Early evening settled warm and golden over campus as Aira and Yoru walked side by side, the air humming with anticipation. The sky was washed in soft pastels—perfect for a long awaited hot pot night. They did this at least once every semester, and Aira was practically vibrating.

  “I’m so excited for hot pot!” Aira said, bouncing a little on her heels. “I swear I’ve been craving it since summer. And we get to see everyone again! Bestie, how was your day?”

  Yoru’s expression softened. “It was good. Um… I think I’m going to join the Sentari this year.”

  Aira stopped, blinking at her—then broke into a dazzling smile. “Really? That’s huge! What made you decide?”

  Yoru hesitated only a moment. “I… want to protect people. And help the vigilantes.”

  Aira elbowed her with a teasing grin. “Are you trying to impress the Dawn Hound?”

  Yoru flushed instantly. “I just want to repay him.”

  Aira’s grin softened into something warmer, prouder. “You’re gonna do amazing. Seriously. I bet all our Sentari friends are going to lose their minds when they hear.”

  By the time they reached the meeting point in front of the dorms, Aira’s energy had built to a buzzing hum. Their friend group was already gathered there, clustered in loose conversation, warm smiles breaking out as Aira and Yoru approached.

  “Hey guys!” Aira waved brightly. “Sorry we’re late! Everyone here?”

  “Everyone’s here,” Asha confirmed. “The reservation got delayed a bit since we added one more person.”

  “Oh? Who’s the extra?” Aira asked.

  Kieran adjusted his glasses. “Runa and Kairo’s roommate. He happened to be coming back right as they were leaving, so he tagged along.”

  Aira perked up. “Oh, they finally ran into him?”

  Asha gave a small nod. “Yep. Turns out he’s in our grade.”

  Aira scanned the group with curious eyes, taking in the familiar shapes and colors—Amari and Lev standing side by side in their dramatic height contrast, Gavant’s tall relaxed frame next to Alyne’s amused posture, Runa laughing at something Kairo said while he grinned like a wolf ready to start trouble.

  And then—there.

  Standing between Runa and Kairo was a young man she hadn’t expected in a thousand years. Long light brown hair loosely tied in a low ponytail. Sharp crimson eyes. Catlike features softened only by a faint, unreadable smirk. White shirt. Rolled sleeve black jean jacket.

  Aira froze.

  She would recognize him anywhere.

  This was someone she’d spent countless nights laughing with. Someone she’d made stupid, reckless, unforgettable memories with. Someone who’d been one of her best friends—until he vanished without a word. No calls. No messages. No explanation.

  And now he was standing there like he’d never left.

  “…Hyakki?”

  The name slipped out of her in a breath—thin, disbelieving, almost fragile. For a moment she wasn’t even sure she’d said it aloud.

  Across from her, Hyakki turned at the sound of her voice. His posture went still, the faint upward tilt of his head halting mid movement. Their eyes met—and the unreadable neutrality he always wore cracked open just slightly.

  “…Aira?”

  Around them, the entire friend group fell silent. Conversation stalled mid sentence; laughter died on half formed breaths. The courtyard air felt suddenly suspended, as if every person present collectively realized something important was happening, but had no idea what to do with it.

  Aira barely heard any of them. Her gaze was locked on Hyakki like gravity.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Now that she was really looking, the details clicked together—sharper jawline, hair a little longer, posture more composed than she remembered—but the eyes were the same. The crimson hue. The softness he tried to hide. The tiny flicker of recognition that said yes, it’s me. Yes, it’s really you.

  Her chest tightened painfully.

  She didn’t think—she just moved.

  In two steps she closed the distance and threw her arms around him, hugging him with all the force of three years’ worth of fear, relief, anger, and longing. For a moment Hyakki didn’t react, caught off guard—then his arms wrapped around her in return, steady and familiar in a way that made her throat close.

  Warmth rushed up behind her eyes.

  He’s real.

  He was alive. He was here. The ghost she thought she’d lost was suddenly solid in her arms.

  But the wave of joy crashed as quickly as it crested.

  Aira pulled back and her expression shifted in an instant. Anger, bright and righteous, surged up to replace the relief. Before he could even speak, she grabbed the collar of his jean jacket, yanked him down to eye level, and demanded:

  “WHY DID YOU GHOST ME FOR THREE YEARS!?”

  Hyakki’s expression drained into the flat, deadpan stare of a man reconsidering every decision that led him to this exact moment.

  “…I was in a dark place.”

  Aira’s grip tightened.

  “A dark place? Are you kidding me?”

