[Suzuka POV]
The morning breeze brushed gently against my face, tugging at my hair as if echoing the faint whistling of the air around him. He trained with unwavering focus — push-ups, squats, testing his ice manipulation. In our past lives, he had been a scrawny, malnourished boy, burdened by poverty and drug abuse. Seeing him now, so alive, so in control, stirred something inside me.
I think I always loved him, but now I couldn't deny it anymore. He saved me. Twice. I wished I could do something to repay him. I wished I could help…
I couldn't do anything. Not when Aika died… not in Nagano… and not against the storm of himself I was beginning to sense — that strange, restless wind that seemed to follow him even here. He had gone back. Back to Romania.
"I know it sounds absurd, but apparently… my kid self lives in this timeline. I'm an abomination."
He'd said that after returning, calling me and Haruka-chan into his room. He looked exhausted, his voice brittle in a way that scared me more than any battle ever could. He'd only been gone two days, but those two days felt like forever. We were so worried about him…
In that time he was gone, I had told Haruka-chan about myself. She didn't press, didn't ask questions, but I could tell she was already shocked by my revelation… especially after the battle ended when Rias Gremory, Kokonoe-kun's devil master, tried to erase my memories.
That's why his words struck me so sharply. My own kid self could be somewhere in Paris… and I wouldn't even know if he hadn't gone there.
Now I wonder… who am I? Am I Claire Moreau — the quiet girl who sat in the back row of art classes in Paris, sketching anime characters and writing poems? Or am I Midorikawa Suzuka — the Japanese girl born and raised in Nagano?
I feel like both… and neither.
"You've gotten better, Kokonoe-kun~", Haruka-chan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Oh my, I spaced out... hehe.
They were training in the open field behind the dorms — the same one Kokonoe-kun had frozen over the week before by accident. The air shimmered faintly with cold, the morning sunlight reflecting off the thin sheen of frost like scattered shards of glass.
"Is that all you've got?" Kokonoe called out, his tone teasing. A half-smile curled on his lips as he sidestepped another incoming icicle, the shard slicing through the air just inches from his face before shattering against a tree.
"Not even close!" Haruka-chan shouted, forming a quick seal with her hands. The air trembled — three more icicles spun into existence and launched forward in a spiral pattern.
Kokonoe ducked, rolled, then kicked off the frozen ground with a burst of ice under his feet. He moved like he'd done this a thousand times before — instinctive, fluid, cold precision. Each icicle missed him by a hair, breaking apart in a burst of frost that glittered in the sun.
He landed softly, one hand touching the ground. "Predictable," he said, flicking his fingers upward. Thin spikes of ice erupted from the ground, tracing a perfect arc that cornered Haruka-chan.
"Wha— hey! Not fair!" she yelped, barely managing to leap backward as the spikes closed in. Her foot slipped, but Kokonoe was already there, catching her by the wrist before she fell.
"Fairness doesn't win fights," he said, smirking faintly. "Instinct does."
"Mou~... you used to be so easy to beat…" Haruka-chan pouted, brushing her bangs aside as she straightened up. "Not that I mind the evolution, though. I do need a strong man~."
Kokonoe-kun blinked, caught off guard for a fraction of a second. "Tsk… you never change, do you?"
She giggled, spinning a small shard of ice between her fingers before dissolving it into mist. "Maybe. But admit it—you like it when I keep you on your toes."
He didn't reply, only crossed his arms and gave her a half-lidded look that said maybe I do. The faintest ghost of a smile clung to his lips before he turned back toward the field.
"Again," he said quietly.
Haruka-chan grinned. "Gladly."
And with that, another volley of ice erupted between them — cold shards glinting in the morning light, the sound of frost and laughter filling the air.
Koneko-chan appeared behind me, her quiet voice cutting through the rhythm of battle. "They're going at it again, huh…"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Ah—Koneko-chan!" I turned, clutching my chest. "Good morning… yeah, it seems so, hehe."
She stood beside me, arms crossed, tail flicking lazily as she watched Kokonoe and Haruka trade blows. "He's pushing himself harder lately," she muttered, eyes narrowing a little. "Like he's trying to burn out something he can't get rid of."
