the condition that you help me judge criminals. Hell, I even asked you to not reveal our relationship to the media because if my name is out there along yours, who knows what might happen. Keep them guessing, but that’s it, I told you that. And what’s worse, you lied to my entire family. I don’t like lying to them, it’s bad enough that they don’t know I’m Kira. I had to pretend, at that moment, that your little outburst was a happy scene.”

“Light, please, I’m sorr—”

“No, you are not,” Light loomed over her, creating a large shadow under her head. “You wanted that to happen, you were so desperate to change our relationship to a more permanent one that you pulled that stunt. To say that I’m furious at you is an understatement, I don’t even want to deal with you anymore.”

“Light, please,” Misa started to cry. “I’m sorry, I thought, I thought that’s what you wanted eventually, we love each other, I didn’t mean to make you mad, I thought you’ll be as excited as your family were. Don’t worry, I’ll call them first thing in the morning, tell them I was just joking around—”

“Forget it, Misa,” He walked past her and sat down on one of their sofas, exhaling deeply. “What’s done is done. If we tell them that there is no wedding, they’ll never forgive me. I hope you are happy because you got what you wanted.”

“W-What do you mean, Light?”

“I’m not sure how I’ll put it off, but we are getting married by the end of this month. I’ll set up some invitations for Mom, Dad, and Sayu—no one else! —and we will have a date set up. When that’s ready, we’ll have a private ceremony and get this over with it.”

“Light!” She threw herself at him, wrapping her entire body around him. “I’m so glad you are not backing down; you have made me the happiest girl in the world! I love you so much, Light Yagami!”

“I love you, too, Misa,” Light replied monotonously, feeling defeated. If anything, this could keep Misa devoted to him for way longer, a low chance that she’d ever backstabbing him. Sure, in an ideal reality, they could pretend that this relationship wasn’t a sham and just left each other alone with their respective goals. As future spouses, there was the promise of staying together in sickness and in health, with the addition of a flimsy certificate that wouldn’t matter much to him, but would matter to her, his family, and the law. And that was going to be enough.

~~~

Fortunately for Light, the ceremony was straight to the point with no interruptions. What they managed in the last minute was obtaining secondhand traditional wedding clothes, bringing just the Yagami family as guests, obtaining a wedding certificate, and celebrating with a quick dinner afterwards.

After everything was said and done, the marriage was consummated, going through the mechanics Light was used to keep Misa infatuated with him. Misa got what she wanted, and by this point, Light couldn’t care less about what happens next. There may be legal paperwork between them, and she may had taken his family name, but as far as Light was concerned, nothing had changed.

 Light looked over Misa, who was sleeping soundly beside him, and sighed. He grabbed one of the robes they received as gifts and contemplated for himself across the room. Yes, this was nothing more than a milestone in their fake relationship, he could live with this. Was he happy it happened? Absolutely not, but there was no turning back now, especially with his family involved. He couldn’t take back their joy of witnessing the eldest son getting married, doing so would be cruel.

Misa’s phone rang loudly by the nightstand, her annoying ringtone blaring across the room. It didn’t faze her one bit (was she really that heavy of a sleeper?), so Light felt obligated to pick it up to make the ringing stop. He saw that it was Yuki, Misa’s newest manager (her third one this year), attempting to reach her. He answered the phone and was taken aback by her shrill voice.

“Misa-Misa, I tried my best to stop it, I’m so, so sorry!” Yuki practically screeched. “I don’t know how it happened, but the media knows! They know! Please don’t hate me, it was out of my control, I don’t know how it got out!”

“Yuki, this is Light Yagami,” Light said calmly. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, Yagami, it’s so good to meet you!” The phone continued to blare. “Can you hand the phone to Misa? She needs to know what happened; this is between the two us.”

“Well, since I happen to be her husband, I deserve to be involved in her business. Now, tell me,” He lowered his voice. “What are you talking about?”

“Light, I’m so sorry, I don’t know how else to tell you this, but … The marriage certificate got leaked to the press. I know you tried your hardest to keep it private, but someone must have gotten a hold of it from the city, it’s everywhere!”

