"The cruelest distance is not between people… but between what is felt and what is said."
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Shiyi hadn't moved. She stood in the shadows, her eyes fixed on Kento. Slowly, her hand rose to the back of her ear. Her fingers pressed against the skin there, feeling a strange, cool vibration.
A chill ran down her spine. It was a feeling she recognized—a feeling she had hidden for years.
Hori noticed. "Shiyi?" she asked. "Are you okay?"
Shiyi jumped, her hand falling away from her ear. She forced a small, hollow smile. "I… I don't know," she whispered. "I just feel strange. Like the air is vibrating."
The walls felt like they were closing in on Kento. The eyes, the whispers, the warmth on his ribs—it was too much. "Enough!" he shouted.
The room went silent.
"I said enough!" Kento's voice echoed off the ceiling. He pointed a shaking hand at the door. "Everyone out! I'm tired! I don't want to talk about this—just leave me alone!" His chest heaved up and down. His eyes were wide and defensive, like a cornered animal.
Before anyone could speak, the door handle turned.
CLICK.
Mrs. Kamitani stepped inside. She held a tray with tea and sliced fruit. She wore a mother's smile—warm and easy. But the moment she stepped into the room, her smile faltered. She could feel the electricity in the air.
"What's going on?" she asked softly. "I heard shouting."
She set the tray on the table and walked to the bed. Her eyes searched Kento's face. "Oh," she said, her voice dropping. "You're sitting up. Is your fever down, Kento?"
Kento turned his head away, staring at the wall. His jaw was a hard line of bone. He said nothing. The silence was so loud it hurt.
Shido stepped in, waving his hands and forcing a loud, cheerful laugh. "Yep! Fever's totally gone!" he said quickly. "He's just back to being his usual grumpy self. You know how he is, Mom."
Hori nodded fast, her hair swaying. "Yes, Mrs. Kamitani. We'll let you know if he needs anything at all."
Mrs. Kamitani looked at Kento for a long, heavy moment. Her smile stayed, but her eyes were sad and knowing. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she chose to stay silent.
"You should still eat," she said quietly. "Even strong boys need to rest."
Kento didn't move. She sighed, her shoulders dropping, and walked to the door. "Call me if you need me."
The door closed with a soft thud.
The room was silent again. And beneath Kento's shirt, hidden from the world, the seven-ringed spiral pulsed—faint, patient, and finally awake.
Shido leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath, the kind that came after holding something in for too long. He closed his eyes and stretched his arms behind his head, trying to pull the room back into something normal.
"Well," he said, a lazy grin finding its way onto his face, "you really owe me one, Kento."
He opened one eye, then the other. "If I hadn't lied about that fever, Mom would've camped here all night. You should be thanking me. Your brother's a genius when it comes to lying."
He waited for a laugh. A pillow to be thrown. Anything.
Nothing.
The silence pressed against his ears like a heavy weight.
Shido straightened slowly. His smile faded as he finally looked around the room. Hori was standing stiffly near the bed, her arms crossed so tightly her fingers dug into her sleeves. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't even pretending to. Beside her, Shiyi's eyes were sharp, fixed on Shido like blades that had already chosen their target. Tamiko stood a little behind them, clutching the edge of her skirt, her lips pressed together as if she was afraid they might start shaking.
No one laughed.
"What?" Shido asked, his voice falling. "Why are you all looking at me like I just kicked a puppy?"
Kashima stepped forward. The movement was slow. His face had lost its usual cool look. "Kirishima," he said carefully, "do you even understand what you just—"
"OUT!"
The word exploded through the room.
Kento sat on the bed looking very tired. His body was heavy, shoulders dropped forward, no strength, his hair falling over his eyes. His hands were buried in the mattress, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were bone-white.
"Get out," he said again, his voice raw and shaking. "All of you."
Hori's breath caught in her throat. "Kento…"
She moved without thinking, reaching for him. She wanted to pull him into her arms, to block out the fear she could feel rolling off him in waves. She wanted to tell him that the mark didn't matter.
