Makoto stepped aside as Ayaka approached the door, slipping on her shoes with hurried excitement—an almost desperate need to get out of that apartment before Akihiko could say anything more to mess with her already-frazzled mind.
But he didn't stay silent.
As Makoto reached for the door handle, paused. "Excuse me?"
Akihiko straightened, walking toward them with the slow confidence of someone who never asked twice. "Ayaka and I are in the middle of writing a book. We have a deadline. She's not free."
Ayaka blinked.
Makoto looked between them, visibly stiffening.
Ayaka's jaw dropped, her hands going to her hips. "Wow. You really waited for me to get all dressed up before saying that?"
Akihiko's eyes slid down her body, openly admiring. "Because I wanted to see you in a dress."
Ayaka gasped, throwing her hands in the air. "That is the lamest excuse I've ever heard—"
Makoto's brow twitched.
"Makoto, just ignore him." she snapped. "Let's go."
But before she could push the door open, Akihiko took a step forward. "I'll come with you."
"What—?!" she whirled to face him.
He was calm.
Controlled.
The usual Ice Prince everyone knew...
But the way his gaze flickered toward Makoto—silent challenge, territorial—was not subtle.
Ayaka, already teetering on the edge of insanity, barked a bitter laugh. "Kei said you're on call for two days. So no, Doctor Ice Prince, you go to work!"
Akihiko's jaw flexed, but he didn't move.
Ayaka yanked the door open, grabbed Makoto's hand, and stormed out with a dramatic flip of her hair.
Makoto glanced back once—just once—and caught the way Akihiko stood in the doorway, fists clenched, watching them leave with a storm behind his icy eyes.
------
The car ride was quiet for a while.
Not awkward—but heavy, like the air itself had thickened with all the things unsaid between them.
Makoto's hands were steady on the steering wheel, but his eyes flicked toward her from time to time, brow furrowed slightly in thought.
Finally, he broke the silence.
His voice was calm, low—but there was something edged in it.
"That contract... What was Nakamura talking about?"
Ayaka turned her gaze toward the window, avoiding his eyes for a second.
She watched the buildings slip by in a blur of color and glass, and sighed.
"It's... an old contract. Just for a book back then... But now he's really helping me write the book."
Makoto's jaw tightened. "Helping?"
"Mr. Takahashi wanted a character like him. And well..." she trailed off, tugging at her seatbelt absentmindedly. "No one knows Akihiko better than Akihiko. So... it made sense."
There was another silence, more pointed this time.
Then Makoto spoke again—softer, but laced with something warmer. Something honest.
"I'm jealous."
Ayaka blinked and turned to face him, surprised. "Makoto..."
"I'm trying not to be. I know I don't have a right to tell you who to spend time with. I know you two have... history. But I'm still jealous." He glanced at her again, eyes deep green and sincere. "Still, I'm not going to give up on you."
Her breath caught.
She couldn't look away.
For a long, fragile second, all she could do was stare at him, mouth slightly parted, the words stuck on her tongue.
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.
But she said nothing.
Because she didn't know what to say.
Not yet.
Makoto didn't press her.
He simply smiled, gently, and reached over to turn the steering wheel as they exited the freeway.
Moments later, they pulled into the parking lot of a sleek, modern building surrounded by cascading fountains and bright glass walls.
A massive sign overhead shimmered with aquatic blue lettering:
Oceanus: The Deep Within
"Whoa..." Ayaka breathed, stepping out of the car as the breeze brushed her dress around her legs. "Makoto... this place is—"
"—An immersive aquarium." Makoto grinned, pocketing his keys. "It's designed to make you feel like you're walking underwater. I thought you might like it. Quiet. Calming. Magical."
Ayaka turned to him, eyes wide. "I love aquariums!"
Makoto smiled as he looked at how Ayaka's eyes sparkled.
Their steps slowed as they entered the building, passing through glass tunnels that arched overhead like waves frozen mid-crash.
Pale blue light refracted through thousands of gallons of water, casting ripples across their faces.
Schools of fish darted above them, shimmering like stars swimming across a twilight sky.
Ayaka paused beneath a swirling dome of jellyfish, glowing pink and violet like soft galaxies.
Makoto stood beside her, close—almost too close. His hand brushed hers.