~~~

News stations were buzzing over the breaking announcement that model and actress, Misa Amane, and NPA member, Light Yagami, were secretly married after years of speculation about their relationship. It was initially leaked to Sakura TV and everyone else followed, not letting this piece of gossip die down for the rest of the week. What could this mean for Misa Amane (now Yagami)’s career? Would she serve tradition and retire from the entertainment industry to have a stable marriage? What about children? Is Misa going to be pregnant soon and become a mother? And, what about NPA member, Light Yagami? What does he think about this attention since he seems like such a private man? What do they even have in common? How did they meet? Was it love at first sight? The speculations were endless!

Among the controversy, Kiyomi Takada was one of the first people who heard about the announcement during one of her televised news reports. To say she was shocked was an understatement; she felt dread hitting at the bottom of her stomach, almost losing her balance on live television. Light Yagami, a man he respected during her college years, was now married to that ditzy Misa Amane. To this day, their relationship didn’t make sense to her, but she tried her best to respect it to avoid confrontation with Light after he rudely ditched her for Misa. Yes, it still wounded her that someone as amazing as Light Yagami dropped her like a hot potato to date a celebrity. It was so beneath him, or so it seemed since he prioritized intelligence over anything else. To imagine that he could be so shallow was such a disappointment, but not surprising since he was, you know, a man.

She wanted to pretend that she was over him, but this announcement reopened some salted wounds, and she tried her hardest not to cry. Tears would not do, specially tonight, since her and Mikami were having dinner together as scheduled. To Kiyomi, Mikami was quite the peculiar character. He was so disciplined and rigid, she often wondered if shaking him out of his shell would do him some good. However, what intrigued her the most about him was his formidable intelligence and his pure sense of justice. They met last year during one of her hosted discussion programs about the rebuilding of Japan in the 21st century, and once Kira was brought up, she could sense his passion for a better world, and she instantly felt a connection. That year was notorious for the political divisiveness of integrating Kira’s ideology to the mainstream, and to have this man, who was a prosecutor, advocating in favor of pro-Kira world, was so refreshing. She had lost friends for her pro-Kira views, a good amount of them admitting that the reason why they couldn’t support Kira was because of petty crimes in the past. That was their loss; who needed friends like that anyway? Shoplifting, stealing, underage drinking … Good riddance. At that point in her life, she needed a friend with a similar viewpoint as hers, and Teru Mikami was the perfect candidate for it. During recess of that discussion program, she approached him and opened to him about her thoughts on the criminal justice system and social ills in Japan, and after seeing his eyes widen in shock, she knew that was enough for him to continue the conversation. After that, he told her that he was going to fit her in his schedule (she thought it was odd at first, but she understood), and they were friendly ever since.

As time went by, Kiyomi learned a hard lesson when it came to him: A friendship with Teru Mikami was like a porcelain teacup: Rare, valuable, and authentic, but if not handled with care, it was easy to crack under pressure. It was such a miracle that their relationship had survived her unintentional tactless tongue; if he was that teacup that she kept describing, he should had been fine powder.

In one of their dinners, they had a heated discussion about making it more common to reveal the identities of child criminals to the public; if common criminals could be exposed for their immortality, so should juveniles. This was the first time they disagreed on something this serious.

“He is a twelve-year-old boy!” Takada narrowed her eyes at him, trying her best to lower her voice. “Yes, he stabbed his mother brutally, I don’t like that at all, but he is a child, it doesn’t feel right that Kira can just kill him because he messed up. Let the police handle it.”

“What you call ‘messing up’ is an excuse to absolve him from responsibility.” Mikami argued back. “I was that age once and I know firsthand that children are old enough to understand right from wrong. If a child can bully someone and continue doing so despite witnessing someone suffer, then resorting to murder should have a fitting punishment.”

