Risa suddenly asked Daisuke out on a date tonight! Noโjust kidding. She actually wanted Daisuke to wait with her for Dark.
(Risaโฆ that's harsh.)
Satoshi saw them waiting together at the park.
(Along with Riku, Saehara, and Sekimoto.)
โItโs already 8:50 and Dark still hasnโt appeared,โ Inspector Saehara announced.
Satoshi glanced at his own watch and sighed.
โDon't tell me it's trueโฆโ He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Earlier today, after class had ended, he happened to walk past Saehara. Apparently, the self-proclaimed journalist was trying to whisper, but his whisper was louder than a normal speaking voice.
โHey! Let's go and tail Daisuke tonight~ He's going on a date with the younger Harada!โ
They went on to discuss the time and place. Satoshi wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but all that information had involuntarily entered his ears.
โIs something the matter, General Commander?โ Inspector Saehara approached him.
Satoshi shook his head.
โContinue monitoring for another ten minutes. If Dark doesn't appear by then, it means he won't be stealing tonight.โ
Saehara looked shocked. โB-But, Sir! What if he deliberately changes the time from the notice he provided us?โ
Satoshi had already started walking away, but he answered anyway.
โDark is not someone who would disregard his own notice. Just do it.โ
Without waiting for another comment, he slipped past the museum security and headed toward the east side, where there was supposed to be a park.
He was fairly certain Saehara had mentioned this park and that Daisuke would arrive around 9p.m.
It was currently 8:55p.m.
And sure enough, the younger Harada stood beneath a street lamp. Her hair was tied into pigtails, and she wore a short white dress with frills.
Not a few minutes later, Satoshi saw Niwa running toward her. She smiled brightly as she greeted him, and the two began talking.
They were too far away for him to hear their conversation, but one thing was now clear.
Dark would not be coming to steal anything tonight.
Niwaโฆ Did you really throw away your responsibility to stealโbasically ignoring Dark's own noticeโfor this?
Satoshi clicked his tongue, unable to hide his disappointment.
Suddenly, Saehara popped out of the bushes for all of 0.2 seconds before quickly hiding behind them again.
Saehara really had come to tail Niwa tonight.
He also threw away Dark's appearance for this? I thought he was a better journalist.
Though perhaps this was a different kind of scoopโbreaking news, even within the school.
Satoshi sighed deeply and was about to leave when he heard Harada's voice.
โHe'll definitely come!! Why did you say such harsh things, Niwa-kun?โ
He turned his head and found her crying... again.
Niwa flapped his arms in frustration, desperately trying not to make the younger Harada cry any more. A moment later, he ran off and sent his familiar bunny back toward her.
Without her noticing, Satoshi stepped between the familiar and Harada.
The rabbit stopped in its tracks. Then, somehow, it turned even whiter than it already was at the sight of him before quickly floating away.
Satoshi returned to his hiding spot and continued monitoring the younger Harada.
She sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Leaning against the railing, she stared up at the night sky.
It was a clear night. The full moon illuminated the surroundings.
Even from a distance, Satoshi could tell that she was fidgeting. She shifted her weight from side to side and kept touching her fingers.
He almost rolled his eyes.
She really is head over heels for the artwork.
Dark wasn't even human.
Nor was he truly a living being.
And he was dangerous. Maybe not as dangerous as the other half, but Satoshi still couldn't understand why Dark was so popular at school.
Now that he thought about it, many people were waiting for Dark's appearance in front of the museum, alongside the security guards and journalists.
But the younger Harada had chosen to wait on the opposite side of the entranceโa secluded park with little traffic, where only the main pathway was illuminated by streetlights.
Now he could see why she had asked Niwa to accompany her tonight.
But that didn't mean what they were doing was a good idea.
Suddenly, Satoshi noticed movement behind her, near the dark bushes.
He waited for a few seconds, ready to sprint toward her if necessary.
Only then did he realize that it was...
Dark?
Niwa... Did he transform just for this?
Satoshi quickly retreated farther into his hiding place and watched the two of them, though he couldn't hear a single word.
Should he go ahead and apprehend Dark?
But the younger Harada would be troublesome to deal with.
And then there were Saehara, Sekimoto, and the older Harada as well.
