The city didn't feel hostile.
That was the problem.
Kaito stood on the academy balcony as dusk settled in, watching lanterns flicker to life along the streets. People laughed below. Shops closed. Life continued, stubborn and unaware.
Too normal.
Dex sat beside him, tail curled neatly around his paws. Even the husky seemed uneasy, ears turning at sounds that didn't matter.
"They're still here," Kaito said quietly.
Aria leaned against the railing a few steps away. "We know."
"No," Kaito replied. "I feel it."
His chest tightened—not with pain this time, but with something else. Pressure. Like being watched from behind glass.
Aria studied him carefully. "You're thinking about it again."
Kaito didn't answer.
Because he was.
The idea had been creeping in ever since the villager's warning. Since the attackers tested him instead of finishing him. Since he realized they weren't afraid of his strength.
They were betting on his restraint.
"If I just ended it," he muttered, barely audible, "they wouldn't get another chance."
Aria's head snapped toward him. "Kaito."
He clenched his hands on the railing. "I'm not talking about losing control. I'm talking about choosing it. Going after them before they move again."
"That's exactly what they want," she said sharply.
"Is it?" he shot back, then stopped himself. He took a breath. Slower. "They hurt you. All of you. They almost killed us. And they're still walking around like nothing happened."
Silence fell between them.
Kaito's body remembered things his mind tried to bury. How easy it would be. How fast it would end. No alarms. No wounded friends. No second chances for the enemy.
The wrong choice felt efficient.
Logical.
Safe.
Dex whined softly, nudging Kaito's leg.
He looked down at the husky and forced his breathing to steady.
Aria stepped closer. "You're healing," she said. "Not just your body. If you choose that path now, you don't come back from it."
Kaito laughed once, bitter. "You think I ever fully came back?"
She didn't answer.
Because that question scared her too.
Later that night, Kaito lay awake in his room, staring at the ceiling. The academy was quiet. Too quiet.
Then it happened.
A knock.
Not on the door.
Inside his head.
A thought that wasn't his slid into place with disturbing ease.
You don't have to suffer like this.
Kaito's breath hitched.
You already know where some of them are. You felt them. I felt you notice.
His fingers twitched.
One night. No witnesses. No hesitation. You protect everyone forever.
His heart pounded. Heat stirred deep in his chest, restrained but listening.
You were never meant to hesitate, the presence whispered. You were meant to decide.
Kaito sat up abruptly, gasping.
"Get out," he growled under his breath.
The pressure faded—but not completely.
Like a door left slightly open.
Kaito pressed his palms to his face, shaking. Not from weakness.
From how tempting it sounded.
From how easy it would be to justify.
Outside his room, unseen and unheard, someone watched the light under his door remain on.
And smiled.
Because the plan wasn't to force Kaito to fall.
It was to let him step forward on his own.