Chapter 39

As l watched over Shoji in the infirmary, his peaceful demeanor in the midst of pain strikes me deeply. In that moment, he seems like an angel, radiating an aura of tranquility and grace that contrasts sharply with the violence of the fight.

But still wondered what he did to receive this brutal beating from Hiro.l still had alot to ask.

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As soon as l arrived home,l felt a surge of urgency to confront Hiro about the fight.

With a determined expression,l enter into their room unannounced and ignore all the curious eyes googling me.l grab his hand and lead him to my room,my mind buzzing with questions and uncertainty.

Once inside,l turn to face him,my eyes burning with intensity.

"I need to know what happened,"l said firmly,my voice trembling with emotion.

"Why did you attack him? What could he have possibly done to deserve that?"

Hiro meets my gaze, his expression defensive and guarded.

"It's not what you think," he starts, his voice strained. "He was saying things about you, things that I couldn't let slide. I had to defend your honor."

l study him intently, trying to gauge the truth in his words. Despite my history with him, l can't help but feel a seed of doubt creeping into my mind maybe due to the conversation l had first with Shoji.

'His secretly manipulating you,Simi.'

And as l looked into his eyes,l saw a flicker of something that unsettles me – a darkness that l've never noticed before.

Unable to ignore the turmoil raging within me,l take a step back,my hands trembling with uncertainty.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," l whisper,my voice barely above a whisper. "But whatever the truth is, I need some time to figure things out."

"Figure what out!?"My brother enters without an invitation and behind him are other two accomplices.

"What are you even saying right now,you can't just trust words from a stranger who you don't know."He said angered by my approach to the situation."Hiro has been our friend since elementary,have some faith in him dammit."

"Language."l stood up and took my jacket to go out to cool my head for a bit."And he's not some stranger."l said barely a whisper as l went outside.