Yuta, who was in a daze, didn't understand what Fang Wuwei and Nibutani were talking about until he got home. He couldn't do anything right, even breaking countless dishes while cooking and washing, turning into a kitchen killer.
And this wasn't a one or two-day occurrence anymore...
Just as Yuta was about to cook, he put on an apron but was stopped by Kuzuha. With her somewhat speechless yet gentle gaze, she pointed to the trash in the corner...
It was a full bag, half of which consisted of utensils Yuta had broken. This miserable sight even startled Yuta himself. What on earth had he been doing to make such a mess?
Rikka's departure had an unusually significant impact on him. Kuzuha could understand this; love was that wonderful, not to mention Rikka had already moved out.
"I can understand, you know, with Takanashi sister not here, you'd feel lonely or something."
She originally thought it was just her brother, who had known Rikka was leaving for a long time, feeling lost and a bit lonely during this period, but she never expected...
"What do you mean 'not here'? I'm not lonely. Rikka will be back very soon."
"Eh?"
"Hmm?"
Watching Kuzuha's cute little face instantly fill with confusion, Yuta had a bad feeling.
"Brother, didn't you know? A moving company came this evening and has already emptied the upstairs."
Thump thump dong—
Upon hearing this news, Yuta's mind instantly buzzed. He was still tidying up the clubroom at school this evening. How could such a big event happen just because he came home late once?!
Without even taking off his apron, he shook off the confused Kuzuha and ran upstairs like a madman... At least let him see it with his own eyes!
He saw it, with his own eyes, but the outcome remained unchanged.
Rushing up the stairs, he could only see a clean door and the sign hanging on the doorknob, indicating it was ownerless.
Impossible... Rikka promised me she would come back!
What a joke! This is impossible! Didn't she say she was only going for a few days? Didn't she promise me she would definitely come back?
His heart full of sorrow and passion gave Yuta endless strength, making him run to the train station several kilometers away on the spot... He hadn't even eaten, only wanting to see Rikka quickly. He wanted to ask for an explanation, he wanted to know everything, he wanted to know... why...
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished. It was already very late, and he couldn't even buy a train ticket to Rikka's hometown. Since the train required a transfer, if he insisted on going, Yuta would have to spend a night at the train's transfer station.
Yuta, sighing heavily, suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, followed by a pleasant ringtone—that was his exclusive ringtone specially set for Rikka. This made Yuta feel a little revived, enough for him to open his phone and take a look...
Then his heart died.
"Mom, and Grandpa and Grandma, they all seem very happy. When I agreed to move back, they all felt relieved, so I think this must be the best choice, Yuta... you think so too, don't you...?"
Even after returning home, Yuta was still staring blankly at the text message on his phone, which signaled that the two of them would soon be far apart. He locked himself in his room, sitting on the bed, not knowing what to do. Although Kuzuha's obvious voice of concern came from outside, indicating that he should at least come out for a meal, he didn't open the door.
He didn't feel hungry; his heart was completely filled with sorrow and self-reproach. Besides pain, he felt nothing.
But this was reality, this was the cruel truth he wanted Rikka to accept, and this truth meant that they were now far apart, no longer able to be in love...
In the end, he was just reaping what he sowed...
He lowered his head to edit a reply to Rikka, which only contained the short words [Got it]. It was such a simple message, yet Yuta deleted and revised it, hesitatingly writing for half an hour. Even after finishing it, he still dared not send it...
He was afraid. He was afraid that if he sent it, the story of Yuta and Rikka, the bond between Evil King's True Eye and Dark Flame Master, would collapse.
What should I do... Should I accept reality and start a super long-distance relationship, or...
Helpless, Yuta looked around. He remembered his good friend Fang Wuwei. He had said that if he ever regretted it, he could always go to him.
Had he already anticipated this point...?
Exiting the message, Yuta switched back to the phone interface, looking at the contact named 'Fang Wuwei,' but he couldn't bring himself to dial the number.
As he looked around, he noticed a new envelope on his desk.
He remembered now; Kuzuha had told him in the morning that there was a letter for him. Was this it?
Yuta, whose attention was finally diverted, opened it, though he couldn't imagine who would send him a letter.
Opening the envelope, inside was another letter, sealed with a pure black envelope and red wax. The recipient was 'Courageous Friend — Yuta,' and there was the signature—a name he would never forget, written in cursive English: Dark Flame Master.
Yuta instantly realized who wrote this letter; it was a letter from his past self, two years ago, to his present self.
This made him feel somewhat intrigued. To relive the past and to not let his past self's efforts go to waste, he, who had forgotten the letter's contents, opened the gift from his past self.
[By the time you read this letter, you may no longer be the Dark Flame Master. Because according to the Mayan prophecy, in 2012, the world-destroying 波動 will engulf everything, weakening spiritual fluctuations.]
Yuta's breath hitched when he read the first sentence, but then he continued reading and just smiled. This year was indeed 2012, and nothing had happened; it was just his past self's fantasy. Undeniably, this letter had cheered him up a bit, so he decided to patiently continue reading.
[You might see through the mundane world, abandon everything, and degenerate into a foolish ordinary person who only enjoys what they see before them.
I can already feel these signs now, so I wrote this letter, Dark Flame Master, do not be deceived again! You are the one with power!
You are the one chosen by the King of Darkness, also known as the Evil King! You are different from everyone else; you are special.]
Along with it, a copper-colored game coin fell out of the envelope. It was one of the three coins he once called his source of power, and he had even tried to engrave on it...
Yuta chuckled to himself, feeling how foolish his past self was, yet also feeling so clear-headed...
His past self had gifted his present self courage—the courage to reclaim everything.
Should I go find Rikka or not? Let my past self tell me.
He tossed the coin high, and it spun continuously in the air, shining and brilliant.
As it landed in his hand, Yuta looked at the coin covered by his other hand. He already had his answer; as for the actual face of the coin, it no longer mattered.
Hmph... No choice, looks like I'll just have to do it.
Watching Yuta hastily put on his coat and rush out the door, not even bothering to eat dinner before disappearing into the night, a worried Kuzuha picked up her phone and made a call...
"Moshi Moshi, Brother Wuwei..."