❝ WELCOME BACK, MYSTERIOUS ONE ❞

15

You groggily woke up with pain in your head. As you opened your eyes, the first thing that you saw was Ran sitting at the side of the bed.

"Good morning. How are you?" He asked as he pulled the table near the bed with a tray of breakfast.

"What happened?" Was the first thing you asked, as the banging pain in your head won't stop, but you felt a damp towel on top of your forehead.

"You fainted due to fatigue and exhaustion last night." Ran told.

You only nodded.

"Yeah, didn't you eat lunch and dinner yesterday?" Ran asked.

"No," you answered while avoiding his gaze. You looked at the window that had the perfect view of the sunrise.

"Why?"

"I had to finish what Rindou gave me."

Ran stayed silent, he looked around and sighed.

"I scolded Rindou last night after he came back."

"Came back?" You turned your head back to Ran.

"Yeah, he's the one who brought you into your room."

Your eyes widen for a bit, but then you took them back and sat up from the bed, which startled Ran.

"I'm going now."

"Go where?" Ran said as he stops you.

"Work? Where else? I like to keep myself busy," You nonchalantly said. "I'm the type of person who likes to keep themselves busy to avoid thinking about my problems."

"But you're still recovering."

"I don't care, as long as I finish the contract and job, know enough information, and get my stepmother out of the hospital, I'm out here." You admitted, even if did sting you a bit. 

"Oh really?" Ran raises his brow.

"Really? Yes, I don't want to cause much trouble."

"Y/n—" You knew from Ran's tone, he was going to talk about that, and of course, you immediately cut him off.

"Ran, look, I'm sorry but can we please forget what happened between us the other day?"

Ran felt his heart ache for a bit, but he composed himself and didn't show you, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"I won't forget that and pretend that nothing happened." He added.

"God, Ran, I don't want to be a burden in here." You dropped such heavy words, but weren't they true, though?

"Is it because of what Rindou told you the last day?" He said that made you pause.

"I didn't want to be in here in the first place—"

"But I did." Ran suddenly cuts off.

You looked at Ran, seeing how his words were genuine, but you were afraid of trusting again.

"Again."

"Didn't you hear what I told you the last time?" Ran said as he softly smiled at you.

"That as long as you're here, I'll take care of you, Y/n."

"You can trust me."

"I promise that until the end."

You stared at him with your e/c eyes. You slowly nodded as you leaned against the bed frame, and eventually accepted and ate the soup bowl on the table, not wanting to speak any further.

"So now, you have a long day and rest here, okay?" He said as he brings a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Who cooked the soup? It's really delicious." Your eyes glistened, changing the topic from the familiarity as Ran chuckled at you.

"I did."

"Oh, wow. I didn't know that." You mumbled.

Ran nodded. "Why? Want me to cook for you?"

"I mean..." You laughed, finally, Ran thought, you're finally talking to him casually.

"By the way," Ran said as he gave you a folder. "More information."

"Oh—!" Your lips formed a smile as you gladly accept the paper. It was another piece of information. You kept the paper in the drawer of your side table.

"You're really collecting them?" Ran asked as he watches you read and keep the paper.

"Yeah," you briefly responded as you went back to eating your soup. 

Ran kept quiet the whole time, voluntarily listening to you, even if you would mutter only one word.

After a few minutes of chatting with him, you're slowly getting used to him and the tension began to subside.

While you were telling him stories, the sun's rays from the window beside the bed reached over your perfect features, the way your eyes glistened, and your lips curled into a smile when you tell him interesting stories, he felt as if he was watching a television show with you as the lead.

"Where's Y/n?"

Mask asked his co-worker as he's fixing his desk.

"I don't know, Sir Ran told us that she won't be attending today again."

"Again?" Mask thought, sighing as he then walked to his cubicle and sat back down. "Oh, okay, thanks."

"Is it because of what happened yesterday?" Mask thought as he started to feel bad and blame himself.

"Boss Manjiro gave us a lot of works today, ya know." Another masked guy named Haru said as he drank his coffee.

"I heard they were busy on something, that's why boss Sano isn't here for almost a week now." Another man said.

"Yeah, I noticed that as well, Mikey did give us a lot these weeks." Mask said while typing on the computer.

"Mikey?" The two men turned their heads to mask. "Who's that?"

