Their footsteps echoed softly down the hallway as Isagi and Maria walked side by side toward the school exit. She was still clinging to his arm as though afraid he'd vanish if she let go, and he… well, he let her, casually enough.
The warmth radiating from that simple contact was more than enough to make him hyper-aware of the soft mounds pressed against his arm.
Trying to distract himself, Isagi brought up a neutral topic. "By the way, Yuki said we needed to buy some supplies, but she didn't tell me exactly what."
"Oh? That…" Maria smiled gently and explained, "They're mostly things we use every day in the student council room."
"Ah…" He shifted his bag on his shoulder. "Makes sense it's different from middle school. Back then we just ordered straight from the suppliers."
"We still do that for the basics," Maria continued. "But these are things we'll use constantly. Stuff like tea, incense, delicate stationery… it's better to pick them carefully. Like tea—you have to smell it before buying."
"That actually does make sense… which makes it even weirder that I'm the one helping, since I'm not even on the council."
Maria looked at him as if the solution were obvious.
"Then join the student council. Problem solved."
"Not interested."
"Really?" She pouted with genuine disappointment. "That's a shame…"
The sound Isagi let out was somewhere between a sigh and a laugh.
"But I'm good at carrying bags. So no need to feel shy."
"I'm counting on you, Saa-kun…" she said softly.
It didn't take long for them to reach their first stop. And it took even less time for him to realize that no matter how hard he tried to keep a certain emotional distance, he always ended up yielding to Maria's maternal aura. He had planned to stay quiet, just carry stuff, and not get too involved—but that plan never worked around her. Maria drew him into her warm, welcoming energy, and before he knew it, he was matching her pace, completely caught up in it.
The moment they stepped into the variety store, Isagi realized he had severely underestimated the chaos she was capable of unleashing.
Maria picked up a small colorful vial from the shelf.
"This incense smells amazing! Let's test them all and see which one fits best—"
"I don't think burning incense in the student council room is a good idea…" Isagi cut in quickly. "Better save that for home."
"Oh my gosh!" She choked on her own excitement, dropped the incense, and grabbed a plush toy. "Look at this kitty! It looks exactly like Alya!"
Isagi had to close his eyes for a second.
"Maa-chan… I don't think—"
"Wait!" Her eyes sparkled. "What if we bought a plushie that looked like every council member? Then we could decorate the room with all of them!"
"Decorate the council room… with plushies?" Isagi rubbed his temple. "Masha. It'll look like a gift shop. The president will have a meltdown."
"But look at this bespectacled lion." She held up the toy with disproportionate seriousness. "Tell me it doesn't look exactly like the president."
Isagi opened his mouth to deny it—and froze.
"…Okay. It really does."
"See? We're taking the lion!"
"No! Yes, it looks like him, but we can't decorate the council with plushies!"
"Come on!" She sang, already heading for the register.
"No, you're not!" He hurried after her.
Maria stopped, pouted, and hugged the cat plushie to her chest.
"Then I'll just buy the kitty… for myself. Because it's too cute."
"You still can't mix it with the council supplies! The receipts have to be separate! Alya will lose it when she sees the accounts all jumbled!"
Maria let out a light giggle, as if the whole thing were a fun game.
"Relaaax, Saa-kun. Alya only stays mad for five minutes."
"Five very long minutes," he shot back.
The truth was, from the second they walked into the store, Isagi had already accepted that staying quiet was impossible. Maria was chaos. Brilliance. Spontaneity. A natural force that swept everything—and everyone—along with her.
He honestly couldn't tell what went through her head half the time.
And… he was finding that strangely comfortable.
Even exciting.
They kept wandering the aisles, Maria grabbing inappropriate items and Isagi fighting to keep the council budget from turning into a plushie-and-incense circus.
Miraculously, they managed to buy only the essentials in the end.
When they left for the tea shop, Isagi was already exhausted. He was loaded with bags while Maria walked beside him, happily hugging her new cat plushie with a satisfied smile.
Even though it was childish, when she held that plushie… it didn't look weird.
It looked almost natural.
And with a silent sigh, Isagi realized most people passing by were probably thinking the exact same thing he was: "I wish I were that cat."
