That day, when snow still blanketed Tokyo in white, the bone-chilling cold made Hakkai shiver slightly with every step. The sky was cloudless, and the morning sun shone down on the white snow beneath their feet, making it sparkle. The world was freezing, yet filled with rays of light embracing the figures of the two people. One tall, one short, walking side by side in rhythmic steps, creating a picturesque scene of peace and warmth amidst the white snow.

Hakkai was returning home with Takemichi after completing the hospital discharge procedures. Looking at the bandages on Takemichi"s head, he still felt a pang of sorrow and couldn"t stop the guilt, knowing he was one of the reasons Takemichi was injured like this.

But when he apologized, Takemichi just lightly hit Hakkai and said,

"You idiot, if you hadn"t done that, I wouldn"t have been able to snap out of it. Chifuyu told me already. When that kid almost killed Taiju, you stood up to protect him. That was really cool. Taiju must have felt like he got slapped in the face, right? What a pity I couldn"t see it."

Always encouraging and cheering up others. But what about you, Takemichi? At that time, you lost yourself.

Having witnessed twice the sight of that radiant, sun-like person being swallowed by the darkness within his own soul, Hakkai truly wondered if he was too selfish to rely on Takemichi. He himself had unresolved issues, and Takemichi never relied on or shared with anyone.

He really wanted to earn Takemichi"s trust, but Hakkai and everyone else knew clearly that Takemichi wouldn"t speak of those things to them. Everyone wanted to protect him and wait for the day Takemichi could voice his pain.

But while everyone protected Takemichi, he had put him in danger. This was truly what made Hakkai feel restless and uncomfortable. No one in Toman blamed him, least of all Takemichi, but Hakkai really blamed himself a lot. The fear when Takemichi fell still lingered to this day.

Hakkai had never admitted the word "weakness" in himself to this extent.

Hakkai suddenly grabbed Takemichi"s hand. His heart in his chest began to accelerate, beating erratically.

Thump... thump...

Listening to his own heartbeat, Hakkai felt a bit nervous. He looked straight into Takemichi"s eyes, trying to speak boldly:

"Takemichi, I promise you, I will become a strong person, even stronger than my older brother. In the future, I will definitely protect you."

And in the future, when I become stronger, will you let me help you?

Takemichi was surprised by Hakkai"s words but felt very happy about his determination.

"Hakkai, you"ve already become stronger. I believe in you."

Takemichi smiled radiantly, responding to Hakkai"s sudden promise.

On that day, Takemichi still didn"t understand how important that promise was to Hakkai, nor did he know how large a place he occupied in that young man"s heart at that moment.

But becoming truly strong was always a difficult journey.

I still haven"t fulfilled that promise. I"m still just a coward, a weakling who only knows how to run away.

A knock suddenly echoed on Hakkai"s door. Hakkai hurriedly opened it to find Takemichi standing there, holding a plate of fruit and some cookies.

"Feeling any better? Want to eat something?"

Takemichi glanced around Hakkai"s room a bit. It was his first time in his room, and he was a bit curious. He knew the Shiba family was really wealthy, but he was still surprised by the sheer size of the bedrooms in this house. Hakkai"s room even had a telescope. Wow, the smell of money. But what caught his attention the most was the portrait Hakkai hung on his wall; the drawing style was definitely that of a child.

"I"m guessing Luna drew this."

Hakkai smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, exactly. Anyway, everyone in the Mitsuya family is artistic, huh?"

After that sentence, Hakkai didn"t know what else to say. He fell silent, and Takemichi didn"t say anything either, just observing him.

Takemichi approached Hakkai, who was sitting on the bed, and placed a hand on his forehead as if checking for a fever. He asked with concern:

"What"s wrong? Where don"t you feel well? Your complexion looks terrible."

Sensing Takemichi"s attentive gentleness, Hakkai couldn"t hold back and wrapped his arms around the other, acting spoiled.

"Takemichi..."

Hakkai started to hesitate. Takemichi was surprised by the sudden hug, but he was too used to the Toman guys throwing their arms around his shoulders and neck at the drop of a hat. Mikey was a hug addict who specialized in acting spoiled, so he quickly adapted to this.

Takemichi rhythmically patted Hakkai"s back to comfort him.

Our youngest brother is so fragile today.