"...Yeah." I followed her gaze, watching him move through the shards like they were part of him. "But… somehow, it feels like he needs this."
Koneko didn't answer, but the faint tension in her shoulders said enough.
Just as we had this exchange, they finished their mock battle, both of them panting, sweat dripping down their faces. I hurried toward them with two bottles of water in hand, smiling brightly.
"Good work, you two!" I said, offering the bottles. Koneko-chan trailed behind me, looking only mildly impressed.
"Thanks, Midorikawa. You're a life saver," Kokonoe-kun said, taking one and twisting the cap open.
Using my family name again… ugh, you big idiot. Just call me Suzuka!
He froze mid-sip, one brow raising. "Uh… aight, Suzuka. Damn, you shoulda just said so."
My soul left my body.
Oh noooo, did I say that out loud!? I could feel my face turning red. "I-I—I didn't mean—uh—I mean—ahhh!"
Haruka-chan burst out laughing so hard she nearly dropped her water. "No way Suzuka is this cute this early in the morning!" she said between giggles, then wrapped her arms around me from behind. Her cheek brushed against mine, soft and warm.
"Mou, Haruka-chaaan…" I whined, squirming a little, but she just hugged tighter. "You always do this lately…"
She grinned against my shoulder. "Because you always make that adorable sound when you're flustered~"
I could feel my heart doing weird flips. It was embarrassing… but also kind of nice.
Koneko-chan ignored us completely, heading straight for Kokonoe-kun with that calm, unreadable face of hers. "Senpai, it's time to go to school," she said flatly.
He raised an eyebrow at her, brushing some frost off his sleeve. "So, we're gonna make this walk to school together a routine now?"
She scoffed softly, arms crossed, looking away like she was trying not to smile. "Don't complain."
"I'm not," he said, with that casual shrug of his that always made him look cooler than he probably realized.
Koneko's ear twitched faintly — just once — before she turned toward the gate. "Good. Let's go."
Before leaving, Kokonoe glanced back at us.
"I'll be back. Die my mother if I lie to you, as we say in Romania," he said with a dry chuckle.
Haruka-chan stepped forward and threw herself into his arms, her eyes softening like she was about to cry.
"Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Don't worry so much, you idiot. I'll be fine," he said, hugging her back. After a moment, they separated. Kokonoe-kun ruffled her hair lightly, then leaned in to kiss her forehead, drawing a small blush from the Yuki-onna.
Then his eyes met mine.
Before I knew it, I'd already thrown my arms around him — as if I could keep him from leaving just by holding tighter.
"I'll miss you…" I murmured, barely finding my voice.
"I'll miss you too," he said, his tone softening. "But don't worry — I'll be back. You know I always find my way back to you."
I know. That alone is enough.
I love you.
I wanted to say it, but the words wouldn't come.
"I'll be waiting," I whispered instead.
He smiled faintly, leaning down to brush his lips against my cheek. Heat bloomed in the spot where his lips had touched.
Uwah… so embarrassing…
Me and Haruka-chan waved the two goodbye. Once it was just us, we started heading back toward the house. Haruka-chan's expression was dark — the kind of grim that never hid well behind her usual teasing smile.
"I hate it… I hate that woman. I hate that he has to fight for her. I hate that we didn't meet him sooner. Well, you did, but—ugh, I still hate it!" she snapped, her voice rising with each word. "Why does he have to fight for that Gremory bitch… against a Phenex of all things?!"
There was a shadow in her eyes now — cold, furious, and heavy.
"Suzuka," she said quietly, almost trembling, "you know me and Kokonoe-kun… we're Snow Yokai. There's no one in the supernatural world we despise more than that clan."
I remembered the moment Kokonoe-kun told us about the upcoming Rating Game between the Gremory and Phenex peerages. Haruka-chan had been angrier than I'd ever seen her.
"Can't you just… skip that game?!" she cried, her voice cracking with frustration.
Kokonoe-kun only frowned — that same complicated frown of his, caught somewhere between resignation and exhaustion, the ghost of a smile clinging to his lips. He sighed, pressing a hand to his temples.