Kiyomi scoffed. “I see what’s going on, you are projecting on this child because of your childhood trauma. I understand that it was a difficult time for you, but it’s best to move on from it and not let it affect you anymore.” The moment she stopped speaking, she realized this was the worst thing to say to him, and she regretted it once she saw his reaction.

Mikami didn’t cry, at least never in front of her, but the shine on his eyes told a different story: It was as if he was trying his hardest not to show emotion, but she knew better: He was seething inside, he didn’t appreciate being told that his trauma didn’t matter.

“Mikami, I—”

“Let me just get the check, we are done here.” Such a simple statement but cut her like an icicle stuck in her chest. She screwed up, she lost him, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The next week, however, he texted her to meet up again same time, same restaurant. The message was clear once they sat down and ordered their meals: I’ll let it go for now, but I’m warning, don’t ever speak to me like that ever again.

Takada shook her head. It was best not to think about it, tonight was supposed to be a fulfilling event discussing crime and how to improve society.

~~~

“Takada, have you been listening to one word that I said?”

“Huh?” Takada got out of her daze, her mind accidentally wandering over Light and Misa. Was he happy? Could there be a chance that this was a publicity stunt? Did she mean that little to her after all?

“You weren’t listening,” Mikami said matter-of-factly. “I assumed you would be interested in talking about the current political climate, but I guess I was wrong.”

“No, no, I am interested,” Takada sighed. “I’m sorry, I just had a rough week, it’s not a big deal.”

“Okay.” He paused for a bit, and then realized that it would be best if she could talk about her issues. At least for a minute or so. “What happened?”

“Do you remember that I mentioned a Light Yagami to you?”

“I may or may not recall, go on.”

“We dated in college, right? From my experience, he was quite the intellectual and we had similar viewpoints about crime and justice. I just found out that he married the woman he dumped me for, Misa Amane.”

“I see,” Mikami considered his words carefully. “You loved him, and it hurts that he moved on.”

Takada’s face scrunched in embarrassment. “God, it sounds pathetic, doesn’t it? What am I doing pinning over a man who couldn’t care less about my existence? It’s been years, I shouldn’t let him have this much hold over me, I’m so stupid.”

“Takada, you are not stupid—”

“Yes, I am!” The tears began to roll down, she couldn’t stop them in time. “None of that matters and yet I’m acting like it’s the end of the world. Maybe there’s something wrong with me; I look down on others for being emotional and desperate, but here I am, being exactly that in front of you. I bet you don’t think highly of me anymore.”

Mikami was speechless; this side of Takada was unexpected, and he didn’t know how to react. “Takada, it’s okay … “

“No, it’s not,” Kiyomi dabbed her tears with a clothed napkin, mascara smearing over the fabric. “I’m sorry,” She stood up from her seat. “I have to go.”

“Takada?” He felt like a broken record, repeating her name over and over with no results. “Where are you going?”

She didn’t say a word, she kept walking, like she had no free will of her own, being guided by nothing but her emotions.

 If she had any remaining dignity left her, she would have noticed the murmurs and stares from other guests at the restaurant. Once she was left out of sight, it was as if nothing happened, and they moved on with their lives.

The only person who didn’t take their eyes off her, despite the immense confusing plaguing their minds, was Teru Mikami himself.

~~~

Contrary to popular belief, Misa Yagami was still in the entertainment industry. While she teased that she might retire to be a devoted housewife, there was a still a pending task to continue working on a short film for an independent director was trying to get his name out there. Yuki was able to score this gig to solidify Misa as a serious actress, and she happily took it to showcase to the world that she wasn’t just a ditzy star whose greatest talent is beauty.

Misa and Light were separated for a few days so she could focus fulltime on the film, and, if Light were honest with himself, he appreciated her lack of presence at home. No whining, no shrieking, it was heaven. As long as she had her shredded pages of her Death Note to continue judging criminals, he was alright with their time off.

Two weeks have passed, and she was still gone. At this rate, it was starting to concern him that the lack of phone calls decreased significantly since she wouldn’t stop updating him on the movie at least three times a day. On the short time that he was enjoying the lack of silence, his mind started racing that something terrible must have happened. He hoped that it was just overly busy scheduling making her not call him because the other option could be … No, he wouldn’t go there.

