That same night, following Ren and Yeamori’s quiet dinner, Souta was out in the vibrant heart of the city.
The lively chatter of a high-end restaurant filled the air.
Souta sat at a long booth, surrounded by faces from his past.
“Today is Toma’s birthday, so order whatever you want!” Kaito announced, resting his arms confidently on the table with a wide grin.
On the left side of the table sat Toma, Kaito, and Riku.
On the right, Souta sat flanked by two female friends, Shoko and Alisa.
Toma looked across the table at Souta, a fond, nostalgic smile on his face.
“Souta… it’s been years since we all got together like this. Are you doing alright?”
Souta offered his signature, easygoing smile.
“Yeah, I’m doing fine.”
Shoko puffed her cheeks in a slight pout, clearly dissatisfied with that answer.
“How can you say you’re fine? You never even pick up my phone calls anymore.”
Kaito quickly intervened, trying to manage the rising tension.
“Come on, Shoko. Souta is a Ranker now. He’s probably just buried in work.”
Shoko shot Kaito a narrow, accusing glare.
“You always blindly take your friend’s side.”
“That’s not true,” Kaito reasoned, waving his hands defensively.
“We just have to look at both sides of the coin.”
Alisa, sitting quietly beside Souta, folded her hands in her lap.
“Maybe Kaito is right,” she murmured, her tone timid and shy.
Toma clapped his hands together, desperately trying to shift the atmosphere.
“Alright, alright, let’s drop this topic. Let’s talk about something else.”
But Shoko wasn’t entirely done.
As she picked up her fork, she casually shifted her gaze back to Souta, leaning in slightly.
“By the way, Souta… you’ve gotten incredibly handsome. Do you have a girlfriend?”
The clinking of silverware suddenly seemed to stop.
Souta froze mid-bite.
The casual, relaxed smile completely vanished from his face.
Like a sudden, violent electrical shock to his nervous system, a deeply buried memory triggered in his mind.
A soft, agonizingly familiar voice echoed through the hollows of his heart.
“Minami…”
Across the table, Kaito and Toma both went visibly pale.
A heavy wave of sadness and panic washed over their faces.
They exchanged a desperate, frantic look.
They knew exactly what kind of explosive landmine Shoko had just stepped on.
Just as the silence threatened to become suffocating, a waiter approached to place a steaming bowl of soup on the table.
Toma lunged at the opportunity, his voice artificially loud and overly excited.
“Shoko! You have to try this soup! It’s literally the best thing on the menu here!”
Easily distracted, Shoko immediately shifted her focus to the bowl. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Her eyes lit up.
“Aww, really? I’ll try it right now!”
The immediate crisis was averted.
But a heavy, chilling aura lingered around Souta.
Alisa looked at him, her eyes filled with quiet concern.
She gently extended her hand, resting it softly on Souta’s tense shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
Souta pulled himself from the dark depths of his memories.
With great effort, he forced his signature, effortless smile back onto his face.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
The cool night air hit Souta’s face as he walked alone down the empty footpath.
His mind, violently dredged up by the dinner conversation, dragged him back to a memory he had tried so hard to bury.
(Flashback)
Airi pulled back, wiping her cheeks with trembling hands.
Her eyes, though wet with tears, carried a painful, unbreakable resolve.
“I’m leaving this city. Tomorrow,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“I can’t… I can’t watch you destroy yourself like this.”
Before Souta could even form a response, she turned sharply and walked away.
Her delicate silhouette faded into the hazy glow of the street lamps, leaving absolutely nothing but a deafening silence in her wake.
Souta stood motionless under the night sky, his heart impossibly heavy, his fists trembling helplessly at his sides.
“…Airi…”
(Present Day)
The painful memory faded, leaving a hollow ache in Souta’s chest.
He continued his long walk back to Masaki’s bungalow, his expression deeply somber.
As he approached the towering main gates, a dark shape caught his eye.
Slumped against the stone wall was a figure wrapped in a heavy black coat, their head tucked deeply against their chest.
Souta stopped, his guard instinctively rising.
“Now who is this…?” he whispered.
He approached cautiously, dropping to one knee.
Reaching out, he gently gripped the person’s chin and tilted their face up toward the dim street light.
Souta’s eyes widened in sheer shock.
“Sayu?!”
Sayu let out a sloppy, intoxicated giggle.
Through her alcohol-laced haze, she clearly mistook him for bar staff.
“Yaa~ hehe… Waiter! Bring me one more shot~!”
Souta just stared at her, his expression instantly dropping into a deadpan glare.
He let out an exasperated whisper.
“I thought she was seriously injured… but this idiot is just completely wasted.”
Sayu’s face scrunched up, faking a dramatic, drunken pout.
Souta remained utterly expressionless.
He placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
“Can you stand up?”
“Yup!”
Sayu tried to push herself up using the wall for support, but the moment she put weight on her legs, she immediately stumbled and began to fall.
Souta caught her effortlessly, letting out a tired sigh.
“Why does she even drink this much?”
With gentle, practiced ease, Souta scooped her up into his arms.
Sayu didn’t resist.
Her arms naturally folded against her chest, her eyes fluttering shut as she comfortably rested her flushed face against his chest.
Carrying her bridal-style, Souta walked through the gates and into the quiet bungalow.
He gently laid her down on the plush sofa in the hallway.
As her back hit the cushions, Sayu slowly fluttered her eyes open, looking up at him.
“Sit with me… please?” she murmured softly.
Souta didn’t miss a beat, his tone completely flat.
“Absolutely not.”
Sayu’s face instantly crumbled, and she began to wail loudly.
“Waaahhhh! Arghhh—ahh~!”
Souta panicked slightly, glancing down the hallway.
*’If I don’t get her to quiet down right now, she’s going to wake up Masaki and Hio,’* he thought.
He let out a defeated sigh.
“Alright, fine.”
He sat down stiffly beside her on the sofa, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
Sayu’s tears vanished instantly, replaced by a triumphant, drunken smile.
She reached her hand out, gently placing it on Souta’s head, and began to awkwardly pat his hair.
“Very good,” she praised softly, her voice incredibly gentle.
In that fleeting, tender moment, Souta looked at her— and for a fraction of a second, he saw Airi’s face overlapping with Sayu’s.
His breath hitched.
He immediately snapped his gaze away, his heart suddenly pounding against his ribs.
Satisfied, Sayu let her hand drop.
She shifted closer, completely leaning her weight against him, and comfortably rested her head right on his lap.
Souta opened his mouth to protest— but a soft, rhythmic breathing filled the quiet air.
She was already fast asleep.
Souta stared down at the sleeping girl, a mixture of annoyance, lingering sadness, and quiet resignation on his face.
‘…What did I just get myself into?’*l
—Chapter 19 End—