Time lost its shape inside the station.
Yu sat slumped in the chair, the blanket wrapped tight around his small frame, the warm paper cup empty in his hands. His eyelids drooped and lifted in slow, trembling intervals, sleep pulling at him but never fully taking him. Each time his body sagged forward, a memory jolted him awake—the mask pressing too close, the weight pinning him, the cold laugh against his ear.
The female officer never left him. She checked on him every so often, refilling his cup, adjusting the blanket, her presence steady and grounding. Her voice had a rhythm to it, gentle enough that Yu could almost pretend he was safe at home, that this night had just been another Halloween with candy and laughter.
But the clock on the wall ticked loudly, every second dragging. Yu didn't know how much time had passed before a different officer finally entered the small room. His expression was more formal, his steps measured.
The female officer straightened, her hand briefly squeezing Yu's shoulder.
"I'll stay."
She murmured, then nodded for the man to continue.
He cleared his throat, eyes shifting down to Yu before glancing away, as if the boy's fragile state was hard to look at head-on.
"The situation with your friends has been reviewed."
He began carefully.
"Because they're minors, and because of the nature of the incident, neither will be formally charged tonight. However…"
Yu's head lifted sluggishly, dread knotting in his stomach.
"…Taichi Arifukua has a prior record. Multiple disturbances in the neighborhood, some violent, though he's been clean for a while. Given that, we cannot overlook his involvement in tonight's fight. He'll be held overnight in juvenile custody."
Yu's breath hitched.
"T-Taichi…?"
The officer hesitated, then continued.
"As for Isuke Sasaki, this is his first offense. His record is spotless—student council president, excellent grades, good standing in the community. Given his background, he'll be released under parental custody. But there will be a follow-up investigation."
The words fell like stones in the silence.
Yu's hands clenched into the blanket, his heart sinking.
'Taichi—punished again, even when he was trying to protect me. And Isuke… he gets to walk away?'
His chest tightened, panic clawing through the fragile calm he had managed to build. The female officer's hand pressed steady against his arm.
"Yu, breathe. It's going to be okay. You're safe."
But Yu wasn't sure. Not when the boy who had tricked him, touched him, stolen from him… was free to walk into the night.
And Taichi—the one he trusted most—was behind locked doors.
Yu's heart lurched against his ribs.
"No—wait—please!"
His voice cracked as he sat forward, blanket slipping from his shoulders.
"Please, I have to see him. Taichi—he was only protecting me. I-I need to see him before you take him away."
The officer glanced at his partner, hesitation flickering across his face. The female officer squeezed Yu's shoulder again, her voice firm but gentle.
"Just a moment. She deserves that much."
Moments later, Yu found himself standing in the narrow hall outside the holding rooms, the blanket still clutched tight around him. Through the bars of a door, Taichi sat on the bench inside, his hair messy, his knuckles bloodied. When his eyes lifted and found Yu's, the tension in his body eased, if only a little.
"Yu…"
Taichi's voice was hoarse, but the relief in it was unmistakable. He stepped closer, gripping the bars.
"Are you okay?"
Tears blurred Yu's vision. He nodded quickly, pressing against the cold metal as if it could shrink the distance.
"I'm sorry, Taichi—I should've—I didn't know. I thought it was you. Please don't let them keep you here."
Taichi shook his head, a faint, weary smile tugging at his mouth.
"Don't cry. This isn't your fault. You hear me? Not one bit."
The female officer gently touched Yu's back.
"That's all the time we can give."
Yu clung to Taichi's gaze, swallowing hard.
"I'll wait for you."
He whispered.
Taichi's jaw tightened. He nodded once.
"Good. Stay safe, Yu."
---
The walk home afterward felt dreamlike, Yu bundled in the blanket as the female officer escorted him through the quiet, candy-wrapper–strewn streets. Most porch lights were dark now, Halloween over, leaving only the cold glow of the moon.
"My name's Officer Mori."
She said softly as they reached his building.
"Hanae Mori. I'll be on patrol again tomorrow. Here—"
She scribbled something on a card and pressed it into his hand.
"That's my number. If anything happens, if you even think something's wrong, call me. I'll come."
Yu nodded mutely, gripping the card like a lifeline. Hanae reached out, patting his white hair gently, her expression softening.
