I placed a hand on his arm, trying to calm him. “Relax. I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not, Akiko,” he said, shaking his head. “You need me to protect you. No one else will look out for you like I can. Next time, we’ll fight to make sure we’re paired up. Whatever the challenge is, I’ll take the more dangerous part. You don’t have to do it alone.”
His words gave me pause, not because I thought he was right but because his protectiveness was starting to feel stifling.
“Kenji,” I said, keeping my voice steady, “I appreciate what you’re saying. I really do. But nothing happened to me this time. You can’t fight every battle for me. I need to face some of this alone, whether or not I want to. That’s part of what Chef Sakamoto is testing: how we handle pressure. I need to show that I can stand on my own two feet.”
Kenji kept rattling off ways to protect me, such as how he’d shield me from the others and take on the riskier tasks in future challenges. He wasn’t hearing a word I said, his mind spinning out of control. And his jealousy over Jiro? It was starting to unsettle me. Was this about protecting me, or was it about him wanting control over me?
Finally, I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “Kenji. Listen! I don’t need you to protect me. What I need is for you to be my friend. That’s it.”
Kenji’s shoulders dropped, his head bowing slightly. When he spoke, his voice softened. “I hear you, but…I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you. You mean so much to me, Akiko. Please, listen to me. If you don’t, I can’t protect you, especially from Jiro. Sooner or later, he’ll strike. And honestly? It looks like you’re getting comfortable around him, which is probably his plan. You can’t trust him. Trust me.”
I forced a small smile. “But you need to trust me, too, Kenji. Trust that I know what I’m doing.”
He nodded, even though his expression disagreed. As I stared into the pond, my thoughts drifted to Jiro’s actions during the challenge, how he had protected me from the whip and guided me through the challenge. Could it all be an elaborate setup? Or was there something genuine behind his behavior?
Kenji’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Whatever happens, Akiko, remember, you can only trust me.”
I didn’t respond. Watching the koi swim lazily beneath the surface, I couldn’t shake the feeling that trusting anyone in this competition, even Kenji, might be the greatest risk of all.
CHAPTER TWENTY
KENJI SANADA
We lined up outside our rooms, waiting for Iron Face to escort us to breakfast. Akiko smiled at me, and for a moment, I felt on top of the world. Seeing her in a good mood was reassuring. But then I caught Jiro at the other end of the hall with a smug grin plastered across his face. Was she smiling at me or at him? My stomach twisted. When I glanced back, she was already staring at the wall again.
On the walk to the training kitchen, Jiro kept looking over his shoulder at Akiko. The bastard turned his head every few steps, making a point of it. I stepped in front of Akiko, blocking his sightline.
And because I can’t resist an opportunity, I placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her gently like we were something more than teammates. Petty? Maybe. But revenge tasted sweet.
Akiko tilted her head up at me, brow crinkling. She looked so cute when she did that, even if I knew she was about to call me out.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” I put on my best innocent smile.
“You keep moving me left and right like a chess piece. It’s making me dizzy.”
“Am I? Sorry, didn’t even realize. I’m starving. Are you hungry?”
She frowned slightly, probably not buying it. “Very.”
“You know what I’m thinking?” I said, leaning closer. “Once this ends, I’m taking you on a proper date.”
Her brow softened, and a smile appeared. “Really? And where would that be?”
“It’s a surprise,” I teased. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Just then, she reached out for Kaiyo’s arm, grabbing his attention.
“How does your back feel?” she asked.
He winced when he turned to her. “It’s fine. Last night, Iron Face came to my room and asked about my injury. For a second, I thought he wanted to send me home.”
“What did you say?”
“I lied and told him I was fine.”
