Location: Lucent Ridge — Midnight Drift
The black car sliced through the mountain turns like it belonged to the wind.
Inside, Aeron was calm. Focused.
Hands steady on the wheel. Eyes locked ahead.
Speed didn't scare him.
Noise didn't distract him.
Here — in this shadowed world of steel and silence — he felt alive.
And most importantly, he felt free.
> Free from gazes.
Free from pressure.
Free from love he didn't ask for.
But freedom, even in short bursts, has consequences.
Because someone always follows him.
---
Location: Lucent Ridge Overpass – 12:37 AM
Ayaka gripped the metal rail of a bridge overlooking the track, hair whipping in the cold mountain wind.
She'd followed him. She had to.
Wearing a hoodie over her pajamas, she watched the phantom car blur past below — once, twice — a soundless arrow in the dark.
> "So this is what he's been hiding…"
Her heart was pounding. Not from fear.
From anger. Jealousy. Love.
> "He didn't even tell me." "I'm his sister… right?" "No. I'm not. I'm just the girl who kissed him and got ignored…"
She bit her lip hard.
> "I'll make him look at me."
---
The Next Day – Kael Residence Garage
Aeron wiped the hood of the black car clean. He liked doing it himself. Something about the quiet work soothed his mind.
Until footsteps interrupted him.
Ayaka.
Still in her uniform, hands on hips.
"You know," she began, voice sharp, "I had to follow you to find this."
Aeron didn't turn. "You shouldn't have."
"I had to. Because you don't tell me anything anymore."
"I don't owe anyone anything."
"That's a lie!" she shouted. "You're not like the others — I know that. You feel things. You just hide them."
Silence.
"…You smiled once," she whispered. "After years. You smiled at Mom. I saw it. And now you're closing up again."
He paused. "This—driving—helps."
Ayaka stepped forward.
"Then let me in. I don't care if I'm your stepsister. And I don't want to be just a memory in your rearview mirror."
Aeron turned. For once, his eyes weren't cold. They were… tired.
"You'll get hurt."
"I already am."
---
Elsewhere – New Character Appears
Location: Tokyo Corporate Gala
A camera flash lit the ballroom. Foreign investors, political figures, CEOs all mingled.
A woman in a sleek gray dress moved through them like smoke.
Sharp gray eyes. Long silver hair tied in a loose braid. A katana earring hanging from her left ear.
She didn't speak to many — until she passed a tablet showing stock growth.
Lucent Corp + Asagiri Holdings: Joint spike in global investment.
Her eyes narrowed.
> "Kael Aeron…"
She turned to her assistant. "Schedule me for a school visit. I'm donating to Tenkaichi Academy."
Name: Mei Takanashi, 27
CEO of Shadow Edge Security
Reputation: Ruthless. Elitist. Dislikes media.
But rumors say she's searching… for someone worth protecting.
---
Side Story – Yume's Reflection
Yume stood in the cake shop, sipping tea while her father cleaned glasses behind the counter.
"He's… slipping away," she murmured.
"Boys like Aeron don't run," Mr. Hoshino said calmly. "They retreat. Then wait."
"Then how do I reach him?"
"By not running after him," he said. "You wait. Like he does. And when he turns back… be the first thing he sees."
---
Chapter End
Back in his room, Aeron opened a package his new mother left him.
Inside:
A set of business reports.
His first digital stock portfolio.
A black keycard with his name engraved.
The future wasn't waiting anymore.
It was coming for him.
> "Tch…" Aeron smirked faintly. "Guess I don't get to be normal."