"You remind me of my little sister. Take care of yourself, okay? Goodnight, Yu."
He whispered back.
"Goodnight…"
and stepped inside.
---
The studio apartment was silent. Too silent.
Yu quickly locked the door, checked the windows, pulled the curtains tight. His heart hammered in his chest, every shadow in the corners threatening to take shape. Crawling into bed, he dragged the blanket over his head, cocooning himself as if it could shield him.
"DK01…"
His whisper shook.
"Is… is Isuke Sasaki nearby?"
The voice in his head responded with its usual calm.
[No.]
Yu clutched the blanket tighter.
"Are you sure? Please—check again. Is he here?"
[He's not here.]
His breath came in short gasps.
"But what if—what if he comes back—what if he—"
[Yu, he isn't around. Breathe. You're safe.]
The reassurance was steady, but Yu's fear only deepened. In the dark, his mind spun in endless circles, replaying the touch, the voice, the cold glint of Isuke's eyes.
And though DK01 said no each time, Yu couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere out there, Isuke Sasaki was still watching.
---
That night, sleep did not come gently.
Yu tossed beneath his covers, the blanket clutched so tight it wrinkled under his fists. His body begged for rest, but when his eyes finally closed, the darkness twisted.
He was back against the wall. Cold bricks digging into his back, the beastly prince's shadow looming over him. Lips on his, hands roaming, fingers pressing where they shouldn't.
At first, it was Taichi's face above him. Warm, familiar, the boy who always held back just enough. But this Taichi didn't stop. His kiss was too hungry, his hands too bold, the heat too suffocating.
Yu whimpered, torn between shame and a rising, trembling need that curled hot and dizzy in his chest. And when he dared to open his eyes—Taichi's face melted, warped, reshaping into Isuke Sasaki's cruel, beautiful features.
He didn't cry. He didn't fight.
Instead, his lips parted, his voice breaking as he begged.
"More."
And Taichi never came for him.
Yu woke with a strangled gasp, his sheets damp with sweat, his throat raw and his pants wet and sticky. His heart hammered so violently he thought it might break through his ribs. He pressed his palms to his face, tears leaking out between his fingers.
"DK01…"
He whispered into the dark.
"Please tell me it was just a dream."
[It was, indeed, just a dream, Yu.]
The voice answered. But it did not comfort him.
---
Morning came like punishment.
By the time Yu reached school, whispers already danced through the halls, sharp and poisonous.
"Did you hear? Arifukua spent the night in custody."
"Of course he did—he's always been a delinquent."
"Poor Yu… imagine being trapped in that kind of relationship."
"I heard Sasaki saved her. What a hero."
Yu's chest constricted tighter with each passing voice. Everywhere he turned, people stared, their sympathy like knives, their pity pressing him into a corner he couldn't escape.
Isuke passed through the crowd with his usual pristine composure, uniform crisp, smile measured, speaking softly to anyone who asked.
"Arifukua lost control. I did what I had to do."
His words spread like oil on water, painting him golden while Yu and Taichi drowned in shadows.
By the time Haruka, Souma, Yamato, Sakura, and Fumiko gathered around him at lunch, Yu's nerves were frayed raw.
"Yu-chan…"
Fumiko said softly, crouching beside him.
"We don't believe the rumors. Tell us what really happened."
"Yeah."
Sakura added firmly, her eyes sharp with protective fire.
"We know Taichi isn't like that. Hasn't been for a while at least… Just… tell us."
Yu's hands shook around his bento box. His lips parted, but no words came. The cafeteria buzz dimmed in his ears, replaced by the phantom scrape of a mask against his cheek, the hot press of lips that weren't Taichi's.
He shook violently, tears spilling down his face, the box clattering from his trembling hands.
"Yu!"
Haruka caught him, steadying his shoulders, but he was already curling in on himself, choking on sobs.
"I—I can't—"
His voice cracked, ragged.
"Don't make me—please—"
His friends exchanged stricken glances. Around them, whispers rose like wildfire.
Princess Yu, trembling and crying in the cafeteria.
Taichi Arifukua, the delinquent locked away.
And Isuke Sasaki, the flawless prince who had "saved" the princess.
The story was already being written.
