The day after this eventful night, Helia gets ready to clean Toji's toilets as usual, but this time there's a hint of nervousness in her actions. She can't help feeling anxious at the thought of seeing him again after the unexpected events of the previous night.

She wonders what he will say, how he will act, and the uncertainty makes her heart flutter in her chest.

She arrives in front of Toji's door and knocks on it, her heart beating a little faster as she waits for him to respond. After a moment of silence, Toji's rough voice comes from inside.

"Come in."

She enters the room, her eyes immediately searching for Toji. She finds him sitting on the bed, his gaze on her as she enters, his black eyes assessing her silently.

For a moment, neither of them speaks, the air thick with tension and anticipation.

As she looks at him, she notices that he does seem a bit better than he was the day before. Despite the lingering bruises and wounds on his body, he's clearly in less pain, his movements a little more fluid than they were before.

Before moving to the bathroom, Helia has to know how he feels about last night. She gathers her courage to speak. "Toji...about last night..."

He watches her, his expression unreadable. He can't help but tense up a bit, his muscles going taut for a moment. Waiting for her to continue.

"...Does it change anything?" She finishes.

His eyes narrow a bit as he considers her question. He thinks for a moment, his gaze moving over her intently before he speaks again.

"Do you want things to change?"

Helia shrugs. She doesn't really know what she wants. Since yesterday her thoughts seem to mix in her mind making it difficult to think clearly.

"Well...all of this did feel a bit weird and confusing but...I didn't hate it."

A small, weary smirk tugs at the corner of Toji's lips.

Helia avoids his gaze, as she continues.

"But I don't know how you felt about it. Did you hate it, or maybe do you think it was a mistake?"

He continues to watch her intently, taking in her nervous avoidance of his gaze. He sighs quietly before replying, his voice still calm and composed.

"I didn't hate it. I wouldn't call it a mistake either."

As she looks back at him, hope flickering in her eyes, he studies her for a moment before continuing.

"In fact..." He pauses for a moment, his gaze holding hers. "I quite enjoyed it."

She looks at him a bit surprised, her look mingled with a sense of relief. His admission has eased her worries, her body visibly relaxing as the tension starts to leave her muscles.

She nods, happy with his answer and with a small smile on her face she makes her way towards the bathroom. But Toji suddenly stops her, his hand reaching out to gently grab her wrist, preventing her from moving further.

"You don't have to clean my bathroom anymore. It's ridiculous, you shouldn't have to do that."

His words take her by surprise, and she stands there, a bit stunned at his decision. After a few seconds, Helia finally breaks the silence.

"Does that mean you'll train me without expecting anything in return?"

He tilts his head slightly, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'll train you. But I do expect one thing in return, just one."

"Which is?"

His eyes continue to hold hers, his grip on her wrist tightening slightly as he speaks.

"Don't leave me alone. Promise you'll stay by my side." His gaze is searching her face. "Promise me."

He can see the surprise in her expression, as she realizes that he still wants her near, still wants that connection they had shared the previous night.

She feels extremely light at that moment, and her heart is beating very hard in her chest.

"I will...stay by your side as long as you want me to."

His grip on her wrist loosens slightly, but he doesn't let go, his touch lingering on her skin.

Out of nowhere, he moves, his action catching Helia off guard, as his strong arms wrap around her in a firm yet gentle embrace.

She can feel the heat of his body against hers, the steady rise and fall of his chest as he pulls her closer, his exhale warm against her skin.

As for him, he can feel the steady beat of her heart, and he relishes in it, in the comforting feeling of having someone near, of not being alone.

His tensed shoulders relax, his eyes closing for a moment as he silently enjoys this quiet moment of intimacy.

After some time, his voice breaks through the quiet stillness of the moment, a soft, almost inaudible whisper that sends a shiver down her spine. His arms tighten around her a bit more as he speaks.

"I'm afraid that I'll never want you to leave my side..."

Her heart drops at his words, but she answers quickly not wasting a second.

"Then I'll stay forever."

His eyes open at her words, relief visible in his expression as he takes in what she said. His embrace on her tightens slightly, his arms holding her closer, his chest rising and falling against hers as he lets out a slow, relieved exhale.

