The cool evening wind rushed past them.
The city lights gradually faded behind as Haku’s motorcycle continued down the road.
Hina sat quietly behind him.
At first, she didn’t say anything.
But after several minutes—
“Haku.”
“Hm?”
“Where are we going?”
“A very secret location.”
“…”
“…”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It absolutely is.”
Hina sighed.
“Haku.”
“Yes, Shorty?”
“Tell me where we’re going.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because it’ll ruin the surprise.”
Hina was already regretting getting on the motorcycle.
For the next few minutes, she kept asking.
And every single time—
Haku somehow avoided answering.
Finally—
The motorcycle slowed down.
Then stopped.
Hina carefully climbed off the bike.
The first thing she heard was the gentle sound of flowing water.
She blinked.
A river stretched across the landscape.
The evening sky reflected beautifully on its surface.
A grassy embankment surrounded the area.
The city noise felt far away.
Everything was peaceful.
Everything was quiet.
Hina looked around.
Then turned toward Haku.
“…Why are we here?”
Haku spread his arms dramatically.
“Why?”
He pointed at the scenery.
“Look at this place.”
“The river.”
“The stars.”
“The breeze.”
“The peaceful atmosphere.”
“How could we not come here?”
Hina looked around again.
She had to admit—
It was beautiful.
Very beautiful.
The sound of the river was calming.
The stars had already begun appearing in the sky.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“…It’s nice.”
Haku immediately grinned.
“See?”
“I told you.”
The two of them eventually sat down on the grass.
For a while—
Neither spoke.
They simply looked up at the night sky.
Countless stars sparkled above them.
The sight was breathtaking.
After several moments—
Haku spoke.
“The stars are beautiful, aren’t they?”
Hina nodded.
“…Yeah.”
“They are.”
Haku glanced sideways at her.
Then smiled.
“Not as beautiful as your eyes though.”
Hina froze.
Haku continued.
“It always feels like…”
His gaze remained fixed on her eyes.
His emotions entered her senses.
Admiration.
“…an entire universe is resting inside them.”
Time stopped.
For a moment—
Hina couldn’t breathe.
Because she had heard those words before.
Years ago.
Under a different sky.
From a different boy.
“It feels like an entire universe is hidden inside your eyes.”
Ryu.
The memory resurfaced instantly.
Hina lowered her gaze.
Haku immediately noticed.
“Did I say something weird?”
“N-No.”
“You looked uncomfortable.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
Haku pointed at her.
“You’re doing that thing.”
“What thing?”
“The thing where you pretend everything is fine.”
Hina immediately looked away.
Haku sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
“I won’t force you.”
Hina seemed relieved.
Then—
A mischievous grin appeared on Haku’s face.
“Anyway.”
“I can read minds.”
“…”
“…What?”
“I can read minds.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Yes, I can.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Absolutely yes.”
Hina stared at him.
Then deadpanned—
“You’re an idiot.”
Haku gasped.
“How dare you.”
“I’m serious.”
“No, listen.”
“I’m using my telepathy right now.”
Hina rolled her eyes.
“Oh really?”
“Then tell me what I’m thinking.”
Haku immediately pointed at her.
“You’re thinking…”
He narrowed his eyes dramatically.
“…Wow.”
“What a handsome and intelligent guy.”
Hina stared at him.
“…”
“…”
“No.”
Haku blinked.
“No?”
“I’m thinking you’re incredibly stupid.”
A second of silence.
Then—
Haku grabbed his chest.
“You wounded me.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“You stabbed my heart.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Maybe.”
Hina couldn’t help it.
A small laugh escaped her lips.
Then another.
And another.
Soon—
She was giggling.
A genuine laugh.
One she hadn’t made in a very long time.
For a moment—
The weight she carried seemed lighter.
Haku watched her.
Then smiled.
Not his usual teasing smile.
A softer one.
Eventually—
He stood up.
Then pointed toward the river.
“Let’s go.”
Hina blinked.
“Where?”
“The water.”