---
The rest of the school day twisted into something Yu could hardly endure.
Haruka, Souma, Yamato, Sakura, and Fumiko became his shield. They flanked him in the hallways, pushed away wandering questions, and snapped at anyone who whispered too loud. But even their wall of loyalty couldn't drown out the tide.
Because everywhere Yu looked, Isuke was there.
He moved with the same easy confidence as always, speaking softly to groups of students clustered at lockers, smiling warmly as if the night before had been nothing but an unfortunate necessity.
"Yu was terrified."
He told one group, hand pressed to his chest as if reliving the moment.
"I couldn't stand by while Arifukua tried to hurt Yu. Anyone would have done the same."
"He's so brave, going up against the beast…"
Someone whispered.
"It's just like him—always looking out for others."
And slowly, with a subtle elegance, the narrative shifted. Isuke never said Yu belonged to him. He never declared himself Yu's rescuer in loud, crude terms. But by the end of the day, classmates had already begun to treat it as fact.
"He saved Yu. They're basically together now."
"Finally, Yu's free from that thug."
"Sasaki and Yu… they look right together, don't they?"
Each overheard murmur chipped away at Yu's composure. He sat hunched at the back of the classroom, pressed between Fumiko and Sakura, clutching his books with white-knuckled hands. His friends tried to drown out the whispers with light conversation, but Yu's ruby eyes flicked to Isuke across the room.
Isuke's gaze found his.
And in that moment, with a single faint smile, Yu understood: Isuke had taken everything from him and turned it into gold for himself.
---
That afternoon, the doors of the local precinct opened.
Taichi stepped out, his Halloween costume rumpled, hair still wild from the night before. His fists clenched at his sides as he drew in a deep breath of open air, but the taste of freedom was bitter.
He knew the system, his record. Juvenile disruption. Street fights. The gang trouble he'd clawed his way out of. The police had looked at him and seen nothing but proof of his nature.
And they had looked at Isuke Sasaki—perfect student council president, model citizen—and seen the opposite.
By the time Taichi had gone to the apartment to change and reached the school gates, he didn't even need to step inside to feel the poison waiting for him. Students lingered outside, their chatter cutting off as their eyes snapped to him. Their expressions were wary, judgmental, smug.
The beast had returned.
And Yu—his Yu—was inside, tangled in the web Isuke had spun overnight.
Taichi lingered at the school gates, his fists shoved deep into his pockets. Students passing by slowed, whispering behind hands, shooting him quick, frightened glances before scurrying away. He didn't need to hear the words to know what they were saying.
Beast.
Thug.
Dangerous.
The air around the school grounds felt wrong. Tainted. Like a place he'd known had been stolen out from under him overnight.
From the edge of the courtyard, he spotted Yu through the classroom window.
Huddled in on himself, head bowed, white hair cascading to shield his face. The way Yu's shoulders shook, the way he clutched his books to his chest—it tore at Taichi like knives.
Then he saw him.
Isuke Sasaki.
Speaking easily between groups of students, his smile warm, his gestures careful, his every word landing like honey. Whatever he spoke, eyes lit up, heads nodded. When someone glanced toward Yu, Isuke leaned in with a quiet explanation, a concerned look, a subtle guiding of the narrative.
And Yu—Yu's world shrank smaller and smaller, every whisper another chain, every rumor another brick in a wall Isuke was building around him.
Taichi's jaw clenched until his teeth ached. He told himself to breathe, to wait, to think—just this once. But every second he stood there, watching Isuke bend the school to his will, his control snapped thinner.
Until finally, it broke.
Taichi stormed into the school, pushed past fellow students and didn't even greet any teachers until he reached the classroom.
BANG!
The classroom door slammed open.
Students jumped in their seats, heads whipping toward the noise as Taichi strode inside. His eyes locked immediately on Isuke, who sat neatly at his desk with his usual flawless posture. Yu was all the way back by the window, frozen, wide-eyed, the blood draining from his face.
"Enough of this bullshit!"
Taichi's voice cracked like a whip, loud and raw.
Gasps rippled across the room.
"Spreading lies about me, about Yu—"
His voice caught, and he stabbed a finger toward Isuke.
"You think you can play hero by painting me as some monster? You don't know a damn thing about us!"
