Silence settled over the table after Eis's father made his announcement. The shock appeared only on the mothers' faces, while Hayami Takato and Kawai Masaru remained calm, as if nothing about it surprised them.
An old memory surfaced in Takato's mind…
Flashback
He had been sitting in a small café when his friend arrived.
"Hey, Kawai Masaru… my friend! Did you bring your son with you? Didn't you say you had something important to discuss?"
Sai answered confidently,
"Yes. There's something we need to talk about."
Takato returned to the present as Sai's voice rose—sharp, serious, and unlike his usual self:
"I know you're shocked… and you probably don't believe what you're seeing. But we have a mission to carry out."
Everyone stared at him in disbelief as he continued firmly:
"First rule: complete secrecy. Nothing said here leaves this table. Second: you will listen carefully and follow my instructions without objection."
He paused for a moment, then added while looking at them with cold eyes:
"We need to move quickly toward the capital. One of us must travel tomorrow morning, and the rest will follow over the weekend."
Suddenly, Sai's entire expression changed. His face returned to its usual silly innocence as he clutched his stomach:
"Ah… I'm hungry!"
The others were stunned. At that moment, the waitress arrived and placed the dishes on the table. As soon as she left, Sai shifted back into his serious tone as if nothing had happened, continuing the plan in detail.
After a brief discussion, everyone agreed that Sai's parents would travel first, while he stayed with the Hayami family until it was time for him to join them.
🍽️ After dinner, Eis went to the bathroom with Sai to wash his hands. He still hadn't processed what had happened.
He turned to Sai and whispered:
"All of this… your plan… your personality… why hide your identity from us?"
Sai cut him off coldly as he dried his hands:
"That's a secret. You can tell your friends only that you're moving to the capital. Everything else… must remain unknown."
Eis raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
"For how long?"
Sai walked out without looking back:
"I don't know… maybe years."
Eis froze, a cloud of mystery hanging over every word. His heart told him he was standing at the edge of something far bigger than he imagined.
The next day at school, Eis was still drowning in the shock of the previous night. Every time he tried to focus, Sai's serious voice echoed in his mind. He didn't even notice his friends staring at him.
Sonio kicked his bag in frustration:
"Eis! Aren't you playing baseball with us today? Yesterday we had to take Sai instead of you… and we regretted it. Whenever you space out, we lose too. Even the teachers noticed you're not yourself."
Eis lifted his head suddenly:
"Sai…?"
Before he could finish, he saw Sai in the distance walking clumsily, twisting his ankles on purpose as usual. Just as he was about to fall, he turned and looked directly at Eis. That brief look made Eis's heart skip—
As if saying: "One mistake… and we're exposed."
Yuna hurried to help Sai, holding his arm with a smile. In class, Sai sat among his friends and said quietly:
"I'll be moving out this break… and it makes me a bit sad."
A heavy silence filled the room; somehow, everyone understood without asking.
📅 As the weekend approached, Sai's friends held a small farewell party for him. The room filled with laughter—until Mei suddenly burst into tears. Everyone turned toward her, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything more.
That night, everyone returned home.
🏠 At the Hayami household:
Takato stood with his hands behind his back:
"Are you both ready to leave?"
Eis and Sai answered together:
"Yes."
🌅 At six in the morning, the car was ready and the luggage loaded. As they prepared to depart, Eis and Sai noticed two figures approaching slowly—Mei and Yuna standing at the roadside.
Eis stopped. He wanted to run to Mei, but his father raised a hand:
"No time. We'll be late."
Eis looked at Sai with pleading eyes. Sai sighed softly:
"It's fine… it won't hurt. Go. I'll go with you."
Eis sprinted toward Mei and hugged her tightly. Her hands trembled as she cried on his shoulder, while Sai stood beside Yuna. He smirked mischievously and tugged at her hand:
"Come on… let Romeo and Juliet have their moment."
Yuna laughed, but her voice turned serious as she whispered:
"Your secret lab… what will happen to it while you're gone?"
Sai answered with absolute confidence, looking straight into her eyes:
"Don't worry. I'm not the only one watching over it."
A smile appeared on her lips. She leaned closer and kissed his cheek lightly:
"I'll miss you."
Sai turned his head slightly, replying in his usual cold tone:
"Not for long… I'll be back soon to continue my experiments."
Yuna returned to her cheerful self:
"So… you're leaving too, Sai?"
"Yes."
They both turned. Eis had finished saying goodbye. The two boys exchanged a short, meaningful glance before Sai said:
"We should go now."
They bid farewell to the girls and got into the car with Takato and Akemi, heading toward the capital. Between Eis's trembling heart and Sai's calm expression, a new chapter had just begun.