The afternoon had been strangely peaceful. Too peaceful. Amane and I had been sent to inspect the old road outside the camp, a narrow path that passed between a line of trees and the remains of an abandoned watchtower.
The war had ended, but the army still sent patrols through places like this. Broken weapons, hidden traps, and scattered enemy soldiers could remain for weeks after a battle. I walked beside Kento, my hand resting near the sword at my waist. He was talking. Of course he was talking.
"And then I told the cook that if he puts that much salt in the soup again, the enemy won't need to attack us. We'll all surrender voluntarily." I looked at him. "You talk too much." He placed a hand over his heart.
"That hurts. I'm trying to improve morale." "You're lowering mine." He laughed. I looked away, but there was a small warmth in my chest. It had become normal. His voice. His stupid jokes. His footsteps beside mine. Somehow, his presence had become part of my days.
We continued walking. The trees above us moved gently in the wind. Sunlight slipped between the branches, breaking into small pieces across the ground. Kento suddenly stopped. I took another step before noticing. "What?" He wasn't smiling anymore. His eyes were fixed on the trees ahead.
"Something's wrong." My hand immediately moved toward my sword. The forest became silent. No birds. No insects. Nothing. Then— A sharp sound cut through the air. "AMANE!" I barely had time to turn. Something came flying from the trees. Kento moved before I could.
He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me violently toward him. A blade flew past my face. It struck the tree behind us with a deep thunk. My heart stopped. Kento pushed me behind him.
"Stay back."
Three figures stepped out from between the trees. Their clothes were torn and dirty. Remnants of the enemy army. One of them raised his weapon. Kento drew his sword. His entire body changed. The loud, ridiculous man I knew disappeared. His eyes became cold. Focused. Dangerous.
"Three against two," he muttered. Then he glanced at me.
"Stay behind me."
I hated those words. Because I had heard them before. Not from Kento. From Akira. The battlefield came rushing back. Smoke. Gunfire. Blood. Akira standing in front of me. Stay behind me. My breathing became shallow. "Kento…"
"Amane!" One of the men attacked. Kento blocked him. Steel crashed against steel. The sound echoed through the trees. Another enemy rushed toward me. I pulled my sword free and blocked the strike, but the force pushed me backward. Kento saw it. He kicked the attacker away and stepped between us again. "Are you okay?" "I can fight!" "I know."
He smiled briefly.
"But let me protect you this time."
Something inside my chest broke. Akira. The same words. The same position. The same instinct. He wasn't thinking about himself.
He was protecting me. Kento fought fiercely. One enemy fell. Then another. The last man tried to escape, but Kento caught him before he could disappear into the trees.
A few moments later, everything was quiet again. Kento lowered his sword. I stood completely still. He turned toward me. "Amane?" I couldn't answer. My eyes were burning. The battlefield from months ago was standing in front of me again. Only the face had changed. I took a step toward him. Then another. "Kento…"
He looked confused. "What?" I suddenly wrapped my arms around him. His body froze. I pressed my face against his chest. For a few seconds, neither of us moved. I could hear his heartbeat. Fast. Warm. Alive. My fingers tightened around the back of his uniform. "I…"
My voice broke.
Kento slowly placed his arms around me. I cried. Not the quiet tears I had learned to hide. Not the tears I wiped away before anyone could see. Real tears. The kind that came from somewhere deep.
"Your presence…" I whispered.
Kento's arms tightened slightly. "Your presence reminds me of Akira." He stopped breathing for a moment. I felt his chest rise beneath my face. "I know you're not him," I continued, crying harder. "I know you're different. But sometimes…" I swallowed. "Sometimes the way you protect me… the way you look at me when you're worried… even the way you hold me…"
My voice became almost impossible to hear.
"It reminds me of him." Kento didn't say anything.
I lifted my head. His eyes were wet. Tears had gathered in them, hanging there as if he was fighting desperately to keep them from falling. "Kento…"
He looked away.
One tear escaped.
I had never seen him cry. Not once. He always laughed. Always joked. Always acted like nothing could break him. But now his face looked painfully tired. He slowly pulled me closer. His chin rested lightly against my head. And when he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
"You are literally just a kid…" I frowned slightly. "What?" His arms tightened around me. "You still haven't realized…" His voice cracked. "…how pathetic I am." I pulled away slightly, confused. Kento didn't look at me. He just held me. And for the first time, I saw something behind his smile that I had never noticed before. Something broken. Something he had been hiding.
Something that made me wonder— How much pain had Kento been carrying all this time? I stared at him, unable to understand.
And for the first time… I wasn't the only one who seemed lost.