Lyra's scream.
In an instant, Hana snapped back into reality. The last seconds—minutes—no idea how long—were gone. Like a hard blackout. She'd been somewhere else.
But none of that mattered right now.
Her panicked gaze finally locked onto the wall to the right, where Lyra was sitting on the floor. Eyes squeezed shut in pain, both hands clenched against her stomach. For a split second, Hana remembered how those same hands had been resting gently on her back a moment ago.
She shook her head.
The disgusting man stood right in front of Lyra, fumbling with something.
Wait—
The bastard unzipped his fly again, let his hole-riddled jeans slide down.
Hana's breath caught. Her body remembered, even if her mind didn't want to. Only this time, she wasn't the one crouched on the floor. It was Lyra.
Lyra, with silver-white hair falling into her face. Lyra, fragile, shaking against the wall.
Hana heard her scream as clearly as she'd once wished someone had heard her own.
Do something. Do something already, you useless fucking body, hammered through Hana's head.
A sob tore out of Hana's throat. Deep and raw, like it came straight from an open wound. She saw Jochen step closer to Lyra. Saw him tug his pants down further. Saw his hand reaching for her.
"RUDI!"
The scream came from the deepest part of her, where the fear lived. Where the memories burned.
"RUDI, HELP!"
Jochen turned around, his gaunt face twisting.
"Shut up, church slut."
Then he turned back to Lyra. His dick hung right in front of her.
Tears streamed down Hana's face, but she didn't hesitate. Not this time. She shoved herself between Lyra and Jochen, like she could form a shield just by standing there.
I won't let you go through this. I won't let you break.
"RUDI! IN HERE! PLEASE!"
She screamed it straight into Jochen's face, loud enough to make his ears ring. When the shrill tone faded, his arm lifted, ready for the next blow.
The door burst open with a crash. Rudi filled the doorway, his broad frame seeming to shrink the room.
"WOT THE FUCK IS GOIN' ON HERE?!" he thundered.
His gaze flicked from Jochen with his pants down, to Hana's tear-soaked face, and finally to Lyra on the floor. Her eye was already swelling from Jochen's punch.
"They—they attacked me!" Jochen gasped, stumbling back. "These crazy whores! They tried to scam me!"
Rudi stepped closer, shoulders tense. His eyes narrowed into thin slits.
"Scam ya?" he repeated slowly, his voice dangerously quiet. "And that's why yer beatin' the shit outta my girl?"
Jochen nodded eagerly, yanking his pants back up.
"They refused my orders! And then they tried to steal my wallet!"
Rudi turned to Lyra, his voice suddenly all business.
"Wot happened?"
Lyra tried to push herself up, one hand still pressed against her stomach.
"He wanted Hana and me to… touch each other. For him."
She swallowed hard.
"We did. But then he freaked out. He hit me because—" She took a deep breath. "Because he didn't like how we did it."
Her eyes drilled into Rudi's.
"Check your cameras if you don't believe me."
Something twitched across Rudi's face. His eyes darted briefly to the corner of the room, where a nearly invisible lens hid in the shadows.
Jochen followed his gaze. His eyes widened.
"Cameras?" he wheezed. "What the—?"
"Course we got cameras, ya idiot," Rudi growled. "Ya think I let my girls be alone with every psycho without supervision?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. One quick tap. "Vox. Manni. Natasha. VIP room four. Now."
Tense silence hung in the air. Jochen visibly shrank, all his confidence draining away.
The door opened again. Vox stepped in first, followed by Manni, whose neck was wider than his head, and finally Natasha. She looked like a hitman disguised as a bunnygirl. Pink hair shaved on the sides, massive tits. But given her build, they looked more like weapons than eye candy.
"Boss?" Vox asked, his gaze flicking curiously around the room.
Rudi jerked his chin toward Jochen.
"Our friend here disrespected my girls. And hit one of 'em."
Vox's thin lips curled into a yellow grin.
"Want us to… work him over a bit?"
Before Rudi could answer, Natasha was already moving. She grabbed Jochen by the collar.
WHAM.
She slammed him into the wall, a metallic clang rattling through his twig-thin body.
"What did you do to my sweet Lyra?!" she snarled right in his face.
