~Misaki~
My lungs are burning. The cold asphalt beneath my bare feet stings with every step, but I keep running - faster than I would have given myself credit for. The narrow streets stretch around me like a labyrinth, but I know ways to confuse him. At least I hope so.
My heart hammers against my ribs. Not out of fear - not really. More out of anger. From this heated mixture of adrenaline, defiance and the knowledge of how close that was. His hand on my cheek... that look... as if he had the right to own me.
How long has it been since someone underestimated me like that?
I turn, press myself against a damp brick wall and listen. Footsteps? Voices? Nothing. Just the distant sounds of the city. Just the pulse in my ears and my breathing, which is slowly calming down.
A brief, bitter smile steals across my face.
I have met him. For real. And his face... that expression - somewhere between shock and anger - is something I won't forget in a hurry.
I left my shoes there.
Part of me is annoyed at my carelessness. The other? He knows it was a sign. A small, silent message to him: you weren't fast enough and don't you dare do it again.
I run my fingers through my hair, straighten my dress, even if it's pointless. I look like a mess on two legs, but a free mess.
And yet... his gaze, his words still echo.
"You're going to be my wife."
As if he doesn't know who he's talking to, which he does.
He will find out, and sooner than he would like.
I leave the alley, keeping to the shadows as I make my way through the night streets. The city has become quieter, only a few cars still drive past, and the flickering neon lights of the clubs suddenly seem like a distant memory. My steps are quiet, careful - barefoot over concrete, past closed stores, past a couple laughing and kissing on a bench.
I breathe slowly. My heartbeat has calmed down, but my head is wide awake. I'm not safe yet, not really. Not as long as I can feel him at my back - this man whose gaze burns like fire, whose voice cuts into my thoughts like a blade.
But I'm not here to be chased.
After a few more corners, I finally see it. The hotel. Unobtrusive, simple, but safe - at least for one night. The façade barely stands out from the other buildings. No one who doesn't know it would notice it. That's exactly why I chose it.
I walk towards the door and slowly push it open. The reception is empty, subdued light falls across the shiny tiles.
I pull the room key out of my jacket pocket, clutching it tightly as if it were the only thing pointing me in the right direction. The lobby smells of old wood and lavender - familiar, calm. Almost foreign after this night.
The elevator is slow, but I take it anyway. My body is crying out for a break, for rest - and my mind is crying out for a plan.
He will come looking for me.
But find me?
Only if I want it to.
A faint smile plays around my lips as I reach the floor.
As I quietly pull the door into the lock, I am immediately enveloped by a familiar silence. Only the soft hum of the air conditioning and the dim light from the living area break the darkness.
"Misaki? Is that you?"
My brother's voice sounds calm but tense. I step into the room - and there he sits. Haruki. Casually on the sofa, documents scattered around him as if he'd been sitting here all night working.
His gaze lifts, caring as always, and immediately lingers on me. His eyes wander over my tousled hair, my bare feet, my slightly rumpled dress - and then he scrutinizes my face.
"What's happened to you? Are you all right? Why haven't you called me?"
I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and show him the dark screen, "Battery empty... Haru, can you run me a bath?" I ask quietly, almost mumbling as I flop down on the sofa.
"Sure. But afterwards, you tell me what happened."
He puts the documents aside, gets up and walks slowly towards the bathroom. Shortly afterwards, I hear the water running and the sound fills the silence between us for a moment
I lean my head back, close my eyes and take a deep breath. My feet hurt, my heart is still pounding slightly. But now I'm here.
In the beginning, it went as planned... but then he was there and ruined everything. Well, almost everything." I hope Shogo doesn't get suspicious.
"Who was there?" Haru asks from the bathroom.
"Well, Tatsuya," I answer him.
"Tatsuya?! I thought he was with his father for a few days." His voice sounds sharper.
"I thought so too. Until I saw him at the club"
"Go and have a bath first. Then we'll talk more."
