The sun was starting to dip lower, casting the waves in gold. The others were still near the food stand, arguing over whether Haruka could outswim a dolphin.Yui stood by the shoreline, her toes sinking into the cool, wet sand. The breeze was warm, but she had her arms wrapped around herself anyway.
Behind her, the sand crunched.
"You good?" Haru's voice. Casual, like always.
She turned. "Yeah."
"You didn't even eat your fries." He pointed a greasy stick at her like it was a weapon of concern.
She let out a tired laugh. "I'm just full."
"Liar. You're never full. I've seen you take out an entire mochi box one time." Yui rolled her eyes, but smiled. Haru stepped beside her. They stood in silence for a bit, watching the tide roll in and out. After a moment, he said, "It's weird."
"What is?"
"Everything is good, for now..I mean, we have nothing to worry about. Nerefet is at peace."
She glanced at him. His tone wasn't teasing anymore.Yui hesitated. "Yeah but…I guess… I feel like I'm still stuck there. Like I didn't come back all the way."
He didn't answer immediately. Then, with surprising gentleness, he reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Her breath hitched. She blinked up at him.
"You're here," he said. "Even if your brain's still half in that pyramid, the rest of you's here. With us. Got that?"
Yui stared at him. She wasn't used to speaking to him alone like this, usually they'd speak with the rest of the group.
"…Thanks," she murmured, cheeks warming. He dropped his hand but didn't step away. "Don't mention it."
Then, after a pause:
"…But seriously, if you're not eating those fries, I will." She laughed softly. "You're unbelievable."
—————-THE AIRPORT————-
The vacation school trip had quickly ended, and here they were at the airport. Haru was trying to jam a souvenir camel figurine into an overstuffed duffel. "This is cool.." he muttered as Ayumi watched with amusement
Yui sat with Haruka on a bench near the window, gazing out at the planes outside. The desert heat shimmered even from behind the glass. She rubbed her thumb over the silver bracelet on her ankle, thinking. She hadn't spoken much since the beach.
Across the waiting area, Kaito Tsukino sat completely alone. He had a white shirt and blue shorts with black slippers. A closed magazine in his lap he hadn't touched in fifteen minutes.
He wasn't looking at the planes.
He was looking at them.
Yui. Haru. Haruka. Ayumi.
His eyes flicked between them with something unreadable — not anger, not fear. Purpose. Like he was memorizing a map, or waiting for a signal. He watched the group with sharp intensity but didn't move a muscle.
He didn't blink much either.
Ayumi stretched and happened to glance across the terminal, her eyes locked onto his, and Kaito froze.
For one heartbeat — panic.
He shot his gaze down to his shoes so fast it was almost a flinch, like he'd just been caught peeking into someone's diary.
"…Okay," Ayumi said slowly, squinting. "That guy is staring."
"Huh?" Haru looked up from his suitcase.
Yui turned toward where Ayumi was looking, but Kaito had already ducked his head, pretending to adjust his backpack strap like he wasn't actively trying to disappear.
"I've seen him at school," Ayumi muttered. "He doesn't talk…at all…"
Haruka tilted her head. "I don't think he's weird."
"Okay, than hes…odd? Odd sounds less mean.," Ayumi said. "I swear, if we all dropped dead on this plane, he's the guy who'd already know why."
"Don't be mean," Yui said, so they decided to move on and let it go.
Kaito didn't look back up the rest of the wait.
But his fingers curled tightly around the edge of his notebook, as if he'd just made a critical mistake — one he wasn't supposed to make until much later.
Yui and Ayumi dropped into their row in the plane — Ayumi by the window, Yui in the middle. Neither of them had the energy to fight over the view.
Ayumi kicked her shoes off immediately. "My feet are actually dead."
Yui glanced down. "You better not start air-drying them."
"Don't test me."
The lights in the cabin dimmed while passengers struggled with bags and argued over armrests. Yui folded her arms over her stomach, exhaling. The seat creaked. It smelled like old gum and dust.
"Are we doing anything over break," Ayumi asked, "or are you gonna ghost me like last time?"
"I had the flu."
"You weren't that sick…"
Yui snorted. "Okay, but seriously. I'm free. What are we doing?"
Ayumi leaned her head on the side panel, one eye open. "Café near the station. You know the one with the awful hot chocolate?"
"Yeah. The one that tastes like rotten milk.."
"Exactly. I love it."
Yui nodded. "I'm in. But like… not with the whole group. I need quiet people only."
"Yeah, no offense, but if Haru starts talking about himself again I'll jump out the window."
Yui smirked. "He talks like he's writing a book about himself."
Ayumi did a bad impression: "Back in Egypt, I realized I'm not like other guys.'"
They both laughed — not hard, just the kind of laugh that runs out halfway because you're too tired to keep it going.
Yui shifted in her seat. "We could also just hang at my place.."
"Now that sounds nice.."
"I'll bring my stuff to make bracelets. You bring those gross chips you like."
"Spicy miso is elite," Ayumi said. "Don't start."
Yui yawned. "They taste like spicy air."
Ayumi didn't argue. She just pulled her hoodie over her head like she was crawling into a cave.
A few seconds passed.
"You better actually text me," she said.
Yui was already half-asleep, but she nudged Ayumi's knee. "I will."
—————BACK AT HOME—————
The sliding doors opened.
Cold air rushed in like it had been waiting. It wasn't harsh, just sudden — biting at their faces and fingers after days of heat and sand and too much noise.
Yui stepped out first, pulling her jacket tighter. The parking lot stretched ahead, full of headlights and snow-covered cars. Everything looked gray and half-asleep.
Then a snowflake landed on her cheek.
She blinked, tilted her head back a little. Another one touched her nose. And another.
She closed her eyes.
Just for a second, she let it happen.
The cold, the quiet — it didn't feel overwhelming. It felt… normal. And normal felt nice.
Behind her, Haru muttered, "Is this what freezing to death feels like?"
"I think I forgot snow existed." Haruka said, dragging her bag behind her.
Ayumi didn't say anything. She looked just as tired as the rest of them, but there was a calm to her now, like everything was finally slowing down.
One by one, their rides pulled up.
Ayumi's mom leaned on the horn, rolled the window down, and shouted something about takeout waiting at home. Ayumi didn't argue — just nodded once and got in the car.
Haruka waved when she saw their mom's van, already heading that way. Haru gave a half-nod to Yui before following.
"See you," he said — not loud, not pointed. Just simple.
Yui nodded back. "Yeah. Get some sleep."
He didn't answer, but the corner of his mouth twitched like maybe that was his version of a smile right now.
Her own parents pulled up a few minutes later. Her mom got out of the car even though she didn't need to. "You look exhausted," she said immediately. "Did you eat? Did you sleep? You're freezing—get in."
"I'm fine," Yui mumbled, tossing her bag into the trunk. But when she climbed into the car and the heater hit her face, she let herself sigh.
Outside the window, snowflakes kept falling, yui was content, and that was enough.