"What"s the matter? You look more like you have something on your mind than being sick. Is something wrong? Tell me, maybe I can help you."

Hakkai had intended not to say anything, but feeling the warmth, the faint sweet scent from his body, and the caring whispers in his ear, his heart—which was already soft whenever he was near—now had no way to resist.

Hakkai murmured: "Takemichi, I like someone, but that person has a lot of people who like them, I..."

Takemichi just heard earth-shattering news. Hakkai had a one-sided crush on some girl? Unbelievable that this girl-shy guy had his heart moved and stumbled into love. She must be incredibly beautiful or amazing to have so many people liking her and to knock the king of girl-shyness in Toman down like this.

Oh my, looking at this guy"s state, he must really like that girl a lot but hasn"t dared to pursue her yet.

If he wasn"t being hugged tightly by Hakkai acting spoiled, Takemichi would have jumped up in excitement. Takemichi tried to restrain himself.

"If you like her, then pursue her, you idiot. Why are you moping here with me? Or are you afraid you won"t be able to win her over?"

Hakkai took a deep breath, as if using all his courage to speak.

"I"m afraid I won"t be able to win that person over... and I"m also afraid my feelings aren"t as much as the others."

What...?

Then Hakkai, who was comfortably resting, suddenly received a merciless, painful smack on the head from Takemichi. Hakkai clutched his head, looking up at Takemichi with both surprise and grievance.

"Why did you hit me? It hurts!"

Takemichi huffed, frowning and grimacing at Hakkai, losing all desire to be the comforting figure for this guy.

"You punk, stop pursuing that girl then. I didn"t hit you because you said you were afraid you couldn"t win her over, I hit you because you said you were afraid your feelings for her weren"t as much as the others. If you don"t like her that much, then why sit here heartbroken, why sit here afraid of not winning her over? Are you looking down on your own feelings or just lacking confidence in them? Either way, it"s just a display of cowardice. You haven"t even pursued her and you"ve already conceded defeat to the others. Even if she liked you, you wouldn"t deserve her. Hakkai, you"re awful!"

Takemichi scolded Hakkai in one breath. Hakkai was completely dumbfounded, unable to retort a single word, his heart aching even more.

Takemichi was right. Assuming right off the bat that he didn"t like him as much as others did, why was he even sad, why was he even jealous?

Seeing Hakkai"s expression, Takemichi softened. He sighed, then used both hands to lift Hakkai"s deeply bowed face.

"Hey Hakkai, first you need to clarify your feelings. If you really like her, you should be confident."

"I..."

Hakkai just lowered his eyes, flustered.

Oh, the problems of teenage love. Earlier, because he was too angry, he scolded Hakkai a bit too harshly. He was already sad, and Takemichi was afraid speaking like that would make Hakkai shrink back even more and not pursue the girl he liked. Love in youth, if missed, would leave unforgettable regrets even when they grew up.

Takemichi had previously run away in cowardice and missed out on Hinata. It took so many hardships, so many life-and-death moments for him to understand how much he loved her. Not everyone was like him, able to return to the past and start over.

"Hey, if you feel sad because she has many suitors, it means you"re already jealous. Being afraid your feelings for her aren"t as much as others and not daring to pursue her is indeed cowardly, but looking at it from another angle, you"re like this because you hope she can receive a deeper love. I think you"ve truly fallen in love with her, Hakkai."

Takemichi"s words were like an arrow piercing straight into Hakkai"s confused and soft heart at that moment.

It was exactly like that, because he truly thought everyone—his older brother, Mikey, Draken, or Mitsuya—were all better than him, more talented than him, stronger than him. They could all protect, care for, and look after Takemichi.

Meanwhile, Hakkai thought he was just a clumsy kid who was always protected by his sister and couldn"t protect anyone. Because of that, he faltered. When Takemichi scolded him, he felt even more unworthy of pursuing these feelings.

"Hakkai, are you really willing to miss out on her? If you truly love her, you shouldn"t sit here fearing you don"t love her as much as others do, but rather figure out how to love her more every day, more than anyone else, and let her feel that. Why not become the person who brings happiness to the one you love instead of handing the opportunity to someone else? If we love, we have to fight to get that love. There"s no true love that comes easily, right? It"s youth, just foolishly follow your heart, why overthink it?"

Takemichi flashed a bright, encouraging smile at Hakkai. He was using all his life experience, all his regrets and remorse to say these words. Even if it was a bit cheesy, it came from his heart.

