The next day Yuki went to school but didn't attend classes, he spent his day in the training hall preparing for the strongest student tournament.
The training room was empty.
That was the point.
Yuki Kinatarou preferred it that way. No eyes. No commentary. No expectations.
Just steel plates, reinforced flooring, and his own breath syncing into rhythm.
His fist slammed into the padded wall again.
Crack.
The impact rippled through his arm, up his shoulder, into his spine. He welcomed it.Pain grounded him. Pain told the truth.
He adjusted his stance and struck again.
Crack.
"You're off by two degrees."
Yuki froze mid-motion.
He exhaled slowly and turned his head.
Sophia Uzushi stood near the doorway, hands folded neatly behind her back, posture perfect, expression unreadable as ever.
"…You followed me," Yuki said flatly.
"Yes."
"You followed me again."
"Yes."
He stared at her. She stared back, unblinking.
"…Do you have a hobby?" he asked. "Or is this it now."
Sophia tilted her head slightly. "You said we were friends."
"I did not say you could haunt me."
She considered that. "You did not forbid it."
Yuki clicked his tongue and grabbed his towel. "Unbelievable."
He walked past her.
She followed.
Down the hall.
Still following.
Yuki picked up speed.
So did she.
He turned a corner sharply. Broke into a jog.
Sophia's footsteps remained perfectly measured behind him.
"You're kidding," he muttered, then sprinted.
Students yelped as he cut through the halls, weaving between lockers and startled conversations. Sophia followed with frightening efficiency, skirt immaculate, pace unwavering.
Yuki skidded to a stop in front of the male bathroom and darted inside.
A heartbeat later, Sophia reached for the door.
Yuki turned, pressed two fingers to her forehead, and held her at bay.
"No," he said. "Absolutely not."
She blinked.
"…Understood." She nodded once and stood still.
He squinted at her. "Are you an android?"
"I don't know what that is."
"That explains nothing and everything."
He slipped inside. When he came back out, she was still standing there. Exactly where he left her.
"…You're terrifying," Yuki muttered.
They walked back toward class together.
Derek who was busy roaming the halls during the lunch period found Yuki walking alone or so he thought. The moment he started speaking with Yuki, Yuki complained non stop about Sophia.
"She doesn't blink, Derek. I swear. I ran. She ran back."
Derek laughed loudly, slinging an arm over Yuki's shoulder. "Man, sounds like you picked up a stalker."
"I can hear you," Sophia said calmly, standing on Yuki's other side.
Derek jumped. "WHEN DID YOU GET THERE?"
"I never left."
Yuki groaned. "See? This. This is my life now."
Despite the banter, the mood shifted as they reached the courtyard.
"The tournament's coming up," Derek said, more serious now. "Strongest Student. Whole school. Whole city watching."
Yuki nodded, gaze distant. "Big stage. Big crowd."
"Pressure."
"I don't mind the pressure," Yuki replied. "I mind expectations."
Sophia watched him quietly.
"I need to be ready. I'll make sure I win." Yuki continued. "If I lose, it won't be because I wasn't ready."
Derek smirked. "You're still the weirdest Acolyte I know. But I'll win, not you."
"We'll see." Yuki said.
Sophia spoke softly. "Crowds amplify truth."
Yuki glanced at her. "That's ominous."
"It's a warning," she replied.
He smiled. Polite. Guarded.
Then the bell rang.
Immediately Yuki got home he took Luna shopping. He didn't want Hana tagging along this time so he wore his uniform to the mall.
The mall was louder than Yuki remembered.
Not hostile loud. Just busy. Shoes squeaked against polished floors, music hummed from hidden speakers, voices overlapped into a harmless blur. Normal noise. Civilian noise.
The kind he still wasn't fully used to.
Luna, however, was thriving.
She clutched his sleeve like it was an anchor, eyes darting everywhere, absorbing color and movement with shameless delight.
"Slow down," Yuki said as she tugged him toward another store. "You're gonna rip my arm off."
"You said we could look," Luna shot back, already halfway inside.