Satoshi glanced back toward them and was surprised to find that Dark's long purple hair had already vanished, replaced by shorter, spikier reddish hair.
For a moment, he worried that the younger Harada would witness the transformation.
But she merely smiled and laughed softly at something Niwa had said.
Then, when she turned away from him, Satoshi saw her expression darken.
She looked so sad.
Is Dark really that important to you?
The question lingered in his mind longer than he expected.
A second later, Satoshi frowned.
What exactly did that have to do with him?
Silently, Satoshi watched the two of them leave the park together.
After a moment, he slowly shook his head and returned to the museum.
The next day, Saehara was enthusiastically spreading the news about Niwa's date with the younger Harada at the park.
From the looks of it, the girl was upset about the rumors, and Satoshi could see Niwa is scolding Saehara.
Satoshi let out a small sigh and returned to his book.
It had been three months since the Kokuyoku event.
Risa was now fifteen years old, but she still often wandered outside at night, desperately trying to remember that memory.
Noโฆ
Was it a dream?
A dream that felt so real?
She didn't know anymore.
There, she met him. That light blue-haired boy.
He wasn't wearing his glasses, and he stood quietly beneath a street lamp.
Risa stopped for a moment. Just as she decided to turn back, he called out to her.
โDid I disturb your night walk, Harada?โ
Risa flinched and slowly turned toward him.
โHi-Hiwatari-kunโฆโ
Silence settled between them.
After the Kokuyoku event, they'd grown much closer. At least, compared to before. But there was still a wall between themโor perhaps, that was just how Risa felt.
She still didn't understand why he had hugged her that night.
And somehow, whenever she thought about it, she couldn't shake the feeling that his warmth had felt strangely familiar.
Hiwatari remained calm, not a single expression changing on his face. Then he sighed.
โYou should go back. It's late, and it's not good for a girl to walk around at night. I'll escort you home.โ
โSay, Hiwatari-kunโฆ how's your arm?โ
He walked a little closer before stopping. For a few seconds, he looked surprised and averted his eyes.
โYeahโฆ it's already healed.โ
That's not what she meant.
Not physically.
The wound on his arm had healed long ago.
But what about everything else?
โNow that I think about it, you still never told me about your family business.โ
Her voice grew stronger, pushing against the walls between them without giving him the chance to hide behind them.
โHarada, Iโโ
โHiwatari-kun. What do you know? About that night?โ
Again, she didn't let him finish.
She was afraid he would give her some ordinary answer.
Something like his father being in the police department.
It wasn't a dream, right?
โHaradaโฆโ
His voice sounded almost pained.
He's changed so much over these past three months.
She guessed Niwa-kun and Saehara had a lot to do with it. And somehow, she had gotten to witness those changes too.
The old Hiwatari-kun would've simply ignored her.
โHarada, are you stillโโ
He tried to reach for her arm, but she stepped back.
โYes! I still have nightmares! I can't sleep! It keeps bothering me! Tell me, Hiwatari-kun, was it really just a dream?โ
He finally looked at her.
At first, he seemed surprised.
Then his expression changed.
He looked so hurt.
He grabbed her hand. His grip was firm at first, but gradually softened.
โHarada, pleaseโฆโ
His left hand reached toward her face, and very slowly, he touched her now wet cheek.
โI don't want to see you cry.โ
Again.
Those words.
He said the same thing that night, didn't he?
โIt feels like I'm looking for somethingโฆย someone. But I've never been able to remember his face, his voice, or even his touchโฆโ
Tears finally spilled down her cheeks.
He gently pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her.
This warmthโฆ
Why did it feel so familiar?
โโฆHiwatari-kun, pleaseโฆ tell me.โ
She tightened her grip on his shirt.
โWas it a dream?โ
His arms around her tightened in response.
She could tell he was fighting something within himself.
His thoughts seemed to be racing, searching for words that could comfort her. But for a long while, he said nothing.
Eventually, she calmed down, and he slowly released her.
His shirt was damp with her tears, though he didn't seem to notice.
โI'll help you remember it.โ
Risa blinked.
โI'll help you try and remember it.โ His voice was quiet. Almost hesitant. As though he wasn't entirely sure himself.