As for Hakkai, he just stared at him blankly, feeling his warm hands caressing his face.

Hakkai had been very confused by these feelings, as well as feeling despair over them, yet with just a few words from Takemichi, he felt he was being truly silly.

Why overthink it? Reason could never win against the heart. If this heart called out Takemichi"s name, if these eyes only followed his silhouette, then why fear and avoid it?

Takemichi was always like this. Just when he was about to give up, he gave him hope again. He really didn"t give him a chance to escape this net of love.

Hakkai smiled softly, then took one of Takemichi"s hands, intertwining their fingers. Hakkai looked at him; those indigo eyes made him feel as if he were drowning in a sea of affection, warm and intoxicating.

Takemichi"s cheeks naturally felt hot.

"Takemichi, I will definitely pursue that person. Even if that person rejects my feelings, I will definitely let them feel how much I love them."

The smile on Hakkai"s lips grew more and more radiant.

Damn! This guy knows how to use his beauty manual now!

But don"t use it on me, go use it on the girl you want to pursue, Hakkai!

He tried to pull his hand back, but Hakkai didn"t say anything, only tightening his grip on his hand.

What"s going on? Did his brain get enlightened and now he"s too grateful to him or something? But anyway, it had nothing to do with this action.

Hakkai pulled him closer, causing him to stumble and brace his knees between his legs. One of Hakkai"s arms wrapped around his waist, while the other hand remained tightly intertwined with his, refusing to let go. Takemichi was extremely flustered, placing a hand on Hakkai"s shoulder, wanting to push him away.

"Takemichi."

Hakkai called him in a deep, warm voice, making Takemichi"s heart skip a beat.

WTF? Does this guy have a way of calling people that makes them curl up like this?

"What? But Hakkai, I think you can let me go now."

And Hakkai completely ignored his words. Hakkai spoke slowly, his tone carrying a deeply seductive feel.

"Takemichi, how should I express my feelings to that person now?"

Hakkai"s arm tightened around his slender waist, kneading and caressing the curves of his body, while restraining him so he had no chance to struggle. Takemichi shivered slightly with every movement of that increasingly unruly hand. The distance between their bodies seemed to vanish, completely pressed and glued together. He could clearly feel the masculine scent from Hakkai"s robust body wrapping tightly around him. Takemichi"s head started to buzz. Both of their bodies were warming up, Takemichi"s chest heaving slightly. Takemichi took a deep breath, trying not to stutter too much.

"I don"t know, go figure it out yourself."

Takemichi wanted to run; he really wanted to run right now. Takemichi didn"t understand anything, the shivers wouldn"t stop. A little more and he would turn into a glowing ember. He didn"t know what was happening, he was very embarrassed. Earlier he did hug Hakkai to comfort him, but the situation right now felt very different.

Hakkai was acting so strange! That infatuated look and the way his eyes were fixed on him right now were truly bizarre, and also...

Why was Hakkai"s heart beating so fast?

Takemichi could clearly feel every beat of the heart in Hakkai"s chest. His face was also flushed pink as he looked at him. The distance between their faces narrowed as Hakkai leaned in. He could feel his warm breath on his face. Too close! Why did he feel like Hakkai was trying to bewitch him?

"Hmm... I guess if that person wants anything, I"ll indulge them completely. I also want to hug that person, and kiss them too. Is that enough?"

No! Only when they agree to be your lover can you do that. Pursuing someone and doing that is forcing them. Wasn"t this guy supposed to be terrified of girls? How could he say these things?

Takemichi truly felt his worldview being questioned. But it didn"t matter right now either; this guy kept distracting him from the abnormal things he was doing to him.

Hakkai really wanted to do something a bit irrational, to cross the normal boundaries a little. And then he proactively nuzzled his cheek into the warm palm he was holding tightly, looking no different from a small kitten wanting to be petted by its owner. Then his lips lightly touched the soft palm, the fingers, and finally, as if by accident, a fleeting kiss was placed on Takemichi"s wrist.