He dialed her number and waited for the line to stop ringing, his heart racing fast, and for a second there, he was relieved that the call was picked up, until the voice behind the other side of phone was something he couldn’t recognize.

“It’s about time someone was concerned for her whereabouts.” The person said, and then snapped something with their mouth.

~~~

This was so unlikely Kiyomi Takada, it might as well be another woman living her life, someone she would make fun of on the spot. After that fiasco at the restaurant, she had been ignoring phone calls from anyone trying to reach her. Even Mikami tried to call a couple times, but she never picked up, not wanting to face him after the way she treated him. What else was there to say? Nothing, she ruined her only meaningful relationship in her life, and she couldn’t face his disappointment again. A couple of days passed, and she finally informed her boss that she was dealing with a contagious illness that might not be resolved for the rest of the week. It was humiliating to lie like that, but she had no other choice. All of this over a man, she cringed for the twelfth time today, allowing her nasty side to fill her head with more negativity.

Maybe it is for the best that you end up alone; no friends, no romance, and specially not the prestige of having a great reputation. You have been lying to yourself your entire life; you are not smart, you are not likable, and you are not worthy of respect. You may be pretty, but that means nothing if your personality is so boring. Crying over Light Yagami for the fifth time this week? Pathetic. Maybe he saw right through you and that’s why he dumped you. You may have fooled the entire country that you are refined and classy, but I know better. That façade you put yourself in the morning is starting to crumble and sooner or later, everyone will realize that there’s nothing to rave about you. If you were to die tomorrow, you’ll be nothing but a small obituary that deserves no more than two sentences. I can already picture it! Here lies Kiyomi Takada, a mediocre news reporter, survived by NO ONE—

A sudden doorbell ring snapped her out of her thoughts, and she sat upright on her bed. Maybe she was speaking out loud this entire time and someone came to complain. Better pull up the “contagious illness” card and see if she will be left alone.

When she opened the door, she was shocked at the figure standing across from her. Teru Mikami looked like his usual self, but he somehow didn’t feel that iciness that she sometimes sensed from him. He was …. concerned? For whom? It couldn’t be her; she didn’t deserve it.

“Mikami?” She finally spoke. “What are you doing here?”

“I tried calling you, but you never picked up. I had to make sure you were okay.” He spoke slowly, almost like he had to rehearse his words.

“I see,” Takada crossed her arms across her chest. “Are you sure it’s not for anything else? Maybe I needed the reminder that I’m not worthy to have anyone worried about me—”

“Takada, could you stop speaking like that?” Mikami barely raised his voice, but it was enough to shut her up.

“Mikami, come on—”

“No, that’s enough,” Mikami interpreted that as an invitation, and he went past her door. “In case you haven’t noticed, we have dealt with some many ups and downs for the past year, and I still haven’t walked away. You want to know why?”

Kiyomi nodded hesitantly.

“Because you happen to be my friend, thankfully the only friend I want in my life, because dealing with anyone else has been a headache.” Kiyomi’s mouth dropped. “Don’t be surprised, you feel the same way about me, too. You are probably one of the most moral and intelligent people I have ever met, and I don’t say that lightly about anyone.”

Among her gloom, a smile was beginning to creep on her face.

“You are also empathetic with others, and you are capable of understanding how overcoming struggles is not an easy feat, but you get through like a champion.”

“Mikami—”

“Let me finish,” He was becoming sterner. “I know you long enough to see that despite your pretenses to other people, you do care about justice and bettering the world, and that’s always been enough for me. You told me once that you were recognized mainly for your beauty, but that’s not what matters to me, it’s so frivolous. I just wished you were more open with me; you are not going to lose me either way—”

Kiyomi couldn’t help herself, she leaned over him and kissed him fully on the lips; he liked her for who she was? He didn’t care about her reputation and the superficiality of such petty things, finally a man with some depth.