The last of the evening light painted the avenue in warm amber, cars flowing steadily along the road beyond. Couples drifted past on the pavement, hand in hand, wrapped in the golden hue of winter dusk, their faces soft with easy happiness.
Inside the barbecue restaurant, the grill hissed and popped, steam curling up from slices of pork belly as fat rendered and sizzled against the hot iron.
"Come on, eat while it's hot. The barbecue here is excellent." Kyle grinned, waving a hand at the spread in front of them. "My treat tonight, so don't hold back."
"Then I won't." Amira was already smiling. "I'm ordering the steak and the lamb chops. Consider it a small tax on the wealthy." She shot a sideways glance at Julia, then laughed. "And we're celebrating Jacob coming back! Julia, honestly — while he was gone, you said his name so many times I stopped hearing it. It just became background noise."
"What are you talking about?" Julia's cheeks coloured immediately. She glanced at Jacob, then looked away. "I never did that."
"Oh?" Amira tilted her head, feigning thought. "Maybe I misheard, then. Perhaps it was some other boy's name. Let me think — was it Xavier? Or maybe Xander?"
"Amira!"
The two dissolved into laughter, their bickering easy and familiar. But the noise only settled heavier on Jacob's chest.
His eyes drifted to Julia — her open smile, the way her face lit up so easily. He looked away again.
"Jacob." Amira caught him staring and leaned forward with a knowing grin. "You've gone quiet. Don't tell me you're starstruck. She doesn't dress up like this every day, you know."
Julia tucked her chin down, the flush on her cheeks deepening.
"I'm serious," Amira continued, utterly unbothered. "She changed outfits three times before we left. Three. And she still almost changed again."
"Amira, if you don't stop talking, I'm going to feed you this skewer myself."
Laughter again. The table stayed warm and loud — mostly thanks to Kyle and Amira, who kept things moving with the comfortable ease of people who had long since stopped pretending they were only friends.
Jacob smiled where he needed to. But he wasn't really there.
As the meal wound down, Julia shifted slightly in her seat and turned toward him. "Jacob." Her voice was quieter now, just for him. "Is something on your mind? You've seemed a little distant all evening."
He looked at her. At the genuine concern in her eyes, the careful way she was watching him.
"It's nothing," he said, and heard how thin it sounded.
"You can tell me," Julia said gently. "Whatever it is."
Jacob was quiet for a moment. Then he set down his cup and said, "Julia — want to take a walk?"
The table went still for just a second.
Then Amira nudged Kyle with her elbow. "Right, so — there's that maid café internet café nearby. The one you've been wanting to check out. Let's go now."
Kyle blinked. "What?"
A second nudge, sharper this time.
"Oh — right, yes." He straightened up. "I've been meaning to go. Definitely. Let's go." He was already reaching for his wallet. "I'll get the bill."
"Good." Amira stood, smoothing her coat. "Move quickly."
They heard Kyle the moment the door swung shut behind them.
"Ow — ow. You actually want to go to a maid café?"
"I said go, not that I wanted to go there specifically—"
"But you said—"
"I said go somewhere!"
Jacob and Julia looked at each other across the now-quiet table. The tension in Jacob's chest loosened just slightly.
"When did those two finally sort themselves out?" he asked.
Julia shook her head, smiling. "They haven't, officially. But they talk every morning and every night now. It's been like that for a while." She paused. "I think it's only a matter of time."
"Good." Jacob exhaled. "I genuinely worried Kyle would be alone forever."
"He wouldn't be," Julia said, considering. "He's kind, and he's reliable. Amira's liked him for ages — I'm pretty sure of that much." She smiled again, warm and unguarded. "Anyway — I think it's good."
"Yeah." Jacob stood and pulled on his coat. "Come on, I'll walk you back to school."
The smile that crossed Julia's face was brief and involuntary — the kind that arrives before you can think to stop it. She stood, adjusted her scarf, and followed him out.
She hadn't expected him to offer. He had been so withdrawn all evening. Something about it catching her off guard made her heart move in a way she wasn't quite prepared for.
Outside, the city had settled into its night rhythm, neon signs reflected in the damp pavement. Snow was falling — light and unhurried.
"It's snowing again," Jacob said, looking up.
"It's been like this lately," Julia said, falling into step beside him. "A few days ago it came down so hard at school that the lake completely froze over."
"Really?"
"Mm." She glanced up at him. There was something different in his expression tonight — quieter than usual. But she didn't press.
After a moment, she started talking instead. Small things, school things — the kind of updates that accumulate when someone's been away. "By the way, the school forum has been busy since you came back. After you beat Dawson, people stopped doubting your ranking. Nobody questions your strength anymore." She paused. "The competition for the other top spots has gotten more intense, though. Some new names have been showing up."
"And — actually, the Pokémon Association reached out to me as well. They asked me to join Team Zero." She said it lightly, but there was a trace of something wistful underneath it. "My mother said my personality wasn't well-suited for that kind of work, so she turned them down on my behalf." A small laugh. "I didn't really argue with her at the time. But now I wonder — if I had joined, maybe we would've ended up on the same team."
Jacob looked at her as she spoke. Bright, easy, completely herself. He forced himself to keep his expression calm.
One cannot stay sheltered forever. Growing means making hard choices. But the cost is always real.
"Is that so," he said.
"It's probably too difficult to get in now," she went on. "But I'll keep training. Maybe someday."
"Good luck."
It was a longer walk than it looked on a map — a good half hour between the restaurant and school — but somehow forty minutes passed before the outline of the school gate came into view.
Jacob slowed.
"Julia."
She turned to look at him. "Mm?"
He took a breath.
"I have a girlfriend."