The man in the gray coat stopped at their table, his posture sharp, his gaze fixed on Yuki.
"It's been a while," he said, his voice low but carrying an edge.
Yuki's fingers tightened around her mug, though she didn't drink. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"You never do," he replied, glancing briefly at Ren as if assessing whether he mattered. "Mind if I sit?"
Ren leaned forward before Yuki could answer. "Actually, I do."
The man's expression didn't change, but his eyes lingered on Ren for a moment longer. Then, with deliberate slowness, he pulled out a chair and sat down anyway.
Ren's shoulders tensed. Yuki reached for his arm under the table, a silent plea for him to let her handle it.
"What do you want?" she asked the man.
"I came to remind you that unfinished business doesn't go away," he said. "You've been… avoiding certain responsibilities."
Ren's jaw clenched. "She doesn't owe you anything."
The man's gaze sharpened. "That's not for you to decide." He turned back to Yuki. "You know where to find me. Don't take too long."
Without waiting for a response, he stood, pushed in the chair, and left, the café door swinging shut behind him.
Ren exhaled slowly. "You going to tell me who that was?"
Yuki stared at the spot where the man had been standing. Her voice was quiet, almost to herself. "Someone I thought I left behind."
The words hung in the air like smoke—faint, but impossible to ignore.
[To be continued…]