Wednesday Night – Kael Residence
The house was quiet.
Dinner had ended.
Himari had retreated to her office upstairs, already planning Aeron's next financial modules. Their father was still away on a business trip. Which meant…
Only two people remained in the living room.
Aeron and Ayaka.
The silence between them had stretched into something delicate. Not uncomfortable—but heavy. Like standing beneath a sky that was almost about to rain.
Ayaka sat at the edge of the couch, her legs tucked under her.
Aeron leaned back, remote in hand, but the TV remained off.
> "You're late every night now," she said softly.
He didn't respond.
> "Do you hate being here?"
"No."
"Then why won't you take me with you when you drive?"
He finally looked at her.
"I don't want distractions."
She bit her lip. "I'm not a distraction."
"Maybe not to you."
> But to me… you're dangerous in a way I don't understand.
She stood suddenly. Walked in front of the TV. Blocked his view with her presence.
"You promised—next time."
A pause.
"I remember."
"So?"
"…Tomorrow."
Ayaka's eyes widened.
"You'll take me?"
"Only to watch."
Her hands clenched in joy—but she forced herself to stay composed.
> "He said yes."
---
Ayaka's Room – Later That Night
She stared at the mirror, fingers running through her hair.
Her phone buzzed.
[Misora]: "You got him to agree?"
[Ayaka]: "Tomorrow. I ride with him."
[Misora]: "Better pick something sexy. You're not his sister in that seat."
Ayaka smiled faintly at her reflection.
> "He's letting me in."
> "That car… it's where he breathes again."
> "And I'll be the only girl beside him."
---
Meanwhile – Arisa Minato's Room
Stacks of documents. Financial printouts. Public business filings.
Arisa highlighted the name: Kael Aeron.
Under it: "Unregistered Board Observer – Lucent Corp."
She narrowed her eyes.
> "So, your new mother isn't just grooming you socially. You're being trained for power."
She clicked a file.
Photos. From the racetrack cameras.
Himari. Mirei. Ayaka. Aeron.
> "Four pieces already in place."
She reached into her drawer and removed a sealed envelope.
Inside: her formal request to switch classes.
> "It's time I entered the board."
---
Side Story – Mei's Moment
Mei Takanashi stood beside the school's rooftop garden.
She had followed Aeron's shadow for weeks.
She didn't speak often. But she noticed things no one else did.
The way he traced his finger around his cup before speaking. The way his shoulders tensed before lying.
And the way he softened—only when near his car.
> "That car…"
> "It's not a machine to him. It's an escape."
She reached into her coat.
A small drawing.
Aeron—sitting quietly in the driver's seat, his eyes forward, expression blank.
She whispered:
> "I want to ride with you once."
> "Even if we crash."
---
Closing Scene – Aeron's Room
Aeron stared out the window at the empty sky.
Tomorrow, Ayaka would ride with him.
He didn't know what that meant.
Only that it was a line.
And once crossed—
> Nothing would be the same.