After leaving the park, Jun walked without any particular destination, letting his feet carry him along the streets of Kuoh City, which were beginning to feel quiet. The summer breeze blew gently, bringing with it the scent of warm asphalt and leaves. Without realizing it, his steps stopped in front of a bookstore that was very familiar to him.
He let out a small breath.
"It's been a while," he murmured.
The doorbell chimed softly as he entered. The scent of paper and ink immediately greeted him, shelves filled with light novels, manga, and thick books neatly arranged. Jun walked casually, as if returning to his old routine—a man simply looking for something to read to pass the time.
However, in one of the aisles of light novels, he stopped.
There stood a girl with vivid crimson hair he knew very well.
Rias Gremory.
There was no disguise. No completely suppressed demonic noble aura. She wore simple casual clothes, yet her presence was still striking. Rias was holding a novel, reading it with a calm expression, as if she were truly just an ordinary high school girl.
Jun blinked once.
Then, as usual—without excessive dramatization—he raised one hand slightly.
"Yo…."
Rias gave a small start. Her eyes widened for a moment before she finally looked straight at Jun. There was a brief pause, long enough to make the air between them feel a little awkward.
But not cold.
"Jun-san," she greeted softly.
Her tone was the same as always, though there was a faint caution in it. Not fear—more like someone facing a different side of a friend they had only just realized existed.
Jun glanced at the book in Rias's hand.
"Oh? That title again?" he said casually. "I thought you'd already finished it."
Rias blinked, then lowered the book slightly.
"…I'm rereading it," she replied. "This time, I'm paying attention to details I missed before."
Jun chuckled lightly. "Yeah, good stories are like that. They always feel different every time you read them."
A thin silence returned, but this time it didn't feel awkward—more like a natural pause between two people who both knew that many things had changed, yet didn't quite know where to begin.
Rias finally spoke.
"I didn't expect to meet you here, Jun-san… after everything that happened."
"Really?" Jun shrugged. "To me, this is still just a bookstore. And you're still Rias who likes light novels."
He looked at the shelf beside him, then randomly picked up a book.
"What happened before… doesn't change that fact."
Rias looked at him for quite a while.
Then, slowly, her lips curved into a small smile.
"…Thank you," she said. "For saying that."
Jun glanced at her briefly. "Don't think too much about it. We're friends, right?"
That word—friends—hung in the air for a moment.
Rias nodded gently.
"Yes," she replied. "Friends."
Rias looked at Jun for a while, then took a deep breath as if steadying her own resolve.
"Jun-san…" she said again, this time in a much more serious tone. "Why did you hide the fact that you're from the supernatural world?"
Jun stopped flipping through the pages of the book in his hand.
"Even," Rias continued, looking straight at him, "you knew who I was. You knew who the people around me were. Yet you still chose to stay silent."
Jun slowly closed the book, then shrugged, still calm.
"You didn't ask."
Rias fell silent for a moment, then her brows furrowed.
"Please don't take this lightly," she said, her voice rising slightly. "What do you think I am?"
Jun turned, looked at her with a thoughtful expression, then answered without hesitation.
"Hmm… a friend?"
That answer made Rias's chest feel even tighter.
"Then why!?" she asked, this time more emotionally. "Couldn't you trust me?"
Jun didn't answer immediately. He looked at the bookshelf in front of them, as if searching for the right words among the rows of titles. Several seconds passed before he finally spoke again, his voice lower and more composed.
"It's not that I don't trust you," he said. "It's just hard for me to open up too early."
Rias frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Jun took a quiet breath.
"Because I'm human," he answered honestly. "And not part of any side."
He turned his gaze back to Rias, his eyes calm yet carrying long-held wariness.
"Take a guess," he continued. "What would those maniacs in that world do if a human suddenly claimed to know everything? Or worse—possessed something a human shouldn't have?"
Rias fell silent.
The answer… was too obvious.
Images of the past flashed through her mind.
Kiba—experiments with holy swords.
Koneko—fear and isolation.
Gasper—ostracized.
Akeno—abandoned and hated by both worlds.
They had all once been weak. And the supernatural world showed no mercy to the weak.
Jun continued, his voice still flat, yet heavy.
"I've seen too many examples," he said. "People without protection, turned into tools, sacrificed, or discarded. That world is harsh. You know that."
Rias unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.
"And I," Jun went on, "had no clan. No faction. No big name to protect me back then."
He smiled faintly, bitterly.
"So I chose silence. To be an ordinary human. To observe. To survive."
Silence fell between them again, heavier this time, yet more honest than before.
Rias lowered her head slightly.
"…I understand," she said at last. "At least… a little."
Then she looked at Jun again.
"But now?" she asked. "Now you're no longer hiding."
Jun paused briefly, then nodded slowly.
"Because circumstances forced me to," he replied. "And because… some things can no longer be hidden."
Rias looked at him for a long moment, then smiled softly—not the smile of a demonic noble, but the smile of a girl who had finally understood her friend.
"Then," she said quietly, "I hope… next time you won't carry everything alone."
Jun glanced at her, then let out a small breath.
"Haah… you really are troublesome."
But his tone was gentle.
"All right," he continued. "I'll remember that."
Among the quiet rows of bookshelves, that conversation closed a long-standing gap—not with perfect answers, but with enough understanding to move forward.
After finishing their purchase, Jun carried a bag containing several light novels and thick books that looked unusual for casual reading. They walked side by side out of the bookstore, the automatic doors opening with a soft sound, greeted by the warm light of the late afternoon.
Their steps stopped in front of the shop.
"I should get going…" Jun said, lifting the bag in his hand slightly.
Rias looked at him, hesitating for a moment before finally asking in a gentler tone than before.
"Then… can we still stay in touch?"
Jun turned, then laughed lightly as usual, a laugh that sounded easy yet reassuring.
"Hahaha… you know my number," he said casually. "Of course. Don't hesitate. Especially if you want to talk about light novels."
Rias was slightly surprised, then smiled—a smile that was truly sincere this time.
"…All right," she replied, nodding gently.
The evening breeze blew softly, stirring Rias's red hair and Jun's thin coat. There were no grand promises, no dramatic words—just a silent agreement between two people who had finally understood each other's positions.
Jun stepped forward first, waving without looking back for too long.
"See you, Rias."
"See you, Jun-san."
They parted at the crossroads, walking in different directions. But this time, the distance between them no longer felt as far as it once had.
Rias stood there for a moment, watching Jun's back as it slowly disappeared, before finally turning toward the direction of her own home.
//---//
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