  She shook him, the rage bubbling up from somewhere deep—somewhere scared. “You could’ve sent one message. One call. One sign you were even alive. You literally vanished! I thought you died!”

  “My bad,” he offered weakly.

  “‘MY BAD!?’” Aira’s voice cracked, fury making her tremble. “THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY? You disappear off the face of the planet during the worst period of M.A.W. attacks, and then you show up as if nothing happened? Where have you even been? Why now? Why didn’t you—”

  “It’s… complicated,” Hyakki cut in, eyes lowering. “But I’m a TA now. I moved in recently.”

  “Complicated?” Aira repeated, incredulous. “Hyakki, I spent months thinking something horrible happened to you. You left without a word—no explanation, no warning—during the same months every news station was reporting Hollow killings and M.A.W. sightings and—”

  The words lodged in her throat.

  Her grip on his collar faltered.

  Suddenly the anger collapsed inward, folding into something softer, shaking at the edges. All the nights she’d worried. All the unanswered calls. All the hope she’d tried to bury. They all rushed back at once, and she felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes.

  She released him quickly, as if burned.

  Hyakki straightened his jacket, smoothing the wrinkles she’d left. When he looked at her again, his expression was no longer guarded or unreadable. It was soft. Quiet. Almost remorseful.

  “…I’m sorry,” he said, voice low. “I was inconsiderate. I should’ve reached out. I… owe you an explanation. And I’ll tell you everything.”

  Aira crossed her arms tightly, trying to hide the trembling in her fingers. She glared up at him—weakly, eyes still bright with unshed emotion.

  “You better.”

  A fragile, stunned silence lingered in the air, shimmering with the shock of a reunion no one had expected. Aira was still staring at Hyakki, heart pounding against her ribs, trying to process the fact that he was really here, breathing the same air, standing just a few steps away after three long years.

  Then the friend group collectively exhaled.

  Lev leaned forward, eyes huge. “Wait—he’s the one who ghosted you? The friend you said vanished for three years?? That’s insane!”

  Aira flushed. Hyakki closed his eyes in visible suffering.

  Kieran pushed his glasses up, voice mild and too observant. “Statistically speaking, the odds of a reunion like this are… very low. Fascinating.”

  Gavant rested his hands in his pockets, smiling like a gentle philosopher. “Sometimes people drift apart, only to orbit back into your life when the timing’s finally right. It’s the universe syncing up your save files again, y’know?”

  Aira blinked. “…What?”

  He shrugged. “Cosmic patch notes.”

  Amari clapped her hands with bright joy. “I’m so happy for you both! This is like a drama reunion scene!”

  Kairo, ever tactful, raised a brow. “So were you two, like, dating or something?”

  Aira almost combusted. “NO. Absolutely not. We were just—just close friends.”

  Runa gasped softly, smiling. “I can’t believe our roommate is your long-lost best friend! That’s amazing.”

  Hyakki muttered under his breath, “I should’ve stayed home.”

  Aira grabbed his sleeve immediately. “Don’t even THINK about running. You’re not escaping me again—we’re catching up. Properly.”

  Hyakki sighed like a man accepting a doomed fate.

  Asha, curious as ever, tilted her head. “So how did you two meet?”

  Aira brightened. “Oh! It was during the exchange program two years before the M.A.W. attacks. We ended up in the same class.”

  Hyakki nodded with the resignation of someone who knew what was coming next. “She wouldn’t stop talking to me until we became friends.”

  Aira grinned, triumphant. “And it worked, didn’t it?”

  Yoru covered her mouth, smiling. “Yeah… that sounds exactly like Aira.”

  The group burst into laughter—warm, genuine, bubbling over with disbelief and excitement. The tension broke completely, leaving only joy in its place. Even Hyakki’s stiff posture softened when Runa looped an arm through his and declared he was “absolutely coming to hot pot now, no take-backs.”

  And so they all set off toward the restaurant, a lively cluster of chatter and footsteps under the fading evening light. Aira walked beside Hyakki the whole time, unable to stop glancing at him as if he might vanish again if she blinked too long. It felt surreal.

  “I need to tell Akio about this,” she blurted suddenly, excitement bubbling in her chest. “Hyakki—you have to meet my brother one day. I’ve told him so much about you.”

  Hyakki nearly tripped on the curb. “You told him what?”

  Aira just beamed at him, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Everything.”

  And for the first time since the shock of seeing him again, Hyakki actually smiled—small but undeniably real.

  The night ahead suddenly felt full of possibility. Aira didn’t know what the future held, but in this one moment, under warm streetlights with old and new friends around her, she felt whole.

  ─ ? NEXT CHAPTER POV ? ─

  Akio