"Good..." He whispers, his voice still soft and quiet. There's a small smile on his lips as he looks down at her, a small measure of contentment in his gaze.

He finally lets go of her, reluctantly releasing his hold on her. He takes a small step back, his look still fixed on her as he begins to speak. There is a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"But hey, don't start thinking I'll go easy on you during training. I'll still make sure to kick your ass in training, no matter how close we are."

She can't help but smile at his remark. It's a small confirmation that despite the previous night's events, that's still who he is.

The Toji she knew was back. She won't say that she missed this stupid smirk of his, but it was somewhat refreshing to see it again.

"Yes of course, I wasn't expecting the cold Toji Zenin to show too much kindness after all."

He lets out a weary huff, a large grin on his lips.

"Damn right. You thought a little tenderness would make me soft? I'm still the cold, tough bastard you know. I've got a reputation to uphold, after all."

This time, she laughs frankly. "Of course you do!"

His expression softens a bit, as he hears her laugh. "Can't have people think I'm going soft."

"Well, I'm afraid that I have to leave the very cold and tough Toji Zenin, because I actually have some work to do."

He lets out a chuckle, a hint of sarcasm in his weary tone as he responds.

"Yeah, don't let me keep you, I know you have work to do. Can't have you slacking off just because I got a little soft."

She felt very brave in this moment, maybe because the mood was so light, that's why she gently presses a kiss on his cheek.

For a moment, he just stands there, his body frozen in place. But then, he relaxes, a smile coming to his lips as she starts making her way out of his room, her kiss leaving him stunned silent and a bit dazed.

"You cheeky little..." He mutters under his breath, his weary voice trailing off as he watches her leave his room.

[...]

As she turns to leave Toji's room, Helia finds herself face to face with Cassy. She stands in the corridor, her haughty expression fixed on her, her eyes cold and unwavering.

Her smile from earlier fades quickly as she sees her, the confident mood Helia was just in coming to a sudden halt.

Helia bravely tries to ignore Cassy and pushes past her, but Cassy doesn't make it easy for Helia. As she attempts to pass her, Cassy suddenly steps in Helia's path, blocking her way, a satisfied smirk on her face.

Helia's mood is already ruined. "What do you want?"

Cassy's smirk widens, a mocking gleam in her eyes. She crosses her arms across her chest.

"I just wanted to have a little chat." She says, her voice dripping with disdain. "Is that a crime?" She stops to look at Helia up and down before continuing. "You spend a lot of time in Toji's room, don't you?"

Helia tenses at Cassy's words, but she keeps her composure, not wanting to show how the girl's words affected her. "I'm cleaning his room, so that's pretty normal."

Cassy's eyes narrow slightly, a hint of malevolence in her expression.

"Oh, right, cleaning." She says, her voice laced with a hint of mockery. "You sure you were just cleaning in there?"

A sense of panic rushes thought Helia. Did Cassy know about what happened between her and Toji? No, she must calm down there is no way she could have seen them.

"Of course I was, what other things a maid could do in a room, other than cleaning and putting things away?"

A haughty scoff escaping Cassy's lips as she regards Helia with a mixture of mockery and disbelief.

"Oh right, because a maid only cleans that's all they do." She says, her voice laced with sarcasm. "There's nothing else a maid could possibly do in a man's room, right?"

Helia grits her teeth trying to stay calm. "Cassy what you're implying is very serious. I can't believe you're actually accusing me of such a thing."

Cassy's smirk widens as she sees Helia attempt to defend herself. She knows there's more to her visit to Toji's room than just cleaning, and she relishes the opportunity to push her buttons.

"Oh, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just suggesting that there might be more going on between you and Toji than just cleaning... That's all."

"Well, you're wrong."

Cassy pauses for a moment, as she studies Helia carefully, searching for any signs of weakness or dishonesty. After a few seconds she finally speaks.

"You know, you're quite lucky. I would absolutely love to spend some time in Toji's room, especially if he was there..."

Cassy continues, her voice still low and sultry.

"You have no idea how jealous I am every time I see you heading into his room. You get to be alone with Toji, to spend all this time with him... it's not fair, you know?"

Helia doesn't say a word, she just glares at Cassy. She thinks that the poor girl must be crazy to be obsessing over Toji like that.