โButโฆโ
He paused. Then, very gentlyโ
โI don't want to see you cry anymore.โ
For a moment, Risa could only stare at him. Under the dim light of the street lamp, Hiwatari-kun looked away.
โโฆLet's go home.โ
And just like that, he started walking.
As though he hadn't just said something that made her chest ache.
Risa walked to his side, and they made their way to her home in silence.
The school decided to climb a mountain during winter. Risa's hat got blown away, and Riku tried to reach for it but slipped.
At the last minute, Daisuke tried to save her, causing both of them to fall down the mountain.
Satoshi looked down the snow-covered slope.
Both Niwa and the older Harada were already out of sight. Only broken trails in the snow and a few snapped twigs remained.
Even though the slope was not steep, they might have fallen around 20โ30 feet. That could be catastrophic if they hit a large tree or some rocks.
Niwa is there with the older Harada, so they should be fine. But just in case, tell the teacher.
He sighed and walked away from the other students, who were still screaming and calling out the names of the two teenagers.
After reporting it to the teacher, he suggested that they head downhill to get a signal and call for a rescue team.
As they quickly made their way down, Satoshi realized that the younger Harada was crying.
โNoโฆ What should I doโฆ Itโs because of meโฆโ she murmured between sobs while the other classmates tried to comfort her.
Satoshi had a tendency to observe all of his classmates. It was something he had picked up while studying criminology.
Of course, there were limits to that.
He knew everyone's names, their rankings at school, and sometimes even their parents' connections. (Who knew? Such information might prove useful someday.)
But he only knew Niwa in detail (for obvious reasons), and Saehara (for another obvious reason).
And he knew the Harada twins because they were the only pair of twins in the school.
Still, he knew how different they were.
The short-haired older sister was calmer and very active at school. The younger one was noisier, had more friends, and cried a lot.
How could twins be so different?
But of course, he knew another personโor perhaps anotherย thingโthat looked almost identical, yet could not be more different.
Like two sides of a coin.
Like water and oil.
They would never mix.
Heck, they should never even be near each other.
He then realized that his phone had finally picked up a signal. He quickly stopped to call the police and request a search and rescue team.
After the call, he noticed that he had fallen behind and was now at the very end of the group. Somehow, the younger Harada was still beside him, walking very slowly.
Satoshi glanced around. The mist had gotten thicker, and they still hadn't heard anything from Niwa and the older Harada.
Maybe I should go back and look for them myself, just in case.
He quickly turned on his heel and started climbing back up when he heard someone call out to him.
โWait, where are you going, Hiwatari-kun? We should stay with the group andโโ
Satoshi didn't want the others to know that he was heading back up, so he quietly shushed the younger Harada and continued walking.
The younger sister looked surprised.
โWhaโโ
But Satoshi didn't want to waste any precious time, so he left her there.
Of course, he was convinced that Niwa was Dark, so they should be fine. But it had already been twenty minutes since the fall, and they still hadn't heard anything from them yet.
Maybe something had happened.
Even though Satoshi was rather slim, he had trained during his time overseas, so he was capable of climbing the mountain fairly quickly. Still, it would take some time to reach the area where they had fallen.
He had only been climbing for less than ten minutes and still had some distance to cover, so he quickened his pace.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed upward, and there it wasโa black-winged angel shooting into the sky.
Satoshi could clearly see a young lady cradled in that angel's embrace, and he let out a short sigh.
He quickly called the station back.
โCancel the rescue team. Yes, the rescue has already been completed.โ
Satoshi looked up at Dark. He was already flying away to safety with the older Harada in his arms.
What took him so long?
But this made him one hundred percent certain that Niwa was indeed Dark.
The family name was obvious enough, but Niwa always tried to hide it. Didn't he know the history between their families?
Such a troublesome personโฆ
He sighed again and started walking back down the mountain.
With all the fuss surrounding Niwa and the older Harada, Satoshi doubted that the teachers or the other students would even realize he had left the group. As long as the younger Harada had not said anything or called someone to follow him up the mountain, he should be able to rejoin them before they reached the bottom.
Well, he had been walking for a minute, and nobody seemed to be looking for him.
So, safe to say, the little Harada had tight lips. Or perhaps she wasn't as much of a gossip as he had initially thought.
