Yamikuro stood at Mai's, Kazuhiko's fiancée's, door.
Yamikuro's eyes were cold, almost like he had no emotions behind them. Not even a hint of grief.
Mai looked at Yamikuro without saying anything; his stare sent chills down her spine.
It seemed like Yamikuro wasn't able to speak. His mouth was open, but no words were able to come out.
"Do you need anything?" Mai decided to finally ask.
Yamikuro was the kid with the brightest eyes, so what could've happened? Just a few days ago, they had fun in her diner.
"Kazuhiko has died."
Yamikuro pierced through her thoughts without warning.
Those words almost like escaped his lips on their own. He didn't stutter or change tone as he spoke.
Mai tried to deny it, but something had felt off for some time, and the look on Yamikuro's face confirmed those words clearly.
She immediately broke down, falling to her knees.
Yamikuro tried to hold her up.
Mai and Kazuhiko were supposed to have a child soon. She was going to be left alone.
Mai swept and swept without stopping, the tears drowning her yellow dress.
After Mai felt like she had run out of tears, she got up, trying to suppress her thoughts.
"...When's the...funeral?" She asked quietly.
"In two hours."
Mai jumped to Yamikuro, and the two of them almost fell down. She held Yamikuro tightly.
"It must be terrible... For even someone like you..."
Yamikuro remained quiet, staring into the distance.
Eventually, Mai thanked Yamikuro for telling her about Kazuhiko's death.
When she shut the door, she couldn't take a step before breaking down and sliding to the floor.
Yamikuro could hear her screams through the shut door.
The sky was completely gray. Not a single ray of sun got through, not around the capital, not anywhere in The Hideout.
The air was also chilly, with the wind playing with Yamikuro's hair.
The world itself almost mourned for Kazuhiko.
Yamikuro's steps crackled on the gravelly ground in front of Mai's house. She didn't live far from Kazuhiko, whom the gravel reminded Yamikuro of.
The steps stopped, Yamikuro closed his eyes, and raised his head slightly.
He wanted to take in the moment. Let the wind blow his hair around with the smell of wet grass wafting through the air.
"Hey, come on! Catch me if you can!" A child yelled cheerfully near Yamikuro.
Yamikuro opened his eyes to see three kids playing before him.
It was like they didn't have a care in the world, running around full of energy despite the depressing weather.
Yamikuro almost felt jealous seeing how the death of someone so close to Yamikuro didn't affect others. He too wanted to play with his friends.
Yamikuro continued walking, slowly sliding his hands into his pockets. He had thrown on a funeral outfit, but he couldn't bring himself to face Kazuhiko. Not as he was.
And that's why Yamikuro went on a walk, trying to convince himself it wasn't his fault.
One of the kids near him kicked the ball a little too far, and it bounced near Yamikuro's feet. It was bright red, sticking out as everything else was completely gray in his eyes.
Yamikuro kept staring at it, his eyes seemingly more empty than before.
"What's his problem?" One of the kids whispered.
"Hey, mister! Can you pass it back to us?" The other kid yelled out.
Suddenly, Yamikuro snapped out of that state, noticing the ball before him once again.
He slightly tapped on the ball with his foot and turned to the kids.
"Sorry!" He threw on a smile as he raised his hand slightly.
But as soon as he turned away, the smile disappeared.
Yamikuro kept walking through the streets, reaching the main part of the capital.
All around, people chatted with each other, laughed, smiled, and played.
Yamikuro felt lonely, despite still having all his friends; he felt like he had lost a guardian having his back.
A sign shone into his eyes.
Yamikuro raised his head to see what was written on it.
Dine Diner
The very first place Kazuhiko showed Yamikuro on his first day out of the hospital.
Had Yamikuro not been taken to The Hideout, he would've never met any of the people he was now close to, and Kazuhiko wouldn't have died.
Yamikuro lowered his head immediately, still remaining quiet with the same facial expression.
It didn't take long for the funeral to start. Everyone gathered together, except for one person.
Yamikuro couldn't bring himself to show up.
He sat on top of a rather high roof. He could see a huge chunk of the capital from it.
