The afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows of the academy, casting long bars of gold across the polished staircase.
Cadis Etrama di Raizel descended slowly, one hand lightly brushing the railing.
His first day as a teacher had ended.
He should have felt nothing.
And yet…
There was a faint warmth in his chest.
The students had been loud, curious, unpredictable.
It was… overwhelming.
But not unpleasant.
His phone vibrated.
He paused.
The name on the screen softened his expression in a way no one else could ever witness.
Sayuri Sawamura.
His senpai from high school.
The one who used to sit across from him in the dusty clubroom where they debated manga plots and argued over anime endings long after sunset.
[Rai-chan, are you free after school, want to come out with onee-chan to have some afternoon tea. I've sent you the address. Don't keep onee-chan waiting]
A faint smile touched his lips.
He replied simply.
[I will be there.]
...
The café was warm and fragrant, filled with soft music and the gentle clinking of porcelain.
Sayuri sat by the window.
Time had been kind to her.
Her dark purple hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and though she still carried that same shy composure from high school, there was a maturity to her now — one shaped by years of endurance.
When she saw him, her eyes widened slightly.
"Rai-chan… you haven't changed at all."
He inclined his head.
"You have."
Sayuri blushes faintly.
"So… Sensei now, huh?" she teased softly.
"If I'd known back in high school that the quiet boy in the manga club would become a teacher, I would've behaved better."
Raizel lifted his cup with quiet composure.
"You never misbehaved."
She smiled. "That's because you were always watching. You had that scary 'I see everything' aura."
"I was simply observant."
"You're still scary, you know," she said, leaning forward slightly. "The students must be terrified."
"They are not."
"Mm. And I suppose you know that how?"
"They stare. But they do not avoid me."
She laughed, and the sound felt the same as it did years ago.
"You always noticed things like that… I remember during the cultural festival when I thought no one came to our booth."
"You sold thirty-seven copies."
Her eyes widened. "You remember the exact number?!"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a second before looking down at her tea, smiling to herself.
"You were always quietly supporting me."
He did not respond.
Because it was true.
"Do you remember," she continued, "when we stayed overnight in the clubroom to finish that parody manga?"
"You fell asleep on your manuscript."
"And you covered me with your jacket," she added softly.
"You would have caught a cold."
"You didn't sleep at all, though."
"I was not tired."
She studied him carefully.
"You've always been like that. Enduring everything without complaint."
He shifted the topic gently.
"And you have always been passionate."
She laughed. "Passionate? I cried over fictional characters, Rai-chan."
Her fingers tightened around her cup.
He had always done that — reframed her insecurities into something admirable.
"What about college?" she asked. "You disappeared."
"I was busy."
"That's such a vague answer."
"It was sufficient."
She shook her head.
"You never let anyone in, did you?"
His crimson eyes met hers.
"I let you in."
The words slipped out quietly.
Her breath caught.
He did not elaborate.
And she did not dare ask.
The mood shifted. Raizel tried to change the topic by asking about her marriage life. Well it didn't lighten the move but rather dropped the mood further.
She traced the rim of her cup.
"My marriage wasn't… terrible at first," she began carefully.
"He was kind in the beginning. Polite. Proper."
"But?" Raizel asked gently.
"But I was never really part of his world."
She smiled faintly.
"His family had expectations. Appearances. Status. Even though the Sawamura family is a big one in Japan with wealth and influence, it was still limited to the country compared to the Spencer family. I remember when Eriri and I visited his family on several occasions, the whispers, the looks, the disdain on their eyes. Sigh I was never good enough I guess"
His gaze cooled noticeably.
"They judged you on superficial grounds."
She gave a small laugh. "Apparently I wasn't refined enough. Not elegant enough. Not… womanly enough."
There was bitterness hidden in the joke.
"They were wrong," Raizel said simply.
Sayuri looked up.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes carried quiet steel.
"You always say things so confidently," she whispered. "Like they're absolute truth."
"They are."
Her heart thudded.
"He was called back to England after his brother's accident. His family needed him to inherit responsibilities. A second marriage was… arranged."
"And you?" Raizel asked.
"I signed the papers."
"Did you wish to stay?"
She paused.
"No."
That answer surprised even her.
Silence settled.
Not awkward.
Just heavy.
"Raizel-kun," she said after a moment, "did you ever… like anyone in high school?, I know you and Shizu-chan where quite close but we're never in a relationship, until she transferred"
His gaze didn't waver.
"Yes."
Her fingers stilled.
"…Did she know?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"She seemed afraid."
Sayuri's pulse quickened.
"Afraid of what?"
"Of losing what little we had."
Her voice turned almost inaudible.
"Maybe… she was waiting."
"For what?"
"For you to say it first."
Their eyes locked.
Neither moved.
Neither smiled.
The café noise faded into the background.
Raizel spoke quietly.
"Some things are worth waiting for."
