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Word's counted ----- 1600
Enjoy
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As Ai and her group finished their final song and were about to descend from the stage, Aki raised his voice, addressing the others. "Selly, Misa, Kamiya, I'll be staying here for a while, so I can't drop you off. I've called Alex to take you home; he's outside at the entrance. Also, Shikimori-san, it's getting late, so feel free to accompany Kamiya-san and the others."
His tone left no room for argument. Shikimori sighed and nodded, understanding the firmness in Aki's decision. "Thank you, Shijo-kun. I'll take your advice," she replied. Turning to the others, she added, "Let's go."
"We'll be heading out first, Shijo-kun," Kamiya said as she, Misa, Selly, Suzuna, and Shikimori exited the venue together, exchanging tired but happy smiles as they disappeared into the night.
After the girls had left, Aki turned to Ado. "Um, Ado-san, what about you? Are you going to meet Kyun?"
Ado hummed thoughtfully before scoffing. "No, I've got some work to take care of," she said, standing up and making her way out.
Now, the venue was nearly empty, and it was just the two of them—Aki and Yuki.
Aki sighed, glancing down at the small figure dozing on his lap. "Yuki, are you sleepy?" he asked softly, gently nudging her awake.
Feeling the slight tug, Yuki blinked her eyes open, still groggy. "Did I... doze off?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Aki chuckled at her confused expression, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Yeah, you did. Let's head back," he said, then effortlessly scooped her up, cradling her like a baby. Yuki rested her head on his shoulder, her arms loosely draped around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. Aki supported her with one arm under her and the other across her back, making sure she wouldn't fall.
As Yuki snuggled into his chest, she drifted back into sleep, her breathing soft and steady. Aki smiled fondly. "Ah, little sister sure is cute," he whispered to himself.
As he carried Yuki out, he rounded a corner and encountered Ai's group, along with their manager.
"Ah! Boss, are you leaving already?" the manager exclaimed, surprised to see Aki with Yuki in his arms.
"Yeah, my sister's asleep, so I need to take her home," Aki replied with a calm nod. "Please handle the cleanup work."
"No problem, boss," the manager reassured him.
"Thanks, and sorry to trouble you," Aki said politely. Shifting his gaze to Ai and the other girls in the group, he smiled. "Good night, girls. I'll visit you tomorrow or some other day, but for now, I need to head out. I wanted to compliment you all on today's performance, but I guess that'll have to wait."
Ai smiled back warmly. "It's fine, boss. Your compliment just now is enough."
"Goodnight, boss!" Kyou chimed in from behind her, waving with a grin.
With a final nod, Aki carried Yuki out of the building. He pulled out his phone and dialed for a ride. "Yes, I need a car with a driver," he instructed, as he stood by the entrance, waiting for the car to arrive.
Time passed, and eventually, Aki arrived at the hospital where Yuki's room was. Entering quietly, he laid her gently onto her bed, covering her with a light blanket. As he was about to leave, Yuki stirred.
"Good night, Aki-nii," she whispered sleepily, her eyes half-closed as she peeked at him from under the blanket.
Aki turned back, a soft smile on his face. "Good night, Yuki," he replied gently, before quietly shutting the door behind him.
As the door clicked shut, Yuki gazed at it for a moment, rolling onto her back with a deep sigh. "I should sleep a little more before Mother visits," she murmured to herself.
In the hospital, there was a rule that allowed any guardian to stay with a patient at any time. This applied to Yuki as well—her mother, father, grandparents—any of them could be with her whenever they wanted. But usually, her parents only stayed briefly, either overnight or just for a few hours in the evening, checking on her condition before heading back to work.
"Whatever," Yuki sighed again. "I'll be discharged in five or six days anyway," she muttered, rolling over and pulling the blanket tighter around her, finally drifting back into a peaceful sleep.
