章 31: Chapter 31: Betrayal

Takeshi stared his little brother down, not surprised in the slightest how his little brother shook under his gaze. He smiled, but even that held a bitter undertone.

“Nii-san,” Kenta greeted quietly, awkwardly bowing, “I wasn’t expecting you. Y-you should’ve called.”

“I would have,” Takeshi shrugged, “but I wanted to surprise you. That’s okay, isn’t it? For me to surprise my little brother with a visit?”

“No, it’s okay!” Kenta blurted out. “I-I would never turn down a visit from my brother.”

“You sure?” The older brother scowled. “Your actions have been telling me a different story, otōto.”

“What do you mean?” Kenta kept his distance, but his eyes flickered back and forth between Takeshi’s eyes and his hands.

“Don’t lie to me, Kenta.” Takeshi growled harshly, making his little brother jolt. Off Kenta’s silence, he continued. “The last one, the very last person on this earth that I would expect to betray me. You were counting on that, though, weren’t you?”