Part 5 — The Omen That Awoke at Midnight
For a long while, he stayed quiet, the weight in his chest easing little by little. Each question pulled something heavy out of him, and each answer from Akari made it lighter.
The ceiling held no answers, no guidance. But beside it, in the still darkness, Akari's presence said everything he needed to hear.
And for now, that was enough.
Akari shifted slightly on her futon, turning toward him with a soft but concerned expression.
"Haruto… tell me. If something's wrong… you don't need to take it all on yourself. I know you didn't sleep because something is bothering you. Just… tell me, okay?"
Haruto's gaze remained on the ceiling, his hands clenched loosely at his sides. His voice was quiet, almost strained.
"I… I don't understand how the world works."
Akari's brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"
He let out a small, bitter laugh, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"The new book you bought me… Shizue's Adventures… it was terrible."
Akari blinked. "Terrible?" she repeated, confused but gentle.
Haruto's expression shifted, subtle but noticeable—more tense, more uncertain.
"Yeah… I don't know… it didn't make sense. Everything felt… wrong."
He paused, then continued, his voice heavier now, threading in something deeper.
"Who am I really? I'm just an academy kid… training to get stronger… to become a shinobi. But there are… monsters. Monsters bigger than mountains."
Akari's eyes widened slightly, her voice steady but soft.
"Haruto… those aren't monsters. Some of them… are Beasts sealed inside shinobies, and some… are summons. Not everything out there is as it seems."
Haruto's expression flickered, uncertainty mixing with frustration. His hands flexed at his sides.
"You said I could become stronger… but they're stronger. So much stronger than me."
Akari reached out, gently placing a hand near his arm, but not touching yet, her voice calm and firm.
"You don't have to carry all of that alone. It's okay to be scared. And it's okay to ask for help."
Haruto stayed quiet for a moment, his chest rising and falling. Then, quietly, he muttered:
"Can I… ask something?"
Akari gave him a small nod, encouraging.
"Of course. Anything."
"Why… aren't you going on missions?"
Akari froze. Her eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by the question. She hadn't expected that from him—not now, not at this hour.
"I… what do you mean?" she said carefully, keeping her voice calm.
Haruto's gaze didn't leave the ceiling. His jaw was tight, his hands flexing at his sides.
"I mean… everyone else is training, fighting, going out there. Why aren't you?"
Akari blinked, a faint sigh escaping her. She hadn't expected him to ask so directly, so bluntly. Her heart beat a little faster, but she forced herself to stay composed.
"Haruto… it's not like that," she said softly. "There are things I have to do differently… things you wouldn't understand yet. But it doesn't mean I'm not fighting in my own way."
He turned his head slightly toward her, his expression tense but searching.
"Your own way…? Then why does it feel like… like you're avoiding it?"
Akari shook her head gently. "I'm not avoiding it. I just… choose what I do carefully. You'll understand one day. You're not alone in this, Haruto."
He stayed quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in, then muttered almost to himself,
"Still… it doesn't feel fair."
Akari reached out, brushing her fingers lightly against his hand. "Life isn't always fair. But it's okay to feel frustrated. Just… don't carry it all by yourself."
Haruto's chest rose and fell slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly—but the weight of the question lingered, heavy in the quiet room.
The ceiling above stayed blank, but in the dark, Akari's presence said what words could not: he wasn't facing the world alone.
Haruto's eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling, but after a long pause, he finally spoke, voice low and uneven.
"I… I feel bad for Amaya."
Akari turned slightly toward him, sensing the weight behind his words.
"Why? What happened?"
He hesitated, then let the words spill out, like he'd been holding them in for too long.
"Sanae… she was mocking her. Saying she wasn't a Homura. I… I stopped Amaya from fighting her because… because Sanae was from Class 2. And it was only the second day our classes merged."
Akari's expression softened. "I understand… that was a hard situation. You did the right thing by stopping her."
He swallowed, his jaw tight, and continued, the words coming faster now.
"But… after that… I fought Haruki. He's from Class 2 too. I don't know why I did it. I don't even know what came over me. After stopping Amaya, after… that fight… I felt different. Angry. Confused. Strong… but also… wrong. I can't explain it."
Akari reached out, lightly brushing her fingers against his hand. "It's okay, Haruto. You don't need to explain everything perfectly. I know what you're feeling, and it's… normal to be conflicted. You're learning, and you're human."
Haruto let out a slow breath, a little of the tension leaving his shoulders. He finally turned his gaze toward her, eyes honest and unguarded.
"I… I just… I don't know who I really am sometimes. I don't know what I want, or… who I want to be. I don't know who I care about, or who I'm supposed to protect. Everything feels… too big."
Akari smiled softly, letting him see acceptance in her eyes.
"Haruto… it's okay. You don't have to have it all figured out right now. Just… tell me what's in your heart. Everything. No holding back."
He swallowed, then began again, slower this time, as if each word released some weight.
