Morning came loud.
Toga woke him by kicking his chair.
"Hey."
He cracked one eye. "You die?"
"No."
"Good."
She dropped into the other chair, towel gone, hoodie on.
"You snore," she said.
"Lies."
She leaned forward. "What now?"
"Now I go be boring."
"And me?"
"You stay put. Eat. Don't stab the neighbors."
She pouted. "That's half the fun."
He grabbed his jacket. "We'll talk later."
She watched him reach the door.
"You're not scared I'll leave," she said.
He paused. "If you do, you do. Just don't bleed on the carpet. I just got it cleaned."
She laughed.
**
UA wouldn't start for another two months. Two weeks till exam results got mailed out. Perfect stretch for Khan to enjoy a slow spiral of leverage.
The widow, Hana, finally sent the daughter that evening.
Khan just took another drink when the knock came, leaned back on the couch. The place looked clean, courtesy of Hana herself, scrubbed down between aftershocks of cock-drunk obedience. She even lit a vanilla candle.
The girl knocked again. Still polite.
Khan didn't rush. Made her knock twice more before moving.
By the time he opened the door, she looked twitchy. Confused. Trying to figure out why her mother sent her here with "Just talk to him. It'll help."
Khan smiled like they were neighbors. Like he wasn't already counting how many buttons down her blouse would give him a peek.
"Hi," she said. Formal. Slight bow. "I'm… uh---"
He cut her off. "Sakura, right?"
She blinked. "Y--- yeah."
"Come in."
She hesitated for half a second, then stepped in.
Cute. Twenty. Smart enough to be a headache in debate class, but not street-seasoned enough to notice what room she just walked into. Her hair was done neat. Clothes chosen to impress without trying too hard. Blouse tucked, skirt modest, flats on her feet. No makeup or jewelry. Not that their family could afford either. Purity cosplay that screamed overcompensation.
"Your mom told me you were back from university," Khan said, shutting the door behind her.
Sakura turned, surprised. "Oh… yeah, for break."
He didn't offer a seat. She stood awkward in the middle of the room, eyes flicking to the couch, then to the kitchen. Probably wondering what kind of "talk" this was supposed to be.
Khan walked past her. Sat down. Grabbed the remote. Volume low. Some background noise. Early-evening news cycle droning about Pro Hero budget cuts and a press conference gone wrong.
"You can sit," he said, waving at the armrest.
Sakura sat with her ankles crossed. Back straight.
Khan gave a slow sigh and smiled at her.
"Your mom's worried," he said softly. "Thinks about money. How she couldn't give you more. Better clothes, better food, better life. It eats her alive."
She looked up at him, her eyes disbelieving.
Khan kept going.
"She asked me last night if I could find her a second job. Just so she could afford that bag you wanted."
Her eyes widened fast, lips parted.
Khan grinned and shook his head. "I told her she was insane. Her body wouldn't last a week in another shift. She's already pushing it. But she said it like it was normal. Like breaking her back for your closet was the responsible thing to do."
Sakura's pupils went small. Throat tightened. She looked away.
He'd just pulled it out of his ass. Mid-thrust while Hana was dripping on his thigh, he questioned her about her daughter, but she didn't want to find a second job or buy her the bag. But Sakura didn't need to know that. She bought it like it was scripture. Khan could've said her mom wanted to harvest her kidneys and she probably would've asked which one.
"You're twenty," he said. "Makes sense you don't see it yet. But I'm telling you, your mom cares about you. She just doesn't know how to show it without setting herself on fire first."
Sakura shifted. Hands clasped in her lap, face tilted down.
"She's a friend of mine," Khan added, voice lighter now. "And I don't wanna see her cry about things she can't fix. So I figured I'd help you instead."
Sakura looked up. Slowly.
"Help… how?"
Khan leaned back into the couch, one ankle over his knee. He didn't look at her. He glanced at the TV instead, something about a villain attack in Osaka, and let the pause simmer.
"You're young," he said finally. "Smart. Beautiful. You wanna live, not babysit your mom's bills. I get that."
He turned his head back toward her. Met her eyes.
"Think of it as a gift," Khan said casually. "I'll help you now that I can. You pay me back if you can and want to. If not…" he shrugged one shoulder. "That's fine too."
Sakura stared at him as if he offered to bleed for her.
"Why?" she asked. "Why would you do that?"
She wasn't angry. Just stunned. That cautious little shell cracking open without her permission. It showed in the way her knees pressed together, the way her fingers started fidgeting with the hem of her blouse, her mouth parted.
Khan raised his brow, leaned back, let the fake warmth drip. "Didn't I say already? Your mom's a friend of mine."
Which was true. Sort of. In the way a leash is a friend to a dog that likes being walked.
Sakura's head dipped. She nodded, unsure.
She wasn't buying the whole pitch, but she was biting around the edges, and that was the part that mattered.
He sat up, elbows on his knees, voice dropping just a notch.
"Your mom works herself raw to keep things stable. Doesn't ask for much. Won't ever admit she's drowning. You think she's just tired? Nah. That's years of grinding under her own expectations. All she wants is for you to be okay."
He saw it land. That ache behind the eyes. She looked away fast, lips pressed together.
Perfect.
"She sends you here 'cause she doesn't wanna make you feel bad. So I step in, give you what she can't without hurting her pride." He reached for his drink. "That's what friends do, yeah? Fill the gaps."
Sakura sighed, breath hitching halfway.
"You don't owe me," he said. "I'm not running a charity. I'm just not interested in seeing her fall apart because this world makes people feel like trash for being poor."
The way she blinked, it looked like her heart just got clubbed.
"Okay." Her voice was soft now.
Khan drained the rest of his drink, then leaned forward.
"Oh, and Sakura?"
She looked up.
"Your mom doesn't need to know the details."
Sakura nodded. Too quick. Already internalized that rule.
"Not 'cause it's bad," Khan added, flashing that casual grin. "But because she'll think she owes me more than she already does."
Another nod.
He stood, stretched, popped his neck.
"I've got a meeting in an hour," he lied, grabbing his phone and tapping at it like something mattered. "You need anything else?"
She stood too.
"No," she said. "Thank you. Really."
He waved her off.
"Go," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Sakura moved toward the door, slow at first, then faster, glancing back only once. When she was gone, Khan clicked the lock, sighed, and sank back into the couch.
[New Thread Initiated: Dependency --- Sakura
Trust Threshold: 21%
Estimated Leverage Window: 4-5 Days]
He reached for his next drink.
Tomorrow, he'd talk her through the paperwork. Let her trip over every line. Let her ask questions she didn't understand. Let her offer things without realizing she was doing it.
All under the guise of kindness.
All wrapped in the soft rope of obligation.