“What?”
“The water.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“We’ll get dirty.”
“So?”
“My clothes will get wet.”
“So?”
“We’ll look ridiculous.”
“So?”
Hina frowned.
Haku crossed his arms.
“You worry too much.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
Then his expression softened slightly.
And he said—
“Sometimes…”
“…if you want to move forward, the first thing you have to do is face what scares you.”
The words struck her harder than she expected.
Face what scares you.
Trust people.
Move forward.
Stop running.
For some reason—
Those words stayed with her.
Haku extended his hand.
“Come on.”
For several moments—
Hina hesitated.
Then—
She slowly stood up.
And took his hand.
Haku grinned.
“Good choice.”
Several minutes later—
They were both standing near the river.
And immediately regretting nothing.
Because chaos had begun.
Splash!
Cold water hit Hina directly in the face.
She froze.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
She turned toward Haku.
Who was laughing.
Very loudly.
“Oh no.”
Haku pointed at her.
“You look terrifying.”
Another splash.
Hina narrowed her eyes.
Then scooped up water.
And threw it directly at him.
Splash!
This time—
It was Haku’s turn.
For the next several minutes—
A full-scale water battle erupted.
Neither side showed mercy.
Water flew everywhere.
Both of them were soaked.
And laughing.
For the first time in what felt like forever—
Hina forgot about her fears.
Forgot about her pain.
Forgot about the past.
For a little while—
She was simply having fun.
When the night grew later—
Haku finally brought her home.
The motorcycle stopped outside the gate.
Hina climbed off.
Haku removed his helmet.
Then grinned.
“See?”
“I told you it’d be fun.”
Hina looked away.
“…Maybe.”
“That’s basically a confession.”
“It isn’t.”
“It totally is.”
Hina rolled her eyes.
“Goodnight, Haku.”
“Goodnight, Shorty.”
Before she could argue—
The motorcycle roared to life.
And disappeared down the street.
Hina watched it go.
Then turned toward the house.
But before she could enter—
A familiar voice stopped her.
“Hina.”
Her body stiffened.
She turned around.
Ryu stood behind her.
Silent.
Watching.
For a moment—
Neither spoke.
Then Hina took a small breath.
“…I need to talk to you.”
Ryu looked surprised.
Then nodded.
“…Good.”
“Because I need to talk to you too.”
Later that night.
The two sat together in a quiet plaza.
A wooden bench stood beneath the soft glow of a streetlamp.
The city felt strangely distant.
Only silence surrounded them.
For a long time—
Neither spoke.
Then finally—
Ryu broke the silence.
“Why did you want to talk?”
Hina looked down at her hands.
Thinking.
Remembering Haku’s words.
“Sometimes…
if you want to move forward, the first thing you have to do is face what scares you.”
Slowly—
She lifted her head.
And met Ryu’s eyes.
Ryu’s emotions entered her senses.
Confusion tangled with surprise.
“I’ve decided something.”
Ryu remained silent.
Hina continued.
“I need to learn how to trust people again.”
The words felt strange coming out of her mouth.
But she continued anyway.
“I’ve spent years running away.”
“Years being afraid.”
“Years refusing to listen.”
Her hands tightened slightly.
“But if I want to move forward…”
She took a deep breath.
“…then I need to stop running.”
Ryu’s eyes widened slightly.
For the first time—
Hope appeared inside them.
Hina looked directly at him.
“So.”
“I’m giving you a chance.”
Ryu froze.
Hina continued.
“You said there was a reason.”
“You said something happened.”
“You wanted to explain.”
She swallowed.
Then quietly said—
“…Tell me what happened, Ryu.”
Silence followed.
Neither looked away.
Neither blinked.
Years of pain.
Years of unanswered questions.
Years of regret.
All stood between them.
And yet—
For the first time—
It felt like that distance might finally be crossed.
The night breeze gently passed through the plaza.
And under the glow of the streetlamp—
Their eyes remained locked on one another.
Waiting.
For the truth.
End of Chapter 7.