Just a few hours ago, Rafka had been fighting Lamia. Now, he was busy hauling boxes and suitcases into a moving truck parked in front of his house.
His body still ached from the battle earlier. His muscles had not even been given a proper chance to recover.
But reality was reality.
There were no movers, no special assistance, and certainly no special treatment just because he had officially become an ARMOR Knight.
He had to move all of his belongings to the headquarters dormitory himself.
After exterminating the six Lamia, Rafka, Ayu, and Kenny returned to headquarters only to find that the entrance examination had already ended.
By the time they got back, all of the participants had gone home, and the results would not be delivered until two days later.
Rafka was still a little disappointed that he had missed the remainder of the exam, especially the interview with Captain Rangga, the part he had been most curious about.
And now, that disappointment was compounded by the fact that he had to move all of his belongings by himself.
"Go, Rafka! Go, Rafka! Just think of it as training!" Ayu called from the living room.
Rafka shot her a glare.
There she was, sitting comfortably and sipping the hot tea his mother had prepared for her.
Seriously? Does she have no conscience at all? Rafka grumbled inwardly.
Earlier, she had confidently declared that they would take care of everything together.
Yet the moment they arrived at his house, his mother had practically rushed over to welcome Ayu and immediately ordered her to sit down and relax as a guest.
Meanwhile, Rafka had somehow become a one-man moving company.
Still, there was something far more shocking than all of that.
Ayu was actually his childhood friend.
If his mother had not reacted so dramatically the moment she saw Ayu standing behind him, that fact might never have come to light today.
Childhood friend.
Rafka vaguely remembered a little girl who used to play with him all the time and follow him everywhere.
If he remembered correctly, he used to call her Yuyu.
Ah, stop right there, Big Sis Narrator!
That nickname is classified information! Please do not reveal it to the public!
They used to spend their days playing together in this very house. But after years of never seeing each other, those memories had gradually faded away.
Even so, it was hard to believe that Ayu, the girl who had been constantly by his side lately, was that same little girl.
"Ayu, are you really my childhood friend?" Rafka asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
How could Ayu remember everything while he remembered almost nothing? That was the question running through his mind.
And if she had recognized him from the very beginning, why had she pretended not to know him when they met again?
Hmm. Even Big Sis Narrator thinks this sounds like a ridiculously cliché drama plot.
"Of course I am." Ayu smiled faintly. "Ever since we were little, you kept saying you'd become the greatest Knight in history, just like the heroes from the legends, remember?"
She rested her chin on her palm as though flipping through the pages of an old photo album. "Do you remember the park near my old house?"
Rafka frowned. "The park? Why?"
"Back then, you found a long tree branch that had fallen from a tree." The corners of Ayu's lips curled upward. "Then you held it up and declared that it was the sword of the Legendary Knight."
Ayu suddenly stood up. With an overly serious expression, she grabbed a feather duster from the table and raised it dramatically into the air. "I shall become the greatest Knight in the world!" she proclaimed in a deliberately loud version of her normally flat voice.
She grinned. "I'll defeat every Lamia and protect everyone!" she continued, doing her best impression of a little kid.
Then she pointed forward while still clutching the feather duster. "And if Yuyu is ever in danger, I'll save her too! Because I love Yuyu!"
Rafka's face immediately turned bright red. "Arrgghh! Stop! Stop right there! That's enough!" he shouted. "There is absolutely no way I said something that embarrassing! Especially that last part!"
"Oh, you said things that were way more embarrassing than that." Ayu's mischievous grin widened. "Want me to help you remember?"
"Ayu, listen carefully." Rafka raised both hands with a serious expression. "There are certain memories that should be erased for the sake of all humanity."
Ayu's grin only grew wider. "Oh? So you didn't actually forget."
"Stop it!" Rafka cried. "The past is the past! Let it stay buried!"
Ayu ignored him completely. "Like that time you stood on top of the slide while holding that tree branch and then—"
"Ayu!" Rafka yelped in panic.
"Shouted that one day you were going to marry me—"
"AAAAA! That's enough!" Rafka immediately lunged forward and covered Ayu's mouth with both hands. "Don't continue! Please! There is a man's dignity being murdered here!"
Ayu blinked several times.
Rafka's face had become as red as a tomato. Panic, embarrassment, and despair had all fused into one.
Seeing his reaction made Ayu want to laugh, but at the same time, the tips of her ears slowly began turning red as well.
Because she still remembered the part she had not managed to say aloud.
Back then, they had both been children.
Rafka had stood atop the playground slide while holding his tree branch like a legendary sword.
With absolute confidence, he had declared that one day he would become the greatest Knight in history.
