It was finally the day Ayaka's stitches were scheduled to be removed.
The moment she had been anxiously counting down to, unsure if she was more nervous about the procedure or the man silently walking beside her.
Akihiko hadn't said much since they left her apartment together.
His expression was unreadable, his gaze fixed forward, and the weight of his earlier cryptic words about "other people checking up on her" still lingered in her mind like an unsolved puzzle.
The ride to the hospital had been quiet, tension thick and palpable, and now, as they walked through the hospital entrance, Akihiko stayed unnervingly close to her. Too close.
Almost as if he was shielding her, deliberately closing the distance, like a silent statement only he understood.
"We'll stop by Dr. Hasegawa's office first." Akihiko said without glancing at her, his voice was low and composed. "He wants to do a follow-up before I remove your stitches."
Ayaka nodded softly, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag as she kept pace beside him.
She could feel eyes on them—sharp, lingering stares—and hushed murmurs echoing faintly in the background like ripples on water.
"Is that really Dr. Nakamura walking that close to someone?" a nurse whispered, her voice just barely audible. "And not just anyone... That's Ms. Yamamoto."
"Are they… dating?" another voice chimed in with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
Ayaka's cheeks flushed crimson. She leaned in slightly toward Akihiko, lowering her voice. "A lot of people are whispering about us…" she murmured, unable to hide the embarrassment lacing her tone.
Akihiko's gaze remained straight ahead, unfazed.
His answer came cool and clipped, cutting through the buzz around them. "Let them think whatever they want. It doesn't matter to me."
Before Ayaka could even process his indifferent response, an all-too-familiar voice cut through the tension.
"There you two are!" Toru appeared suddenly, grinning like a fox that had stumbled upon a feast.
His arm casually slung around Akihiko's shoulder, completely ignoring Akihiko's glare.
Leaning conspiratorially, Toru whispered, "See that nurse?" He subtly nodded toward the nurse station, where a young nurse was nervously chatting with a doctor, his eyes flickering over toward Ayaka every few seconds.
Akihiko's icy glare darkened, but Toru wasn't finished. "He's been asking about Ms. Yamamoto nonstop and has been waiting for this day just so he could shoot his shot."
Toru's grin widened as he turned to Ayaka. "What do you think, Ayaka? Is he your type? Kinda cute, right?"
Caught off guard, Ayaka glanced instinctively toward the nurse—and to her shock, their eyes met briefly.
The nurse flushed bright red and immediately looked away, fumbling awkwardly with the papers in his hand.
Toru stifled a laugh. "Oh, he's shy! How adorable."
Ayaka opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Akihiko clearly had enough.
Without a word, he grabbed Ayaka's hand firmly, his fingers curling around hers in a possessive, unmistakable grip. The sudden contact sent a jolt through her chest.
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Akihiko said coldly, glaring daggers at Toru.
His grip on her hand tightened, making sure every nurse, every onlooker—including the blushing nurse—had a clear view.
"She'll do her follow-up with you later. I'm handling it now." Akihiko snapped before turning sharply, practically dragging Ayaka down the corridor.
Behind them, Toru stood with arms crossed, smirking knowingly. "Well, well… The great Dr. Nakamura does have a soft spot after all…"
------
Inside Akihiko's office, the air was suffocatingly tense.
The moment they entered, Akihiko wordlessly released Ayaka's hand, his cool mask slipping right back into place as though nothing had happened.
Ayaka hovered awkwardly by the door, rubbing her palm absentmindedly where his warmth still lingered.
Akihiko's back was already turned, his voice clipped. "Do you know that nurse?"
Ayaka blinked. "Nurse?"
"The one Toru pointed out." His tone was deceptively casual, but his eyes glinted as he walked toward her, closing the space until her back nearly brushed the doorframe.
Ayaka swallowed. "Not really… I've seen him around. I think he took my vitals when I was admitted. That's all."
For a heartbeat, Akihiko's expression flickered—something sharp, something strangely like relief—before he turned away again, masking it behind cool professionalism.
"Sit." he ordered quietly, pulling out his instruments. "I'll remove your stitches."
Ayaka complied, but her mind swirled with questions. 'Why was he acting this way?'
