Chapter 26: Shiina Kanzaki is very kind
Shiina Kanzaki was a very well-proportioned girl.
Her fitted training uniform hugged her figure in all the right places, revealing the powerful curves of a girl who trained with discipline but never tried to show off. Her waist was narrow, her hips gently flared, and her chest... well, it rose and fell a little too noticeably with every breath she took after the fall.
His eyes wavered.
His breath caught.
For just a second... he felt it. A thrum. A heartbeat not entirely his own. A heat that had nothing to do with battle or bloodlust, but something warmer... messier... and was down south on his body.
"She’s... beautiful."
The thought hit him like a sword stroke to the ribs.
He turned his face away sharply and clenched his jaw, as if ashamed to have thought it at all.
"No. No. I cannot."
His hands curled into fists against the mat.
"My Yuki... my wife... I failed you once. I couldn’t protect you when it mattered most. Even now, I chase your shadow in this twisted future world. This Shiina, she’s not you. I mustn’t... I can’t..."