I stop briefly outside the bathroom. Warm steam wafts through the gap in the ajar door. I close the door behind me.
I slowly raise my hand, reach for my hairline and remove the wig that has been protecting my face all evening. My real hair unfurls underneath - jet black, straight and long. It falls in soft, shiny strands down my back to my waist... but at the tips, the black fades gently into a metallic silver, like a memory that won't quite disappear.
Then I remove the color-changing lenses from my eyes. My real eyes look back at me - cool, penetrating, completely me again.
The dress slides silently to the floor, like a shell that I can finally throw off. I step into the bath and let myself sink into the hot water. The warmth envelops me, soothes my tense muscles, my aching feet, the burning under my skin.
I lean my head back and close my eyes. For this moment, I am nobody but Misaki. And that's enough.
~
Later, I step out of the bathroom, the towel wrapped tightly around me, and step out into the hallway, immediately feeling the cooler air on my still damp skin.
I take my time in my room. I dry my hair, the silver tips of which still shimmer in the light, and put on comfortable clothes - loose-fitting black trousers and a loose, cream-colored top. The transformation is complete. No make-up, no lenses, no wig. Just me.
I brush a strand of hair behind my ear, take another look in the mirror - the look is calm, controlled - then I open the door and walk back into the living area.
Haruki is still sitting on the sofa, the same documents in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. When I enter the room, he lifts his eyes and puts the documents aside. I drop down next to him with a sigh and stretch my legs.
"When is the meeting with the Shinjū-kai?"
He looks at me seriously. "Saturday next week and today is already Wednesday, so not long now."
This is going to be a big one. We the Fushichō-ikka and the Shinjū-kai have a lot to sort out and it won't be an easy meeting.
"Misaki, what happened after you realized he was there?"
"Oh yes, that... " I told him everything. Even the part where Tatsuya said I should be his wife - even though he didn't even know who I really was.
Haruki is silent for a moment.
Then he speaks, calmly, but with a sharpness in his voice that I rarely hear from him:
"He said what?"
He leans forward slightly, his eyes fixed on me. "He wants to... marry you? Without even knowing who you are?"
I just nod.
It's quiet for a moment - then Haru bursts out laughing. Loud, genuine, almost incredulous.
"No way..." he mumbles between laughs, shaking his head.
After a while, he regains his composure, clears his throat and looks at me with a hint of amusement, but also a new seriousness.
He leans back and crosses his arms in front of his chest.
"But that doesn't make it any less serious," he finally says. "If he recognizes you - or even just senses that you're not who you say you are - he won't let up. And someone like Tatsuya is not without danger when he's got something on his mind."
His gaze sharpens.
"We have to be careful, Misaki."
"That's why we should ask father to exchange ideas with Ren and Makino. The risk is too high."
Haruki raises an eyebrow.
"You think it's already that far?"
"I think we can assess it - and we can't afford to make a mistake. Not this close to the meeting with the Shinjū-kai."
I hold his gaze. "We've been here a few days and we're seventy percent of the way there. Ren and Makino should take the last thirty. We can't take any chances, Haru."
He is silent for a moment, his gaze becoming thoughtful.
Then he nods slowly.
"Good, then we'll let Father know tomorrow," I say quietly as I get up from the sofa. I stretch briefly, feeling the tiredness in my limbs.
"Sleep well, Haru."
Haruki raises his eyes and nods. "You too, Misaki."
He silently puts aside the documents that had just captured his attention. Without another word, he gets up and leaves the room, his footsteps soft on the wooden floor.
A little later, I hear his bedroom door close.
I stay in the living area for a moment, briefly reviewing the day. Then I turn around and walk slowly down the corridor.
When I reach my room, I close the door quietly behind me. I strip off my clothes, slip into a simple black nightgown and sink onto the bed.
A deep breath. Silence.
"Morning then," I murmur into the darkness. Then I turn to the side, pull the covers over me - and close my eyes.