Chapter 3 — The Name That Haunts Us
615 Words
Mia
I spent the entire night thinking about one sentence.
You shouldn’t fight because of him.
Kai Nakamura’s voice followed me everywhere.
During breakfast.
Walking to school.
Even when I sat in class pretending to listen.
Because the worst part was…
he was right.
I had joined Kendo because of my father.
Because of the name Hayashi.
Because I wanted to prove everyone wrong.
But what if that wasn’t enough?
What if I was only fighting because I was angry?
The thought bothered me.
Especially because Kai was the one who made me question it.
The boy I barely knew.
The boy everyone warned me about.
───
When I entered the dojo, Ren was already there.
He looked up and smiled.
And somehow, my mood immediately changed.
That was the thing about Ren.
He made things feel easier.
Safer.
“Good morning.”
I smiled.
“Morning.”
His eyes moved to my wrist.
“You rested it?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
A lie.
His expression told me he knew.
“Mia.”
I sighed.
“Okay. Maybe not enough.”
Ren shook his head.
“You’re too stubborn.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Is that a bad thing?”
He looked at me.
“No.”
A pause.
“It’s one of the things I like about you.”
My heart stopped.
Just for a second.
Because Ren didn’t say things like that casually.
Not to everyone.
───
Training started.
And I tried.
Really tried.
But my mind kept drifting.
To Kai.
To his words.
To the way he looked at me like he could see through every excuse.
“Mia.”
I missed another strike.
Ren lowered his shinai.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
He stared.
I looked away.
Why was everyone suddenly able to tell when I was lying?
“You’re thinking about him.”
I froze.
“What?”
Ren’s jaw tightened.
“Kai.”
The way he said his name made my stomach twist.
“Why would I be?”
Ren didn’t answer.
Because we both knew.
───
Later, after practice, Ren walked beside me.
The sunset painted the streets orange.
For once, neither of us talked about Kendo.
It felt normal.
Almost too normal.
“Can I ask you something?”
I looked at him.
“Sure.”
“Why did you really join?”
The question caught me off guard.
I looked away.
“I told you.”
“You told me your reason.”
His voice softened.
“I’m asking for the real one.”
I swallowed.
Nobody had asked me that.
Not like that.
“My father.”
Ren was quiet.
“I thought so.”
I looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
He stopped walking.
“Mia…”
His expression changed.
“You don’t know everything about what happened.”
My heart sank.
“What are you talking about?”
Before he could answer—
another voice interrupted.
“She doesn’t need to.”
We turned.
Kai stood across the street.
My body immediately tensed.
Ren’s expression hardened.
“You.”
Kai ignored him.
His eyes were on me.
“There are things people won’t tell you.”
My heart raced.
“What things?”
Kai looked at Ren.
And the tension between them was immediate.
“Ask him.”
Ren stepped forward.
“Kai.”
A warning.
But Kai didn’t move.
He only looked at me.
“Ask why your father really disappeared.”
My blood ran cold.
Because nobody talked about my father.
Not anymore.
And Kai Nakamura had just opened a door I had spent years trying to ignore.
End of Chapter 3
- Writer