After all, it was impossible not to notice the two "melons" squishing the poor plushie's head as Maria hugged it from behind, completely oblivious to the fact that most of the men on the street were silently drooling.
"Ready for the tea shop, Saa-kun?" Maria asked with a smile bright enough to light the whole street.
Isagi swallowed hard, trying to look calmer than he felt.
"Let's go, Maa-chan," he answered with a small smile.
She was so absorbed in student council duties that he never found an opening to bring up the fact that they were, essentially, childhood sweethearts. Deep down, he knew acknowledging it right now would deeply hurt Alya, Yuki, Kaguya, and even Marin—who, though it was still early, had already started developing feelings for him. Even if those feelings weren't as strong as the others', she still mattered to him… because above all, he didn't want to be a jerk.
To be honest, he himself wasn't one hundred percent sure about his own feelings. If he had to choose right that second… he'd probably choose all of them. He'd form a trio, a quartet, or even a full-blown harem with the girls who truly wanted something with him.
In Brazil it still wasn't exactly common at the time, but he knew that in a few years it would become almost normal. Plenty of influencers already showed off poly relationships, and even famous athletes like Neymar juggled multiple women while married. In other words, it wasn't impossible, nor as far from reality as it might seem…
He was thinking about it precisely because—let's be real—what guy would turn down the idea of having multiple wives? It was inevitable that the thought would cross his mind, and truthfully, this was the first time he'd seriously reflected on it.
After all, this was a world that mixed various anime; who was to say there wasn't one where harems were normal and socially accepted? Maybe that would make everything simpler. But even if it were possible… how would he bring it up? How could he explain something like that without sounding selfish, irresponsible, or cruel? Was he overthinking it?
In the end, all he really wanted right now was to train, enjoy his teenage years, pursue excellence in everything that interested him, and fix the regrets he carried from his previous life. The rest—relationships, feelings, desire, the future—would come naturally, in due time…
"Isagi, we're here."
"Oh! Sorry!"
"…Are you okay?"
"No… I mean… yeah! It's nothing."
Maria tilted her head, clearly curious, but decided not to press. Instead, she pushed open the tea shop door with the same ease of someone who was a regular.
"Hey, Saa-kun? Maybe you should hold this."
She held up the cat plushie—"Alya the feline version," as she had joked.
"Ah… sure." He carefully took the toy. "So what's its name now?"
"Take good care of Mewlisa, okay?"
"M-Mewlisa…"
Isagi's eyebrow twitched.
Great. Perfect. Now I look like a complete idiot.
If a high school girl walking around with a plushie looked cute, a high school boy doing it was… different. Weird enough that any passerby would look away pretending to be serious.
And yet…
"Oh my gosh! You look so adorable!"
"You need your eyes checked."
Maria pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh, failed, and in less than a second had her phone out, beaming.
"Say cheese, Saa-kun."
"No way you're taking a picture of this."
He quickly raised one of the shopping bags in front of the lens, blocking it. He no longer had any hesitation treating her like someone he was close to—because now she was exactly that.
"Maria, we came here for tea, remember?"
"Ah! Right!"
She put the phone away with a mischievous grin.
"…Hey, look who it is! The owner! It's been forever!"
Isagi let out a silent sigh of relief at having escaped eternal humiliation. While Maria bounced over to the counter to greet the elderly shopkeeper, he leaned discreetly against the wall, watching.
"What do you think I should get?"
"I really don't know anything about tea. And it's not like I'm going to drink any."
Maria had probably asked because she was worried he was bored, but Isagi politely declined.
I'm sure Yuki could have helped, though.
A young lady from the Suou family would definitely know tea brands. As he thought that, a shop assistant appeared from the back carrying a tray of sample cups. It seemed it was time to taste the teas Maria was interested in.
"Hmm! This is delicious. Saa-kun, you have to try it."
She smiled warmly, a paper cup touching her lips as she called him over.
"Alright…"
After setting the bags down, he walked (elegantly, in his own mind) toward Maria, and—
"Here's a cup for you, sir."
"Thank you."
—the assistant handed him his own cup, which he accepted with a smile. Apparently they'd prepared enough for both of them. What a considerate, generous tea shop…
"It's good, right?"
"Yeah, this is seriously good."
