Talking with his classmates turn out to be more exhausting than fighting wtih Overhaul. Beating Overhaul was easy, but answering those noisy kids and more than that talking with Toru after that was hell level difficulty.
'Good thing I was holding on to the date card up to this point, she finally looked like she was ready to forgive me. Now I just hope that the upcoming date goes well. Please no twist like the last time.' Yuta thought with a dead pan look on his face.
But right now the real problem was going back home and facing Rika.
When Yuta finally got home, his heart raced. He knew he had to face Rika, not the one who he still now was considering as a child but the spirit Rika. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
As soon as he stepped inside, Rika came running at him. She launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Yuta!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Yuta, Yuta, YUTA...!"
Yuta felt a wave of emotion wash over him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "I missed you too, Rika," he said softly, that wasn't what he wanted to say but that what came out of his mouth, trying to steady his voice.
She pulled back slightly, looking up at him with big, sad eyes. "I was scared you wouldn't come back. Why you fight with him!"
Yuta this time felt that there was no filter, she wasn't acting like a child anymore. These was real genuine emotions.
And more than anything, he could tell that she wasn't a child. In fact only now that he realized that the girl was looking older, like more than 10 easily.
"Rika..." He said but then paused, wondering how to start this conversation in the first place.
"Are you really the same Rika from back then." Yuta asked he was a little taken aback by the fact that she was crying and directly rushed at him. This was strange becuase he had been away from her before but this was the first time she acted like this. But this wasn't the time, he needed to know, really needed to know what was going on with Rika.
There were too many questions and now he just wanted some answers.
Hearing him, Rika all but froze, she stopped moving altogether and just hung her head down. Not talking anymore, or even looking at him anymore either.
"Rika, just tell me okay." Yuta said while still standing there, his spider-sense never flared so he knew that she never had bad intentions, so whatever it was, he wanted to deal with the girl with more softly.
Rika still didn't say anything, but she was looking uncomfortable right now, like a girl who did something wrong.
'Maybe I should give her some time...'
.
.
.
Rika hesitated as she sat across from Yuta, fidgeting with her hands. The weight of her secret had been growing heavier with each passing day, and now it felt unbearable. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she began to speak.
"Yuta… ," Rika whispered, avoiding his eyes.
Yuta tilted his head, 'That was surprisingly more mature sounding than I expected honestly.
"Go on, I am all ears."
She swallowed hard, her hands gripping the edge of her dress. "I… I'm not like you. I'm not… alive." Her voice cracked as she spoke.
"Hmm... well that was the last confirmation I needed," Yuta replied without any particular expression on his face. Rika at looked surprised and looked up to Yuta.
"What!, you really expect me to not find out after all this time... come on give me some credit okay..." Yuta still acted like this was no but deal.
"I... I'm a spirit."
Yuta sighed. 'Good, that was the better outcome than being a curse.'
Tears welled up in her eyes and said.
"Imm Srry... I...I...I didn't watt to lie..."
'Okay, now she is crying, like full-blown crying...'.
Sighing again, he slowly got up and walked up to the crying girl, she was still smaller than him, though not anymore the 5-year-old girl that he first found.
"It's fine Rika... nothing to cry about. See I am not mad at you." Yuta wasn't sure whether the girl was really a child or even had human emotion? but he can't just stand back while she was crying like this. H slowly carass her head and said while coaxing a child.
She slowly raise her head and look at Yuta with red tearful eyes.
"How did this happened, did someone curse you." Yuta asked knowing what happens in JJK world. He personally doesn't thing that a quirk can do this.
"No, Yuta. Years ago, I died. It happened when the Shie Hassaikai attacked a bank. My family and I were inside. There was chaos, explosions… and then everything went dark."
Yuta's expression softened as he listened, but Rika's hands trembled more. She was afraid to look at him, afraid of what his reaction might be.
Orion knew this, he did his reseach what he was actually asking was more like how she turn into a ghost ? and not exactly how she died.
"When I knew that you fought with him, I was afraid that you will neve come back, you will leave me." She said with still sobbing voice as big anime type tears drop from her eyes. Yuta can only ponder right now whether her being this cute was more otherworldly or those outrageous big tears.
Her voice was barely a whisper now. "I don't know why I stayed like this. Maybe it's because I was scared, or maybe it's because I couldn't let go. But when I met you, Yuta… everything felt different. I felt like I could be with you, even if I wasn't like everyone else."
'Oh, that's kind of not what was expecting. Even she don't know why she was like this ?' Yuta thought with more irritation, he wasn't irritated on Rika, no he was more irritated that this side quest was getting harder and harder to complete to the point that he don't even know how to complete it anymore.'
Rika finally looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear. "I was afraid to tell you. Afraid that if you knew the truth, you wouldn't want to be with me anymore."
Yuta's heart clenched. He reached over, taking her trembling hands in his. "Rika," he said softly, "I don't care if you're a spirit or anything else. I won't leave you just because of something like that okay..." Yuta said as he kept on slowly rubbing her head while the girl was still shedding tears and hiccuping.
Rika stared at him, tears spilling over her cheeks. "You mean it?"
He nodded firmly. "Yeah, big time. Don't worry okay."
She broke down, leaning into Yuta's arms as he held her tightly. No matter what, Yuta knew he would protect Rika, just as he always had.
'Sigh, whatever it is, for now, I will stay with her, until I find a way to help her.'
xxx
Well at least some light to her past.
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