Yuki sighed dramatically and let himself be dragged. "I said look. Not conquer."
Inside the store, racks of clothes were crammed too close together, fabrics brushing his arms in ways that made him mildly uncomfortable. Luna immediately went feral.
She held up a sweater almost as big as she was. "This!"
"That's not a shirt," Yuki said. "That's a tent."
Kira's voice slipped into his head, sharp and familiar. "You're buying her something decent, idiot. Not whatever passes for your own wardrobe."
He resisted the urge to mutter out loud.
Barely.
"I am being decent," he whispered back, grabbing a different sweater. "This one won't make her look like a wandering blanket."
Luna beamed. Decision made.
While she wandered off with an armful of clothes, Yuki stared at a rack of cheap jackets for himself. Practical. Durable.
Boring. His kind of thing.
"You need a job," Kira remarked. "You can't keep pretending you don't."
"I'm thinking about it, I can't keep relying on Satoshi for money." Yuki murmured, lifting a jacket. "Thinking counts as effort."
"No, it doesn't."
He smirked anyway.
Luna walked out of the changing room moments later looking as cute as ever in her new outfit. She then forced Yuki to change into a jacket too. He took the jacket to the changing room.
The curtain slid shut behind him.
He tugged the jacket on, glanced at his reflection, tilted his head.
"…Huh," he muttered. "I almost look normal."
The smile that came with the thought was brief.
Outside, raised voices cut through the music.
At first, Yuki ignored it. Malls were full of people yelling about nothing. Then the tone sharpened. High. Aggressive.
And then he heard it.
A voice he recognized.
"Watch where you're going, you stupid kid!"
Yuki froze mid-movement.
His hand tightened on the zipper.
"That voice…" Kira's tone shifted, darkening. "Yuki."
The curtain was yanked aside.
He stepped out just in time to see Luna standing frozen, hands clenched in front of her, coffee dripping down a boy's expensive shirt. He had two body guards in black by his side.
Ren.
His face was twisted in fury, eyes wild, humiliation boiling over into something ugly.
"I'm sorry, sorry," Luna whimpered. "I didn't see you, I—"
"You think sorry fixes this?" Ren snapped.
The slap was sudden.
One sharp sound. Too loud. Too final.
Luna hit the floor.
For half a second, Yuki didn't move.
The mall vanished.
Chains. Stone. Silence. The rule that said endure and don't cry until later.
Then Luna's sob cut through everything.
Yuki's eyes widened.
Ren noticed him.
Color drained from Ren's face so fast it was almost impressive.
Yuki took one step forward.
Ren flinched like he'd been shot.
"No— no, I didn't—" Ren stammered, backing away. "She— she spilled—"
Yuki's expression didn't change.
He didn't need to.
Ren turned and ran.
Yuki wanted to go after him but the guards blocked his path. Ren ran without looking back cursing Yuki with all of his soul.
Yuki let him go.
He dropped to one knee beside Luna immediately, shrugging off the jacket he'd just tried on and wrapping it around her small shaking frame.
"It's okay," he said, voice steady despite the tightness in his chest. "You're okay. I've got you."
"I'm sorry," Luna cried into his shirt. "I didn't mean to—"
"Hey." Yuki gently lifted her chin so she had to look at him. His smile came back, soft and real. "You didn't do anything wrong. Promise. That guy is just a douche bag."
Kira was quiet.
That silence spoke volumes.
A store employee hovered nearby, unsure. Yuki glanced up, smile flickering back into place like armor.
"We're fine," he said lightly. "Just a clumsy day."
The employee nodded and retreated.
Yuki lifted Luna easily, resting her against his shoulder. She clung to him, still trembling.
As he carried her out, he passed the changing room.
The jacket was still inside.
Unbought. Unworn.
"…Guess I'll come back for you," Yuki muttered under his breath.
"You won't." Kira said softly.
Yuki didn't argue.
His grip on Luna tightened just a little as he walked away, eyes forward, smile in place, already planning his next move.