Then, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, he pointed at Ayu, who had been sitting on a swing. "I like Yuyu too! When we grow up, I'm going to marry Yuyu!"
At the time, Ayu had simply laughed because she did not truly understand what those words meant.
But the memory had remained tucked away in a corner of her heart. Even after all these years, even after they had been separated.
Ayu lowered her gaze. I hope that part comes true too.
***
Ayu set her cup down on the table. "I recognized you immediately on our first day of high school." She let out a small sigh. "When we met again at the school gate that day you were late, I was only pretending not to know you."
"Why?" Rafka asked innocently.
Ayu puffed out her cheeks and turned away with an annoyed huff. "Because I was upset."
She folded her arms across her chest before looking back at him. "We've crossed paths at school countless times since our first year, but you never remembered me."
"Besides, if your childhood friend looked as cute as me, any guy would remember her immediately!" Ayu puffed out her cheeks even further and jabbed a finger at Rafka's face.
"What was I supposed to think? That I wasn't cute enough?" Then she placed a hand against her chest.
Rafka visibly flinched. "Sorry! Sorry! I genuinely had no idea we'd been attending the same school all this time!"
Ayu slipped a hand into her pocket and let out another small sigh. "I forgive you." Then she held up a white flame-shaped hair clip. "By the way, look at this."
Rafka's eyes widened instantly. "That's ...!"
Without another word, he bolted toward his room. He tore through his closet and rummaged through several old boxes.
A few minutes later, he finally found what he had been searching for, a red flame-shaped necklace.
Time had dulled its color, but the shape was unmistakable.
The moment he saw it, childhood memories that had remained buried for years came rushing back one after another.
"Ayu, look!" He hurried back into the living room and held out the necklace.
Ayu's eyes immediately grew moist.
The red necklace and the white hair clip, two small keepsakes carrying countless memories.
Both had been gifts from Naya, Ayu's mother, when they were little. She had passed away when Rafka and Ayu were eight years old.
Not long afterward, Ayu moved far away, and their connection was severed just like that.
"Oh my ...." A gentle voice came from behind them.
Rafka's mother stood in the doorway. "You actually kept them all this time." Her gaze settled on the necklace and hair clip.
A shadow of sadness immediately crossed her face.
Years ago, she and Naya had been close friends. Naya's death had been a devastating blow to her.
For months afterward, she had barely been able to go about her life normally.
"You've both grown up so much," she said, her voice trembled, tears began gathering in her eyes.
"And now you've both become Knights." A small smile appeared on her lips. "Naya would have been so happy to see the two of you."
Rafka and Ayu exchanged glances.
For some reason, a strange feeling stirred within them.
As though this reunion was more than mere coincidence, as though there was still something they did not know.
Something hidden somewhere within their shared past.
***
By evening, all of Rafka's belongings had finally been loaded into the moving truck.
He and Ayu shared dinner with Rafka's family before leaving for headquarters.
The atmosphere was much quieter than usual.
Even though Rafka's mother kept trying to smile, she could not completely hide the sadness in her eyes.
"Well then, I'm off, Mom."Rafka wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you for everything."
The woman returned the embrace. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart." Then she turned toward Ayu. "Ayu, please look after Rafka for me, okay?"
Ayu nodded. "Of course, Auntie. My eyes will always stay on Rafka. Forever."
The two of them walked toward the vehicle waiting outside.
Rafka's mother continued waving until it disappeared completely from sight.
***
The house felt much emptier after they left.
Slowly, the woman made her way back inside, her steps eventually carried her to her bedroom.
Several old framed photographs sat atop a small table near the window.
She picked one of them up, it was a picture of herself and Naya.
They looked much younger, both laughing freely as they stood side by side.
The tears she had managed to hold back finally fell.
"Naya," she whispered softly.
Then she reached for another frame, one that felt especially precious.
In the photograph, a young Rafka stood with a grumpy expression on his face.
Beside him, a young Ayu clung tightly to his arm while beaming brightly at the camera.
The woman gently traced a finger across the surface of the picture. "You finally found each other again." A faint smile appeared on her tear-streaked face.
She drew a short breath. "Naya, perhaps you were right." Her gaze returned to the photograph of the two children. "Fate really does have a strange way of bringing people back together."
Then she rose and slowly walked toward the window.
A vast modern city stretched beyond the glass, illuminated by countless lights that were beginning to shine one by one as evening settled over the skyline.
Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon. "Fire can die out, but the ashes it leaves behind will always wait."
"Ten years, decades, even thousands of years ...," Her fingers brushed the frame still resting in her hands. "as long as those ashes remain, one day they will burn again."
Her eyes slowly closed. "The question is ... what kind of fire will they become this time?"