If I could lure him into someplace secluded I think I could really kill him.
The thunder roared, then light rain started pouring. I didn't want to get wet, but if I chose to look for a roof to keep myself nice and dry, that guy might take the chance to execute his plan, so I continued walking in the rain as he kept following me.
I bit my lip and tightened the grip on my weapon as another tear fell from my left eye. He's now only three feet behind.
"Tonight, I am not a human," I hissed. And just as when he was about to take a step closer, the rain stopped pouring above my head, and I felt a firm grip on my right arm to stop me from pulling out what I was holding inside the bag.
"I told you to wait for me, didn't I?" a cold voice asked, which made me look at the guy with a cut on the lower lip and fresh wounds on the face standing right beside me while holding an umbrella. He's staring straight ahead with his emotionless face.
We kept walking, but suddenly, I felt as if my mind went blank. I didn't know if I would stab him instead of the man behind, who got surprised and stopped following me when he showed up. I was so shocked and confused to see the face of the most unexpected person to help me up close.
"J-Jyo..." I breathed as I stared lost in his face as we walked away from the man.
My grip on the scissor loosened, and suddenly, I forgot that I was planning to kill a person.
I don't trust people, especially men. But Jyo... he's my most hated person in school. And I've been hating him for over a month now.
"What are you doing?"
Jyo glanced behind before looking at me to say, "I'm walking,"
He looked again in front and then took his hand off my arm. If I were not in a situation like this, I would probably get mad, but right now, I'm thankful that he's 'walking' along the same sidewalk with me.
I sighed and looked down, both in embarrassment and relief. "How long have you been following us?"
"I'm not following anyone. You're both walking down the sidewalk, coincidentally leading to my house," he coldly replied.
He moved the umbrella to his other hand, and only then did I notice the plastic bag with the convenience store's logo he was holding.
"Did you, perhaps, see me at the convenience store?" I asked as I slowly pulled my empty hand from inside my bag.
"You were crying,"
So he saw me.
I let out another sigh before glancing over my shoulder to see if the man was still following me, but he had already disappeared.
The rain is pouring harder and harder, making the road ahead disappear from sight. The heavy rain was the only sound to hear, breaking the silence that settled between the two of us.
"I wasn't planning to interfere since I had no idea what was going on. That guy could be someone you know; who knows why you're avoiding him? I thought I shouldn't butt in..."
That was the longest sentence I have ever heard from him so far, and hearing him talk makes me think I am with another person. Someone who has the same face as someone I hate. But no. He is Jyo Akabane, the school's pain in the ass.
"Why did you butt in, then?"
Jyo sighed before answering. "Back there, you looked so scared. Even though you didn't try to tell someone that a creepy guy was following you, you seemed to be silently asking for someone's help."
"I'm not," I opposed.
"You entered the store because you know he couldn't follow you inside. That's indirectly seeking help."
"No--"
"Were you planning to kill him, then?"
I was taken aback by his interruption. Jyo looked at me and rephrased the question. "Were you planning something unpleasant, that's why you're not asking for help?"
His face remained blank and emotionless, but his eyes are filled with sincerity and warmth. There weren't suspicions or anything negative to be seen in the windows of his eyes, and seeing them made me say,
"Yes,"
I looked away. Is it okay to tell somebody that I planned to kill a person?
I thought he would at least be surprised, but my eyes darted back to him when I heard him chuckle, which then turned into silent laughter. The sides of his lips are carved into a beautiful warm smile that I didn't know he knew how to display. This was the first time I saw him smile and definitely the first time I heard him laugh. And even though the wounds on his face are telling me he's been in a fight somewhere with someone I don't know, he's a gentle and warm person.
This is the other side of Jyo that most people probably hadn't seen.
All my life, I believed that sweet and kind people have their dark sides, and bad people only have one side. Right now, Jyo made me realize that bad people could also have that other side, opposite to the other one. At least, I realized that it's possible.
"You're really something, captain," he commented after he stopped laughing. "I admire your strength and bravery."
"Aren't you flustered to know that I am willing to kill a person?" I asked in a low voice. The rain is now pouring lighter, and the road started becoming visible again. The rain drops no longer sound that deafening, and talking in such a low voice is enough for Jyo to hear me.
He smiled as he responded, "I think about doing that a lot. You're human. Being a bad person is a part of it, and it's not like you could do it anyway,"
The smile on his face remained, and staring from that moment on, I could no longer take my eyes off of him.
"Jyo,"
"Hmm?"
"I can do that. I can kill a person," I seriously said, but he just nodded and stopped walking. He faced me and grabbed my hand to give me the umbrella.
"Have you already killed a person?"
"No."
"Then you can't do that. And don't do that. Listen to this professional asshole," Jyo said before taking a step back and smiling. "Go inside. I'm heading home. You don't have to return that umbrella. I stole it from the convenience store."
That is when I realized we were already in front of my house, which means we had already walked past his, and now he had to walk twenty-eight blocks back to get home. The rain is pouring lighter now, but he could still get wet.
"Then how would you--" I couldn't finish what I was saying when I realized he was no longer in front of me, and Jyo was already a few meters away.
I watched his back as he walked in the rain. I didn't even get to thank him, but I guess that would be the best. I'm not yet ready to change the way I see him. Jyo is still a pain in my ass.