Midnight.
A quiet stillness blanketed Fukuoka as the last train whispered away into the night.
At Sawaradai East Park, faint streetlights flickered, casting long shadows through the trees. The air was cool, and a faint breeze stirred the leaves. Standing alone near the entrance, Sol Yoshida exhaled deeply, his breath visible in the cold.
He looked down at his phone.
Sent.
Inside the house, tucked beneath old wooden beams and the scent of tatami, Yumi sat quietly in her room, curled up on the futon, unable to sleep.
Her phone vibrated.
She grabbed it instantly—
Sol.
Her eyes widened. Her heart skipped.
She opened the message and read the simple words:
"I'm standing in front of the park. Can you come?"
She whispered, "Sol… he arrived."
Her fingers trembled. She called him.
It picked up after one ring.
"Sol…" she said softly, almost in disbelief.
His voice came through, calm as ever. "Yumi, I'm here. Can you come outside?"
There was a pause.
Then, a smile formed on her lips.
"Yes. I'll be right there."
Sol stood alone near the edge of the park, the night air brushing softly against his coat. The lamplight overhead flickered gently, and he checked his watch again.
"They said just five minutes," he muttered, tapping his foot. "Where are they?"
Suddenly, a voice called out behind him.
"Yo, Sol!"
He turned.
Yumi stood there, forcing a smile, but her eyes shimmered with something deeper—relief, pain, maybe even joy.
"Hey, Yumi," Sol said, smiling back.
"I don't believe it… You really came," she said, her voice quiet, touched with disbelief.
"Of course I did," Sol replied, stepping closer. "I just had to come."
Yumi nodded, swallowing her emotions. "Let's go, then."
"Wait," Sol said, holding out a hand. "They're coming too."
"They?" Yumi blinked. "Who—?"
Then, one by one, they appeared from the shadows of the path, smiles, laughter, and warmth echoing into the night:
Celica, Aisa, Akira, Izumi, Tatsuya, King, Shin, Amelia, Hiroshi, Arisu, Saki, Mio.
Yumi's breath caught in her throat.
"A-Ayyhh… you all—" she whispered.
Her voice cracked. Her eyes glistened.
Surprise. Sadness. Joy. Gratitude.
All tangled together on her face as she looked at the people who mattered most.
They were here.
All of them.
And for a moment, under the soft glow of the streetlamps and the deep silence of midnight, Yumi felt like she wasn't alone anymore.
Yumi's eyes sparkled under the dim streetlights, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and joy.
"You… you all came?"
Sol smiled, hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I thought I'd ask them once, and surprisingly… they all agreed."
Celica stepped forward, arms crossed and eyes narrowed with mock annoyance.
"We're actually angry at you, Yumi."
Yumi blinked. "Angry? Why?"
Celica huffed. "Because you didn't invite us. Not a call. Not even a text."
Yumi lowered her head, cheeks flushed with guilt. "Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
Celica cut her off, her expression softening into a teasing grin. "I'm kidding. But really, don't disappear on us like that."
Behind her, the others smiled—Aisa gently waving, Izumi with his usual smirk, Shin pushing his glasses up, and Amelia with a warm nod. Even King and Akira, who rarely showed emotion, looked relieved.
Yumi's chest tightened. Her eyes welled up, but this time, it wasn't from sadness.
It was warmth.
It was home.
The group fell into step behind Yumi, weaving through the sleepy Fukuoka streets toward the Ayanami house.
Laughter bounced between them, the tension of the past day lifting ever-so slightly.
Izumi teased, "So, Yumi, disappearing for three years and this is the welcome tour? No ramen stop?"
Yumi laughed, brushing hair from her eyes. "Give me ten minutes and I'll find you the best bowl in town."
Akira chimed in, "Make it twenty—we're a mob."
The banter eased the weight inside her chest… until the night wind shifted.
A cold ripple ran down Yumi's spine.
From the mouth of an empty alley, shapes stepped into the light—black cloaks, pale smiles, eyes sharp as knives.
Shinurai raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo, Sol. We meet again."
The street went silent. Every heartbeat echoed in Yumi's ears.
Sol's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. "You… Organization scum."
Gasps rippled through the team. Celica cursed under her breath; King's eyes narrowed.
Behind Shinurai moved the tall, unblinking figure of Kurota Kai. He studied Sol the way a predator sizes prey.
Sol drew in a breath. "Kurota Kai… you're dying here."
Steel flashed; Sol lunged.
But Kurota shifted—one fluid motion—and kicked Sol square in the chest. Sol hit the asphalt hard, skidding back, breath torn from his lungs.
"Sol!" Yumi cried, stepping forward.
Before anyone could attack, Haru Taoka raised a gloved hand and offered a lazy smile.
"Hey, hey—let's not ruin the reunion." He turned to Yumi. "We only came to talk."
Celica spat, "Talk? With blades?"
Haru ignored her, eyes fixed on Yumi.
"Congratulations, Yumi. Effective immediately, you're being promoted. Best new member we've had in years."
Yumi's blood ran cold.
Sol pushed himself up, fury burning in his eyes. "Yumi… member? What are they talking about?"
Her lips trembled. Words wouldn't come. The others stared—shock, confusion, betrayal flickering across their faces.
Haru's smirk widened.
"Come on, Yumi. Tell your friends the good news."
Moonlight washed over the two groups—friends and foes—locked in a silence that could shatter at any second.
The night wind whispered through the trees, brushing gently against the tension in the air.
Yumi stood still—silent, cold—as her friends looked on in disbelief.
She took a slow step forward and joined Haru and the Organization.
Her voice was calm, almost too calm.
"Thank you for the promotion," she said, eyes on the ground. "Mission complete."
A moment of silence.
Sol took a step toward her. His voice cracked. "No… Yumi… are you kidding?"
She looked up at him—not with anger, but with something far more painful.
"No, Sol," she said. "This isn't a joke."
His breath caught. "Then what the hell is this? After everything—"
Yumi cut him off. Her voice was sharper now.
"You always acted like you were saving me. Like I needed you."
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"But love? Real love? Who loves you? No one loves you, idiot."
The words struck harder than any sword.
Sol's face twisted—not in anger, but in something far deeper. A crack in his heart.
"Ah…" he muttered. "Yumi…"
Celica stepped in, voice raised, trembling. "What are you saying, Yumi?! You're betraying us?"
Yumi's eyes softened for a brief moment. A crack in her cold mask.
"You don't understand. I didn't have a choice. I did what I had to do."
Haru smirked beside her, arms crossed. "This is why she's one of our best."
Sol clenched his fists. "Shut up. You brainwashed her."
Yumi: "No… I chose this. Because I finally realized—love won't protect anyone. Power will."
The others—Aisa, Izumi, Amelia, Shin—stood frozen in a mix of pain, shock, and disbelief.
Yumi turned her back.
"I'm sorry… but I'm not coming back."
And with that, she vanished into the dark, surrounded by shadows.
Leaving behind silence, heartbreak