Chapter 296 - Get married

This can't be a simple accident. 

Kinoshita Iori calls Sawano Shusui. It's not picked up. She calls him again. With each ring, her heart is drumming against her c.h.e.s.t in anticipation. Iori calls him again and again until she realizes that something is wrong.

There are people in the building. The firekeepers are trying their hardest to fight the flames and save the people inside. Iori's ears are growing deaf. The loud screams weigh down on her heart. She wants to believe that the fire was an accidentl. If it is not, then it's her fault. 

There's a loud explosion. Someone pushes her hard on the concrete. She turns her head around. Her sight is blurry. People are running. Someone is screaming for help. Firefighters are still trying. A woman jumps from the second floor with her child. A man is crying for his dog who is stuck in the apartment. Loud shouts for help. The smell of fire and smoke numb her senses. Iori can't move. The call is never picked up by Sawano Shusui. 

Someone puts his arm around her shoulder. Iori looks up at the man. Takeshi is saying something to her, but she can't understand. She blinks her eyes, opening her mouth to ask him why he's here. He should be in the hospital. Takeshi's lips move again. He looks afraid. And she's afraid for him. Then, the words that Umezaki Rie had said to her rings in her head again. 

Her actions would affect her loved ones too.

"Senpai." Kinoshita Iori croaks, "Takeshi, something happened to Sawano Senpai."

"I will send someone to check on him." Kamiyama Takeshi puts his coat around her shoulder. "Keep your eyes on me and walk with me. Don't look at anything else."

"I think that he got hurt." She quivers, fear gripping her bones, suffocating her. "He got hurt because of me."

"No, don't think like that." He coils his arm around her waist and guides her toward the car. Her body is trembling in his arms. He realizes that she is having a panic attack. "Iori, don't think about anyone else. Just look at me."

He helps her sit down inside the car. Then, he hands her a water bottle. "Drink."

Iori drinks the cold water. Her mind is restless and her legs are still shaking with fear. She keeps recalling the fire that she had seen. 

"Take deep breaths," Takeshi commands her. "Long deep breaths."

Iori squeezes her eyes shut and takes deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She realizes that she can hear the sound now. The surroundings aren't too loud. Still, there's unrest outside. She doesn't want to know. Not right now. 

Nothing has prepared her for this.

"Stay here." Takeshi closes the car door. He texts his assistant and makes a quick call. "Send someone to this address and check if the person is alright. Tell me what you find out and guard the person."

After hanging up, he looks at the apartment building. The fire has been put out. Thick clouds of smoke are rising from the destruction. Wounded people and the dead bodies are being carried out of the building. The cops are already here. 

He sends a text to his brother about the situation. His brother had told him to message him if anything unusual happens after what had happened with Kirishima Mira.

"Kamiyama Takeshi." Yamashina Chiyo, who has arrived only a few minutes ago, heads toward him. She asks him with her usual cold voice, "Have you seen Iori?"

"She's in the car," Takeshi tells her. Though her voice is levelled, there are flickers of fear in her eyes. "She's fine. She wasn't inside the apartment."

Her cousin turns her head toward her. "Elder Sister, you are here."

"I am glad that I don't have to perform an autopsy on you," replies Yamashina Chiyo.

"I get the meaning." Kinoshita Iori shakes her head, laughing nervously. "I shouldn't be laughing at this situation."

"It's fine." Yamashina Chiyo mumbles, "You received a psychological blow. What if you had been inside the apartment? I don't want to imagine what aunt would have done to me if anything had happened to you."

If anything had happened to her… She can't imagine how her family would deal with it. But she already knew the dark side of being a journalist. Today, the incident had taken her off guard. Similar incidents might happen in the future. Maybe it was an accidental fire. She shouldn't have lost her calm in any case. Iori lowers her head and whispers, "I'm am sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Yamashina Chiyo eyes her coldly. "Did you start the fire?"

"No!" Iori raises her head and looks at her. "Sister, don't say scary things. People might misunderstand you and me."

"Then, you have nothing to apologize for." Yamashina Chiyo sits beside her. "We just lost the place to live."

"I don't want to go back home." Iori holds her head. A voice whispers in her head, probing her about Sawano Shusui. Is he okay? She trusts Takeshi. And she doesn't want to think. She's still shaken after seeing that fire. How many people had died in the apartment? The journalists are already here, taking pictures and asking questions. She should be doing the same and yet, she can't move. Her legs are numb with dread. 

"My mother will nag me to get married again." Yamashina Chiyo gives a long glance to Iori. "Stop thinking about it."

"I am trying not to," Iori utters with a shaky voice.

"Then again, you don't have anything to worry." Yamashina Chiyo sighs. "You have Takeshi. You can introduce him to Aunt and tell her that you are getting married. Maybe you should head to the civil office and get married to him. Then, you don't have to worry about a place to live."

"Elder Sister!" Iori exhales, exasperated. Should they be talking about this right now? "We haven't even started dating properly."

Yamashina Chiyo rolls her eyes. She had lost her living place. Can't she joke? And they say that she's too serious. "What's wrong with marrying him?"

"I agree with her." Takeshi interjects, "Let's get married."