โHiwatari-kun!โ
He blinked when he heard his name being called loudly.
A few feet ahead, the younger Harada stood with visible sweat on her forehead. Her short breaths formed white puffs in front of her face.
โWhat are you doing?โ he asked calmly, reaching her in a few long strides.
โYou were walking by yourself, so I followed you!โ she said, taking another deep breath. โWe should stay together and quickly call for rescue.โ
The younger Harada bent over and put both hands on her knees.
She's really out of shape, isn't sheโฆ
โYou didn't have to do that. I'm fine,โ he said, remaining beside her.
Now he'll have to guide her down the mountain, or they'll end up needing another rescue team.
How troublesome.
He sighed.
โAnyway, can you walk?โ
He offered his hand, and she blinked.
Ahโฆ
He had forgotten that such things were uncommon in Japan.
But after offering it, he couldn't very well take his hand back, so he left it suspended awkwardly between them.
After averting her gaze, she slowly raised her right gloved hand and placed it on top of his.
Her face, already red from the cold, turned even redder. The color had reached her ears.
โTh-Thank you,โ she whispered quietly as she straightened herself.
She quickly withdrew her hand, and Satoshi resumed walking down the slope, slower this time.
The younger Harada was trying her best to match his pace, so he slowed down even more to accommodate her. Even so, a few steps still separated them.
โSoโโ she began.
โHiwatari-kunโฆโ
She took another breath.
โWhat were youโโ
Then she hurried a few steps to catch up with him.
โโdoing just now?โ
Satoshi glanced at her. Her brows were knitted together.
Why was she angry at him?
He remembered the day after Dark first appeared. All the girls in class had been fangirling over him. This girl right here was definitely one of them. He was pretty sure he had seen her among that noisy crowd.
So it would be wiser not to say anything.
โNothing in particular,โ he answered. He could clearly hear Harada huffing beside him.
โWhat?โ she exclaimed. โYou left the group and came all the way up hereโฆ without doing anything?โ
From the look on her face, he could tell she wasn't going to let him off without a proper answer.
Such persistenceโฆ It might be better to divert the conversation.
โHarada, we should hurry and regroup. They might have already reached the bottom and called for rescue.โ
The girl suddenly fell silent and began walking faster.
It seems she remembered her sister again,ย he thought, trying not to look too pleased that she had finally stopped bothering him.
They continued walking down the mountain in silence.
Now that he thought about it, the younger Harada might be noisy and almost always surrounded by people. But she was different from the other girls who liked to send letters, ask for his time after school, or follow him around.
Well, at least she wasn't bothering him about that.
Satoshi glanced at her and realized that she was crying.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and every time she blinked, they rolled down her cheeks.
Her nose was getting redder too.
He didn't know whether she cared or not, but she didn't make a sound.
It was a very quiet cry.
Satoshi sighed and started to feel uncomfortable.
Since he was matching his pace with hers, he was stuck beside her while watching her cry.
โHarada,โ he finally managed.
She looked up at him, and another tear rolled down her cheek.
Satoshi quickly averted his gaze.
โI believe your older sister will be fine. Niwa is with her.โ
She sobbed and slowly nodded. Wiping her tears with her white gloves and began walking faster.
Satoshi easily matched her pace, and they continued in silence until they reached the bottom of the mountain.
As he had expected, the teacher had realized they were far behind the group, but Satoshi quickly came up with a believable excuse and she accepted it.
He noticed that Saehara was already talking to the mountain rangers.
Satoshi had no intention of stopping them. Niwa and the older Harada still hadn't returned, and although he knew they were safe, the mist at the top of the mountain was getting thicker.
Ten minutes passed as they discussed the situation with the rangers and watched them prepare for the rescue mission.
Then suddenly, several students screamed Niwa's and Harada's names in relief.
Satoshi looked up and found Niwa carrying the unconscious older Harada on his back. The younger Harada's hat was clutched in his right hand.
Everyone rushed toward them, and Satoshi watched the teacher kneel beside them and carefully lift the older Harada from Niwa's shoulders.
The younger Harada was crying loudly now.
Involuntarily, Satoshi let out a small sigh of relief as well.
He looked up and saw the mist slowly dispersing, revealing the bright blue sky above them.
