lAsahi's breath caught in his throat. His katana trembled in his grip as the figure stepped from the shadows, moonlight glinting on the emblem stitched across her jacket.
"...Why are you here?" Asahi whispered, his voice breaking.
The woman smiled faintly, her eyes soft but her aura sharp as a blade.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Asahi?"
-FLASHBACK-
The memory struck Asahi without mercy.
On a chilly morning years ago, he had been walking to school when two dogs snarled and snapped at each other on the roadside.
"Hey, no hurting each other!" their owner yelled, pulling at the leashes.
Asahi slowed his steps. I thought there was a real fight… guess I overreacted.
He turned the corner, only to nearly stumble over a boy who had tripped and dropped his bag in front of the school gates. Books and papers scattered across the ground.
"Are you okay?" Asahi asked, kneeling to help.
The boy scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I think so. Ugh, I'm so late! Thanks, man."
Asahi handed him a notebook. Their eyes met for the first time.
"Wait—hold on!" The boy gasped. "You're Tanaka Asahi, right? From history class?"
"That's… me, yeah." Asahi blinked. He didn't recognize the boy at all.
The boy grinned wide. "Takahashi Touma. Best student in school—though I spend most of class sleeping."
"Oh… right," Asahi muttered. So that's why I've never noticed him.
Then, out of nowhere, Touma pumped his fist into the air.
"Friendship! But… later! I'm late for class!" he shouted before bolting off.
Asahi tilted his head. "…Weird guy."
Later that morning in history class, the teacher raised her voice.
"What year did the United States attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki?"
Asahi lowered his eyes to his desk, hoping not to be picked.
"How about Asa—"
"1945!" a girl's voice rang out.
Everyone turned.
"You're right, Fuyutsuki," the teacher said sternly. "But next time, raise your hand."
The girl, Fuyutsuki, sat proudly with a smile, though she quickly turned her head toward Asahi. Their eyes met for a fleeting second before Asahi glanced away, heat rising in his cheeks.
At lunch, Asahi sat alone, quietly nibbling on mochi.
"Mochi, huh? My favorite too!"
He looked up. Fuyutsuki stood there, beaming, with Touma and another boy beside her. The other boy's presence radiated authority.
"Not at all… who are you?" Asahi asked flatly.
"Fuyutsuki. We're in the same history class, bae!"
"…Bae?" Asahi muttered under his breath. What is she even saying…
"That man who looks like a dad is Akihiko," Fuyutsuki added.
"I don't look like a dad," Akihiko snapped.
Asahi sighed. "Do you… need something?"
"Can we sit here?" Akihiko asked kindly. "Touma says you're his friend."
Asahi frowned. Friend? Since when? But he gave a small nod. "Fine. Sit."
The four shared lunch together. Laughter, small talk, and little jabs filled the air.
"Why don't you know us? We're the top students here," Fuyutsuki teased.
"I don't talk much," Asahi answered simply.
"Lifeless," she huffed. "Then let's be friends. We four can be the best together."
And so, slowly, they did. The four—Touma, Akihiko, Fuyutsuki, and Asahi—became inseparable. They topped the academy, ranking first through fourth, and graduated side by side.
One day, after school, Fuyutsuki tugged Asahi's sleeve.
"Can you come with me?" she asked shyly.
"…Why?"
"I want to buy mochi."
They walked side by side, their steps echoing on the bridge they crossed. The air was cool, the river beneath whispering softly.
"Hey… Asahi," Fuyutsuki said, almost in a whisper.
He turned.
"You know, ever since Touma introduced us, it's felt like magic every time I see you. Like… you're the first person in my life who ever truly caught my eyes."
Asahi blinked, stunned. "…Are you saying…?"
"Never mind." She forced a smile. "Forget it."
But when she turned away, her steps faltered. She spun back and flung her arms around him, tears welling in her eyes.
"I know it's wrong to love a friend. But I've loved you from the first moment. I couldn't hold it back anymore!"
Her lips pressed to his, sudden and trembling. Asahi's heart nearly stopped.
"…I feel the same," he whispered. "I promise… when the time is right, I'll marry you."
-PRESENT-
But that was long ago.
Now, under the crimson sky of Minato, Asahi stared at her—his Fuyutsuki—standing proudly with the Kaosu emblem glowing on her chest.
"You left the clan after that day. You said you'd travel abroad. But why… why are you wearing that logo?!" His voice shook with both anger and grief.
Fuyutsuki lifted her chin. "Look closely, Asahi. I'm ranked Third—second only to the top. Isn't it amazing?"
Her words were bright, but Asahi's glare darkened.
"That's the worst thing you could've said," he growled.
"Aren't you also Third? Right beside Akihiko? We're the same! I'm so happy!" Her voice wavered, but her joy was sincere.
"Happy? You betrayal!" Asahi roared.
Without warning, Fuyutsuki dashed forward and kissed him again, desperately, passionately. For a second, his body froze.
"I thought… you'd be glad too," she whispered, tears dripping onto his chest.
Then pain shot through his back. A knife. She had stabbed him.
But at the same moment, Asahi's own blade pierced her side.
They both staggered, clutching each other, blood dripping down their coats.
"…Why, Fuyutsuki?" Asahi gasped. "Why betray us—me most of all?"
Fuyutsuki's lips trembled. "Because ever since Shoto and Nagisa joined, they treated me like… a girl, not a woman. They discarded me like trash. You were the only one who treated me with respect. You were the only one who saw me as more. That's why… I left. Not because of you."
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She pulled away, then grinned faintly through the blood.
"How about a duel, Asahi? With these wounds, time's running out anyway."
They cast aside their coats, their grenades, their pistols, and even their katanas. Wooden sticks from fallen branches became their weapons.
For hours, they fought—each strike filled with anger, sorrow, and love. Their bodies weakened, but neither yielded.
Finally, their sticks fell from their hands. Their breaths ragged, their limbs shaking, they collapsed into each other's arms.
"…I didn't think we could endure this long," Asahi murmured.
Fuyutsuki smiled weakly. "Maybe… in another life, we'll finish what we started. Marry me there, Asahi?"
He pressed his forehead to hers. "…I swear. In another world, another time, forever."
Their lips met one last time.
And together, as the night of Minato raged on around them, Tanaka Asahi and Fuyutsuki slipped away—peacefully, side by side.