Kurogami Ryumen didn't usually dream.
Dreams meant losing control.
Dreams meant memories he didn't want.
But that night, long after Kiromi's silhouette had vanished into the rain, sleep dragged him down like a tide. And in the darkness behind his eyes, something ancient stirred.
---
A Memory He Hated
He was ten years old again, standing barefoot in a crater the size of a stadium. Ash drifted down like black snow. Trees lay uprooted, buildings collapsed, earth warped and melted.
The devourer lay in front of him—more shadow than flesh—its body twisted, crushed, broken.
He didn't remember attacking it.
He only remembered the silence afterward.
A silence so total it swallowed the world.
His hands shook. Both were covered in dark, iridescent blood. His breath came out in uneven gasps.
hff—hff—hff
And then—
A man stepped into the crater.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Wearing a black armored coat trimmed with silver. His face unreadable. His eyes sharp.
Yuji Kiroyu.
The commander.
The hunter.
The man who would one day chase him across the earth.
"You're scared," Yuji said in the memory. "Good. That means you understand what you are."
Kurogami tried to speak. No sound came.
"You kill without thinking. Power without discipline is disaster." Yuji knelt, lowering himself to Kurogami's height. "But you saved hundreds today."
He reached out a hand, as if to offer comfort—
Then pulled it back.
"If I ever see you lose control like this again," Yuji said, voice like steel, "I won't treat you as a child. I'll treat you as a threat."
The memory dissolved into darkness.
And Kurogami woke choking on his own breath.
GASP
---
Morning — 6:01 a.m.
He sat up instantly.
Clothes damp with cold sweat.
Heart beating too fast.
Power buzzing under his skin like static.
fzzzzzt
A hairline crack split across his bedside table. He inhaled sharply and forced his power down.
"Control. Focus."
It obeyed… eventually.
He rubbed his face with both hands. He hadn't had that nightmare in years. He knew exactly why it came back.
Kiromi.
Her voice.
Her stubborn warmth.
Her refusal to back away.
If Yuji Kiroyu ever discovered that his daughter was getting close to him, it would not end with a simple warning.
He needed to distance himself.
He needed to stop this now.
Before she got hurt.
Before he lost control.
Before her father found out.
But when he stepped outside that morning and felt the sun break through the clouds, the thought of avoiding her made something in his chest twist.
Wonderful.
He was already failing.
---
School — 7:59 a.m.
Kurogami entered the school courtyard and immediately sensed trouble.
Students were gathered in clusters. Whispering. Pointing. Their phones out.
Not panic.
Not danger.
Gossip.
He sighed internally. Not ideal.
He kept walking—
Until a familiar voice broke through the chatter.
"Kurogami!"
She was waving again.
Why did she have to wave?
She jogged over, her hair catching the morning light, her cardigan half-off one shoulder like she left home in a hurry.
"Morning!" she said brightly.
"…Morning."
"You okay? You look tired."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
"Because it's always true."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's the least convincing lie I've ever heard."
He looked away. Too perceptive. Always too perceptive.
The whispers grew louder around them.
psst—psst
"Is Kiroyu talking to him again?"
"No way, she's totally into—"
"She sat next to him yesterday!"
"Are they…?"
Kurogami stiffened. Kiromi noticed instantly.
She turned toward the whispering students with a sharp glare.
The whispers died in under two seconds.
She turned back. "Sorry. People at this school are nosy."
"They wouldn't talk if you sat somewhere else," he said quietly.
She blinked. "Do you… want me to stop sitting with you?"
"…No." The answer slipped out faster than he meant.
Her smile returned—small, warm, unexpected.
"Then I'll sit wherever I like."
His heartbeat stuttered.
His powers pulsed in response.
thmp — fzzzt
A nearby metal railing quivered. He forced the power down immediately.
Kiromi tilted her head. "Did you hear that?"
"No."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
He quickly changed the subject. "Class is starting."
"Right! Walk with me?"
He hesitated.
But she was already moving beside him—close but not touching.
She always kept that one inch of space.
Like she already understood he needed it.
He didn't deserve that kind of intuition.
---
During Class
Kiromi did, in fact, sit beside him again.
He knew she would.
