Seiyo Middle School, a secluded corner.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, scattering broken shadows across the ground. The breeze was gentle, yet the air carried a solemnity that didn't belong to boys of their age.
"I'm leaving."
Sendo's voice was calm and steady—like a fallen leaf touching water without a sound—yet it struck Akashi straight in the heart.
He stood opposite Akashi, his expression gentle, though a trace of reluctance lingered in his eyes.
Akashi showed no surprise.
As if he had been waiting for this moment all along.
"Do the others know?" he asked calmly, neither questioning nor persuading—only acknowledging.
Sendo shook his head. "Not yet."
Akashi nodded slightly. "Have you decided where you're going?"
"An uncle mentioned it some time ago," Sendo replied, lifting his gaze toward the distant horizon. A faint smile appeared.
"It's in Kanagawa. By the sea. The scenery's nice… and there should be plenty of fish."
Akashi raised an eyebrow. "You're doing it for that?"
Sendo laughed softly. "That's only part of it. The real reason is my family."
He then looked directly at Akashi, curiosity flickering beneath his relaxed expression.
"What about you? After middle school… where do you plan to go?"
Akashi didn't answer right away.
Silence stretched between them.
His heterochromatic eyes darkened, deep as a moonless night. When he finally spoke, his tone was flat—distant.
"It's too early to think about that. And—"
Before he could finish, a chilling presence quietly seeped from him.
Cold. Detached. Unapproachable.
That feeling again.
Sendo frowned, instinctively tensing as his gaze sharpened. This wasn't mere indifference—it felt like something buried deep within Akashi was stirring, something unfamiliar and unsettling.
But the aura vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Akashi seemed to notice it himself. His expression softened, and the cold receded.
"I'm planning to leave the Basketball Club as well."
"What?!" Sendo's eyes widened. "You're leaving?! Why?"
Akashi's lips curved faintly—not quite a smile.
"Personal reasons."
After a brief pause, he added calmly, "I'm not quitting basketball. Just… taking a year off."
Sendo fell silent.
He searched Akashi's eyes, trying to grasp something—anything—but found only endless calm.
"Does the coach know?" he finally asked.
Akashi shook his head.
Sendo let out a breath and laughed bitterly. "Figures. Once you decide something, no one can stop you."
Then, more quietly, "We're a championship team, you know. A three-peat was right there."
He expected some reaction.
But Akashi's gaze turned icy in an instant.
"That's their problem," he said flatly.
"If they can't win, they have no one to blame."
An invisible pressure washed over Sendo.
For a moment, he felt as though Akashi was no longer a middle schooler—but something far colder, far more dangerous.
He's changed…
Not stronger. Just… different.
The silence deepened.
A few leaves drifted down, spinning lazily in the air.
An indescribable sense of distance settled between them.
"Huh? Leaving the Basketball Club?"
Kamishiro Ruri frowned slightly, concern clear in her voice. "Why? Did something happen?"
She stood beside Akashi, sunlight tracing her profile in a soft glow.
She had noticed it for a while now—the subtle distance, the occasional chill, the secrets hidden behind his eyes.
Akashi shook his head gently. "Personal reasons. I just… want to rest for a while."
It wasn't a lie.
Just not the whole truth.
Kamishiro studied him for a moment, then nodded.
"Akashi-kun… you've been strange lately," she said softly. "Sometimes it feels like you've become a different person."
There was no accusation—only worry.
She smiled gently. "You've been carrying too much. If you've decided, then rest properly. I'll support you."
Akashi looked at her quietly.
For the first time in a long while, warmth surfaced in his eyes.
"…Thank you, Kamishiro," he said softly.
It was sincere.
Her cheeks flushed faintly. She turned her head away, pretending to be annoyed.
"Why are you staring at me like that?!"
Akashi blinked, an unusually playful tone in his voice.
"Is that not allowed?"
"You're really annoying!" she muttered, lightly stomping her foot before quickening her pace.
Akashi followed a step behind.
The street was quiet. Sunlight filtered down gently, the breeze soft.
For a moment, it felt as though the world had narrowed to just the two of them—their footsteps, their shadows stretching long across the road.
Behind them—
Two black sedans moved silently.
Luxurious. Discreet. Perfectly synchronized.
The drivers' expressions were solemn, as if this was a task they had carried out countless times before.
Akashi and Kamishiro's silhouettes drifted forward beneath the sun, calm and peaceful—
Like a tranquil painting.