"Her… sweet Lyra…?" Lyra muttered from the floor, face scrunched.
"I—I uh—I mean—" Jochen stammered.
Natasha's grip slid from his collar to his throat and tightened.
"AHH— HELP! LET GO! I'M SORRY! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! HELP!!" The words burst out of him, panicked like a fish on dry land.
Her grip tightened even more. There was more than just concern burning in her eyes.
"I'll fucking kill you, you—"
Then a heavy, steady hand settled on Natasha's shoulder.
"Thanks, Nudetasha. That's enough."
Rudi's voice was soft. Almost soothing.
Her grip loosened. The fire in her eyes dimmed.
"But Rudi, he can't just—"
"Shhh. I'll handle it," he said with a nod.
Natasha nodded back, skeptical, but let go of Jochen.
"Yer payin' 500,000 yen fer the damage. Right now," Rudi said flatly.
Jochen coughed loudly. Whether from the chokehold or the price tag was hard to tell. "What?! That's insane! I won't—"
Vox stepped forward. His hands drifted to his waistband, fingers brushing the weapon.
"500,000," Rudi repeated. "Or Vox explains yer alternatives."
The air in the VIP room grew thick. Jochen hastily pulled out his wallet, fumbling with trembling hands as he laid out several credit cards. "Here—these are my cards. I can pay, but—"
"No cards," Rudi cut in. "Cash. Now."
Jochen swallowed. "I—I don't have that much on me. Who carries that much cash?"
A cold smile crept over Rudi's lips.
"Vox'll walk ya to the nearest ATM."
Vox stepped up, his bony fingers closing around Jochen's arm like claws. "With pleasure, boss."
Jochen was pale as chalk as Vox dragged him toward the door. "This— this will have consequences," he stammered. "I know people. Important—"
"Save yer bullshit," Rudi cut him off. "If I ever see yer mug in my club again, ya'll have more problems than yer friends can fix."
He nodded to Vox. "Get him out."
The door closed behind them. The room fell quieter. Just Rudi, Manni, Natasha and the two girls.
Natasha reached out a hand to Lyra and helped her up.
"You okay? That asshole, next time—"
"I'm okay." Lyra pulled weakly out of her grip but had to brace herself against the wall immediately. "Thanks, Tasha. Really." She forced a confident smile onto her lips.
Natasha watched her for another moment, worried, before Rudi pulled her aside and turned to Hana and Lyra.
His expression softened. Almost fatherly.
Lyra grimaced. "Oh sure. Now you're playing the nice daddy?"
"Girls," he sighed. "Look at me."
He crouched down in front of them.
"I'm here now. I'll watch out fer ya."
Lyra and Hana exchanged a glance. Something flickered in Hana's eyes. Distrust? Anger? Gratitude?
Lyra gently placed a hand on her arm.
"Thanks, Rudi," she said quietly.
Rudi nodded, satisfied. "Manni, call Yuyu and Momo. They're coverin' the rest of the shift."
He pulled a thick bundle of bills from his pocket, counted carefully, and handed several notes to each girl. "Here. 50,000 yen each. Call it compensation."
"And yer goin' home now," he continued. "Hana, ya take care of Lyra, yeah? Make sure that black eye goes down. I need ya both in top shape tomorrow. You're my best ones, after all."
He stood up and gave each of them a fatherly pat on the shoulder. "I'll watch out fer ya," he repeated. "Long as ya belong to me, nothin's gonna happen to ya."
With that, he left the room, Manni lumbering after him.
Natasha lingered, her gaze still worried.
Lyra caught her eye. "And what do you want now? I'll… I'll take care of her."
Natasha grinned crookedly. "Really? You can do that?"
If looks could kill, Natasha wouldn't have survived.
"Hey, hey, relax! I'm kidding," she said, raising her hands. "If you need anything, I'm at the main entrance."
"Sure. Might as well give me your number while you're at it," Lyra smiled, almost real.
"Really?" Natasha blushed.
"Obviously not. Now get lost." Lyra shooed her away.
Natasha obeyed, smiling.
"Yes, Queen. As you wish."
The metal door clicked shut. Now it was just the two of them. And that strange something hanging in the air.