Aki leaned back in the car, rubbing his temples. "Today was great, but tiring," he muttered, chuckling to himself as he stared out the window. The steady rhythm of raindrops pattering against the glass caught his attention. "Ah, rain? Just what I needed," he sighed, watching the rain start to pick up.
Suddenly, the car slowed down. Aki glanced at the driver, confused. "Um, why are you slowing down? I really want to get home."
The driver, a burly man with kind eyes, said something that made Aki pause. "Sir... should we take a U-turn?"
Aki frowned. "Why?"
The driver's eyes flicked to the bridge ahead. "It might get bothersome for you if that girl lands on our vehicle."
Aki blinked. "What girl...?" he asked, his confusion growing.
The driver pointed ahead. "The one standing on the bridge. I think she's about to jump."
Aki's heart skipped a beat. He leaned forward, pulling down the window slightly, peering out into the rain. Sure enough, a figure stood on the bridge, her back to the road. From this distance, she didn't look like someone about to jump, but as they approached, the driver's calm assessment seemed more and more plausible.
The realization struck Aki hard. His bodyguards were trained to read situations from a distance, and if the driver could tell something was off, there was likely truth to it. Aki wasn't the type to ignore something like this, even if it was a stranger. He sighed deeply, knowing he couldn't just drive away and pretend he hadn't seen her.
"Pull over to the side," Aki said firmly. "I'll try talking to her."
"Sir, you don't need to do this," the driver suggested, "I can talk to her instead."
Aki shook his head. "No. I'll handle it."
"But sir, it's raining. You'll get soaked," the driver protested, worried.
"It's fine. We're almost home anyway," Aki dismissed, rolling his eyes. As he glanced at the driver's face—a man with a big build and a scar that ran down one cheek—he couldn't help but think, 'If she sees you coming, she might just jump out of sheer terror. ' He knew his bodyguard meant well, but his intimidating appearance might do more harm than good.
Exiting the vehicle, Aki sprinted up the wet stairs leading to the bridge, his shoes slipping slightly against the slick surface. "Oi, you...!" He shouted, trying to get the girl's attention. But before he could even finish his sentence, she leaned forward, about to jump.
Aki's heart lurched. Without thinking, he dashed forward with everything he had, closing the distance between them in a flash. Just as she was about to slip over the edge, his hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.
They both tumbled to the wet ground, the girl landing on top of him as they collapsed in a heap. The rain poured down on them, soaking through their clothes. Aki gasped for air, his heart racing from the sudden burst of adrenaline.
But the girl struggled to break free from aki grip, if it was just that then he could but the girl had clearly other ideas" no...let me go ahhanhhh"
He scrambled to his feet, angry and shaken, slap the girl pretty hard, then he yell at this girl who had come so close to throwing her life away. "You! Are you an idiot?" he shouted, his voice sharp with frustration. "Don't you have a mother who'll mourn over your dead body? A father who'll break down after you're gone? Is this why you're committing suicide, or are you an orphan with no one to cry over you?"
He was ready to continue, his emotions getting the better of him. He hated seeing people waste their lives like this—especially after knowing what it meant to lose it. He had died once, after all, and the value of life wasn't something he took lightly. But as he opened his mouth to continue his tirade, he heard it.
"Hic... hic..."
Soft sobs, barely audible over the rain. The girl, still sitting on the ground, was crying quietly, her shoulders trembling. Aki froze. His anger slowly dissolved, replaced by something softer.
"Damn it..." he muttered under his breath. He ran a hand through his wet hair, calming himself. Kneeling down, he spoke again, his tone much gentler this time. "Look... I get it. Life gets hard sometimes. But suicide? That's not the answer."
The girl didn't respond, just continued crying softly, her head bowed.
Aki sighed deeply, crouching next to her. "Think about the people who care about you. Your parents, your friends... How do you think they'll feel if you do this? They'll never be able to move on. You're hurting, I get that, but there are other ways to get through this. You don't have to do it alone."
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Any idea?
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