Chapter 9 — The Boy Who Wanted Me Back
556 Words
Mia
After the scandal, everything changed.
Not because people hated me.
Not because they whispered.
Because I started noticing something I didn’t want to admit.
I didn’t care what they thought anymore.
I cared what Kai thought.
And that scared me.
Because Kai Nakamura was the one person I was supposed to stay away from.
The rival.
The enemy.
The boy connected to the part of my past I still didn’t understand.
Yet somehow…
he was also the person who made me feel seen.
───
Training became uncomfortable.
Everyone watched.
Waiting for something to happen.
Waiting for me to choose.
Ren avoided me at first.
And I thought maybe that was better.
Maybe distance would make everything easier.
Until he found me after practice.
“Mia.”
I turned.
Ren stood there alone.
No confident smile.
No perfect captain image.
Just him.
“What do you want?”
The words sounded harsher than I meant.
His expression hurt.
But he nodded.
“I deserve that.”
That surprised me.
Ren Takahashi admitting he was wrong?
I didn’t expect it.
───
“I owe you an apology.”
I crossed my arms.
“For what?”
He looked down.
“For making you feel like you had to become someone else.”
My chest tightened.
Because that was exactly what happened.
When I first joined Kendo, Ren made me feel like I could do anything.
But slowly…
his expectations became another weight.
“I thought pushing you would make you stronger.”
His voice was quiet.
“But I forgot you weren’t a project.”
I looked away.
I didn’t want to forgive him.
Because forgiveness made everything complicated.
───
“I miss you.”
My heart sank.
Not because I wanted to go back.
Because a part of me missed the person I thought he was.
“The person you were when you first joined.”
He smiled sadly.
“She was brave.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“She was just tired of being afraid.”
Ren went silent.
And for once…
he didn’t argue.
───
Later that day, I saw Kai watching from across the dojo.
He looked away when I noticed.
Which was strange.
Because Kai never looked away.
I walked over.
“What?”
He blinked.
“What?”
“You’re staring.”
“I wasn’t.”
I smiled slightly.
“You’re terrible at lying.”
He looked annoyed.
“I learned from you.”
I laughed.
And something softened in his expression.
A tiny smile.
Almost invisible.
But real.
───
Then his eyes moved to Ren.
The softness disappeared.
“Did he hurt you?”
I frowned.
“No.”
“Then why were you upset?”
I stared.
Because he noticed.
Of course he did.
“I don’t know.”
Kai was quiet.
Then:
“That’s the problem.”
“What?”
“You care too much about everyone else’s feelings.”
His voice lowered.
“Sometimes I wonder when you’ll care about yours.”
And somehow…
that hurt more than an insult.
Because it was true.
───
That night, I received a message.
From Kai.
Kai:
Tomorrow.
Me:
Tomorrow what?
A few seconds.
Kai:
I’ll tell you about your father.
My heart stopped.
Finally.
The truth.
───
End of Chapter 9
───
- Writer