But his focus wasn't on that; he instead stared down at the ground, his mind empty. He felt emotionless.
Kazuhiko's faint laughter echoed in his mind.
"You don't have to carry all of this by yourself, you know..."
"When you find some close people, don't be afraid to rely on them. Trust me, you'll suffer a lot more if you try and do all of it alone."
The words that Kazuhiko told him when he first got out of the hospital haunted his mind to this day.
He was so deep in thought that he couldn't hear the creaking coming from behind him. Someone pushed open the door built into the roof.
"So this is where you were. You're missing the funeral, you know."
Yamikuro didn't bother to turn around. He knew it was Caelum by his voice.
"I know."
Caelum could feel the depression in the air.
"So why are you up here alone?"
"I just want to be alone."
Caelum nodded in silence but eventually decided to sit next to Yamikuro, whose legs were hanging over the edge. He wanted to get Yamikuro out of that depressed feeling slowly.
"You know, some time ago, I was asked if I supported the idea of a perfect world by people who called themselves Peace Seekers. It was supposed to be a world without any pain or sadness, and it could only be achieved by... resetting the current universe?"
Caelum slightly smirked at that.
"I, of course, thought it was stupid, but they kept telling me that it's possible. Can you imagine it? A perfect world. And they wanted to hear if I'd go along with it."
"Before I say what I answered, I want to hear what you think about it, Yamikuro."
Yamikuro looked at Caelum, who was sitting on his right, with just his eyes.
"I don't think it's possible... And I disagree with resetting the universe."
Caelum looked up at the cloudy sky.
"I see. Well, to be honest, I'd want to live in that perfect world."
Yamikuro raised an eyebrow.
"What are you getting at?"
Caelum's look went back at Yamikuro.
"Well, I've known Kazuhiko before you arrived here, so his death pains me as well. I can only imagine having to live without my friends forever."
Caelum then sighed.
"So no matter what, your answer would remain the same then?"
Yamikuro clenched his fists. His blood boiled just from thinking about it.
"...I guess. My happiness will come after I kill Lucian Daichi."
"Is that so? Revenge stories never end well, you know that, right?"
Yamikuro looked away, not responding.
Caelum's eyes also dropped to the streets below.
"I think it's best if we drop this topic for now. You know, you should still visit Kazuhiko's grave. He died for your sake, and I don't think he'd want you to sorrow on this roof without telling him your goodbyes and thanks."
A tear suddenly escaped Yamikuro's eyes. One that he tried his hardest to keep in.
"I was planning to."
Caelum noticed the tear fall to the street below.
"Is it because of the huge crowd that you're sitting alone in here? If so, I understand. I also hate crowds and gatherings. But I wouldn't want Kazuhiko to pass on without hearing my final words to him."
Yamikuro and Caelum sat on the rooftop in silence, waiting for the funeral to end.
As time passed, the sky got grayer until it started to rain. A little bit at first, but they were forced to go inside as it poured.
Caelum took out an umbrella, and the two of them headed to the graveyard.
Caelum remained quiet the entire time.
They eventually arrived at the graveyard, where they found Kazuhiko's spot.
Caelum stood quietly, looking at the gravestone.
"Goodbye, Kazuhiko."
Yamikuro kneeled before the gravestone, Kazuhiko Ryoti being written on it.
He placed a white flower on top of the huge pile of them.
Seeing the picture of Kazuhiko smiling, Yamikuro's cheeks at first twitched, but quickly he squinted his eyes, trying to force back tears.
But it wasn't possible, and Yamikuro broke down.
Thunder struck as Yamikuro's tears flowed. The weather acted alongside Yamikuro's grieving.
Caelum used to be a counselor at the school, and he knew best to let Yamikuro grieve in silence, letting out all his built-up sadness and guilt.
Eventually, Yamikuro let out a heavy sigh.
"Rest in peace, my teacher and friend."
His tears stopped flowing.
As he stood up, he clenched his hands and gritted his teeth.
"I swear I'll kill Lucian for you," Yamikuro said aloud, despite promising himself never to kill again.