The evening after the group study session was surprisingly peaceful.
Hina stepped into the house with a small smile still lingering on her face.
Her aunt immediately noticed.
“You’re smiling.”
Hina blinked.
“Am I?”
“Yes, you are.”
Her aunt laughed softly.
“And I don’t think I’ve seen that smile very often.”
Hina looked away slightly.
A little embarrassed.
“It was fun.”
“The study session?”
“Yeah.”
Hina nodded.
“We studied…
a little.”
Her aunt raised an eyebrow.
“A little?”
Hina immediately remembered Haku and Ryu arguing for half the day.
Then Yui pulling Itsuki’s hair.
Then Haku escaping with his motorcycle.
A laugh escaped her lips.
“Okay…
maybe not that much studying.”
Her aunt smiled warmly.
“I’m glad.”
And for the first time—
Hina didn’t immediately doubt that warmth.
Her special eyes quietly observed her aunt’s emotions.
Only concern.
Only affection.
Nothing else.
A few months ago, she would’ve questioned it.
Now…
She simply smiled back.
“Thanks, Aunt.”
A brief look of surprise crossed her aunt’s face before she smiled even wider.
“Go rest for a bit.”
“I will.”
After showering and changing clothes, Hina spent some time relaxing in her room.
Eventually, she got bored.
The evening sky outside looked beautiful.
Maybe a short walk would be nice.
She headed downstairs.
“I’m going out for a little while.”
Her aunt looked up from the living room.
“Don’t stay out too late.”
“I won’t.”
“And be careful.”
Hina nodded.
“I will.”
Then she left.
Tokyo’s evening streets were calm.
Store lights illuminated the sidewalks.
People walked by.
Cars passed occasionally.
Everything felt normal.
Peaceful.
Comfortable.
Hina quietly wandered through the neighborhood.
Without realizing it, she found herself approaching a convenience store.
Then—
She noticed two boys standing nearby.
Something about them felt familiar.
Very familiar.
But she couldn’t immediately remember why.
Not wanting trouble, she simply continued walking.
Ignoring them.
Unfortunately—
They noticed her too.
One of them suddenly grabbed her wrist as she walked past them.
Hina immediately froze.
She turned around.
The boy leaned closer.
Then his face lit up.
“Oh.”
“No way.”
“It really is you.”
Hina frowned.
“…Who are you?”
The boy laughed.
“You forgot already?”
“That hurts.”
He pointed at himself.
“I’m Hotaru.”
Then he pointed beside him.
“And that’s Gaku.”
The moment she heard those names—
Her blood ran cold.
Childhood memories surfaced instantly.
The bullying.
The fear.
The helplessness.
Everything.
“You remember now, don’t you?”
Hotaru grinned.
Meanwhile, Gaku looked her up and down.
“Wow.”
“You’ve changed.”
“You weren’t this cute before.”
Hotaru nodded.
“Seriously.”
“What happened?”
Hina immediately tried pulling her hand away.
“Let go.”
“I don’t want any trouble.”
“I just want to leave.”
But Hotaru tightened his grip.
Much tighter.
“Leave?”
“We just met after years.”
“Let’s catch up.”
Gaku laughed behind him.
“Yeah.”
“We should spend some time together.”
A chill ran down Hina’s spine.
Her eyes instinctively activated.
She looked into them.
And immediately regretted it.
Greed.
Cruel amusement.
Malice.
The emotions swirling inside them made her stomach turn.
These weren’t people who wanted to talk.
These were the same boys she remembered.
Only worse.
“Let me go.”
Hina’s voice trembled slightly.
Hotaru smirked.
“No.”
Then he started pulling her away.
“Come on.”
Hina struggled.
“Stop!”
“Let me go!”
But nobody around seemed to notice.
Or maybe they simply didn’t want to get involved.
Not far away—
Someone did notice.
White hair.
Blue eyes.
Haku.
At first he only noticed Hina from a distance.
Then he noticed her expression.
Then he noticed Hotaru dragging her.
And suddenly—
His heart dropped.
“Hina?”
His eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward.
“Hina!”
But before he could reach them—
A large crowd crossed the street between them.
People.
Bicycles.
Traffic.
Everything blocked his path.
“Damn it!”
By the time he pushed through—
They were gone.
All of them.
Hina.
Hotaru.
Gaku.
Gone.
For the first time in a long time—
Panic appeared on Haku’s face.
“Where did they go?”
Meanwhile—
Hina had been dragged into a narrow alley.
Her breathing was becoming uneven.
Fear tightened around her chest.
“Let me go!”
Hotaru ignored her.
Gaku simply laughed.
Then several older boys appeared from deeper inside the alley.
Friends of theirs.
One of them whistled.
