The next morning, Ritsuka sat at the dining table, staring at his breakfast.
He hadn't touched it.
A few minutes later, Mika entered the room carrying two cups of tea.
"Good morning, Ritsuka!"
"Morning."
She placed the cups on the table and sat across from him.
Silence.
Ritsuka looked at Mika.
Mika looked at Ritsuka.
They both immediately looked away.
Last night came rushing back to both of them.
The kisses. The confessions. The fact that they'd gone from their first kiss to spending the night together in a matter of hours.
And neither of them regretted it.
That somehow made the embarrassment worse.
Mika took a sip of her tea.
"So..."
Ritsuka looked up.
"So?"
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes."
"Good!"
Silence again.
Mika stared into her cup.
Ritsuka stared at his breakfast.
Neither seemed particularly interested in eating.
Finally, Ritsuka cleared his throat.
"About last night..."
Mika nearly dropped her cup.
"Y-Yes?"
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay with everything that happened."
Her expression softened.
She put her cup down and looked him in the eyes.
"Of course I am. I wanted to be with you, Ritsuka. I told you that last night."
"I know. I just wanted to check."
Mika smiled.
"You worry too much."
"Someone has to."
"Hey!"
He chuckled, and she joined him.
The tension finally began to ease.
Then Mika's cheeks turned pink again.
"...You know, we're probably going to remember last night every time we look at that bed."
Ritsuka choked on his tea.
"Mika!"
"What?! It's true!"
"You can't just say things like that over breakfast!"
"Why not? We're the only ones here!"
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!"
Mika burst into laughter.
Ritsuka covered his face with one hand.
'I'm never going to survive this relationship.'
Then Mika reached across the table and took his hand.
"Seriously, though."
He looked at her.
"I'm happy it was with you."
Ritsuka's embarrassment faded.
He squeezed her hand.
"Me too."
Mika smiled warmly.
Then she leaned across the table and kissed him.
When she pulled away, Ritsuka was smiling too.
"Good morning," she whispered.
He laughed.
"You're saying that a little late."
"Then I'll say it again tomorrow!"
Ritsuka shook his head, still holding her hand.
For once, he didn't have a stream running.
No chat to embarrass him. No audience to turn his private life into a collection of memes.
Just the two of them, sharing breakfast.
And honestly?
He preferred it that way.
Mika fed Ritsuka another bite of her food while he continued eating. She seemed quite pleased with herself, especially whenever he accepted a bite without thinking about it.
"So, what school do you have to go to today?" she asked.
Ritsuka looked at her, then pulled out his phone. He checked the date and opened his schedule, scrolling through the list until he found Wednesday.
"Wednesday: Schale, Veritas, Decagrammaton."
Mika stopped halfway through lifting her fork.
"...Schale, Veritas, and Decagrammaton?"
"Yep."
She stared at him.
"Ritsuka, darling, you do realize that yesterday you visited Red Winter, right?"
"I do."
"And you came home early because you were exhausted."
"Correct."
"And now you're going to Schale, Millennium's hacker club, and a mysterious organization associated with an ancient machine intelligence?"
Ritsuka glanced at his phone again.
"When you say it like that, it sounds bad."
"Because it is bad!"
He shrugged and took another bite of breakfast.
Mika stared at him as though she'd just discovered that her boyfriend had a death wish.
"Sweetheart, Schale is one thing. It's the General Student Council's special organization, and Sensei works there. Veritas is Millennium's hacking club. But Decagrammaton?" She leaned closer. "Isn't that the group connected to those strange prophecies and the mechanical prophets?"
"That's what the schedule says."
"Why is that even on your school visit list?!"
"Good question. I should probably ask Rin."
Mika slowly lowered her fork.
"You're going to ask the General Student Council why they're sending you to meet a mysterious group of people who worship an artificial intelligence?"
"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds like something I should ask before I get there."
"Ritsuka!"
"What? I'm agreeing with you!"
Mika covered her face with one hand. Her wings twitched behind her.
'He's handsome, sweet, and surprisingly clever,' she thought. 'But sometimes I wonder if that brain of his is actively trying to get him into trouble.'
Ritsuka finished his bite and checked his phone again.
"At least the first stop is Schale. That's probably going to be normal."
Mika slowly lowered her hand.
"Your father works there."
"Exactly."
"Your father is also the man who somehow manages to get involved in every major incident in Kivotos."
"...You have a point."
"And you're his son."
"Okay, I get it!"
Mika giggled and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
"Just promise me you'll be careful today, okay? I don't want you coming home with another story about explosions, revolutions, or being chased by robots."
Ritsuka thought about the snowmobile incident.
Then he thought about the explosions at Gehenna.
Then he remembered that Decagrammaton was on today's schedule.
"...I'll do my best."
Mika narrowed her eyes.
"That wasn't a promise."
"It's the most honest answer I can give you."
She sighed dramatically, then fed him another bite.
"Fine. Eat your breakfast, my troublesome prince. You'll need your strength."
Ritsuka smiled at her.
"You're spoiling me."
"Of course I am. You're my boyfriend."
She said it so casually that he nearly forgot how to chew.
Mika noticed immediately.
"Oh? Still getting embarrassed when I call you that?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Eat your breakfast, Mika."
She burst into laughter.
For a few more minutes, the two enjoyed their breakfast together, with Mika occasionally stealing a kiss whenever Ritsuka wasn't paying attention.
Eventually, Ritsuka checked his schedule one last time.
