Hot Water

The warmth of the liquid jolted Jiji back to reality—the Evil Eye had been sealed once more. Damn it! He had been so careful. As his vision cleared, his heart sank. His hand was wrapped around Momo’s neck, choking her.

"Momo! I'm so sorry! I didn't—"

Panicked, he reached out to check on her, desperate to undo whatever harm the Evil Eye had caused. But before he could, you shoved him away. It wasn’t the force of the push that hurt—it was the meaning behind it. In the short time he'd known you, you'd become his best friend. But now, there was fear in your eyes. Fear of him.

"It's not your fault, kid," Seiko said, draping a towel over his trembling shoulders. She was trying to comfort him, but it was too late. The damage was done.

He had hurt Momo—his crush, his friend—and the weight of that realization was unbearable. And you, the one person who had always stood by him, had pushed him away.

He Chose This

The Evil Eye should have been exorcised. That was the logical choice. But to Jiji, that felt cruel. The entity wasn’t a monster—it was just a child trying to play. They had tried to welcome it, to make it part of their strange little family. But the truth was, their home was barely holding together, patched up with cardboard and tape. His friends couldn’t live like this, constantly on edge, fearing every cold drop of liquid near him.

He couldn’t bring himself to destroy the Evil Eye. But he also couldn’t bear to see his friends suffer because of it.

For the first time in his life, Jiji couldn’t hide behind jokes. He had no mask to wear, no way to laugh this off.

The Next Morning:

In the quiet of the kitchen, Jiji sat hunched over a bowl of hot noodles, stirring them absentmindedly. The steam rose in lazy curls, but he barely noticed. His appetite was gone.

Then, he heard footsteps. You were coming downstairs.

His grip tightened around his chopsticks. His gaze flicked toward you—just for a second—before he quickly looked away.

He couldn’t bear to face you.

Not after what he’d done.