You had followed Madarame not out of loyalty, admiration, or even the thrill of the fight, but out of a simple, practical agreement. He had beaten your ass in the ring—a fact you could accept, given that you were still the strongest among the others.

Madarame had made an offer: help him take down Takasato Gumi, and in return, he would teach you how to fight like him. It wasn’t a bad deal.

Once, he had even propositioned you—to sleep with him. You might have considered it, if you hadn’t learned about his past with Towa.

The moment you realized he had once slept with a minor, the idea of being anywhere near his bed disgusted you. You were a fighter, maybe even a ruthless one, but you still had standards. You turned him down without hesitation, and after that, he never brought it up again.

Fast forward to now—sitting on a couch, cigarette in hand, half-listening as Madarame finally introduces you to the trio you had been hearing about.

Kotarou, all sharp teeth and easy confidence, whistles at you the moment his eyes land on you. "Who's this?" he asks, arms crossed, head tilting slightly. "Didn’t know Madarame had someone this good-looking following him around."

You exhale smoke, uninterested.

"Just someone I keep around," Madarame answers, his tone casual, indifferent. "Made a promise."

Kotarou hums, eyes flicking between the two of you before he asks outright, "So, are you two together?"

"No." The answer is immediate, honest.

That seems to amuse Kotarou more than anything. His lips twitch into a smirk as he leans in slightly, gaze settling on you like a predator eyeing something worth chasing. "Then, what do you say?" he drawls.

"Wanna hook up?"

You don’t answer immediately. You let the silence stretch, inhaling another lungful of smoke before exhaling slowly, the haze curling around your face.