Schale. Veritas. Decagrammaton.
Yesterday had involved snow, explosions, and a revolution.
Today, he was visiting his father's workplace, a club full of hackers, and a group associated with an artificial intelligence that might be more than it appeared.
Ritsuka slipped his phone into his pocket.
'Maybe today really will be normal.'
Even he didn't believe that.
After breakfast, Ritsuka got ready to leave.
Mika stood by the door, watching him put on his jacket and check that his phone was fully charged. Given how much he streamed, a dead battery would be a genuine disaster for his income.
"Phone?"
"Check."
"Wallet?"
"Check."
"Student ID?"
"Check."
"Your girlfriend?"
Ritsuka paused.
Mika smiled innocently.
"...You're standing right there."
"Good! Just making sure you haven't forgotten me."
"How could I forget you? You live with me."
"People forget things all the time, darling."
She wrapped her wings around him and kissed him. Ritsuka returned the kiss, resting a hand against her cheek before they separated.
"Have a good day," Mika whispered. "And please, please, come home in one piece."
"I'll try."
"Ritsuka."
"I promise I'll be careful."
"Better."
She kissed him once more before finally letting him leave.
Ritsuka headed toward the train station, opened his livestream, and smiled at the camera.
"Good morning, everyone! It's Wednesday, and today I'm visiting Schale, Veritas, and Decagrammaton."
The chat immediately began moving.
Chat:
Schale? Isn't that where Sensei works?
WAIT, YOU'RE VISITING YOUR DAD'S WORKPLACE?
VERITAS?! BRO'S GOING TO MEET THE HACKERS.
DECAGRAMMATON?!
Yesterday he survived Red Winter. Today he's visiting a cult.
Ritsuka read the last message.
"It's not necessarily a cult."
The chat responded with even more messages.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SOMEONE VISITING A CULT WOULD SAY.
"Wonderful. My audience has decided I'm an idiot before I've even arrived."
He shook his head, laughing.
"Anyway, first stop is Schale. Let's see what my father is doing today."
### Schale
Schale's building stood apart from the usual academy campuses. It served as an independent organization under the General Student Council, and its responsibilities meant students from different academies could end up there for all sorts of reasons.
Ritsuka approached the entrance and looked up at the building.
"So this is the place."
He had heard plenty about Schale from his father, although hearing about somewhere and actually visiting it were two different things.
He entered and made his way toward the reception area.
A familiar girl was waiting inside.
Rin.
She looked up from her paperwork.
"Ritsuka. You're here."
"Good morning, Rin."
"Good morning. Did you have any problems finding the building?"
"Nope. The train was fine, and nobody tried to overthrow the government this time."
Rin stopped writing.
"...What?"
"Red Winter."
"Oh."
She returned to her paperwork with the weary expression of someone who had already heard too many reports about that academy.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."
Ritsuka leaned against the reception counter.
"So, what's my schedule here? Am I meeting my father, or is there something else I need to do?"
"Your father is currently dealing with some administrative matters. He should be available shortly." Rin adjusted her glasses. "In the meantime, I wanted to speak with you about your visits to the other academies."
"Is this about me coming home early yesterday?"
"Partly. Your message was rather brief."
"You try spending a day at Red Winter and see how much energy you have left afterward."
"I've read the reports."
"Then you understand."
Rin sighed.
"Unfortunately, yes."
She put down her pen and regarded him more seriously.
"Your visits are meant to help you understand how Kivotos operates. You have already seen several very different academies, and your observations may prove useful to Schale."
"So I'm basically doing research?"
"That is one way of putting it."
"Can I put that on my stream title?"
"No."
"Had to ask."
Rin looked at the phone mounted on his streaming setup.
"And please avoid filming confidential documents or sensitive areas."
"Obviously. I'm not trying to get arrested."
"Good. I'd prefer not to spend my morning explaining to the General Student Council why Sensei's son accidentally broadcast classified information."
Ritsuka gave her a thumbs-up.
"Your faith in me is inspiring."
Before Rin could respond, footsteps sounded from the hallway.
A familiar voice followed.
"Ritsuka?"
He turned.
His father stood in the doorway.
Alexander Orion Morningstar looked at his son for a moment before smiling.
"You're early."
Ritsuka grinned.
"Missed me?"
"Considering we spoke yesterday, I think I can survive until our next conversation."
"Wow. Cold, Dad. Absolutely cold."
Alexander laughed and approached him, giving him a brief hug.
"Good to see you, son."
"Good to see you too."
For a moment, Ritsuka forgot about the camera and the chat. Whatever else Kivotos might throw at him, seeing his father was always a welcome change.
Then Alexander glanced at the phone.
"Are you streaming?"
"Yep."
"Then I suppose I should say hello."
He looked toward the camera.
"Good morning, everyone. Please make sure my son doesn't get into too much trouble today."
Ritsuka stared at him.
"Dad! You're supposed to defend me!"
"I'm defending you from your own decisions."
The chat exploded.
DAD KNOWS.
SENSEI HAS EXPERIENCE.
HE'S BEEN RAISING THIS MENACE FOR YEARS.
Ritsuka covered his face.
"I've made a terrible mistake."
Alexander patted his shoulder.
"Welcome to Schale."
And for the first time that morning, Ritsuka wondered whether visiting his father's workplace might actually be more embarrassing than visiting Red Winter.
Because if his father started telling stories about him on stream, he was never going to recover.
To be continue
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