"You know I can't," he said quietly. "If I do, she'll brand me a stray. Is that what you want?"
"I just want you safe!" Haruka's voice broke, trembling as the words left her. The desperation behind them was impossible to miss — or to answer.
I couldn't deny that she was right. But still… it was thanks to that woman that Kokonoe-kun was even alive. I tried to convince myself of that, but a part of me — the part that still remembered his past self, ShadowFrost64… Mihai — refused to believe it. That stubborn part of me couldn't accept that the lonely boy I once knew was now just a pawn in someone else's game.
I turned to Haruka.
"I know…" I said softly, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I get why you feel that way. The Gremory clan… they've always been something else. And Kokonoe-kun—he's always been caught in the middle."
Haruka-chan's fists clenched at her sides, tension radiating from her like a biting chill. "Caught in the middle? Suzuka, he's risking everything! And for her! I can't stand it… it's unfair. He should be fighting for himself—or for people who actually matter to him."
She paused for a moment, drawing in a slow breath as if to steady herself.
"I try to act the same," Haruka said softly. "There's no point in burdening him with something he already knows… and yet, I can't stand it." Her voice wavered, the edge of her earlier anger softening into quiet pain. "We just got him back… and now he's gone again."
Gone again.
The words pressed in like winter air. Kokonoe-kun would be training with the Gremory peerage in the Underworld — or hell, as we knew it — in the days leading up to the Rating Game.
Ten days. Ten long, empty days without him.
We had barely survived two days when he went to Romania… and now, ten. The thought twisted in my chest like a cold wind I couldn't escape.
Without thinking, I reached for Haruka's hands, holding them tightly in mine.
"I know how you feel… trust me, I do," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "But worrying won't get us anywhere. We have to believe in him."
Even as I spoke, I realized I was trying to convince myself more than her.
_________
[Kokonoe POV]
The devil came to take me to hell, but I'm already there.
Ain't gonna lie, seeing the Underworld for the first time was breathtaking. I've been to some places before — countries in Europe, Morocco, Japan — but this was something else. The crimson sky, streaked with black clouds, looked like something Dante would've sketched during his early painter days, before realizing the real thing was worse.
No forests on the mountains either. Just jagged rock, sharp and slanted, like the world had been carved out by something angry and imprecise. Even the horizon looked like it wanted to cut me open.
I squinted, breathing in the air — dry, metallic, faintly electric. Every sense screamed wrong, but there was beauty in it too. The kind of beauty that's only beautiful because it hurts to look at.
"I feel like I'm in a cartoon," I muttered, half to myself. Except in cartoons, nobody actually bleeds.
"I know, right?!" Hyoudou blurted out, eyes shining like a kid at a theme park. His excitement bounced off the rocks, way too loud for this kind of place.
"It's… kinda scary," Asia murmured, her hands clasped together, voice trembling just enough to make you feel bad for her.
Yeah, I'd imagine it would be scary — a former nun suddenly dropped into literal hell.
But when you make a deal with the devil, there's no going back....
Or is it?
That's what I've been trying to figure out. Haruka would love to see me break free, but it doesn't change the facts: I was weak, I died and she brought me back.
If I die a third time, please don't bring me back.
I mean, third time's the charm, right?
"…Senpai," Koneko said suddenly, her flat tone cutting through the silence — but there was something soft under it, almost worried. "You were just thinking about dying again, weren't you?"
"Who, me? Nah, I'm having the time of my life!" I said, forcing a grin. The mock enthusiasm didn't fool anyone — least of all her.
"If you say so…"
She didn't sound convinced, but she didn't push either. I glanced at her — the only real ally I had left in this so-called family — and had to bite back a sigh. It's almost scary how well she's come to know me.
The rest of the peerage? I treated them the same way I used to talk to my coworkers back in my TikTok days: casual enough for small talk, distant enough not to care.
And in the mean time? I was analyzing. Ways I could sabotage her. Don't get me wrong, I hated Riser, but pulling the ground from Rias' feet meant I could finally be free.
