Page 10 of The Oni's Heart

His eyes softened, as if he didn’t take it personally. Like I wasn’t ripping into him with everything I had. It only pissed me off more. I didn’twanthis pity, and I certainly didn’t want his concern.

“I’m not pitying you,” he said, his voice still steady, that damn calmness not wavering an inch. “But you don’t have to do this alone, you know.”

“You don’t know me,” I snapped, louder this time, taking a step toward him. My voice was on the edge of breaking, but I was too furious to care. “You don’t know anything about me, about what I’ve been through. So don’t act like you do.”

His gaze didn’t change, and that was the problem.Why was he so calm? Why wasn’t he getting angry back?

“I’m not pretending to know,” he said quietly. “But I know what it feels like to carry something heavy. To be weighed down by things you can’t change. You don’t have to carry that burden by yourself.”

The words hit me harder than I wanted them to. For a moment, everything inside me froze. My anger started to dissolve, but I wasn’t ready to let it go. I couldn’t.No one gets to make me feel like this. No one gets to get through to me.

“I don’t need this, alright?” The words came out in a rush, desperate to push him away, but there was no conviction in them. “I don’t need anyone. I’m fine.”

But he didn’t seem to be buying it. He took a step closer, and I wanted to scream, to tell him to stay the hell away from me. But his voice, calm and gentle, still cut through the noise in my head.

“You don’t have to pretend to be fine,” he said, his tone soft but firm, as if he wasn’t going to back down. “You’re allowed to ask for help. You’re allowed to let someone in. It doesn’t make you weak.”

I stood there, my chest tight, suffocating under the weight of his words. His presence, calm and steady, was suffocating me in a different way. But I couldn’t escape it.I couldn’t escape him.

“I’m Tatsuya Ikeda,” he said, breaking the silence between us. He gave a small bow, akin to some kind of ritual. “If you ever need anything, even if it’s just someone to talk to, I’ll be around or at the temple.”

The words hung in the air, and I felt something in me twist. I hated it. I hated that he was being so…kind. I didn’t need kindness. I didn’t needhim.

I wanted to argue, wanted to snap at him, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t find the words, and even if I could, I wasn’t sure I wanted to say them anymore.

Without another word, I turned and walked away, my heart pounding in my chest, the remnants of my anger still smoldering under the surface. But his words, his presence, lingered in the back of my mind.You’re allowed to let someone in.

And it made my stomach churn with something I couldn’t quite name. Something that made me afraid of myself.

7

The Audacity of Fools

MOMOI

Iwas still furious. Rejection after rejection. I wasn’t even given the chance to prove I could do anything. Just "no experience," "not what we’re looking for," the same tired excuses, the same dismissive faces.

So, I ended up in a bar. Another dive, another place where I could lose myself in a drink and pretend for a few minutes that none of this mattered. I didn’t want to think about anything anymore, least of all the crushing weight of being nothing in a city full of people who could’ve cared less.

At this rate, my money was going down the drain faster than I wanted, making me feel even worse.

The bartender, an older guy who looked as if he’d seen too many wasted souls pass through, slid a glass in front of me without asking. I didn’t say a word, just took the drink and knocked it back like I was drowning in it.

"Rough day?" he asked quietly, not wanting to push but still offering a friendly ear.

I stared at the glass, taking a few moments before answering. "What gave it away?" I muttered, barely caring. The last thing Ineeded was someone trying to play therapist, but I didn’t care enough to send him away. Maybe the silence was better than trying to pretend everything was fine.

He didn’t press. Good.

I watched quietly as he refilled my cup before walking away to tend to other customers. I threw some cash on the counter and took a sip.

I sat there for a while, the low hum of the bar around me fading into the background as the alcohol took over. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.

But of course, some guy decided he needed to ruin the moment.

"Hey, pretty lady," he said, his voice dripping with confidence, or maybe arrogance. I didn’t look at him, but I could feel his presence right next to me. "Mind if I sit here?"

I didn’t bother turning my head. "No, but you’re gonna do it anyway, right?"

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