Lyra and Hana stood facing each other. What had that moment been?
"Hana…" Lyra started, her voice cracking. "About earlier… I didn't mean to—"
"It's fine," Hana cut her off without looking at her. Her voice was flat, but Lyra heard the tremor underneath.
What's wrong with Hana? Did that nail hurt that much? No, she's not that sensitive. So where did that panic come from…?
"I didn't want to hurt you. I swear. I just… I thought you—"
"It's really fine!" Hana interrupted again. "Probably just a bruise. That's why it stung."
She ran a restless hand through her hair. Her eyes flicked everywhere except at Lyra.
Mhm. A bruise, Hana. You don't actually believe—
"I'll order you an Uber," Hana said, already tapping on her phone. "You need to ice your eye. And your stomach."
"What?"
Wait—why is this suddenly about me?!
"And where are you going?"
"I… I still have something to take care of."
Hana's voice sounded thin.
No. Not now. Not like this. Not after she finally opened up. She's running again. Like this morning. Like I broke something in her. Why can't I ever do one thing right? If I let her go now, I don't know if she'll make it home.
The thoughts spiraled through Lyra's head. She had to say something, anything, before it was too late.
"You're gonna go drinking, right?" Lyra's voice cut sharper. "That's your 'something to take care of'."
Hana blinked. Once. Fast. Too fast. Then she shrugged like Lyra had said something trivial.
"Why do you care?" she muttered.
"I'll manage."
Her posture contradicted every word.
"You're not managing, Hana," Lyra said, quieter now. "Your hands are shaking. Fuck—your whole body's shaking more than mine. You're avoiding me. You—"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, LYRA!"
It burst out of Hana with so much force that it startled even her. Her phone hit the floor. The Uber app was still open. She didn't pick it up. Her shoulders shook.
Lyra stepped closer.
"Hana…"
No answer.
Hana just stood there, eyes glued to the floor, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her whole body trembled, lips quivered like she wanted to say something, but nothing came.
Just breath in uneven bursts. And the quiet, barely audible sob crawling up her throat.
Lyra swallowed hard.
She wanted to touch Hana so badly. Pull her into her arms and tell her everything would be okay. But something told her she couldn't. Not now. Not after Hana had recoiled from the last touch like it was fire.
"I won't touch you. I promise," Lyra whispered carefully. "I'll just stay here. Okay? Just here." She stopped less than two steps away.
"You can go. Sure. But then I'll be the one looking for you somewhere on the street tonight. Vomiting. Shaking. Or not at all…"
Her voice broke.
"If I let you go now, I might lose you forever. Not to someone or something, but to— to yourself."
Another sob tore out of Hana. She pressed a hand to her mouth like she could hold the sound back.
"I don't know what to do…" Her voice was barely a whisper, like it came from deep inside a tunnel. Her fingers dug into the sleeves of her shirt, sinking into the fabric.
Lyra breathed shallowly. A hundred things raced through her head, things she could say. But none of them felt like enough. None could fix the splinters in Hana's chest.
And then, in the middle of all that chaos, there was a name. The one Lyra never dared to hear or say. The one that could rip open a deep hole in her chest and make everything collapse.
Her lips trembled, but she opened them.
"Then come with me…"
The words caught in her throat.
"…for Satsu."
Hana's head snapped up.
Her eyes widened like someone had flipped a switch. One name. One thought. Tears stood on her face, spilling freely like blood from a wound that had never truly healed.
"You…" Her voice was broken, choked with swallowed sounds. "You never… never say her name."
Lyra took a slow step forward, barely noticeable, but kept her distance. "I miss her. Every day." Her eyes shimmered, gaze fixed on the floor. "I'm slowly accepting it… and I think… I'm not the only one."
Hana's mouth opened, but no words came out. Just a soft sound. A trembling breath carrying her heart.
"I don't know what's going on with you right now, Hana." Lyra paused. Her voice shook more than she liked.
"You don't have to tell me. But if you can't come for yourself… then at least for her. Because she loved you. And she never would've wanted you to end up like this."
The silence between them wasn't empty. It was full of everything left unsaid.
Only Hana's breathing broke it, still uneven, heavy, brittle, like each new second cost her more than the last.