Silence stretched thin between them as Akihiko worked efficiently, his cold fingers deft against her skin. Finally, she couldn't bite it back any longer.
"Why have you been so distant with me lately?" she asked softly, searching his face for any crack in that icy armor.
His hands never faltered. "I haven't. Isn't this how I always am?"
Her chest tightened. "Then… all the kindness you showed me before… Was that not real?"
A faint smirk ghosted his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You're my colleague's precious sister. Why else would I bother being kind?"
The words hit her like a slap, sharp and cruel. Something inside her crumbled.
So all of it—the gentle moments, the quiet concern, the nights he stayed by her side—meant nothing?
Ayaka's vision blurred as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she forced herself to smile bitterly.
"I see… I guess I was right to call you an Ice Prince after all." Her voice cracked slightly despite her best efforts.
Akihiko silently placed the last bandage over her stitches, his expression unreadable.
Before he could utter another word, Ayaka grabbed her bag, forcing herself to her feet.
"Thanks for everything, Dr. Nakamura." she said coldly, though her voice trembled. "I'll let you know when the book's done. After the contract ends, we'll go back to being strangers."
Without waiting for his reply, she spun on her heel and walked out, her tears falling freely the moment she turned away.
Her heart clenched painfully as she hurried down the corridor, head down, refusing to look back.
She didn't notice Toru standing by the corner until he spoke. "Ms. Yamamoto, about your—"
"Next time, Dr. Hasegawa." she muttered, not even slowing her steps.
Before he could get another word in, she was gone—leaving both doctors standing.
The door clicked shut behind her.
For a moment, the only sound in Akihiko's office was the faint ticking of the wall clock.
He stood there, motionless, eyes fixed on the empty chair where Ayaka had been sitting just seconds ago.
The sterile scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, but all he could feel was the ghost of her warmth—the way her hand had fit perfectly in his earlier, the faint tremble in her voice when she thanked him like a stranger.
'Stranger.'
That word grated inside his head like nails against glass.
His jaw tensed, fingers curling into fists at his sides.
'Damn Toru and his incessant teasing.'
'Damn that nurse for even daring to look at her like that.'
And damn himself most of all—for letting the words spill out like that. Cruel, cold, indifferent. His armor.
It was easier to push her away with sharp edges than to admit how close she'd gotten.
It was easier to pretend none of it mattered, that he didn't mind the way her eyes used to soften when she looked at him.
...That her absence didn't feel like a hollow ache creeping beneath his skin....
But the sight of her tearing up—because of him—clung to his thoughts like a brand. He hadn't meant to go that far.
He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, running a hand through his silver hair, disheveled now, a stark contrast to the calculated composure he kept up for the world.
A knock sounded at the door before it creaked open without waiting for a response.
Toru stepped in, arms folded, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. But one glance at Akihiko's face made his grin falter.
"Well, that went well." Toru muttered dryly, leaning against the doorframe.
Akihiko shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Do you ever think before opening your damn mouth?"
Toru shrugged, unbothered. "You're blaming me? You're the one who went full Ice Prince mode and froze her out."
"She's better off if people stop talking." Akihiko snapped, voice low but tight with something darker—something even he couldn't name. "I don't need unnecessary rumors following her around."
Toru raised a brow, unimpressed. "You don't need rumors. But maybe you do need to figure out why you care so much."
Akihiko didn't answer, his eyes flicking briefly to the hallway outside, empty now.
The image of her walking away—shoulders tense, head down, blinking away tears—burned into his mind.
Every instinct in him screamed to chase after her.
But what was he supposed to say?
That he didn't mean it?
That the kindness, the nights staying over, the way he instinctively reached for her hand—all of it had nothing to do with Kei's precious sister and everything to do with the fact that she'd become the one person capable of unraveling the cold walls he'd spent years building?
That truth felt far more dangerous than the distance he just created.
"Maybe you should stop pretending like you're doing her a favor. Or maybe you should admit you're getting jealous." Toru added, voice quieter now, more serious.
Akihiko stared at Toru and grinned "Huh? I don't get jealous."
"Seriously? After the way you acted?" Toru scoffed at him.
Without another word, he grabbed his coat and strode past Toru.
"Where are you going?" Toru called after him.
Akihiko didn't bother looking back nor saying anything and just left.