Keio High School
Morning sunlight filtered through the classroom windows, painting everything in soft gold. Hanae sat by the window, chin propped on her hand, staring out at nothing in particular. The world outside looked fuzzy, like something from a half-forgotten dream.
She couldn't focus on the lesson or her classmates' chatter. Her mind kept drifting back to what she'd seen last night.
Flashback – Last Night
The hallway outside her bedroom was dead quiet. A maid stood at her door, knocking softly.
"Miss Hanae... Dinner's ready."
Nothing.
After waiting a moment longer, the maid sighed and walked away, her footsteps barely audible on the carpet.
But the door cracked open just a minute later. Hanae peeked out, hallway light catching half her face in warm gold. She slipped out silently, making her way downstairs one careful step at a time.
Downstairs, her mother's voice sliced through the air like ice.
"I want you to investigate someone...
Yes, I need everything you can find," Lilika said into her phone, tone cold as winter. The call ended with a sharp click.
I have to handle this myself, she thought, eyes hard. I can't afford another mistake.
Present – Keio High
BAM
"Ah—!" Hanae jumped as Kaori's hands slammed down on her shoulders.
"Earth to Hanae! You completely zoned out there!" Kaori laughed.
Rika crossed her arms, looking worried and annoyed at the same time. "Seriously, what's going on with you today? You've been acting super weird. Do you know how worried Renn-senpai was this morning because of you?"
"Yeah!" Kaori nodded enthusiastically. "And Halloween Night is only four days away! The concert, our costumes—we've been planning this forever! Don't go all doom and gloom on us now, Hanae-chan!"
Hanae managed a small smile. "You're both right. I've been stuck in my own head too much... I should probably apologize to Renn-senpai for being such a space case."
Kaori and Rika shared one of those looks—the kind that said they knew exactly what was going on without saying a word.
Hanae's gaze drifted back to the window, a shadow crossing her face.
Who was Mom calling last night? And who was she digging up information on?
Flashback – Last Night
A dark room lit only by the blue glow of computer monitors. Kairos sat hunched over his desk, headset on, fingers flying across the keyboard.
"...Fine, I'll look into it. I'll get back to you once I have everything."
The call ended.
His eyes flicked to one of the screens—Kira, tears streaming down her face as she watched the video he'd sent.
"Huh... thought that would cheer you up," he muttered, tilting his head. "Guess it made things worse instead." His expression turned serious as he pulled up lines of code. "Well, I've got new work now. Get some rest, Kira. I'll see you soon..."
Present – Kira's Apartment
The doorbell rang.
Kira's heart nearly stopped. She froze mid-step, her injured ankle throbbing as she tried not to put weight on it.
For a second, she couldn't even breathe.
Who could that be?
Gathering what little courage she had left, she limped to the door and looked through the peephole.
Nobody there.
Her blood turned to ice water.
With shaking hands, she slowly turned the lock and cracked the door open.
"YOOHOO! KIRA!!"
"AHHH—!" Kira stumbled backward with a startled shriek.
Standing in her doorway with a huge grin and arms full of shopping bags was Ryujin.
"Oh my God, Ryujin! You scared the hell out of me!"
Ryujin doubled over laughing. "Man, you still jump at everything just like when we were kids!"
Kira puffed out her cheeks. "That's not funny!"
"Anyway," he said, holding up the bags proudly, "I brought food. You must be starving, right? Gonna let me in or what?"
Despite herself, Kira felt a smile tugging at her lips. "Fine, come in. And... thanks, I guess."
As Ryujin stepped inside, he let out an impressed whistle. "Whoa. This place is huge—and actually pretty cozy. Nice setup."
"Thanks," Kira said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. Then her phone caught her eye, and her expression changed.
Those weird messages from this morning were still there.
She held the screen toward Ryujin. "Look at this. Someone texted me earlier—'Can't get up?' and then 'Should I help you?' It's from Kairos, right?"
But Ryujin just burst out laughing again. "Oh come on! I can't believe you actually bought that. That was me!"
Kira blinked. "What?"
"I sent those! It was just a joke!" he chuckled.
Her face went dark.
"Ryujin..."
"Wait—Kira—!"
WHAM!
"Ow! Ow! Sorry! Kira—let go! I give up!" Ryujin clutched his stomach where she'd punched him.
But Kira didn't stop because he surrendered.
She stopped because her ankle gave out, sending her stumbling.
"Kira!" Ryujin lunged forward to catch her—and lost his balance too.
Both of them went down hard.
Thud.
Silence.
"...Ow," Ryujin groaned.
Kira winced from where she'd landed next to him.
"...You're an idiot."
He grinned despite the pain. "Totally worth it though."
Ryujin carefully helped Kira up, supporting her weight as he guided her to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Stay put," he said gently, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Go get cleaned up. I'll make us something to eat."
Kira looked at him, surprised by how soft his voice had gotten. She nodded slowly. "Thank you... for helping me."
"Always," he said with a small smile.
Kira took her time freshening up, moving slowly because of her ankle. The cold water on her face helped clear her head a little, but her thoughts were still a tangled mess—confusion, fear, and something warm whenever she thought about Ryujin's kindness.
When she came into the kitchen, the smell of breakfast hit her—eggs, toast, and miso soup. Ryujin stood at the stove, humming completely off-key while flipping eggs like he'd been doing it his whole life.
Kira stared. "I had no idea you could cook."
Ryujin glanced back and winked. "Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence. I've been on my own for years now—you learn to survive."
They sat down and ate in comfortable silence for a while.
After a few bites, Ryujin set his chopsticks down and leaned forward.
"Kira... I'm going to find out who attacked you. And this Kairos guy too."
Kira looked up, startled. "Ryujin... don't. It's too dangerous. You shouldn't get mixed up in this."
His expression went serious—more serious than she'd seen him in years. "We don't even know if your attacker and Kairos are the same person. But I'm not going to sit around doing nothing while someone's trying to hurt you. I've already waited too long as it is."
She started to protest again, but he held up his hand.
"Don't worry about it, okay? Just stay safe. Don't open the door for anyone suspicious. Call building security if anything feels off."
Kira bit her lip but nodded.
Ryujin smiled and stood up, grabbing his jacket. "I'll keep in touch. Try not to stress too much."
Then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
Kira stood by the table for a moment, staring at the empty space where he'd been.
She whispered to the quiet apartment, "How am I supposed to tell Ryujin about my other identity...?"
Her fingers gripped the edge of the table.
"Should I even tell him...?"
She looked out the window at the morning light spilling across her floor, her heart heavy with secrets and decisions she wasn't ready to make.
And with that thought, silence settled over her once again.
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