It always happened back in my past life. People thinking I was a pushover. Me, letting them push so hard it justified the moment I struck them back. Unhealthy or not, that's my modulus operandi. My ninja way.
Anyways.
Then came the training. I watched Hyoudou get his ass handed to him by everyone. Akeno fried him with her lightning, Kiba outmanevered him with swords and Koneko overpowered him with raw strength. It was fun. I wish I had some popcorn.
Then, it was my turn. My opponent was Kiba.
"Kokonoe-kun, you're not allowed to use your Sacred Gear.", Rias said.
Whatever. I'm not Hyoudou to depend on my Sacred Gear like I got nothing else.
After my return from Romania, I've been training my ice powers with Haruka, and let me tell you, I've come really far. So, yeah, I was the wildcard. And I enjoyed it.
Awakening my Sacred Gear during Nagano also helped. I could now manipulate ice flawlessly.
My hands formed into ice claws. And in that moment, I let my imagination run wild, picturing the ancestral sword of House Stark from Game of Thrones. And I summoned it.
Icecalibur.
Get it? Lmao.
"Ara, ara~ where did Kokonoe-kun learn to do that?", Akeno giggled, mildly amused.
"From the ice bitch...", Koneko said flatly, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"From those girls who were with him and Koneko in Nagano?", Asia tilted her head, curiosity written all over her face.
Get it? Lmao.
"Ara, ara~ where did Kokonoe-kun learn to do that?", Akeno giggled, mildly amused.
"From the ice bitch...", Koneko said flatly, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"From those girls who were with him and Koneko in Nagano?", Asia tilted her head, curiosity written all over her face.
"Those two girls cling to him like he's some Casanova, it's not fair!!!" Hyoudou yelled, stumbling. "And he's cheating! Totally cheating!!"
Shut it, pervert.
Kiba, for his part, raised a brow, not expecting my weapon of choice. "Interesting, Kokonoe-kun has become strong", he smiled faintly.
Lol, pretty boy. Did I, really? Or am I just more scarred.
I watched him closely, eyes scanning every move. I'm not gonna claim I'm good at swordfight, so I gotta watch how he moves.
He swung towards me and I blocked him. Barely. Like a keeper catching a shot briefly before it goes into the net. The impact send a shockwave through my arms.
The clash rang through the training hall — clang — a sound sharp enough to split the air. Sparks and frost mixed where our blades met.
Kiba stepped back first, graceful as ever, sword poised. "You've improved your reflexes," he said, tone halfway between praise and analysis.
"Yeah, well," I shrugged, twirling Icecalibur once before resetting my stance. "Getting killed twice kinda helps with reaction time."
His polite smile shifted into something uneasy, and I could see the raised eyebrows from the rest of them, as well as Koneko's expression saddening for a moment.
"Twice?", Hyoudou asked, incredulous.
In between Suzuka revealing she's a reincarnate, me speaking Romanian in a Transylvanian accent, visiting Romania or singing in Hungarian, you still haven't been able to put it together?
No one even said anything about how I awakened my Sacred Gear, but whenever Hyoudou so much as sneezes, he's pampered by Rias and Asia like he's the most precious thing.
Family, my ass. This just shows how much you see me. Just like then, just like now. Nothing ever changes.
I'm tired of being a footnote in someone else's story.
(BREAK)
I felt it. Heard it. Something inside me broke when I thought that. Not in a way that hurt me physically. More like my body rejecting something.
It was the same feeling I had when I met my kid self in Romania. The decaying tooth. Could it be?...
Before I could finish that thought, Kiba dashed forward, sword gleaming, a flash of light breaking through the frost. I met him head-on, Icecalibur catching his blade in a shower of shards. The force numbed my hands, but I pushed through, letting the cold spread into my veins like poison.
His attacks were getting faster, sharper, and my defences were barely holding. A slice at my cheek, a graze at my shoulder. He was slipping through my blockade like Iranian missles slipping through the Iron Dome in Tel Aviv.
Missiles? That gave me an idea.
I met him head on, sword clashing against sword, but then... the Icecalibur broke. Shattered to pieces. Figures it wouldn't hold up for that long. I spat on the ground.