"Right?"
"Yep."
They tried two or three more varieties, and every time Maria described one as "pleasant," "refreshing," "full of personality," or—Isagi's favorite—"hug-flavored," the assistant added another packet to the growing pile beside her.
When they finally finished, Maria thanked the owner in impeccably polite Japanese, complete with a smile that could make any old man consider adopting a twenty-something daughter.
Isagi picked up the bags—including the four that definitely hadn't been on the original list but no one dared contest after seeing the sparkle in her eyes.
As they left the shop, the late-afternoon sun bathed the street in soft golden light, and the breeze carried the distant scent of flowers.
"Saa-kun…"
Maria's voice called him, softer than before. Not cheerful. Not playful. Something more delicate.
"Hm?"
"Can we… take a little walk before heading back to school?"
She was looking straight ahead, but her fingers tightened slightly around the plushie, revealing a rare nervousness that made Isagi straighten instantly.
"Of course."
He answered without thinking. "Anywhere specific?"
Maria nodded with her chin toward the right, where a small, tidy park sat with wooden benches and flowerbeds.
A simple but cozy park.
"Over there."
He nodded, and together they walked toward it.
The park wasn't empty but wasn't crowded either—perfect for talking without becoming the center of attention. Kids played in one corner, two mothers chatted near the swings, and a bored-looking dog watched the world while its owner read a newspaper.
Maria walked to one of the more secluded benches and sat gracefully, keeping the plushie—Mewlisa—pressed firmly to her lap.
Isagi stood for a few seconds, trying to read the sudden shift in mood. Maria wasn't wearing her usual radiant smile. She looked… quiet.
Thoughtful.
"You can sit."
She lightly patted the space beside her.
"Alright."
He sat, setting the bags at their feet. For a few moments, neither spoke.
Maria opened her mouth several times, as if gathering the courage to push the words out. Her fingers squeezed Mewlisa so hard the poor thing looked like a squashed marshmallow.
"Saa-kun… I'm sorry."
Isagi blinked, confused.
"Huh? Sorry for what?"
"For catching you off guard like that." Maria looked away, a blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. "For acting like… like I'd gotten you back without any warning. I tried to hold back. I swear I did. It's been months… months since I became certain you were… you."
Isagi tilted his head.
"About that… How did you know for sure?"
Maria took a deep breath. Her lilac eyes met his—bright, but with a hint of sadness hidden deep inside.
"The way you play soccer."
He blinked.
"My… playing style?"
She nodded, this time with a small, almost melancholic smile.
"You always had that habit of tapping the ball with the tip of your foot before shooting…" Maria gave a soft laugh. "I saw it every day when we were little. And when I watched you play for the first time at Ichinan… everything came rushing back. Every detail. Every movement. It was the same. Exactly the same."
Isagi opened his mouth… and closed it. He'd never noticed that habit himself.
Maria continued:
"And the way you run." She clutched Mewlisa to her chest. "You lean your torso forward a little when you turn, like you're racing the wind. You always did that. Always."
A gentle breeze blew through the park, as if the universe itself were giving her space to keep talking.
"But… that wasn't all." She lifted her gaze, now steady. "Your name is the same. 'Isagi Yoichi.' When I looked it up and found out, that's when I knew for sure you were my 'Saa-kun'…"
She took another long, trembling breath.
"So I held back. Because I didn't want to scare you. I didn't want to… tie you to something you might not remember. But… when you came close to me today… I couldn't hold it in anymore."
Maria slowly turned her face toward him, cheeks flushed, eyes shining like spring petals kissed by dew.
"I'm sorry. I just… felt like I'd finally found you."
Isagi felt his heart lurch in a strange, almost uncomfortable, almost sweet way.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to stop: the bored dog, the chatting mothers, the distant shouts of children.
Isagi took a deep breath. For some reason his throat felt tighter than usual.
He didn't look away.
He didn't try to lighten the mood with a joke.
Not this time.
"…Maa-chan."
The name slipped out so naturally that even he blinked, surprised at how easily it came.
Maria's eyes widened, as if the air had been sucked out of her.
"I…" Isagi ran a hand through his hair, searching for the right words. "I wasn't scared. Or bothered. Finding out you're the Maa-chan from my childhood… it didn't confuse me. Actually, it made everything… clearer."
