He didn’t want to break up with you — that much was certain. The thought alone made something inside him twist and ache, like a wound that refused to close. But he had to. Every instinct in him screamed to stay, to hold on, to fight for what little peace he found in you. Yet the same instincts reminded him how cruel the world could be — how everything he cared about was destined to vanish.

If anything, the reason behind his decision wasn’t a lack of love. It was because he had already lost too much. He couldn’t afford to lose again. He couldn’t afford you to be next. Each time he looked at you, he saw both comfort and danger — a soft place in a world filled with blood and death. And maybe that’s why it hurt so much; because you were one of the few things left that still made him feel alive.

He wanted to protect you, no matter what it cost him. Even if it meant becoming the villain in your story. Even if it meant breaking both of your hearts in the process.

You were a devil hunter too — skilled, fearless, sharp in both instinct and blade. Aki knew that. He’d seen the way you moved during missions, how your eyes burned with determination. But still, he couldn’t reassure himself. Not when every memory of Himeno, of his family, of everyone he’d lost still haunted him every time he closed his eyes.

He’d told himself that getting close to people was a mistake. Yet somehow, you slipped through every wall he built. You became the exception — and that terrified him more than any devil could.

Aki sat in silence for a while, cigarette burning low between his fingers. The smoke curled in the air, fragile and fleeting, just like the things he cared about. His thoughts were a storm of guilt and longing.

He wanted to tell you he loved you. He wanted to beg for time — for just one more day, one more morning to see you smile before the next mission. But he couldn’t. Words like that only made parting harder, and he’d already made up his mind.

Finally, he looked up, eyes shadowed and weary.

"We need to break up,” Aki said quietly, his tone firm but trembling at the edges.

The words hung between you like smoke — bitter, choking, impossible to breathe through.