Then Hana moved.
Just one step. Small and hesitant, like she needed to check whether the ground beneath her still existed. Her arms hung limp at her sides, shoulders slumped, but she stepped forward.
"Just for today," she murmured, barely audible. "Just… don't touch me, okay? I—I can't."
Lyra nodded immediately. "Okay. I'm here. That's all."
Then they left.
There was no hug. Just one shared step outside.
The walk to Lyra's apartment felt endless, even though it wasn't twenty minutes. Lyra stopped briefly at a gas station, bought something, Hana waited outside. Then they kept walking. Eventually, they arrived.
⋯───⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯──⋱───⋯
Lyra pressed the door handle down slowly. A soft click. She pushed the door open with her shoulder, the plastic bag from the gas station dangling from her wrist. She stepped aside to let Hana in.
In the dim light of the small, modern apartment, both of them looked even more exhausted. Lyra's eye was slightly swollen now, a dark shadow forming beneath the skin.
"Sit," Lyra said, nodding toward the bed. Her voice was rough. "The couch sucks."
How am I supposed to act around Hana now…? Everything feels weird…
Hana nodded weakly but stayed standing, unsure. Her arms wrapped around herself like she was cold. Her gaze wandered the room, lingered on the closed bathroom door, drifted to the bed, then down to the floor.
Lyra set the plastic bag on the small kitchen table and started unpacking it. The clinking of beer bottles snapped Hana out of her daze.
"You… bought something to drink?" Her voice was a strange mix of hope and shame.
Lyra shrugged without looking at her.
"I know you need it…"
She pulled out a small bag of chips and a sandwich.
"In case you're hungry. Just take whatever."
Hana moved slowly to the bed and sank down onto it. Her eyes stuck to the beer bottle. Then to Lyra.
"Thanks…" she whispered. "Will you… drink with me?"
Lyra froze, her hand still on the bottle cap. She hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"Sure. If it helps," she said quietly, more to herself than to Hana. "After the shit of the last few days…"
She twisted her bottle open, then the second, and handed it to Hana. Hana's fingers trembled slightly. For a brief moment, their fingertips touched. Hana pulled her hand back immediately, like she'd burned herself.
Lyra noticed, but didn't comment. She leaned against the counter instead, eyes on the wall, taking a small sip while watching Hana drink hers way too fast, like someone might take it away.
Hana lowered the bottle, breathing heavily, staring at her hands.
"Is your eye better?" she asked quietly.
Lyra flinched and unconsciously touched her cheek. "Hurts like hell. I hope it goes down fast, otherwise Rudi's gonna—"
Hana cut her off, her thoughts were already ahead. "When you held me earlier…" Her voice was suddenly clearer, but her eyes stayed on the floor.
A jolt ran through Lyra.
Did I do something wrong? Fuck… it felt good, didn't it? It didn't feel wrong. Not like usual. You were there, you held me too. I ruined it, didn't I? Was I too close? Did I smother you?
It didn't stop. No period. No comma. Just guilt.
Hana kept talking, the words coming haltingly, like breath that was too heavy. "It wasn't your fault. It was just… my body. It just… shut down."
Her fingers dug into the skin of her forearm.
"I thought I couldn't breathe anymore. Suddenly you were gone. Everything was gone."
She closed her eyes.
"You were gentle."
The sentence came out abruptly. Almost too fast.
"Too gentle."
Hana finally looked at her.
"What you did out of tenderness… triggered memories that were anything but tender."
Lyra stared at her, forgetting the bottle in her hand.
Fuck. Wait. No. Hana. Please tell me I'm wrong. Please tell me this doesn't mean what I think it does. That this didn't happen to you. But that look. That trembling. You were…
Everything blurred, like someone had poured water over the image. Only Hana's words stayed sharp.
Please let me be wrong. Please, please…
But she knew she wasn't. She'd seen it in Hana's eyes, in that moment at the club when pure terror had overwhelmed her. She'd seen it in the way Hana clutched her own body, like she was trying to protect it from invisible hands.
You were… raped.
Lyra slowly set her bottle down, unsure what to do or say. Her throat felt tight, like someone was squeezing it shut.
"Hana…"
Her words failed her.