But He jerked away from her touch.
"Not now, Hori," he said sharply. "Please. Don't."
She froze. Her hand stayed in the air for a second, empty and cold, before slowly falling back to her side. The distance between them felt sudden and painful, like a door slamming shut in her face.
Shiyi took a step forward, anger flashing across her face. "What is wrong with you?" she snapped. The strange pressure behind her ear grew again, making her head throb with a dull vibration. "We came here because we were worried about you! We sat in the rain, we brought you things—"
"I didn't ask you to come!" Kento shouted.
He looked up then, and for a moment, they all saw it. Beneath the anger, there was fear—sharp, unguarded, and burning. He looked like a cornered animal that didn't know how to ask for help.
"Can't you see I'm not okay?" he said, his voice breaking. "Just leave me alone!"
The words landed hard, like stones.
Shiyi jumped back as if she'd been hit. Her expression became quiet instantly. Whatever softness had been there a moment ago disappeared, replaced by a cold mask.
"…Fine," she said quietly.
She turned away, grabbing her bag and put her things inside with quick, rough movements. "If that's how you feel, then fine. I'm done. I'm never coming to this house again."
"Ayasaki, wait," Kashima said, reaching out to stop her. "Stop. He's just scared. He doesn't mean it." She pulled her arm free, her eyes flashing with hurt. "He meant every word, Kashima."
"KENTO!"
Shido stood up quicky to his feet. The movement was so sudden that his chair crashed to the floor behind him. The loud bang made everyone jump, but Kento didn't even react.
"What is your problem?" Shido shouted, his voice shaking with frustration. "Why are you taking this out on them? They've done nothing but worry about you!"
Kento didn't look up. He stared at the shadows on his bed. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and frighteningly calm.
"You," Kento said. "You're the reason I'm angry." The room went dead quiet. Even the sound of the rain outside seemed to fade away.
Shido felt the words hit his chest like a physical punch. All the energy left his body.
His face pale as he stared at his brother—the same boy he had spent his whole life protecting.
"Oh," Shido said softly.
He looked down at the floor, his messy blue hair hiding his eyes. When he smiled, it was small and broken. "Okay. I get it."
He nodded once, more to himself than anyone else. "If I'm bothering you that much… I'll stop."
He turned toward the others, his posture bent. "Let's go. He's not himself right now. Leave him alone." Shido walked out of the room first. His footsteps were heavy, and for the first time, he didn't look back.
"Shido, wait!" Hori called out.
He didn't stop. He disappeared into the dark hallway. Shiyi hung her bag over her shoulder with a sharp jerk. "I'm late for my shift anyway," she muttered, trying to sound like she didn't care. "I wasted my time coming here."
She glanced at Tamiko, who was standing still, looking like she wanted to cry. "You coming?"
Tamiko hesitated. She looked at Kento's back one last time, her eyes shining with tears.
"I'm sorry," Tamiko whispered, her voice tiny.
"We didn't mean to be a bother, Kento."
Then she turned and followed Shiyi out.
Kashima remained by the window for a moment, staring at the darkening sky. He looked like a statue. "I'll go too," he said finally. "But I'll come back tomorrow. You can't shut everyone out forever, Kamitani."
He looked at Hori. "If you want I can take you home. The car is waiting."
Hori nodded silently.
Before leaving, she stepped close to the bed. She didn't touch him this time. She didn't try to make him look at her. She just stood in his space, letting him feel she was there.
"Everything will be okay," she whispered. It was a promise she wasn't sure she could keep. "When I come back tomorrow, I want to see the cheerful Kento. Not this stranger."
She paused at the door, her hand on handle. "Bye, Kento."
The door clicked shut.
The room sank into total darkness.
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SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"We cannot let the same thing happen to Hori. We must prevent it, no matter what."
"GODS SAVE US! MERCY! MERCY!"
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— With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