•Black Sheep• || The Devil is a Part Timer || Urushihara / Lucifer

༺Chapter 19༻

Aiko stared ahead of her across the table at the purple haired boy getting his arm bandage changed by Ashiya.

Emi stood behind her with her hands hovering on both sides her head. A soft, baby blue glow emanating from them as they healed the scorch wounds on her head.

"Alright, you're fully healed now," She says as she backs away.

"Yeah, physically at least..." Aiko gently rubs her temples as she stands up and walks away from the table.

Just as she sits down beside Urushihara, Chiho enters the room, seeing Suzuno feed Maou the breakfast she made.

Of course, as expected, she goes on a jealous tirade.

But that becomes nothing but background noise to Aiko. For she has her mind occupied by something else.

Or, someone else.

"You know, I didn't really get to ask..." Aiko lowers her voice so only Hara can hear her, "Why were you so...distant with me after that first kiss?"

His actions on the computer halted, and he looked down guiltily.

"I didn't mean to be. And it's not like I ignored you all together or anything..." he let out a sigh, "Look I just didn't know what to do. I was gonna talk to ya but every time I saw you I just...froze up. I got nervous alright?"

Aiko blinked a few times.

"You were scared." She stated.

His head shot up and his eyes finally locked with hers.

"What?! W-What makes you think that?!"

"Well for one, that stutter," she points out matter-of-factly, "And two, because I was too. It isn't hard to put the pieces together Hara."

His cheeks tinted red as he broke eye contact.

"...Yeah, I was scared. I didn't know what I was feelin' okay? I didn't know how to handle it, so I thought if I ignored it then it'd go away, ya know?"

"Did you want it to go away?"

"Well, kinda. I was more so just scared of bein' let down again..."

Aiko cautiously reached out and placed her hand over his on the table. He looked over at her again.

"You know, I was lonely too, as you must know from when we saw each others memories..." he nodded lightly.

"For most of my life, I thought that cave I stayed in was my home. Because that's where I lived. Where me and my mother resided." Her hand closed around his fingers and held them gently. "But it wasn't until a few decades ago that I realized, that cold, dark environment wasn't a home...It was my mother who was."

The boy's brows scrunched up in confusion.

"My mother was my home. It was with her that I felt safe. That I was warm, comforted, happy...That's something you never had, was it? You never found that place to call home. Because all this time, it was never a place you needed...But instead, a person."

Urushihara squeezed his grip around the girl's hand tightly. He felt himself involuntary leaning in towards her, but then remembered the crew of people behind him, and thought better of it.

Aiko didn't fail to notice this.

Her eyes glanced over at her friends around the table, being their usual silly selves.