Kenji laughed, the sound easing the tension in the room. “Seriously, though. The fact that he’s here must feel unreal for you. Two guys from your past are showing up at the same time in the same program. Those odds are insane.”
“A zillion to one,” I muttered.
Kenji’s face softened, and he placed a hand on mine. “For what it’s worth, I want you to succeed. I really do.”
The sincerity in his voice made me smile, but it also made my stomach twist with guilt. “But what if you’re not—” I stopped myself before finishing the thought.
Kenji picked up on it anyway. “You mean, what if I get dismissed?”
I swallowed hard. “Well…yeah. I mean, if you accidentally break a rule or something. I mean, we all could, right?”
His expression didn’t falter. “Until we face that issue, we’re friends. And friends look out for each other.”
I studied his face, searching for any sign of doubt, but there was none. Still, I couldn’t ignore the other feelings swirling beneath the surface. I’d missed him. I realized that now more than ever. And yet I couldn’t help but wonder… Were we destined just to be friends? Or could this be the start of something more?
I let out a yawn, and Kenji followed suit. “It’s getting late,” I said. “We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s our first full day, and I have a feeling Kanshisha-san won’t take it easy on us.”
“You’re right.” Kenji stood and stretched. “Oh, before I go…” He dragged my chair to the door and lodged the back under the doorknob. “Now, no one can get in. Not without making a racket, anyway.”
I tested the door, tugging on the handle to make sure the chair held. It did. “Thanks, Kenji,” I said softly. I leaned up and kissed his cheek. “For looking out for me.”
Kenji smiled but didn’t say anything. After he left, I replaced the chair and crawled into bed, pulling the thin blanket over me. The chair trick worked, but for the first time, it dawned on me that I was surrounded by strangers, young men with their own ambitions and desires. What was stopping any of them from trying to get into my room during the night? Nothing but a chair.
Sleep didn’t come easy. I drifted in and out, every creak of the building snapping me awake.
And then it happened.
The doorknob jiggled.
My breath caught in my throat, and I froze, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure whoever was outside could hear it. I strained to listen, but the sound didn’t come again. Maybe I’d imagined it.
Then the doorknob jiggled again, harder this time, followed by the faint scrape of chair legs digging into the floorboards.
Someone was trying to get into my room.
I gripped the blanket tightly. What should I do? Should I scream? Pretend to be asleep? Confront whoever it was? My mind raced, paralyzed by indecision.
Then the shuffling stopped.
A faint click of the lock turning sent a shiver down my legs. Whoever it was had locked me in from the outside.
CHAPTER NINE
After tossing and turning most of the night, I finally managed to doze off, only to be jolted awake by Kanshisha-san’s booming voice.
“Wake up! Wake up!” he shouted, banging on each bedroom door as he moved through the hallway. He gave mine an extra-hard hit when he reached it, causing the door to rattle in its frame before he unlocked it.
Thanks for that.
I groaned and glanced at my watch—7:00 a.m. What kind of torture apprenticeship made people get up this early? Propping myself up on my elbows, I rubbed my eyes and noticed the chair still firmly wedged under the doorknob. A wave of relief washed over me. Kenji’s chair trick had worked like a charm.
“At eight o’clock, I will return. Be ready,” Kanshisha-san barked before slamming the dormitory door shut.
We had an hour. I promptly flopped back onto my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin, determined to catch at least a few more minutes of sleep. But barely a moment passed before I heard a knock on my door.
“Akiko, it’s Kenji.”
I groaned again, louder this time. Wrapped in my blanket, I rolled off the bed and shuffled to the door. “Hold on,” I mumbled. Still cocooned in my makeshift fortress, I yanked the chair away from the doorknob and cracked the door open just enough for him to squeeze through.