Cassy continues, her voice laced with a hint of bitter jealousy.

"I've tried everything to get his attention, to get him to notice me. I've tried flirting with him, I've tried being nice, I've even tried teasing him, but no matter what I do, he always pushes me away. He ignores me like I'm just some annoying little pest. It's like he's completely immune to me, and yet he lets you into his room, lets you spend all that time with him without a second thought..."

Helia scoffs. "And how is it my fault that he seems to think you're not worthy of his time?"

Cassy's haughty expression falters slightly at Helia's words, a flicker of anger crossing her face. Clearly, Helia's comment has struck a nerve.

"Not worthy of his time?" She repeats, her voice laced with a hint of annoyance. "I'll have you know Toji is the one who's missing out. I'm the most beautiful, capable woman in this estate, and he's just too blind to see it!"

Helia raises her eyebrows. Yes, there is definitely something wrong with that girl.

Cassy's expression becomes more controlled again as she seems to regain her composure. Her eyes fix on Helia.

"Why don't you tell me what is actually going on between you and Toji?"

Helia sighs, tired of Cassy's insistent questions. "I've already answered your question Cassy, there is nothing going on between us. I'm just cleaning his room, don't get the wrong idea."

A haughty, almost revolting smirk spreads across Cassy's, her voice dripping with mockery and malevolence.

"So, if you're really telling the truth, and that you two are not close, then I'm sure Toji doesn't know where you go every night?" She says, her eyes practically gleaming with cruelty. "He knows nothing about your little... nightly habits, right?"

Helia's blood runs cold. There is no way that Cassy knows about her daily report to Naobito.

"I really don't know what you're talking about Cassy, you must have lost your mind and start imagining things."

Cassy's smirk widens at her response, clearly amused by Helia's attempt to feign ignorance to her insinuations.

"Imagining things. Oh, I'm not imagining anything, dear. I know exactly where you go every night."

Cassy cuts Helia off before she can respond.

"But I'll give you a piece of advice. You better enjoy this little moment of peace while you can. It won't last forever. I can assure you of that."

With that, Cassy turns on her heel and exits the corridor, her haughty smirk still firmly in place. Leaving Helia alone in the hallway to ponder her words, a sense of unease and uncertainty lingering in the air.

A mix of frustration and anger boils inside Helia. Cassy's words and haughty demeanor have really gotten under Helia's skin, and she can't help but feel the primal urge to do something drastic, to show her that she can't push her around.

The thought of ripping her hair off or teaching her a lesson crosses her mind, but she quickly pushes those thoughts aside.

Now, a sudden sense of panic takes over the anger. Cassy's words about her nightly "habits" suddenly sends a chill down her spine.

Her mind is swirling with worry and fear as the possibility of Toji discovering her secret dealings with Naobito consumes her thoughts. The thought of him finding out the truth about her nightly reports and what could happen if he does suddenly fills her with a sickening dread.

Yesterday she took the decision not to report Toji's actions any longer, since he had opened up to her by telling all about the awful things his father has done to him.

But despite that decision she still has to go see Naobito every night, to not raise any suspicions. But she won't tell him anything about Toji's activities anymore.

So, she was technically not really betraying Toji, was she? Or maybe she should just tell Toji about all of this?

But she's unsure of how he will react. She's aware that he despises Naobito more than anyone else, so confessing that she has been spying on him for his father all this time could lead to a violent outburst.

The fear of losing the connection they've recently gained fills her mind as she ponders the possibility of him hating her after learning the truth.

She's plagued by the thought of everything they've shared and the progress they've made together being destroyed in an instant due to her revelation.

The whirlwind of emotions and thoughts swirl through her head, but eventually, she comes to a final decision. Despite the gnawing feeling in her stomach, she ultimately decides against telling Toji the truth, at least for now.

The risks of losing his trust and affection outweigh the potential consequences of continuing the deception, so she resolves to keep her secret for the time being.

She tries to rationalize her decision, assuring herself that even if Toji ever finds out the truth, she can always explain that she was forced to meet with Naobito to avoid suspicion, but that she also had decided since yesterday not to reveal anything about him anymore.

However, deep down, she can't shake off the feeling of anxiety and unease, knowing that continuing this deception could lead to dangerous consequences in the future.