Chapter 52: Not Alone
There was a soft knock at the door.
Yuki instinctively turned around. Her heart still hadn't fully calmed down from everything that had happened.
The door opened slowly. Haruto stepped in first, followed immediately by Kaito, silent and vigilant as always.
Haruto's expression was different from his usual cheerful smile. This time, there was no mischievous glint in his eyes. He looked more serious… almost softer than usual.
"Yuki…" he said, his voice calm and steady.
Kaito stood by the door, arms folded as usual. His sharp gaze scanned the room in a single sweep — the window, the bed, Kazeki, the wheelchair beside the bed — and finally settled on Yuki.
Haruto took a few careful steps forward.
"If we frightened you… I'm sorry."
Yuki slowly lifted her head. She could tell he genuinely meant it. There was no joking in his tone, no attempt to downplay the situation.
"You shouldn't have had to learn about this part of your life like this," Haruto continued quietly.
"You deserved a better timing."
Kaito spoke next, his voice low and controlled.
"You needed to know. But the timing… was bad."
His tone was cold.
Almost distant.
Yet his eyes never left Yuki's face for a moment.
"The danger is real," Kaito added.
"And we are taking it seriously."
For a moment, something flickered beneath Kaito's calm expression.
Behind his cold demeanor and sharp gaze, there was something else.
Concern.
Haruto exhaled softly.
"We just want to protect you."
A few seconds of silence fell over the room.
Yuki stayed still, thinking over their words. Then she slowly relaxed her shoulders.
"I understand," she said quietly.
"Let's not prolong this. I know… you're trying to protect me."
Haruto's face softened almost instantly.
"Thank you," he said gently.
Kaito gave a small, barely noticeable nod. Then he shifted his gaze toward the bed.
"Kazeki."
Kazeki lifted a hand slightly, a small smile spreading across his face.
"Hello, Kaito. Haruto."
A faint smile appeared on Haruto's lips.
"Making more drawings, I see?"
Kazeki grinned.
"You caught me."
Kaito's eyes flicked briefly to the wheelchair beside the bed. Just for a moment. Then they returned to Kazeki.
"Don't overexert yourself."
His voice was flat, calm, and measured.
But the sentence felt shorter than it should have been, as if he had more to say but chose not to.
Kazeki seemed to notice. His smile softened.
"Don't worry," he said.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed down the corridor.
"Yuki?"
She recognized it instantly.
Doctor Mitsuni.
"Haruto, Kaito — if you're done, I need a moment to speak with you."
His voice was calm, yet the seriousness beneath it was clear.
Haruto looked at Kaito.
Kaito gave a small nod.
Haruto turned back to Yuki.
"Don't go anywhere, okay?"
Kaito glanced at Yuki briefly.
"The door will remain open."
It wasn't a warning.
It was reassurance.
The two of them left the room together.
The door didn't fully close. A sliver of light from the corridor stretched across the floor.
Yuki stood in place for a moment, listening to their footsteps fade away. The room was quieter now.
But it wasn't empty.
Kazeki looked at her and smiled gently.
"See?" he said softly.
"I told you. You're not facing fear alone."
Yuki slowly looked toward the window. The evening light filtered in, casting soft shadows along the walls.
The tightness in her chest hadn't fully gone.
The danger was still real.
Nothing had really changed.
Yet…
something felt different.
Haruto's apology.
Kaito's quiet concern.
Kazeki's calm understanding.
The deliberately ajar door.
Perhaps protection didn't always mean chains.
Perhaps to protect someone… meant making sure they weren't alone in their fear.
Yuki exhaled slowly.
Perhaps…
she truly wasn't alone anymore.