“Finally, a voice of reason,” Jiro said, his voice rough but steady. “I’ve seen what you haven’t. And he’s right. If you want to survive this, you need to fight. We all survived the apprenticeship.” His eyes found mine. “We can survive this too.”
54
Miki
I woke and immediately looked at the door. The chair was still wedged under the knob.
All night I’d tossed and turned, waiting for Ginji to come. And he had. The memory rushed back sharply—the jiggling of the doorknob, the sudden rattle as he tried it again and again. Then the thud of his shoulder slamming against the wood.
I’d frozen beneath my blanket, every muscle clenched, hardly daring to breathe. The chair shuddered with each impact. I kept waiting for it to splinter, for the door to burst open and his shadow to fill the room.
But it didn’t. After a few minutes, his grunts had turned to swearing. Then silence. Then footsteps retreating down the hall.
Even now, with daylight pushing at the curtains, I still shivered. The chair had held. This time.
I climbed out of bed, my legs stiff from a night of half sleep. A thought gnawed at me. Had Masaki been outside when Ginji came, or had he been dismissed, leaving me to face it alone?
I crept to the door and pressed my ear against it. Nothing. No sound.
Carefully, I slid the chair back from the knob and cracked the door.
Masaki stood there.
My breath hitched. I hadn’t expected to see him.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice even, as if this were nothing more than routine.
“Uh—good morning…” The words stumbled out of me. “Were you out here all night?”
“Mostly,” he said. “I was dismissed for a while.” His eyes flicked to the door. “The chair held?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
His eyes darted down my body, then away almost immediately. Only then did I realize I was dressed in just a baby tee that barely covered my panties. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I slipped back behind the door.
“Do you have any news for me?” I asked quickly, clinging to something safer. “Anything about what will happen today, anything about Akiko?”
“Not yet,” he said. His eyes softened. “But if I hear anything, I’ll tell you.”
I didn’t say anything right away, and the silence between us stretched. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, my fingers fidgeting with the edge of the door.
Finally, I asked, “Why are you helping me?”
Masaki’s jaw worked, like he was chewing on words he wasn’t sure he should let out. His gaze flicked to mine.
“You don’t need to know,” he said, his voice low. “It’s… safer that way.”
I studied him. He wanted to say more—I could feel it. I mean, clearly Masaki liked me. That had to be why he was helping.
But was that the only reason? Was he just angling for a chance to get into my pants? He’d stopped Ginji from violating me again. That said a lot.
“Thank you for teaching me the trick,” I said quietly. “I appreciate it.”
He gave a short nod.
“Are you hungry? I can fix you some instant noodles.”
“You should eat and get ready,” he said. “Don’t worry about me.”