I released a barrage of icicles at him, and he switched to cutting them with his sword. Fast, but at that point, I was releasing them faster.
"That's enough", Rias's voice echoed through the training ground.
Tch. I was just warming up. Whatever.
Kiba stepped back immediately, lowering his sword with a nod. I straightened, then brushed some dust off my clothes. Rias just stood there, watching. At last, she spoke.
"You've improved, Kokonoe-kun," she said, but the praise sounded rehearsed, performative. "But next time, try to focus less on theatrics. This isn't a performance."
Ouch. There it was. The Rias Gremory special — wrapped in courtesy, dripping with condescension.
And I wondered, whose theatrics? Mine? Or yours?
"When you compare it to a real massacre, it does feel like a performance.", I bit back. "Yknow, the real stuff some people show up late for..."
My taunt wasn't lost on anyone. They wanted to argue back, but facts were facts. The bloodshed in Nagano could have been avoided if they showed up faster.
I heard two gasps and it didn't take much to know where they came from. Koneko's jaw tightened, Akeno smirked, Kiba's eyes glowed, a darker edge to them. Rias, for ger part, didn't flinch.
"You… always have a way with words, don't you?" Rias said finally, her voice lower, less rehearsed, a subtle edge of sincerity threaded through the courtesy. "But I'll admit… perhaps we could have done better. That said, we move forward, together. All of us."
Coulda fooled me.
That was the end of it. Not because I was satisfied with the answers, but what was the point of arguing further?
Akeno later approached me. "I look forward to seeing Kokonoe-kun's strength~"
She giggled, but then I caught her gaze looking down at my crotch. You can't be serious. I shook my head. "Really, Akeno? That subtle?"
She blinked, caught mid-thought, then let out that soft, teasing laugh of hers. "What? I'm just… admiring your progress~"
Yeah, sure. Progress, right. I wasn't falling for that excuse.
"Pervert", Koneko muttered, almost under her breath, and I could tell it was as much for me as it was for Akeno.
After training, we had dinner. And that's one thing I wasn't gonna complain about. Every poor kid from Brasov dreams of eating better meals than pate on bread, pasta with tuna, fries or Lidl pastries.
I mean, come on, shawarma used to be my "I got money flex".
And now I'm sitting at a long mahogany table in a mansion, eating grilled salmon that probably costs more than my rent back home. Life's ups and downs, fascinating.
"Uoooo! It's delicioooous! It's really delicious!", Hyoudou's childish excitement broke me out of my thoughts.
Oof. Keep it to yourself, man. How old are you, ten? Girls say boys are immature — and you're out here proving them right.
Not that tea time gossip and teen pregnancy are a very mature approach to life either, but meh.
"Ara ara. We still have more food left so eat as much as you want.", said Akeno, refilling Issei's bowl with rice.
"Akeno-san, you are the best! I even want you as my wife!", the simp shouted, almost breaking my eardrums in the process.
"Ufufu, you are embarrassing me."
What a heartwarming scene. I wanna throw up.
"...I also made this soup.", Asia said from besides Hyoudou, pouting hard with a sad look on her face. Holy shit, she does want to be his wife.
Kill me. I had to bite back a gagging sound, as well as the need to point out that you were jealous of me 'cause Suzuka and Haruka are close to me.
I thought of the two.
Of Suzuka's gentle smile— the sleepy one she'd give me when the morning light hit her eyes. To the way her expressions changed five times a minute when she was sketching, like every emotion had to take a turn on her face.
Of Haruka's teasing grin— sharp, the kind that could turn into something deadly serious during training, or playful when she beat me at the arcade or in a video game.
I missed them. It doesn't take much to tell that. We share a living space. They gave me their hearts and bodies and, in return, I gave them whatever was left of me. I got attached, obviously.
A tug at my sleeve.
"Senpai, you're brooding again…" Koneko's voice was soft, but there was that usual bluntness under it.
To be fair, the only reason this whole thing still feels bearable… is because you're here.
"Just thinking about stuff." I paused for a bit before ruffling her hair with the hem of my hoodie. "You've been nosy lately," I teased.
