The walk back from the arcade was heavy with a silence that felt different than the comfortable quiet from earlier. The city lights blurred into streaks of neon as they moved through the district.
Yuki stopped near a bridge, the wind whipping his newly styled hair. He didn't look like an idol anymore; he looked like a ghost.
"Seri," he said, his voice cracking the stillness.
She turned to him, her emerald dress fluttering in the breeze. She was still riding the high of their date, her heart full of the laughter they'd shared over ice cream. But when she saw his face, her smile died. His expression was shattered but a weak smile tugged his lips—the eyes of the boy in the stone box had returned.
"Everything Giyu said... it's all true," Yuki whispered, staring down at his hands as if he could still see the blood. "I murdered those twenty-three men."
Seri went to speak, but Yuki shook his head, his voice gaining a desperate, hollow edge.
"Kira found their names for me. Every single one. Before I moved here, I tracked down their families. I went to their homes. I stood on their doorsteps and told them what I did." He let out a dry, jagged laugh. "Some of them screamed. Some of them beat me. One father broke a chair over my back while his wife watched. I didn't defend myself. I let them hurt me because I took away their fathers, their brothers, their sons. I carry twenty-three families' grief in my chest every single day, Seri."
Seri felt a lump form in her throat. She realized then that Yuki wasn't a hero, and he wasn't the monster Giyu claimed. He was just a broken human being who used a smile as a shield to keep the world from seeing the cracks.
She didn't hesitate. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. She held him with everything she had, trying to anchor him to the present.
"You can't change the past, Yuki," she spoke softly against his heart. "What happened, happened. But you can't let it be a weight that pulls you down. Let it be the force that pushes you forward. Let it push you to save people."
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, her green gaze burning with a new, fierce resolve. "I have this Kizo because I was meant to protect people. I'm going to join the Zenith Vanguard. I'm going to become the number one member. Will you save lives with me?"
Yuki's eyes widened. The idea of "saving" rather than "destroying" seemed to spark a light in the blue depths of his pupils. He looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time, the guilt didn't look so heavy.
"Why not?" He smiled, and this time, it reached his eyes. "I'd like that."
The next morning, the Kyorin Estate was bathed in a deceptive peace. Lord Genji Kyorin, Seri's father and the formidable head of the house, sat in the center of his private garden. He was slowly whisking a bowl of matcha, his movements precise and ancient.
The sliding shoji doors burst open. Ren, his arm held in a cumbersome sling and face twisted in a mix of agony and rage, stumbled into the garden followed by a frantic Emi.
"Uncle! You have to order an execution!" Ren roared, nearly tripping over a stone lantern. "That... that thing at the arcade! He crushed my wrist like it was paper! He's a commoner! A nobody!"
Emi chimed in, her voice shrill. "He was a Zero, Uncle! But he had eyes like a demon. He mocked the Kyorin name and made us look like fools in front of everyone!"
Genji didn't even look up from his tea. "Describe him," he said, his voice like silk over stone.
"He's tall... black hair... eyes that look like they're frozen," Ren spat. "And he was wearing these ridiculous sapphire earrings. He looked like some street punk trying to play Royal."
Genji's hand stopped mid-whisk. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips—a look of genuine amusement that made Ren's blood run cold.
"Ah," Genji murmured. "So Yuki finally decided to stop hiding behind his glasses. I suspected as much."
Ren blinked, his mouth falling open. "You... you know him? You know that animal?"
Genji took a slow, appreciative sip of his tea. He remembered the last time he'd seen Yuki—the "playful idiot" who had stood before the him noticing his entire plan while a monster slept behind his eyes.
"He's a Kinatarou, Ren," Genji said, finally looking at his nephew with a gaze of pure disappointment. "And if he broke your wrist, it's because you were arrogant enough to touch him without the strength to back it up. He didn't just break your bones; he broke your pride. And frankly, it was long overdue."
"But Uncle!" Ren protested. "He's a Zero! We are Kyorin!"
"And yet, here you are, crying in my garden while he is out there living his life," Genji sighed, setting the tea bowl down. "I am not sending guards. I am not breaking his arms. You two were the ones who engaged him. If you want revenge, handle it yourselves. But be warned... He is a Kinatarou, his family is the strongest you'll ever come across."
Genji stood up, the green Ki around him flaring for just a second, enough to make the flowers in the garden wilt.
"If you go after him again and he decides to do more than just break a wrist, do not expect the Kyorin family to bury your bodies. I have no use for Royals who can't even handle a 'Zero'."
Ren and Emi stood frozen as Genji turned and walked back into his meditation hall. They had come for a savior; they had left with a death sentence of their own making.
Yuki arrived home late, the weight of the confession still lingering but feeling lighter. He stepped into the living room and stopped.
Hana was sprawled out on the floor, her head resting on a cushion. Luna was tucked under her arm, both of them breathing in a synchronized, peaceful rhythm. The apartment smelled of home and safety.
Yuki walked over, looking at Hana's sleeping face. A playful, mischievous glint returned to his eyes. He reached out and gave her a sharp, sudden kick to her side.
"Hey! Demon! Wake up! Go home!"
Hana bolted upright, her hair a wild mess, looking around in a panic. She saw Yuki standing there with that lopsided grin and her eyes narrowed into slits.
"You... you mannerless, unrefined, IDIOT!" She stood up and delivered a stinging punch directly to his chest before scooping up her bag. "I spend all night making sure Luna stays asleep, I give you a makeover and this is how you treat me?! I'm going! Don't call me when you fail your next test!"
She stormed out, murmuring about "ungrateful Kings," leaving Yuki alone with a stirring Luna.