[A week later]
The train rolled smoothly across the tracks, its rhythmic hum blending with the soft chatter of passengers and the occasional chirp of birds outside. Trees blurred past the window in strokes of green and gold, the city shrinking behind them as the countryside welcomed them in with open arms and clean air.
Noah sat by the window, chin resting against his knuckles, watching the landscape transform from concrete and steel to rolling hills and open fields. He could see his reflection faintly in the glass—the same face, the same eyes—but it always felt like a stranger's skin, like he was looking at someone else entirely.
The past week had been surprisingly quiet. No mysterious visitors, no tests of strength, no underground figures appearing to challenge or evaluate him. Just school, homework, and the comfortable routine of taking care of Suzan. It should have been relaxing, but Noah found himself constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Across from him, Suzan leaned forward with a giant grin, unwrapping a sandwich she'd bought from the station with the careful attention of someone about to experience pure joy. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, the sheer happiness on her face making Noah's lips twitch into a small smile.
"Want a bite?" she asked, offering the sandwich toward him with both hands like it was a precious gift.
"No thanks," he replied gently. "You're enjoying it too much."
She gave him a thumbs-up and went back to eating, legs swinging beneath her seat in contentment. It had been her idea to take a trip out of the city—just one day, no school, no fights, no strange guys in black uniforms showing up to "test" her brother.
Noah hadn't argued. She hadn't asked for much lately, and he'd noticed the way she sometimes looked at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. Like she was worried about him, trying to figure out if he was okay.
"Hey, Noah."
He looked at her, noting the slight change in her tone.
"Are you… happy here?"
The question caught him off guard. Not because it was hard to answer—but because it wasn't.
He looked back out the window. Fields stretched wide and endless, birds flying low over crops, and clouds moved slow and lazy overhead like they had all the time in the world.
"I don't know," he said honestly, the words coming out softer than he'd intended.
Suzan didn't say anything, just kept chewing thoughtfully, watching him like she was studying something written on his face in invisible ink.
"I like this, though," he added after a moment. "Quiet. Safe. With you."
She smiled, and it was like the sun breaking through clouds.
"Then you're happy," she said, matter-of-factly. "Even if just a little."
Noah let out a soft breath, feeling something in his chest loosen just slightly. Maybe she was right. Maybe happiness didn't have to be a constant state—maybe it could be moments like this, stolen from the chaos of his other life.
They arrived at a small riverside town by noon—the kind of place where time moved slower and people still waved at strangers. The station was barely more than a platform with a small building attached, but it was clean and welcoming, with flower boxes and hand-painted signs pointing the way to various local attractions.
They bought cold drinks from a vending machine and walked along the riverbank, following a path that meandered between willow trees and park benches. Noah skipped stones for a bit, his enhanced reflexes making the task almost absurdly easy, while Suzan took photos of ducks and flowers with the kind of focused attention she usually reserved for her art projects.
For the first time in a long time, no one stared at him like a monster. No one whispered about fights or pointed him out to their friends. No one tried to test his limits or prove their own strength. The people they passed offered polite nods or friendly smiles, treating him like any other young man enjoying a day out with his sister.
He felt almost… normal.
Suzan pulled him toward a souvenir stand run by an elderly woman who complimented Suzan's hair and asked if they were visiting from Seoul. The conversation was light, meaningless, and wonderful in its complete ordinariness.
"Buy me that," Suzan said, pointing at a tiny silver bracelet shaped like a feather, displayed among other handmade jewelry.
Noah raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because I'm your sister and I said please," she grinned, giving him the kind of look that had been working on him since she was five years old.
He snorted but paid for it anyway, clipping it onto her wrist as they sat on a nearby bench overlooking the river. The metal was warm from the sun, and it caught the light as she moved her hand.
"You don't need stuff to remind you I'm always here," he said quietly.
Suzan held her wrist up to the sun, watching the bracelet sparkle. "I know. But I like pretty things. And I like having something that reminds me of today."
Noah leaned back against the bench, eyes closed, listening to the wind rustle through the trees and the distant laughter of children playing by the water's edge. The sun was warm on his face, and for a moment, he could almost forget about the violence that seemed to follow him everywhere.
*Maybe this is what peace looks like.*
*Maybe I can live like this.*
A shadow passed over his thoughts, dark and familiar.
*No. He couldn't.*
Peace didn't last. Not for people like him. There was always another fight, another challenge, another threat. The underground world he'd become part of didn't take vacations or respect family time. It was always there, waiting, watching, ready to drag him back into the darkness.
And as if on cue, his phone buzzed inside his pocket. A single message blinked on the screen, no name attached, just a number he didn't recognize.
"Still breathing?"
Noah's fingers closed slowly around the phone, his jaw tightening as he stared at the message. Three words that managed to carry a world of threat and mockery.
His smile faded, just slightly, but enough for Suzan to notice.
"Everything okay?" she asked, her voice carrying just a hint of concern.
Noah slipped the phone back into his pocket and forced his expression back to neutral. "Yeah. Just spam."
She studied his face for a moment, then seemed to accept the explanation. "Good. I don't want anything to ruin today."
Neither did he. But as they sat there in the peaceful afternoon sun, Noah couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in the city they'd left behind, people were watching, planning, waiting for the right moment to shatter this fragile peace.
The feather bracelet caught the light again as Suzan moved her hand, and Noah found himself hoping that whatever came next, she would be far away from it.
Some things were worth protecting, even if it meant walking back into the darkness.
***
I forgot to give out the notice on yesterday's first update but a new fanfic is out!
Lookism: Gensho no-akuma
Check it out!