"…You make me worry sometimes. Idiot…" she bit back — not rejecting me, but not fully relenting either.
When I turned, everyone was staring. Reactions ranged from shock to intrigue to… was that jealousy from Akeno? The way she smiled was scarier than Haruka on one of her crazier days. Damn.
Hyoudou, persze, had to be the first to open his mouth.
"Kokonoe and Koneko-chan sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"
Eyo.
Koneko, flustered beyond reason, threw a spoon that nailed him right in the cheek.
"Ow."
"Come to think of it," Asia said softly, "Kokonoe-kun and Koneko-chan have always been close."
Kiba chuckled behind his hand — that polite, noble laugh of his.
"Now, now," he said lightly, "maybe let them eat before turning the clubroom into a gossip corner."
But the grin he tried to hide gave him away, Prince Charming was enjoying every moment of this.
Akeno, on the other hand, leaned her chin on her palm and smirked.
"My, my… Koneko-chan, you're being quite forward lately~"
She dragged out the last syllable, tone lilting, eyes flicking between the two of you like a cat toying with a mouse.
Koneko twitched. "You're imagining things."
"Oh? Then you wouldn't mind if I sat next to him instead?"
"…Don't."
Ok, since when am I so popula- you know what, I'm not even gonna question it. Nothing makes sense anymore.
Rias, for her part, acted like nothing happened.
"Let's take a bath after the meal. It's an outdoor bath so it's wonderful."
Lmao. I glanced at Hyoudou, who already had a pervy grin on his face. Yeah, here we go. Bro was thinking of peeking, I could tell.
"I'm not going to peek, Ise-kun.", Kiba said that beforehand with a smile.
"Idiot! D-Don't blurt it out!"
"Oh, Ise. Do you want to peek at us while we are taking a bath?"
We all turned to look at him after Rias asked him that question.
Hyoudou, for his part, looked awkward, almost like he wanted to apologise for being a perv.
But Rias just chuckled. Oh-oh. You're walking into a trap, bro. Worst: I can't even tell if it serves you right or if I should feel bad for ya.
"Then how about you bath with us? I don't mind."
Yeah, there it goes.
"How about you, Akeno?"
"I don't mind if it's Ise-kun. Ufufu. I might want to wash a gentleman's back."
Akeno gives her approval with a smile! You were flirting with me and now you wanna wash his back? Damn.
"How about you, Asia? You should be all right if it's your beloved Ise, right?"
Asia got red and became quiet after Rias's question, but she eventually made a small nod with her head.
"Lastly Koneko? How about it?"
"...No."
Hyoudou looked hopeful until now, but Koneko's answer completely crushed him.
"Then, it's a no. Too bad, Ise."
She knew this would happen and played him right into her hands. Smart, I'll give her that.
I actually laughed at the absurdity of the situation, earning a glare from the dejected Hyoudou.
I got up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder like a mourning priest.
"It's okay, bro, maybe in another lifetime."
"Oi, how come you're not affected? Didn't you wanna sneak a peek too?"
When you've already had two women at once, you tend to not be so desperate.
He froze. The others blinked. Damn. Did I say that out loud? I should buy the anti-thought leak button from Wish or Temu next time.
Memories flickered — soft skin, laughter, candlelight, the goodbyes. Suzuka. Haruka. My stomach twisted.
I'd miss them too much if I kept thinking about it.
So I didn't.
"What do you mean you had two women at once?! You're joking, righttt?!" Hyoudou asked, voice cracking halfway through the sentence.
"Yeah, Kokonoe-kun, I'm curious too~" Akeno leaned in, eyes glinting like a cat about to play with her prey.
"...Pervert," Koneko glared, her tone somewhere between disbelief and... jealousy. Fuck.
Great. Perfect. I'd officially said too much.
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to look as unbothered as possible. "Relax. It's not like that."
Hyoudou blinked. "Not like what?! You literally just said—"
"—I said maybe in another lifetime," I cut him off, smirking. "You ever heard of hyperbole, bro? Try reading a book sometime."
