After what had happened, Kagerou and Kanae continued deeper into the forest.
The atmosphere had changed completely.
The oppressive feeling that had stalked them since entering the forest was gone. No shadows lurked between the trees. No whispers echoed from the darkness. Even the unnatural sensation of being watched had disappeared.
For the first time since arriving, the forest felt almost peaceful.
Almost.
"Are you sure you're alright, Kanae?"
Kagerou's voice broke the silence.
Kanae was walking beside him with one arm draped over his shoulder for support. Her other hand pressed firmly against her injured side as she endured the dull pain radiating through her body.
Kagerou glanced at her again, concern evident on his face.
"Should we go back?" he asked. "We can treat your injuries first and return later. This mission isn't worth risking your life over"
Kanae remained silent.
Not because she was thinking about her injuries.
But because she was thinking about him.
Ever since the battle, something about Kagerou had changed.
She couldn't read him anymore.
At first, that should have made him more difficult to understand.
Instead, it had the opposite effect.
The Kagerou she knew always hid his emotions behind a calm expression and measured words. No matter what he was thinking, he rarely allowed it to show.
But now... Everything was visible.
The worry in his voice.
The concern in his eyes.
The way his gaze kept drifting toward her injuries.
The way he unconsciously adjusted his pace to match hers.
There was no effort to conceal any of it. No walls. No distance. It was all there for anyone to see, like an open book, and somehow, that made him feel even more unfamiliar.
Because it was genuine.
Too genuine.
No illusion could imitate it.
No shadow could reproduce something so naturally.
Yet that only made Kanae question herself even more.
Was this really Kagerou?
Or had she simply never known him as well as she thought she did?
"...I'm fine," Kanae finally answered after a long silence. Her voice was quieter than usual. "The injury isn't serious enough for us to abandon the mission"
Kagerou studied her for a moment.
As though trying to determine whether she was telling the truth.
Eventually, he sighed softly.
"...If you say so"
There was obvious reluctance in his voice.
"But promise me something"
Kanae blinked.
"Hm?"
"If it gets worse, tell me immediately"
His expression grew serious.
"No arguments. No trying to endure it alone," His gaze remained fixed on her. "We leave the forest immediately. Understood?"
Kanae stared at him.
Again.
That tone.
That concern.
That sincerity.
It was almost unfair.
"...Understood," she replied quietly.
Kagerou nodded in satisfaction.
"Good"
The two continued walking.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of their footsteps echoed softly through the forest.
Then Kanae broke the silence.
"...Tell me something"
"Hm?"
She hesitated.
Her gaze lowered briefly.
"That woman... Is she someone important to you?"
For a moment, Kagerou said nothing.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
A smile so gentle that it almost looked painful.
"...Yes"
His answer came without hesitation.
"She's my world"
The words were simple.
Yet they carried a weight that made Kanae's chest tighten.
Kagerou's gaze drifted upward toward the moonlight filtering through the trees.
"...She's the person I loved most"
"Oh..."
Kanae lowered her eyes.
For some reason, hearing that answer left an unpleasant feeling in her chest.
A feeling she didn't particularly want to examine.
The silence stretched between them again.
Then quietly...
"...Is she the one?"
Kagerou blinked.
"The one?"
Kanae immediately regretted speaking.
But it was too late now.
"I mean..." She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "...The woman from your first mission"
A pause.
"The one you met back then"
Kagerou stared at her.
Confusion slowly spread across his face.
"My first mission?"
Kanae nodded.
"The woman you couldn't forget"
The silence that followed lasted several seconds.
Then...
"...Kanae"
"Yes?"
"...Who exactly do you think we're talking about?"
The genuine bewilderment on his face made Kanae's heart skip a beat.
For the first time since asking that question, she had the sinking feeling that they were talking about two completely different people.
A long silence followed.
Then Kanae slowly lowered her gaze.
"...Should I apologize?" she asked quietly.
"Hm?"
"For misunderstanding?"
Kagerou blinked.
Then, after a brief pause, he rubbed the back of his neck and let out a small sigh.
"No... If anything, I should be the one apologizing"
His voice carried no frustration.
Only regret.
"I didn't explain myself properly"
Kanae remained silent.