"I… I want to become stronger. I want to protect people. I don't want anyone else to feel like Amaya did… helpless, embarrassed. I… I like people, but… I don't know who exactly. I don't know who I'd choose… or even if I'd have the courage. I want to meet people who… inspire me. People who make me feel like I can do more. And I… I want to make the right choices, even if I fail sometimes."
Akari's hand moved gently to cover his. "That's… more than enough, Haruto. That's exactly what you should feel. You're honest, and you're thinking. That's how people grow."
Haruto let out a small laugh, soft, almost a relief. "I… I've never said any of that out loud. I thought I had to… hold it in. Keep it inside. But… saying it… it feels lighter."
Akari smiled warmly. "Good. That's why I'm here. And now… tell me more. What do you want to do? Who do you care about most? Who do you want to meet? Don't hold back."
Haruto's lips twitched slightly, a hint of a real smile forming. "I… I want to protect Amaya, and Ayame, and Kaito… and… I want to become strong enough that no one can hurt them. I want to meet people who can teach me, challenge me, and… make me feel like I'm actually moving forward. And… I… I don't know yet who I… like… but I want to figure that out too. I want… everything to make sense someday."
Akari's eyes softened further, shining in the dim light of the room. "And it will, Haruto. Step by step. You don't have to have it all figured out now. You're allowed to be unsure. And you're allowed to lean on someone when it's heavy."
Haruto exhaled slowly, finally letting himself relax, the tightness in his chest loosening. For the first time that night, he felt like he could breathe properly—like he'd shared his burden instead of carrying it alone.
Akari smiled gently. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
He let out a small, quiet laugh. "No… it wasn't. Thanks… Aka."
She squeezed his hand lightly. "Always, Haruto. Always."
Haruto lay back on his futon, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling as if the answer might be hidden there. After a long pause, he spoke again, his voice soft but edged with curiosity.
"Aka… what's it called… someone who never gets hurt? Someone who can't die… no matter what?"
Akari tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Someone who can't die… that's… immortal."
"Immortal…" Haruto repeated, the word rolling on his tongue. Then, almost as if testing the idea, he asked, "How… does it feel? To be immortal?"
Akari blinked, then shook her head gently. "I… don't know. I'm not immortal, Haruto. I've never been."
He let out a quiet laugh, a little rueful. "Oh… that's true."
Then, after a pause, he added, more softly this time, "But… any idea?"
Akari met his gaze, thoughtful. "I guess… maybe it's lonely. Maybe it's… always watching, always waiting, never really free to rest. I can't say for sure… I've only ever been… mortal."
Haruto fell silent for a moment, absorbing her words. He traced a line on the ceiling with his eyes, his expression thoughtful, distant.
"Lonely… huh."
"Maybe," Akari said softly. "But even immortals… if they care about something, maybe it isn't so lonely. That's just… my guess."
He let the silence settle around them. The ceiling held no answers, but for the first time that night, Haruto's mind wasn't spinning with fear or doubt—he was… thinking. Wondering. Imagining.
And beside him, Akari's quiet presence reminded him that he wasn't facing the world alone, mortal or not.
"…I'm getting sleepy," he murmured.
Before Akari could reply, his eyes fluttered shut. His body relaxed, the tension he carried all day finally loosening as sleep claimed him.
Akari smiled softly.
She shifted closer and gently brushed her fingers through his hair, slow and careful, as if afraid to wake him. His breathing evened out, quiet and steady.
"Good night, Haruto," she whispered.
She lay down beside him and closed her own eyes—but only for a moment.
Something moved.
Akari stiffened, her heart skipping a beat. She felt an arm slide around her, warmth pressing close. Her eyes snapped open, fear flashing through her—
Then she saw it.
Haruto, still fast asleep, had turned toward her, his arms loosely wrapped around her as if instinct alone had guided him.
She stared at him for a second.
Then she sighed in relief… and smiled.
"…Idiot," she whispered fondly.
Carefully, she adjusted the blanket around them both and relaxed. The fear faded, replaced by a quiet warmth.
Soon, the room fell completely silent.
Two steady breaths.
Two sleeping figures.
And outside, the night continued—unaware of the dreams it was about to awaken.
The house was silent, swallowed by the stillness of midnight. Even the faint tick of the hallway clock seemed to pause, as if time itself had frozen.
Kaito's eyes snapped open.
Something… was wrong.
His body felt heavy, stiff, as if the air around him pressed him to the futon. He couldn't move. He tried to call out, but his voice wouldn't come.
And then… he saw it.
A giant nail—twisted, dark, and impossibly sharp—was driven through his chest. Pain exploded, fiery and sudden, though he couldn't tell if it was real or some horrifying illusion. His vision blurred, black creeping at the edges.
"No… no…!" he choked, panic clawing at his chest.
His legs gave way beneath him. His arms shook violently. Every heartbeat thudded like a war drum in his skull. The world tilted, warped, spinning in on itself.
Kaito's breaths came in short, ragged gasps. His eyes rolled back, and the room seemed to stretch, to twist, to crush him…
And then everything went black.
He fainted.