She shook her head slowly, still staring at him with those wide, dark eyes. "Thank you," She whispered.
"What's your name?"
"Akiko. My name is Akiko Koharu. Thank you. You have super...?!"
Haruto didn't answer. Instead, he shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to her. She took it gratefully, wrapping it around her shoulders over the torn kimono, then turned and walked away, leaving her standing there in the alley surrounded by bodies and melting snow.
Akiko started crying then looked up at Haruto, and something had changed in her expression. Her eyes were soft, almost dreamy, as she gazed at him with obvious desire.
"You saved me," she said quietly, her voice taking on a different tone entirely.
Haruto immediately tensed up. Oh no, not this again. He shifted uncomfortably, putting a bit more distance between himself and the couch.
"Look, lady, I just did what needed to be done," he said carefully. "Don't read too much into it."
But Akiko wasn't listening. She was still staring at him with that intense, grateful look that was almost obsessive.
"Oh my god, she's fallen for you." One of the thugs raised his head with a sneer, mocking.
"What?" Akiko blinked, seeming to snap out of whatever daze she'd been in. Her face immediately turned bright red. "I... no, that's not... I mean..."
She buried her face in her hands, clearly mortified. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stare like that. It's just... you literally saved my body. How am I supposed to express that kind of gratitude?"
Now it was Haruto's turn to blush.
"You don't need to express anything," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "Just... you know. Get better. Live your life."
But Akiko was already moving. Before he could react, she'd gotten up from the ground and wrapped her arms around his, holding onto him like he was the only solid thing in a world gone crazy.
"Please," she said, looking up at him with those tear-bright eyes. "Let me repay you somehow. I don't have much, but I have a house, I can cook, I can... I mean, if you wanted someone to take care of you..."
The implication hung in the air like a live wire. Haruto's face went from pink to deep red in about two seconds flat.
"No, No, hold up," he said, gently but firmly pulling his arm free. "That's... that's really not necessary. And also really not appropriate."
"But why?" Akiko asked, looking genuinely confused. "You're so handsome, so strong. Any woman would be lucky to..."
"Because I'm sixteen years old," Haruto interrupted, his voice cracking slightly on the last word.
The silence that followed was deafening. Akiko's mouth fell open, and she looked at him like he'd just told her the moon was made of cheese.
"Sixteen?" she repeated faintly. "You're... you're still in high school?"
"First year," Haruto confirmed helpfully, clearly enjoying the awkwardness.
"Oh god," Akiko whispered, backing away from Haruto like he'd suddenly caught fire. "Oh god, I just... to a child... I'm so sorry, I'm so embarrassed, I don't know what I was thinking..."
"Hey, it's okay," Haruto said quickly, feeling bad for her obvious mortification. "You've been through a lot tonight. People say and do weird stuff when they're in shock."
But Akiko was shaking her head, then muttered. "No, it's not weird. I'm now 28 years old, not so old..."
"You should go home and get some sleep," Haruto said firmly. "Maybe you think about talking to someone. A therapist, I mean. Not another priest."
Akiko peeked at him through her fingers. "Don't you want me? I can do a lot as a wife... You really are very mature for your age," she said quietly. "I can see why I... never mind."
"Yeah, let's definitely never mind that," Haruto agreed quickly.
But Akiko at this moment had fallen into his arms, hugged him tightly, looking at him with a possessive desire almost like Satsuki and then fainted.
>•Yandere Detected: Akiko Koharu!!
• Classification: S-Rank Yandere
• Yandere Affection Level: 70%
• REWARD: 1 YANDERE FAVOR POINT
[You can activate this at any time to double all EXP gains]
• Yandere Favor Point saved: 2(!!)