Chapter Text
“Ah, right, you. The one who couldn’t stop shaking? What did you want from me again?” Endo smiles, pleasant in his facade that thinly veils his boredom. It’s not really a surprise— Akihiko sometimes even thinks it’s warranted, he’s not much of anything compared to the others— but coming from Endo, of all people? It's grating. A confirmation he doesn’t need.
“Don’t hurt Sakura-san again,” he says firmly, ignoring his jab. “If you do— no one in Makochi will ever forgive you, ties to Umemiya or no.” Endo cocks his head to the side, still smiling, but Akihiko can see the gears turning in his mind. He wonders if that’s what Sakura saw in the midst of their fight as Endo dragged him down and feels his heart constrict at the thought.
“Sure, sure. But you said ‘the town’ instead of ‘I’ because you’re not strong enough, right?” Endo laughs— grating, grating— as he leans down into Akihiko's space. “Right?”
“I'm weak, but I'm not naive.” Akihiko holds Endo’s gaze and does not back away. His hands curl into fists at his sides and he tries not to think about how hard his fingers are trembling. “Even if… even if I can't defend Sakura-san just yet, there are plenty of people who can, a-and who will. If you try to hurt him again—” Endo laughs, and the force of it makes him lean forwards; Endo laughs, right into his ear.
“Re-lax,” he murmurs, and Akihiko flinches. Endo pulls away with an amused smile. “If I hurt him again, he’d be the first person to beat me for it. He doesn’t need a pack of dogs fighting for him.”
“That’s not the—”
“It’s not? Isn’t that what you were threatening me with?”
“It’s not a threat if it’s true,” Akihiko says, talking over Endo’s repeated attempts to cut him off, and, seriously, isn’t that the most annoying part, “It’s a reminder. Just because Sakura doesn’t need us to fight for him doesn’t mean we won’t, because we care about him!”
“How touching,” Endo says. “Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong and nipping at anyone who gets too close… You really are a dog. Sakura's little lap dog, I suppose!” He laughs like it’s funny and Akihiko feels his cheeks flush, spreading all the way to his ears— no matter how familiar he is with cruel jokes, he can never quite tame his reaction to them— but he waits until Endo finishes patting himself on the back to speak.
“I don’t care what you think of me.” He loosens his fists and looks away. “I don’t care what you call me. If you understand what’ll happen if you mess up, then I'll take my leave.” Akihiko sidesteps Endo and continues past him, the green awning of Pothos vibrant in the midday sun. Comfortable, familiar. Safe.
“Sure, sure,” Endo says from behind him, but Akihiko refuses to look back. “I’ll keep your warning in mind, then, little lap dog.” He bristles. “I’ll see you around. I'm Sakura's friend now, after all.”
Akihiko keeps walking until Pothos is safely within reach— Sakura's inside, talking to Kotoha with a scowl on his face as he stabs at his omurice, and she’s smiling as she talks back. The sheer normalcy of it all ebbs away at some of the remaining tension in his shoulders, enough for him to chance a glance back.
The old legend of furin lifts his hand and gives a small wave, friendly in everything but his smile. It doesn't quite reach his eyes. ‘Bye-bye,’ he mouths. Akihiko can’t help but shudder, shaking his head to dispel it from his mind.
It’s fine, he thinks. He's said what he’s wanted to. Akihiko doubts he’ll ever have to talk to Endo again anyways.
Still, the unease lingers. Like a sea-green stain he can’t get out.