“Who’s this?”
Hotaru grinned.
“Cute, right?”
The others laughed.
Hina felt sick.
The emotions in their eyes were even worse.
Mockery.
Cruelty.
Excitement.
She desperately tried pulling away.
But Hotaru suddenly pinned her wrist against the wall.
Hard.
Pain shot through her arm.
“Stop struggling.”
He leaned closer.
Their faces were only inches apart.
His voice became dangerous.
“I won’t say it twice.”
“Stay quiet.”
A single tear escaped Hina’s eye.
Just one.
She had tried so hard not to cry.
But fear finally broke through.
The moment Hotaru saw it—
He laughed.
“Oh?”
“She’s crying.”
Gaku laughed too.
“Still a coward.”
“Just like when we were kids.”
The others joined in.
Their laughter echoed through the alley.
Then—
A voice interrupted them.
“Let her go.”
Everyone turned.
At the entrance of the alley—
Haku stood there.
Breathing heavily.
His chest rising and falling rapidly from running.
The moment he saw Hina’s tear-streaked face—
Something darker shifted inside him.
Something dangerous.
Even Hina felt a shiver.
Hotaru scoffed.
“And who are you?”
Gaku smirked.
“Some kid?”
One of the older boys laughed.
“We’re college students.”
“You should leave before you get hurt.”
Haku slowly exhaled.
“Look.”
“I’m trying to be nice.”
“Let her go.”
“Don’t make me angry.”
Hotaru burst out laughing.
“You?”
“Make you angry?”
“What’s a little kid gonna do?”
The others laughed too.
Haku rubbed his forehead.
“You people are giving me a headache.”
Then he started walking forward.
Calmly.
The older boys rushed him.
Punches flew.
But—
None connected.
Haku casually dodged every attack.
His hands remained inside his pockets.
One punch.
Missed.
Another punch.
Missed.
Another.
Missed.
It almost looked ridiculous.
Like they couldn’t even touch him.
Gaku charged next.
Same result.
Nothing landed.
For a brief moment—
Everyone froze.
Confused.
Including Hina.
Then Hotaru made a mistake.
His attention shifted toward Haku.
And Hina seized the opportunity.
She leaned forward—
And bit his hand.
“AAAGH!”
Hotaru screamed.
His grip loosened instantly.
Hina broke free.
But the pain only made him furious.
His face twisted with rage.
He raised his hand.
As if he was about to strike her.
Then—
Everything happened at once.
A hand grabbed Hotaru’s throat.
And slammed him against the wall.
Hard.
The entire alley fell silent.
Haku stood there.
His expression terrified everyone.
Especially Hina.
Because she had never seen him like this.
Not once.
His eyes were cold.
Dangerously cold.
His voice was quiet.
“Listen carefully.”
“Just because I’ve been joking around doesn’t mean you should forget your place.”
Hotaru couldn’t even respond.
Haku’s grip tightened slightly.
Hotaru face turned slightly purple.
“If you had touched her…”
He paused.
The look in his eyes made Hotaru pale.
“…you wouldn’t have liked what happened next.”
Then someone tried attacking Haku from behind.
Big mistake.
Haku moved instantly.
He threw Hotaru aside.
Turned.
And landed a devastating punch.
The attacker dropped immediately.
Another rushed him.
A kick sent him crashing into the ground.
Another.
Punch.
Another.
Kick.
Within moments—
Everyone was down.
The alley became silent.
Only heavy breathing remained.
Then Haku finally calmed down.
He turned toward Hina.
Their eyes met.
His emotions flowed into her senses.
Protectiveness.
The anger slowly faded.
“You okay?”
Hina hesitated.
Still shaken.
Still frightened.
But she nodded.
“…Yeah.”
Later—
The two sat outside a convenience store.
Silence hung between them.
Neither spoke.
Haku’s knuckles were scraped and bleeding slightly.
Hina noticed first.
“You got hurt.”
“It’s nothing.”
“No.”
She reached for his hand.
“Give it to me.”
Haku blinked.
Then quietly obeyed.
Hina carefully cleaned the wound.
Applying medicine with gentle movements.
Haku stared at her.
Without saying a word.
Something strange stirred inside his chest.
Something unfamiliar.
Something he couldn’t understand.
For the first time—
His usual jokes disappeared completely.
He simply watched her.
And wondered why being near her felt different from everyone else.
Then—
Far away.
Across the street.
A figure watched them.
A young man wearing glasses adjusted them slightly.
His eyes remained fixed on Hina.
A small smirk appeared on his face.
“Found you.”
The wind carried his voice away.
Neither Hina nor Haku heard him.
But somehow—
The words felt like the beginning of something dangerous.
End of Chapter 11.