It took some time to calm Rika, who was on the verge of exploding into tears. Doing that in front of others was even more troublesome; he didn't want others to see him like an idiot talking to thin air.
After finishing his conversation with the rest of Class 1-A, Yuta felt a tug at his heart, knowing there was one more person he needed to talk to: Toru. She had been on his mind the entire time, and he knew she had been worried sick about him.
Yuta found Toru sitting alone near one of the windows later, her usually cheerful presence unusually subdued. She noticed him approaching, and even though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was upset.
"Toru," Yuta started softly, his voice full of concern. "I'm sorry."
She turned to him, her voice shaky. "You idiot! Do you know how worried I was? You went up against All For One, and then that Nomu… I didn't hear from you for days!"
'Actually, it has been months, but whatever.'
Yuta sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I know. My phone got smashed during the fight with All For One, and by the time I could have gotten in touch, I was already stuck in the hospital. The teachers wouldn't let me leave even after I healed up—no phone calls either. It was complete isolation. Then, when I finally sneaked out, I got caught up in that mess with the Nomu. I wanted to call you, but I just couldn't."
Toru let out a small huff, crossing her arms. "You're always getting yourself into trouble. You didn't even think about what I'd be going through, did you?"
"I did think about you, Toru," Yuta said, his tone earnest. "You were the first person I wanted to talk to after the fights. But I had to save the civilians, and everything happened so fast… I just couldn't risk anyone else getting hurt."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Toru, you know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't necessary. I just want to protect everyone, you know, doing the hero thing."
She didn't respond immediately, but he could tell she was listening. He gently reached out, taking her hand in his, even though he couldn't see it. 'Damn, I should have gotten those contacts before coming here.'
"I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm here now, okay? I'll try to be more careful next time."
Toru squeezed his hand lightly, her voice a bit softer now. "You better be. Now tell me everything about that fight." Toru huffed and demanded like she wasn't even angry in the first place.
"I just told everyone else, didn't I?"
"Nope, you didn't tell me. I need my own explanation… in detail," Toru replied. Yuta almost felt that she was smirking, but he couldn't see it.
Yuta smiled, even though she couldn't see it. "Alright, alright, story time it is then."
They stood there for a moment, just holding hands, the weight of everything finally starting to lift as Yuta started the story once again. Even though they had to keep their relationship a secret, this moment was theirs, and that was enough for now.
Toru let out a small laugh, the tension finally easing. "You know, those drums were pretty cool. Almost had my heart racing."
"Yeah, mine too, enough to power an Iron Man suit by that point," Yuta replied, remembering what his heart was like back then.
She chuckled at this.
Yuta wanted to talk more, but that was when Rika started to tug on his leg.
"Yuta… Yuta… Yuta…" She asked, and upon looking at her, she stopped, like she just wanted his attention and nothing more.
Sigh...
Yuta forced a smile, trying to keep his cool. "Hey, Toru… I just remembered I've got something I need to take care of. I'm really sorry, but I'll catch up with you later, okay?"
Toru blinked, a bit surprised by his sudden shift in tone. "Oh, sure, Yuta. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," he said quickly, trying to sound casual. "Just some stuff I forgot to deal with. You know I've been away and haven't been home for some time, right? I'll be back later."
Before Toru could ask any more questions, Yuta gave her a quick wave and hurried off. He could feel Rika's presence following him, and he knew he had to get away from everyone before she caused any more trouble.
Once he was out of sight, Yuta let out a sigh of relief. "Rika, you've got to calm down," he whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. "I know you want to be with me, but you've got to stay quiet when I'm around other people."
Rika didn't respond in words, but Yuta could sense her calming down a bit. Still, he knew he couldn't stay at the dorms with her like this. His room wasn't ready yet, and he needed a place where he could keep Rika's presence a secret.
"Alright, let's go home," he muttered, changing direction. "We'll stay there until I figure something out."
With that, Yuta made his way back to his home, Rika's presence trailing closely behind him. As much as he cared about Toru, there were some things he just couldn't share with her—or anyone else—at least not yet. For now, he would have to continue managing Rika's spirit on his own, keeping her existence hidden from the rest of the world.
xxx
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