Aira checked her phone again for what felt like the hundredth time.

  No new messages. No missed calls. No little “typing…” bubble to give her hope.

  She lifted her head and scanned the campus quad, half expecting Hyakki to suddenly appear from behind one of the pillars or round the corner with some absentminded apology about losing track of time. But the path remained stubbornly empty, sunlight spilling across the stone without a single hint of him in sight.

  Her stomach twisted.

  Hyakki had said he’d be here. He had promised.

  Akio stood a short distance away, leaning casually against the table like he had all the patience in the world. His arms were loosely folded, expression neutral, posture relaxed—but Aira knew him too well to be fooled. Beneath that calm was the subtle tightening of his shoulders, the faint edge in his tone when he finally spoke.

  “It’s almost been an hour.”

  Aira winced.

  To anyone else, Akio would have sounded perfectly polite. But she heard the underlying irritation—the same cool, detached disapproval he got whenever someone wasted his time. Akio didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t glare. He didn’t need to. Disappointment from him was quiet, surgical.

  “He doesn’t usually flake,” she said quickly, forcing brightness into her voice. “This isn’t like him, I swear.”

  Akio’s mouth lifted in a small, soft smile—one that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  Aira’s chest tightened.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. Akio already had a negative impression of Hyakki from seeing his delinquent photos and making snap judgments. She’d been so certain that once they met—really met—he’d understand why she liked Hyakki so much. Why she trusted him. Why she talked about him all the time.

  But Hyakki still wasn’t here.

  “I’ll call him one more time,” she said, thumbing her phone awake. “Maybe he’ll answer.”

  Akio raised a brow. “Didn’t you say he’s not picking up?”

  “Well, maybe it’s bad connection. Or his phone died. If I try again—”

  “Aira.”

  She froze.

  Akio’s tone was soft, but final. “I don’t think he’s coming.”

  Aira swallowed hard. The sunlight suddenly felt too bright, the noise of passing students too sharp. Akio wasn’t wrong—there was no sign of Hyakki, no explanation, not even a text. They’d been waiting almost an hour. And Hyakki, who was meticulous to a fault when it came to schedules, hadn’t shown.

  It was starting to feel less like a delay and more like they’d been stood up.

  “…I’m sorry,” she murmured, clutching her phone a little tighter. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Akio pushed himself off the table and straightened, dusting his palms against his pants. When he looked at her again, some of the tension had eased from his features.

  “It’s not your fault,” he said, voice gentle. “Maybe something really did come up. But I have to go now.” He offered her a quiet nod. “We can always meet another time. Okay?”

  She managed a small nod in return.

  Akio walked away with his usual unhurried stride, disappearing into the afternoon crowd with a faint gleam of light catching on his hair. Aira watched him go, a sinking weight forming in her stomach.

  This only made things worse.

  Hyakki wasn’t here to defend himself. Akio now had every reason to believe he was careless, inconsiderate, unreliable. Exactly the opposite of who he truly was.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Aira’s disappointment curdled into frustration—and then into a sharper, more anxious worry. She shoved her phone into her bag, turned on her heel, and marched toward the dorm building where Hyakki lived.

  She needed answers. And she was going to get them.

  Aira slipped through the building’s front entrance with far more urgency than she intended, barely mumbling a greeting to the security guard as she hurried past. She took the stairs two at a time, the rhythmic echo of her footsteps doing nothing to quiet the knot tightening in her chest. Every floor she climbed, her emotions tangled tighter—irritation, discomfort, worry, and beneath all of it a stubborn flicker of disbelief.

  What if Akio was right?

  The thought made her stomach twist unpleasantly. Hyakki wasn’t careless. He wasn’t inconsiderate. He wasn’t the type to dismiss plans or forget a promise. Something didn’t add up, and the uncertainty scraped against her nerves the whole way up.

  By the time she reached the correct hallway, her breaths were short and uneven—not from exertion, but from everything she didn’t know how to name yet. She paused only a second before knocking on the dorm door, bracing herself for anything… including the possibility that no one would answer.

  A soft click.

  The door opened.

  Runa stood there, pale pink hair pulled back in a loose, messy tie, a disinfectant spray bottle dangling from one hand. Her bright azure eyes widened with recognition and surprise.

  “Oh—Aira. Are you looking for Hyakki?”

  Aira nodded quickly, trying to keep her voice level. “Yeah. Is he home right now?”

  Runa’s expression softened into concern. “He is. But… I don’t think he’s feeling well. He threw up in the bathroom earlier.”

  Aira’s frustration evaporated in an instant, replaced by a sharp spike of alarm. “He threw up? Why? Is he all right?”

