The simulation ended, but its weight lingered.
john had seen what Mei could become — what any of them could become — if they lost themselves.
And it left him shaken.
He didn't sleep that night.
By morning, something else had already changed.
The sky was still bright that morning, but Himeko felt like a storm was looming in her heart.
Standing on the rooftop of St. Freya Academy, her long red hair flowing in the wind, she looked down at the courtyard below. Students were laughing, running, living their lives.
But she was about to make a decision that could change everything.
Behind her, soft footsteps approached.
john.
She didn't turn around, but she knew it was him. She could always tell when it was him.
"I thought I told you not to sneak up on me," Himeko said, her tone relaxed but hiding something heavy beneath.
"You said that," john replied, walking to her side, "but you never actually meant it."
That drew a quiet laugh from her, just a breath. But then the silence returned.
"I'm going," she finally said. "To the frontlines."
john said nothing at first.
He simply looked at her.
Her shoulders were tense. Her fists clenched. And though her voice was calm, her body betrayed her.
"You're not fully recovered yet," he said.
"I can still fight," she replied instantly. "I have to."
"Himeko…"
"I've already made my choice," she said more firmly. "You know what's coming, john. Another outbreak is inevitable. The Honkai won't wait. I can't just stand here and do nothing while others are dying."
Her eyes burned with something fierce.
"This body... may not last much longer. But while I still have strength in it, I will use it."
"You're acting like you're going to die," john said quietly.
She didn't answer that.
Instead, she looked out toward the distant mountains.
"I just don't want to regret not doing more… when I had the chance."
The silence stretched again.
Then, slowly, john reached out and took her hand.
It startled her.
Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away.
"You already did more than most ever could," he said. "You gave them hope. You gave *me* hope."
Her breath hitched slightly.
"Don't do this to yourself. Don't carry everything alone."
"I'm not alone," she whispered. "Not anymore."
She turned and looked at him fully for the first time that morning.
"Which is why… I have to go."
She leaned in.
And kissed him.
Soft. Slow. No urgency. Just the weight of everything unspoken.
"I love you," she said against his lips, eyes wet. "And I'll come back. No matter what it takes."
john didn't say "I love you too."
He didn't need to.
She already knew.
———
Later that evening, Himeko left without ceremony.
No dramatic farewell, no crowd. Just a single note left on john's desk:
> "Don't wait for me. But don't forget me either. —Himeko"
And john?
He didn't cry.
He simply folded the note and placed it in his coat pocket.
Right above his heart.
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