The rooftop of the Central Hospital was the only place Yuki could find silence.
He sat on the concrete edge, his legs dangling over the side as the city below began to light up. The sky was painted in deep hues of burnt orange and violet, the sun dipping below the skyline. It was beautiful, but as Yuki watched the colors fade, a hollow ache settled in his chest.
Nora. Lily.
He closed his eyes, imagining them sitting right there beside him. Nora would have been complaining about the height, and Lily would have been trying to catch the wind in her hands. He wished they were here. He wished they could see that he had survived, that he had saved someone this time. But the wind was the only thing that answered him.
The heavy metal door behind him groaned open.
Yuki didn't turn around. He knew that rhythm of footsteps—light, precise, but with a slight hesitation.
Seri stepped onto the roof, the wind catching her long hair. She didn't say a word. She simply walked over and stood quietly beside him, her gaze fixed on the dying sun.
Minutes passed in comfortable silence. Occasionally, Seri would glance at him. Her eyes traced the fresh white bandage taped to his cheek and the yellowing bruises that mottled his arms.
Yuki turned his head, catching her in the act. "Do your injuries still hurt?"
Seri flinched, quickly looking away as if she'd been caught stealing. "I'm fine," she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "My healing ability... it's efficient. My wounds are mostly closed."
She fell silent again, but her eyes drifted back to him. The sunset cast a golden glow over his features, softening the sharp lines of his face. To Seri, he wasn't just the 'Zero' or the boy from the cabin anymore. He was the one who had walked into hell for a child not his own. She admired the way the light caught his eyelashes, the quiet strength in his posture.
"Are you going to say something?" Yuki asked, breaking her trance. "Or are you just going to keep staring like you've never seen me before?"
Seri's breath hitched. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. Tell him, a voice in her head screamed. Tell him you love him. Tell him that he's the only one who matters.
She opened her mouth, the words 'I love you' sitting right on the tip of her tongue.
But then she stopped. She looked at his profile—he was calm, distant, thinking of ghosts she couldn't see. He didn't look at her the way she looked at him. If she confessed now, she would ruin everything. He would reject her, and she would lose the only place she felt happy and free.
"Go on a date with me," she blurted out.
Yuki blinked, tilting his head to the side. "A... date?"
Seri's face erupted in heat. "Yes! It's... it's a method of bonding! With friends!"
"No," Seri whispered, looking him dead in the eye, her hands clenching the fabric of her skirt. "Just you."
Yuki stared at her for a second, then that brilliant, genuine smile broke across his face. "Okay. Hanging out with friends is important. Let's do it on Sunday."
Returning to the apartment felt like entering a different dimension.
The last time Yuki had seen his home, the door had been kicked off its hinges, the furniture smashed, and the walls scarred from the struggle. He expected to walk into a ruin.
Instead, the door was brand new. The walls were freshly painted, the furniture replaced, and the floor polished until it shined.
"Welcome home!" Hana beamed, standing in the center of the living room with her hands on her hips. "I told you I'd fix it up! It took a lot of elbow grease, but—"
"Actually," a dry voice cut in from the corner. "I hired the contractors. You just organized the fruit bowl."
Aunt Mai, the landlady, stood there with a smirk, her arms crossed. She looked from Yuki to the small girl hiding behind his leg. "And who is this little angel? I've never seen her before."
"This is Luna," Yuki said, resting a protective hand on Luna's head. "She's my sister."
Aunt Mai raised an eyebrow but didn't push. She had no idea this was the child the entire city was talking about—the victim of the Crimson Hawks. She also had no idea this girl had been living here for a while.
"I'm adopting her," Yuki added firmly. "Officially."
Later that night, as they sat down for a dinner of hot stew with Hana and Aunt Mai, Yuki watched Luna eat. She was smiling, safe. But Yuki's mind was grinding on a darker problem.
The Zenith Vanguard won't let her go easily, he thought, gripping his chopsticks.
Luna wasn't just a victim; she was a biological anomaly. Her blood had the terrified property of "Nullification"—it could turn off a person's Kizo upon contact. He was sure the Vanguard would want to keep her. They'd exploit her but unlike the Crimson Hawks they'd do it officially with a permit, it'd be legal.
I need Satoshi, Yuki realized grimly. Only the Captain of the Number One Club had the political weight to force an adoption through the Vanguard Oversight Committee. Satoshi was the only shield strong enough to keep the government away from Luna.
The next morning, the Academy felt different.
Usually, when Yuki walked the halls, he was invisible. A ghost. A Zero. Only girls who lusted after him would look at him.
Today, the hallway went silent.
As Yuki, Derek, Seri, and Mika walked toward their classroom, heads turned. Whispers followed them like smoke.
"That's them... the ones who fought the mercenaries."
"I heard they took down a whole warehouse."
"Even the Zero? No way."
"Yeah, him too. I heard Yukari was there too."
"Yukari? You mean the Kinatarou?"
"Yeah, she's a member of the Zenith Vanguard as well but she doesn't belong to any club."
"I hear she's a total hottie"
All eyes were on Yuki, Derek, and Seri. They were being looked at with a mix of fear and awe. The story had leaked—three students saving a child from professional killers, it was all over the news. No one knew the child was living in Yuki's apartment, only that a heroic deed had been done. Even though they were now famous, Yukari still stole the spotlight without even being there. She was famous and looked up to by many, she was an idol to some, a goddess to others. Every Kinatarou recieved such recognition, except Yuki who was kept secret.
While Derek basked in the attention and Seri tried to ignore it, Mika noticed that the eyes slid right past her. She had been there. She had fought. No, she had run away, she did it to protect Luna but she also did it out of fear.
A student shoved past Mika, nearly knocking her over. "Hey, move it! I'm trying to see the Hero!" Mika stood frozen, realized she wasn't part of the legend. She was just the background.
"We're famous, dude," Derek whispered, nudging Yuki.
Yuki didn't smile. He just kept walking, his eyes focused straight ahead. Fame was useless. Fame couldn't stop the Vanguard from taking Luna. Only power could do that. And right now, he didn't have enough