"You look beautiful today..." he said, voice barely above a whisper.
Ayaka turned to him.
He wasn't teasing.
His eyes weren't playful.
They were hungry and aching all at once.
And the way the lights danced across his face, it felt like they were the only two people left in the world.
She opened her mouth.
But again—no words came out.
Just the pounding of her heart.
And the echo of Akihiko's voice from earlier.
"Did you forget about our contract?"
She swallowed and looked away.
But Makoto didn't step back.
He didn't push either.
He simply stayed beside her, letting her feel his warmth, letting her know he was there.
Waiting.
------
Ayaka was laughing for the first time in what felt like ages, her steps light as she and Makoto strolled past a glowing tank of stingrays gliding like shadows through sapphire waters.
Just as Makoto reached into his coat pocket to pull out something—Ayaka guessed it might be a charm from the gift shop, knowing how thoughtful he always was—her phone buzzed.
She blinked at the screen.
'Dr. Hasegawa.'
Her stomach clenched.
"Give me a sec." she said quickly, stepping aside and answering. "Dr. Hasegawa?"
"Ayaka. You need to come to Tokyo Medical Center immediately."
Her breath caught. "W-What? Why? Is everything okay?!"
There was a pause—too long.
Toru cleared his throat, voice unusually tense. "Just come. I can't explain over the phone. It's urgent."
The blood drained from her face. "I—I'll be there."
She turned to Makoto, panic already setting in. "I'm so sorry. Something happened—at the hospital. I have to go."
"Do you want me to come with—"
"No, no. I'll be fine!"
Makoto nodded, concerned clouding his green eyes. "Be safe."
-------
The cab couldn't go fast enough.
Ayaka's mind raced through worst-case scenarios.
'Was someone hurt? Has something gone wrong with Kei? Kai? Or… no. Don't think about Akihiko. Don't.'
But when she arrived at Tokyo Medical Center, she was met with… silence.
No nurses rushing around.
No chaos.
Just Toru, leaning casually against the nurses' station, sipping coffee and scrolling through his phone.
Ayaka stormed toward him. "Dr. Hasegawa?! What's going on?! You said it was urgent!"
Toru glanced up, all too calm. "Oh... That."
"What do you mean, that? You scared me half to death!"
He winced dramatically and rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah, about that... It's... sort of a misunderstanding."
Ayaka narrowed her eyes. "Misunderstanding?"
Toru lifted his hands in surrender, backing away slightly. "Don't kill me. I was just following orders!"
Before she could demand what the hell he meant, she turned—and there he was.
"Akihiko."
Leaning against the doorframe of the on-call room, arms crossed over his broad chest, silver hair slightly tousled, white coat undone like he'd just come off a long shift.
His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her pulse skip.
She knew instantly.
"You..." Her voice dropped. "You made him call me."
Akihiko didn't move. "Yes."
"You made him lie to me? Just to drag me here?!"
He pushed off the doorframe, walking toward her with calm, deliberate steps. "I told him to call. Because I wanted you to come."
"I was with someone—!"
"I know."
"Akihiko, are you serious right now?! That was the worst joke—!"
"I wasn't joking."
Ayaka stepped back, fire in her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I was having a good day for once, and you—"
"I don't want you going out with him."
Her voice faltered. "It's not your call to make."
Then suddenly—before she could speak another word—he closed the space between them in a single step.
His hand slid around the back of her neck, firm and possessive, and he crashed his lips onto hers.
Ayaka gasped.
It was not gentle.
It was fire.
It was teeth and lips and months of restraint breaking like glass.
His other hand gripped her waist, tugging her flush against him, anchoring her in place as his mouth moved over hers with a desperation that made her knees weaken.
She should have pushed him away.
She should have screamed at him.
But her body betrayed her—fingers curling into his coat, lips parting as the kiss deepened, breath stolen.
When he finally pulled back, just barely—his forehead resting against hers—his voice was a low, dangerous murmur.
"I meant it. I don't want you with him."
Ayaka's chest was rising and falling fast, her lips tingling. "You can't just—kiss me—and expect me to forget—!"
Akihiko's eyes didn't waver. "Then remember it. Every second of it. I want you to remember everything."
Her hand pressed against his chest. Her voice shook. "This isn't fair..."
"I was never fair when it came to you."