Akeno giggled behind her hand, clearly unconvinced but clearly enjoying my torment. "Ara~ so Kokonoe-kun's a poet when he's cornered."
"Poet, writer, rapper, pick your poison", I muttered, sipping my drink. "Anyway, my lucid dreams are so vivid, it's hard to tell them apart from reality."
I still see their shadows in my room, Juice WRLD playing in my head like a screw loose.
Like sugar on my tongue, tongue, your body looks so swe- no, not that one.
Koneko crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Liar."
"Hey, believe what you want," I shrugged, placing a piece of boar meat in my mouth so I could talk with my mouth full. "But if I really had two women at once, do you think I'd be sitting here putting up with Hyoudou's dinner commentary?"
That earned a chuckle from Kiba, even a faint smile from Rias.
Hyoudou deflated, muttering something about "unfair distribution of luck."
And just like that, the tension broke.
____
I hadn't slept a wink that night, so I went out to cool my head. There was a forest nearby — perfect for getting lost in my thoughts. To my surprise, I found Koneko sitting on a rock, quietly munching on a ROM chocolate I'd brought her from back home. Yeah, I bought a ridiculous amount of stuff from back home.
"Hey, pretty", I greeted. "Watcha' doing out here?"
She paused, tilting her head, then raised an eyebrow. "...Senpai, are you trying to flirt with me?"
"Who? Me? Nah… not rea—okay, maybe I am," I sighed, letting the words hang in the air.
"Even though you already have Midorikawa-san and Yamamoto-san... Senpai is a playboy..."
She said it softly, almost teasing — but it hit deeper than she could've known.
Those words stung.
Maybe because they were half-true. Maybe because they weren't.
"Well..." I exhaled, the night air sharp in my lungs. "They treat me like an actual person, y'know? Not like some rogue who disobeyed orders just because he thought it was right."
Silence. She didn't interrupt this time — just stared at the ground, letting my words sink in. The forest around us buzzed faintly with crickets, and for a moment, even they seemed to go quiet.
"...Senpai," she said at last, her voice small but steady. "You're thinking of leaving us, aren't you?"
I gave a half-shrug, half-sigh. "As if that was possible."
It was meant to sound like a joke, but the bitterness slipped through anyway.
Because deep down, I wished it was.
She hesitated, then whispered, almost too softly to hear—
"I'm sorry."
I turned to her, surprised. "For what?"
"For not seeing it sooner," she said, eyes glimmering faintly in the dark. "That you never really felt... like one of us. For the way they treat you..."
Her voice trembled a little near the end. I was taken aback.
"Why apologize? It's not your fault, y'know."
Maybe it's mine. Maybe I wanted to belong somewhere I was never meant to. I tried to fit in—but somehow, it never quite felt right.
She looked at me for a moment — really looked — like she was trying to find the right words and coming up short.
"…You always act like you don't care," she said softly. "But sometimes I think you care more than anyone."
I laughed under my breath. "That's the problem, isn't it? Caring too much in a place that only values obedience."
She hesitated. "You saved people, Senpai. You did the right thing."
"Yeah," I said bitterly. "And got branded a liability for it. Guess that's just how it goes."
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable — just heavy. The kind that feels like a curtain between two people who should've been closer but never quite got the timing right.
"…If you ever do leave," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'll miss you."
I smiled faintly, not sure if it reached my eyes. "Don't make it sound like a goodbye already."
"Maybe it is," she murmured.
I looked her dead in the eye.
"Maybe I'll come back for you," I said with a faint smirk.
That earned her a blush — and a flinch.
"…Idiot," she muttered, but there was no real bite in it. Just something softer, trembling at the edges.
We stood there facing each other, her white hair swaying in the faint night breeze. For a moment, the world went still — just the sound of rustling leaves and the space between our breaths.
And then, that space disappeared.
My lips found hers — soft, warm, uncertain, yet real. Just one fleeting second that felt like forever.
When we broke apart, her eyes darted away, her cheeks burning crimson.
"I–I'm sorry… I shouldn't have…" she stammered, voice barely a whisper. Then, before I could say a word, she turned and ran off into the dark.
Just like that.