"Taichi, stop—"
Yu's voice was small, trembling, but it only made Taichi push harder, fueled by the sight of his lover's distress.
Isuke stood slowly, measured and calm, the perfect foil.
"Arifukua…"
He said softly, holding his palms out as though addressing a dangerous animal.
"Please. No one here wants a scene."
The words landed like poison. Every pair of eyes turned on Taichi, seeing exactly what Isuke had painted: not a boy defending himself, but a beast losing control.
"Shut your mouth!"
Taichi roared, shoving a desk aside as he stalked closer.
Students scrambled back. Someone screamed.
Yu's heart broke in his chest. Because as much as he wanted to run to Taichi, to grab his sleeve and pull him back, the image in front of him matched every whispered rumor, every poisonous lie. His Taichi, chest heaving, fists curled, eyes wild—violent and out of control.
And everyone else saw it too.
The classroom was chaos.
Taichi's words cracked against the walls like gunfire, each one louder, harsher, more ragged than the last. Desks rattled as he shoved past them, the tension rolling off him like heat, every step dragging him closer to Isuke.
"Quit pretending you're some kind of savior!"
Taichi snarled.
"You don't care about Yu—you just want Yu for yourself!"
Gasps and whispers surged around the room. Isuke didn't flinch, didn't raise his voice. He simply tilted his head, hands raised in calm surrender, his expression one of patient sympathy.
"Arifukua… you're proving everything everyone has been worried about…"
He said gently.
"Yu doesn't need this violence in their life."
The words were gasoline. Taichi's chest heaved as he lunged a half-step closer, his fist trembling at his side.
Yu cried out.
"Stop! Taichi, please!"
His voice broke, trembling, tears spilling down his pale cheeks. He shrank back in his seat, clutching his books to his chest like a shield.
Fumiko and Sakura moved instantly, wrapping themselves around him, blocking him from the scene with their bodies.
"Don't look, Yu-chan—it's okay, it's okay."
Sakura whispered, stroking his hair, though her own voice shook.
"Taichi, enough!"
Fumiko snapped, glaring up at him.
"You're scaring her!"
But Taichi couldn't hear. The roar in his ears was too loud, his rage too raw.
Yamato and Souma bolted forward, throwing their arms around him.
"Cool it, man!"
Yamato grunted, straining to hold him.
"You'll get yourself expelled—stop!"
Souma pleaded, digging his heels in as Taichi dragged them both a step forward with sheer force.
Taichi's eyes never left Isuke, burning like fire.
"Say one more word and I swear—"
"Mr. Arifuku!"
The voice cut sharp through the noise. A teacher stood in the doorway, face pale with shock, eyes darting from Taichi's heaving chest to Yu's trembling form, then back again.
The room froze.
"Enough!"
The teacher barked.
"Sit down this instant, or I will have you removed from this classroom!"
Taichi's chest rose and fell, fists trembling at his sides. For a moment, it looked as though he'd ignore the command. Then his gaze flicked to Yu—Yu, sobbing quietly into Fumiko's shoulder, too terrified even to meet his eyes.
The sight gutted him.
His fists slowly unclenched. Yamato and Souma loosened their grip but didn't let go.
And Isuke?
Isuke lowered his hands, expression soft, pained, as though this entire outburst had wounded him most of all.
Around the room, students exchanged glances, their expressions crystalizing into judgment, pity, fear. The narrative was sealed: Taichi Arifuku was the beast.
And Yu, the trembling princess, belonged in safer hands.
"Mr. Arifuku. Step out. Now."
The teacher's tone left no room for argument.
Taichi's jaw locked. He stood there trembling, his whole body coiled like a spring, every fiber of him screaming to lash out. Against Isuke. Against the whispers. Against the injustice of it all.
But one look at Yu—still curled small in Fumiko's arms, face hidden, shoulders shaking—snapped the breath from his chest. His fists went slack at his sides.
"Fine, whatever. Tch."
He muttered, voice low and shaking.
He turned toward the door, but not before his arm lashed out, knocking over a chair with a crash that made the whole class jolt. The sound echoed, sharp and ugly, sealing the picture of him in every classmate's mind.
Beast. Out of control.
Taichi stormed out, the door rattling as it slammed behind him.