Kagerou glanced ahead before continuing.
"The woman you saw..." His expression softened immediately. "...She was my mother"
Kanae froze.
"...Your mother?"
"Yeah"
The answer came without hesitation.
"The woman I was talking about wasn't someone from my first mission. It wasn't someone I couldn't move on from"
His gaze lowered slightly.
"It was my mother"
For a moment, Kanae couldn't find any words.
The image she had carried in her mind for days shattered instantly.
All those sleepless nights.
All those painful assumptions.
All those moments spent imagining another woman occupying a place in his heart she could never reach.
They had all been built upon a misunderstanding.
And suddenly... she felt foolish.
Regret welled up in her chest.
If only she hadn't run away that day. If only she had stayed and listened to Kagerou, given him a chance to explain himself.
Maybe none of this would have happened.
But it had happened.
And the past could no longer be changed.
"...Then..." Kanae began softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Who was that woman from your first mission?"
Kagerou tilted his head.
"What woman?"
Kanae immediately regretted asking.
Heat rushed to her face.
"I-I mean..."
Her voice faltered.
She looked away.
"The woman you said you couldn't forget... the one you spent the night with. Your first"
Kagerou stared at her for several long seconds.
Then realization finally dawned on him.
"...That"
His eyes widened slightly.
For a moment, no words came out of his mouth.
Seeing his reaction, Kanae felt her chest tighten painfully, as though an invisible hand had wrapped around her heart and begun to squeeze.
"...Let's not talk about it," Said Kanae.
"... No," Kagerou stopped walking. "Kanae"
Before she could protest, he carefully guided her toward a fallen tree trunk and helped her sit down.
The movement was gentle.
Almost overly gentle.
Once she was seated, he crouched in front of her so their eyes were level.
"We need to talk about this"
"Kagerou-"
"No"
His voice remained calm.
Firm.
"I don't want us misunderstanding each other anymore"
Kanae's chest tightened even more.
There was no anger in his eyes.
No accusation.
Only sincerity.
And somehow, that made it much harder to look at him.
She instinctively turned her face away.
Then...
*Touch*
Kanae froze.
Kagerou had taken her hands.
Carefully.
As though they were something precious that might break if he held them too tightly.
Her eyes widened.
"K-Kagerou..."
His expression softened immediately.
"Kanae"
The way he said her name felt different.
Not formal.
Not distant.
Just Kanae.
"This might sound like a terrible excuse"
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"But I need you to hear it anyway"
Kanae's heartbeat quickened.
"That night..."
His voice lowered.
"I was drunk"
The confession came so directly that Kanae forgot how to breathe.
"I wasn't thinking clearly"
His grip tightened slightly around her hands.
"I'm not saying that to avoid responsibility"
His eyes met hers.
"If anything, it makes it worse"
Kanae could see it.
The guilt.
The regret.
The frustration he carried toward himself.
But none of it felt dishonest.
"It already happened," Kanae whispered.
Sadness lingered in every word.
"We can't change that"
"Yes," Kagerou nodded slowly. "We can't"
A brief silence followed.
Then he took a breath.
"But Kanae..."
His gaze never left hers.
"You should know that after my mother..."
Kanae's heart skipped.
"...you're-"
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
Slow.
Measured.
Mocking.
The sound echoed through the forest like a knife cutting through the moment.
Both of them froze.
A voice followed.
"What a disgusting sight"
The darkness between the trees stirred.
Shadows twisted unnaturally along the forest floor.
Tsukikage stepped forward from the blackness, applauding lazily as though he had just witnessed a stage performance.
A smile stretched across his face.
Too wide.
Too unnatural.
"This is precisely why I despise humans"
His crimson eyes drifted between them.
"So fragile"
Another clap.
"So consumed by emotion"
The shadows around him writhed like living things.
"They cling"
*Clap*
"They hesitate"
*Clap*
"They suffer"
His smile widened further.
"And in the end..."
The forest seemed to darken around him.
"They drown"
His gaze settled on Kagerou.
Then Kanae.
Then the hands they still hadn't realized were joined.
"Drown so deeply in their own hearts..."
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"...that they never notice they're already sinking"
The shadows surged.
And the forest once again remembered fear.