  “I don’t know,” Runa admitted, worry flickering across her features. “It looked really bad. He’s in his room resting right now. Do you want to check on him?”

  “Yeah—absolutely.” The words rushed out faster than she intended. “I had no idea. Let me see him.”

  Runa stepped aside immediately, ushering her in. The faint scent of disinfectant curled through the air, proof of her cleanup efforts. She pointed down the hall.

  “His room is the second door on the right.”

  Aira nodded in thanks and made her way down the narrow hallway, her earlier determination morphing into something fiercer, more protective. She rapped lightly on the door, announced herself, and pushed it open.

  The room inside was dim, curtains drawn tight except for a thin sliver of daylight cutting across the floor. It was characteristically tidy—except for a haphazard pile of clothing tossed aside as if shed in a rush. On the far side of the room, pressed up against the wall, was the bed.

  Hyakki lay on it.

  He looked… awful.

  Hair mussed, skin pale, posture slack with exhaustion. His breathing was shallow, his expression dazed in a way she’d never seen before.

  Aira marched over, planting her hands on her hips. “You look terrible.”

  Hyakki shifted his head toward her, offering the weakest attempt at a smirk she had ever witnessed. “Thanks.”

  She frowned, arms crossing almost defensively. “What happened? Runa said you threw up. Are you okay?”

  His sigh was thin, drained, more air than voice. “I—overworked myself. Wasn’t feeling great this morning. And the food poisoning didn’t help.”

  Aira blinked. “What did you eat?”

  “…Sushi.” He grimaced faintly. “Must’ve been something bad in it.”

  “Why didn’t you answer any of my messages?” she asked, fighting to keep her tone steady.

  Hyakki shifted, tilting his head just enough for his eyes to meet hers.

  “I was going to,” he murmured, voice hoarse, “but I was feeling really out of it and I kinda just… passed out.”

  Aira pressed her lips together. That explanation landed somewhere between frustrating and concerning. And yet… the way he looked right now, like all the strength had been hollowed out of him, made it impossible to hold onto the irritation fully.

  “You were supposed to meet my brother today,” she reminded him, softer now but no less earnest. “We waited for almost an hour. And you know Akio already thinks you’re irresponsible when you’re not. Now he’s going to think he was right.”

  Hyakki’s gaze dropped. He looked away, jaw tightening faintly with guilt.

  “I know… I really was planning to go.” His voice thinned. “But I didn’t expect to get sick. I’m sorry.”

  Aira’s irritation cracked at the edges. She sighed, uncrossing her arms as the fight drained out of her. “It’s okay. I forgive you. Just… so you know, Akio can be pretty hard to impress.”

  Hyakki let out a faint, breathy laugh—tired, but genuine. “Your brother sounds kind of scary. Not gonna lie.”

  “He’s literally not,” Aira said, rolling her eyes. “Just talk to him about nerd stuff and you two would definitely get along instantly.”

  Hyakki gave a quiet snort, amused despite himself. “Right…”

  Aira eyed him for another moment, noticing the heaviness in his limbs, the unfocused way his gaze slid over her, the strain still tight in his breathing. The guilt on his face was real—he wasn’t hiding behind sarcasm or smugness. He truly felt terrible, in more ways than one.

  She eased her stance. “What were you even doing anyway that got you so tired?”

  He exhaled slowly, letting his arm fall across his eyes.

  “It was mostly just work stuff,” he said, words muffled. “Helping clean up the lab and doing overtime. Nothing crazy.”

  Aira wasn’t convinced, not entirely, but she let it go. He was clearly in no shape to argue, and pressing him wouldn’t help anything right now.

  “Promise me you’re gonna show up next time, okay?” she said gently.

  Hyakki moved his arm just enough for one eye to peek up at her—dim red catching the faint light.

  “I promise,” he said quietly, sincerely. “I’ll show up next time.”

  Aira softened. That was enough. For now.

  “Get better soon,” she said, stepping back toward the door. “And if you need anything, just let me know.”

  He gave a weak nod.

  She slipped back out into the hallway and pulled the door shut with a soft click. The disinfectant smell still clung faintly to the air as she made her way toward the stairs, her thoughts swirling.

  It really was just unfortunate timing. Hyakki hadn’t ditched her—not on purpose, and not out of carelessness. He genuinely looked awful, and that alone eased most of the frustration she’d carried up the stairs.

  But convincing Akio…

  She grimaced.

  That would be a battle of its own.

  Still, Aira drew in a breath, letting the tension ease as she stepped back out into the sunlight of the campus quad.

  Next time would go better. She knew it would.

  ─ ? NEXT CHAPTER POV ? ─

  Yoru / Lyla