Her lips parted slightly.
But she looked away first.
Because if she didn't—
She might confess everything right there.
She forced a playful tone back into her voice.
"By the way, are you still obsessed with power-scaling debates?"
"I was never obsessed."
"You wrote a five-page analysis proving why a side character could defeat the main villain."
"It was accurate."
She laughed again, the tension easing.
"And you still write, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Anything I'd recognize?"
"Perhaps."
She leaned closer.
"If you become famous and I find out you never told me, I'll be very upset."
"You would be the first to know."
Her heart melted again at that simple promise.She had loved him since high school.
Since the day he had silently handed her a handkerchief when she cried over a failed manuscript.
But she had been afraid.
Afraid of his calm distance.
Afraid of rejection.
Afraid of losing even the friendship they had.
Across the table, Raizel watched her.
He, too, had carried something unspoken.
Yet neither crossed that final line.
An hour had passed without the two noticing.They left the café as the sky turned orange.
A bookstore.
A manga shop.
They laughed at ridiculous cover art and debated plot twists like they used to.
Sayuri bought a few new clothes — hesitating, uncertain.
When she stepped out of the fitting room wearing a soft summer dress, she avoided his gaze.
"How is it?"
Raizel looked at her fully.
"It suits you."
Her heart skipped.
Later, without announcement, he stopped at a jewelry store.
She protested softly when he purchased a delicate pair of earrings and a thin bracelet.
"Rai-chan, that's too much—"
"It is not."
His tone left no room for argument.
She treasured them more than he would ever know.
By the time they reached her house, the sky had darkened.
She hesitated at the doorway.
"…Would you like to come in for a bit?"
He stepped inside.
The house was warm. Lived in. Softly lit.
They sat on the sofa, closer than before.
The air felt different now.
Quieter.
The laughter from earlier had faded into something heavier.
More intimate.
"Rai-chan," she said softly, "today… felt like old times."
He turned toward her.
"It did."
Silence stretched between them.
Her hand brushed against his.
Neither pulled away.
Their eyes met.
For once, Cadis Etrama di Raizel did not look like an untouchable sovereign.
He looked like a man.
Slowly, carefully, he lifted his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Her breath hitched.
Their foreheads touched lightly.
The first kiss was hesitant.
Soft.
Barely more than a whisper.
She pulled back slightly, startled by her own boldness — but his hand gently rested against her waist.
The second kiss lingered.
Warmer.
Her fingers clutched his shirt as if afraid he might disappear.
When their lips met again, it deepened — not rushed, not reckless, but full of years of unspoken emotion finally given shape.
It was not passion born of impulse.
It was longing.
Time.
Regret.
And possibility.
The front door burst open.
"I'm home—"
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Eriri stood frozen at the entrance, schoolbag hanging from her shoulder.
Her wide blue eyes locked onto the sight of her mother and her homeroom teacher sitting far too close together.
Sayuri sprang up immediately, face burning.
"E-Eriri! It's not—"
Eriri pointed accusingly at Raizel.
"Sensei?! What are you doing here?!"
Raizel flustered tried to explain but.....
Without waiting for an answer, she ran upstairs, the sound of her door slamming echoing through the house.
Sayuri covered her face in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry…"
Raizel stood calmly.
"No, I should be the one apologizing."
"It's late… you should probably go. I'll talk to her." sayuri said to Raizel.
He nodded.
Before leaving, he looked at her one more time.
His gaze was gentle.
"I will wait."
Her heart fluttered.
Sayuri quickly climbed up the stairs and headed for her daughter's room. In front of Eriri's door Sayuri calmed down her turbulent emotions and knocked twice on the door before entering.
Eriri sat on her bed, arms crossed, cheeks red.
They spoke quietly.
There were tears.
Confusion.
Awkward explanations.
Eventually, Eriri sighed.
"…If he makes you happy… I'll try."
Sayuri blinked.
"E-Eriri—"
"But!" Eriri leaned forward, eyes sharp. "You were kissing like that and you're not even dating?!"
Sayuri froze.
"I-I was not—!"
Eriri smirked.
"I've never seen you act like that before, Mom."
Flustered beyond measure, Sayuri retreated downstairs to prepare dinner, her face still burning.
Upstairs, Eriri lay back on her bed.
Her mind raced.
Her teacher.
Her mother.
Things were going to be very complicated.
Night had settled.
Raizel sat at his desk, the glow of his computer illuminating the quiet room.
On the screen:
Sword Art Online – Volume 2 (Draft).
His fingers moved calmly across the keyboard.
But occasionally, they paused.
Memories surfaced.
The café.
Her smile.
The warmth of her hand.
The softness of her lips.
A faint smile curved his own.
To the world, Cadis Etrama di Raizel remained distant. Untouchable. Cold.
But within the quiet of his room, alone with his thoughts—
He allowed himself warmth.
And then he continued writing.