Mask's eyes widened as he turned his head to them. "What?" 

"That's his nickname?!" Haru and the others gasped.

"W-well I don't know. I think? I just heard it." 

"Damn, if the higher-ups heard that, you're gone. You know how we should address them with sirs or boss." Haru laughed under his mask. "And if they knew that you eavesdrop on their conversation... you'll be a lump of dead meat. You know how our bosses hate nosey people."

"Yeah..."

"My face is burning under this mask," Haru inhaled. "I'll take it off for a while."

Haru took off the strap behind the mask and with that, he removed the mask and placed it on the table. He shook his head and brushed his hair back.

"Phew!" He puffed an exhalation as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.

Haru has dark brownish hair that complemented his brown honey-colored eyes, pinkish lips, and a sharp jawline, and his ear piercings were noticeable.

"Hey, Haru! Better wear your mask again immediately. We'll never know when our bosses will enter the office!" Another man shouted from the next cubicle.

"Yeah, yeah I know that." Haru yawned as he slumped back in his chair.

"How about you, Mask? Take off your mask, no need to worry, they won't come in—"

"No."

"O-oh damn alright." Haru said as he puts his hands up.

"Anyway, why did we all suddenly start calling him the nickname 'mask' just because the girl called him that?" One of the workers asked.

"I don't know. Sounds cool, tho'. This emoji '👺' can be his signature." Haru said while laughing.

Mask just ignored everything as he looked at the wall beside him. He looked at the ticking clock and looked around.

He heavily sighed and went back to work.

Anonymous' POV

I rushed out immediately as I escaped, the thin fabrics barely keeping me warm from the breeze in the woods, the moon beaming above as it was the only source of light that guides me along my path in the woods.

The twigs and branches almost puncturing my bare feet that ran through the mud as my hair blew with the wind, running for my dear life to get to the destination.

"A-almost... there..." I breathed deeply as I felt the sharp pain in my lungs, almost popping as I ran out of breath.

Ring! Ring!

"Hello?" I groaned annoyingly as I answered my phone. I leaned on the tree for a while, catching my breath.

"Where are you?" The familiar man on the other line answered, I can tell his voice is raspy and hurried from the tone.

"I'm almost there, if you didn't fucking call, then I'll be there quickly." I retorted.

"Mkay, chill." He deeply chuckled from the other line.

"I'll be there soon." And there, I ended the call.

After some minutes, I finally got to my destination, I looked up and saw the familiar tall wooden but modern door.

It has a structure with snakes and outlined carved straight and curved lines that form certain letters that I, myself, was familiar with, golden carved and cut-out letters on each side of the hidden base, a modern-looking wooden brown door with golden structures built with rare expensive calcites.

I grabbed the phone in my pocket as I dialed him.

"Hello? I'm outside." I said.

On cue, the tall large double door opened, and a man showed up with a phone in his ear and a welcoming smirk, not forgetting the aura that radiated off of him.

The familiar man in front of me, wearing the same uniform I had back then, his hair changed, slicked back in a ponytail with loose strands left in front that is striped in two colors, the same droopy and lazy yet menacing eyes, and his signature earring never missing out.

"Long time no see, Wakasa Imaushi."

"Likewise—"

"Stop with the name." I immediately shushed.

"Alright, mysterious one." Wakasa chuckled amusingly as he straightened his posture, returning his phone to his pocket as he reaches for the cigarette in his mouth, placing it between his index and middle fingers, and blowing smoke, the wind and fog chilling in...

...As the smoke dissipated.

"You never really disappoint me ever since." Wakasa told.

"Pfft, of course, I'll do anything to take everything back." 

"History repeats as they said, right?" I added.

Wakasa scoffed as he raised his head and blew a cigarette. "Not so sure about that this time."

"Compromise is the best settlement, so let's start as soon as possible, shall we?" He answered.

"I've been waiting, so let me in now. I had a long fucking day." I stretched as I went inside the building and walked past Wakasa and bumped him with my shoulder.

But as soon as I passed by him, he placed his hand on my shoulder and said something that made me smirk.

"Welcome back to Brahman."

A/N: just a note, brahman exist in the future with bonten, it doesn't follow the storyline in the actual manga, it's different here in this fanfic

anyway take a guess who's the "anonymous's pov" hehe, just a note, not all members may or may not be there