Every action was exceedingly gentle, exceedingly cherishing, and exceedingly affectionate. The boy"s infatuated gaze could melt anyone like a piece of chocolate. Hakkai"s heart swelled with ecstasy as he felt the softness of the other"s body. The warmth and the scent of Takemichi"s body lingering at the tip of his nose made Hakkai feel as if he were drunk. The warm breath exhaled onto Takemichi"s wrist made him shiver even more, becoming increasingly flustered. He couldn"t even process what Hakkai was actually doing. That was a kiss, right? His heart was bouncing around, the skin on his face burning hotter and hotter.

"Hakkai, stop joking around, let me go."

Takemichi lowered his voice, sounding as if he were whimpering and begging.

Seeing that he had made Takemichi blush bright red with embarrassment, Hakkai"s heart beat even faster, like a drum pounding in his chest. His mood was so joyous that he couldn"t suppress an excited smile while his lips still touched the skin of his wrist. His eyes began to show faint glints of lust, but enough to make Takemichi feel the sweltering heat and the danger it radiated.

Hakkai"s mood became like this because he was less jealous of Draken now. It wasn"t just Draken who could make Takemichi show that cute, embarrassed face; he could too.

As for Takemichi, seeing that smile from Hakkai made him want to curse. How could someone be both so handsome and so scoundrel-like? The scar on Hakkai"s lip made that smile reek of wickedness but also truly seductive.

But that wasn"t the main point; his face was about to catch fire. Someone save him!

Ask and you shall receive. While Takemichi was in a frantic panic, the sound of the door opening echoed.

"Hey Hakkai, how was hanging out today?"

Yuzuha had just returned from outside. Knowing Hakkai was home and not seeing Taiju in the living room, she didn"t know Takemichi was here. Out of habit, knowing Hakkai"s door wasn"t locked, she opened her younger brother"s door and walked straight in, never expecting to walk into a highly ambiguous scene between her brother and his crush.

All three froze. (A crow cawed... caw... caw... flying past).

The awkwardness was pushed to the absolute peak.

After Takemichi hastily greeted the three Shiba siblings and said he would come over early tomorrow, he quickly slipped away. Describing his running posture as fleeing for his life wouldn"t be an exaggeration.

"Yuzuha, you"re awful. Great timing."

Hakkai started complaining after Takemichi ran away from him, but it was fine because when he left, he was still blushing cutely, so he didn"t feel too disappointed.

As someone who supported her brother"s love life and was extremely happy that he had changed and knew how to actively flirt with someone, how could this kid burn through the stages so fast, attacking the person so aggressively that they ran away?

And from wanting to push her brother"s romance forward, Yuzuha today asked for permission to do the exact opposite.

"Tone it down, you idiot. Are you trying to scare him?"

"Don"t worry, Takemichi is clueless. Tomorrow I"ll just say I was teasing him, act normal, and he"ll forget it immediately."

Hakkai smiled slyly at his sister.

Yuzuha glanced at her brother, secretly doubting if this was the brother she raised. She thought he was a domestic dog, but falling in love could turn him into a wolf.

Love is truly terrifying.

At that moment, Taiju came down from his room. It was obvious his mood was bad, but Hakkai wasn"t afraid at all. He smiled at his brother and said,

"Big brother, I know you like Takemichi, but I won"t let you snatch him from my hands. I"m declaring war on you."

If we love, we have to fight to get that love. Takemichi had told him that, and Hakkai was now ready to become a soldier fighting for his love.

"Huh?"

Suddenly being declared war upon, Taiju was a bit surprised, but firstly, he didn"t deny that he liked Takemichi, and what surprised Taiju the most was Hakkai"s attitude. That confident posture, standing straight before him without a hint of fear, arrogantly declaring war. This reminded Taiju of the time Hakkai, with Takemichi cheering him on, discarded his fear to face him. Now, the aura he emitted was even more oppressive because the desire to have him was greater than anything else. That arrogant demeanor also made one"s blood boil.

"Fine!" Taiju only uttered that one word with the challenge and pride of a king.

Standing between them, Yuzuha could feel the electric sparks between the two brothers. But she wasn"t worried at all. She wasn't worried there would be a fight here, nor was she worried her older brother would use violence against them like before. Simply because now she had Takemichi to tattle to. Tomorrow, he would temporarily be the master here; rest assured, nothing in this house would be broken until tomorrow.

===

A Message from Ally:

I'm dropping a whole batch of blockbuster content on you guys, my loves.

Happy now? Having fun? Satisfied yet?~?

Did I feed you enough?~~?

Do you want me to give you this much next time too?~~