The silence that settled between them wasn't awkward; it was thick, charged, full of anticipation.
"I always wanted to find Maa-chan again." His voice dropped, more intimate. "When I was little… she was the person who made me happiest. Who made me feel… seen. Welcomed."
Maria pressed a hand to her chest, her fingers trembling around Mewlisa as if holding back tears.
"So finding out it's you…" He gave a crooked, sincere smile. "Actually… it relieved me."
Maria brought her hand to her heart, as though it were beating too hard.
"Saa-kun…" she whispered.
He went on, staring at his hands resting on his knees, trying to sound casual about something that clearly wasn't.
"I don't know what I feel yet. I'm not completely sure. But…" He slowly lifted his gaze, meeting her eyes directly. "If there's one thing I do know… it's that I don't want to lose you again."
The words escaped before he could think them through. Before he could formulate them, rationalize them. It was as if something inside him knew—instinctively, viscerally, urgently—that this was real. That the girl beside him wasn't just someone from his past.
She was his woman.
And that feeling… wasn't entirely his own.
It came from deeper. From an ancient, almost primal place.
He had already noticed it: an obsession left behind by his predecessor.
An emotional anchor that neither time nor death had broken.
Now, facing Maria head-on, that obsession awoke in full force, flooding his chest and claiming every inch of his heart. He had no idea how the bond worked, but a silent, primitive, almost animal instinct surged whenever he imagined losing her again. As if something terrible would happen if she walked away.
It was irrational.
Inexplicable.
But intense enough to be undeniable.
She was his woman.
And even without understanding where that conviction came from, he felt it in his entire body:
In the knot in his stomach when she looked away.
In the breath he held whenever she hesitated.
In the warmth in his chest when she smiled.
It was as if, on some deep level, he knew losing Maria would mean losing something essential—an invisible pillar holding up part of who he was. Maybe he'd collapse. Maybe his soul would simply shatter.
That was why, when he said he didn't want to lose her again…
He meant it.
Whether he was fully aware of it or not, conscious or asleep, the truth was simple:
Maria was too important to let go.
So much so that his body reacted before his mind could catch up.
But of course, he was freaking out about the whole thing.
Obviously he was.
Because what normal person just accepts, overnight, that an inherited obsession—an ancient, visceral, strange impulse—gets to decide who his woman is?
It was insane.
Ridiculous.
Terrifying.
And yet… impossible to ignore.
Ever since meeting her, his mind had been racing to keep up with his body—like someone sprinting after a train already pulling away, desperate to understand something his instincts had accepted long before he did. He wanted to question it, analyze it, deny it, but nothing made sense. The harder he tried to rationalize, the deeper he sank into confusion.
Of course he was freaking out.
But what could he do?
There was no off switch. No way to rip that feeling out of his chest. No way to ignore how Maria's presence affected him—not in a simple, romantic, or childish way, but in a way that bordered on predatory, possessive, inevitable.
As if his soul were trapped in a cycle he didn't yet understand.
As if he were walking a path someone else had drawn.
And that, more than anything, left him completely lost.
He felt on the verge of a breakdown—not the visible kind with hyperventilation and shaking hands, but a silent, internal meltdown that gnawed away at every logical thought he tried to form.
His mind said:
"Calm down."
His body answered:
"She's yours."
And caught between those two worlds, all he could do was the only thing possible:
Keep moving forward, even while trembling inside.
Because there was no manual, no off button, no way to fight something he didn't understand—something that felt bigger than his will, bigger than his doubts.
So he did what he could.
He breathed deeply.
Tried not to lose it.
And accepted, however reluctantly, that this feeling—this mix of fear, desire, need, and dread—wasn't going away anytime soon.
In the end, Isagi could only admit one last, bitter truth:
He was freaking the fuck out.
And there wasn't much he could do about it.
__________________
(A/N: Did you enjoy the chapter? Then you should know that over on my Patreon you can read up to 15 chapters ahead for just 5USD! And yes—for that price, you also get full access to all of my content. That's right: cheaper than a snack… and with way more drama, action, and guaranteed emotional damage.
The link is right below. See you there!
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)