The teacher was discussing magnetic fields today. Kiromi had her chin propped in one hand, scribbling notes with the other.
At one point, she leaned closer. "You're tapping your foot."
He stopped immediately.
"I didn't notice."
"I know," she whispered. "You tap when you're thinking too hard."
She noticed that too?
He lowered his gaze. "I won't do it again."
"You don't have to stop," she said. "Just… don't tap a hole in the floor."
He blinked. "…I wouldn't."
"Considering you dented a can with one hand, I'm not convinced."
His pulse spiked.
She laughed under her breath. "Relax, I'm joking."
He didn't relax.
---
Lunch Break
Kurogami went behind the maintenance shed again.
He half-expected her to show up.
Half-hoped she wouldn't.
Half-hoped she would.
Impossible math.
He opened his lunch quietly—simple rice and vegetables.
Then footsteps approached.
He didn't turn. He already knew whose they were.
Kiromi stepped into view and sat beside him without a word.
"…You found me," he said softly.
"You weren't hiding."
True.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Perfectly."
"Liar."
He stared at his hands. She wasn't wrong.
She unwrapped her sandwich. "Well, I brought extra. You don't eat much, do you?"
"I eat enough."
"You barely touched your lunch yesterday."
"I was distracted."
"By what?"
He froze.
Kiromi's eyes widened slightly. "O-oh. Sorry. You don't have to answer."
"I wasn't avoiding you," he said quietly.
She blinked. "I didn't think you were."
"…Many people would."
"I'm not many people."
He looked up. Really looked at her.
Steady eyes.
Calm smile.
Absolutely no fear.
That alone made her dangerous.
---
After School — The Incident
They walked toward the gates together again.
Students stared.
Whispered.
Recorded.
Kiromi ignored all of them.
Kurogami tried to.
Halfway home, they passed a narrow alley where three older students were crowding around a first-year girl. Voices sharp. Tone aggressive.
Kiromi stopped instantly. "Hey!"
She stepped forward before Kurogami could react.
"Leave her alone," Kiromi snapped.
One of the boys turned. "Back off."
"No," she said flatly.
Kurogami felt something cold crawl up his spine.
Kiromi was fearless.
And that was a problem.
The tallest boy stepped toward her. "What're you gonna do, princess?"
She didn't back down. "Say that again."
The boy grabbed her wrist.
Kurogami's vision went white.
The world narrowed to a point.
Every sound sharpened.
His pulse roared.
THMP
Air pressure dipped.
Power surged.
He stepped forward once.
Just once.
But the ground beneath his foot trembled.
crkkk—KRK
A spiderweb crack shot across the concrete.
All three boys froze.
Kiromi looked at him — eyes wide, not with fear, but with understanding.
The boy released her immediately.
"S-sorry! We weren't— We'll go!"
They ran.
The younger girl fled in the opposite direction.
Silence.
Rain began to fall again—soft at first.
plink… plink… pshhhhh
Kiromi held her wrist gently. "Kurogami…"
He stepped back, horrified by himself.
"I didn't hurt anyone," he said quickly. "I didn't touch them. I— I stayed in control."
"You did," she whispered. "You were careful."
"Not careful enough."
He turned away, breathing uneven.
She stepped closer—not touching him.
"You saved me."
"You shouldn't have needed saving," he said, voice low. "You shouldn't put yourself in danger."
"That girl was scared."
"And you could have been injured."
"I wasn't."
"You could have been."
"So?" she challenged softly.
He stared at her, stunned.
No one spoke to him like that.
"You don't understand," he said, voice shaking. "If I lost control—"
"You didn't."
"But I could."
"And I trust you not to."
The words hit him harder than anything.
Trust.
She trusted him.
The rain fell harder.
shhhhhhhhh
He closed his eyes for a long moment. "Kiromi… I don't want to hurt you."
"Then don't."
"It's not that simple."
"It is to me."
He exhaled shakily.
He couldn't win this argument.
He couldn't push her away.
Not anymore.
"…Let me walk you the rest of the way home," he said.
Her smile was small. Gentle. Not triumphant.
"Okay."
They walked together through the rain.
She didn't touch him.
He didn't drift away.
Just two silhouettes moving through a storm.
And for the first time in years—
Kurogami wasn't alone.