Kaito wiped Yuki's tears with gentle hands—the way an older brother should.
"Don't cry," he said softly. "It's not your fault. You're begging for forgiveness for something you didn't do."
Yuki's sobs quieted, replaced by hiccupping breaths.
He continued, his voice steady despite everything. "Don't worry about it now. It's just the past. I left it years ago." He helped her stand. "Come on. It's time for fireworks."
Yuki looked at him—really looked at him. At the boy she'd watched break. At the man who had just freed her.
She hugged him again. Tight. Desperate. Grateful.
"Thank you," she whispered into his shoulder. "Thank you for freeing me from my guilt."
Kaito pulled back slightly, meeting her eyes. "Tomorrow, be you. Forget that we had some past. Forget those events. We can't change them." A pause. "Live the present. Please."
Yuki nodded, tears still falling but lighter now.
Kaito walked out of the room.
The moment he was alone in the hallway, his composure cracked.
Tears slid down his face—silent, controlled, but real. Not tears of loneliness or sadness. Not anymore.
Tears of sympathy. For Yuki. For the years she'd suffered. For the guilt she'd carried alone.
And tears for a new future. One where the past didn't define them. One where they could all move forward.
Together.
---
The rooftop was crowded for the fireworks. Students and families scattered across every available space, blankets spread, faces turned skyward.
Kaito found a quiet spot near the edge and sat on the ground, alone with his thoughts.
A moment later, footsteps approached.
Aiko sat beside him, her presence warm and familiar. She studied his face—the tear tracks he hadn't bothered to hide.
"You look sad," she said quietly.
Kaito shook his head slowly. "Not sad. Just... thinking."
"About?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then: "My past made Yuki suffer. All these years. Guilt she shouldn't have carried. And I didn't even realize."
Aiko reached over and took his hand. Squeezed once.
Kaito continued, his voice softer. "But we're all here now. Waiting to leave the past behind. Waiting to see the future."
Aiko smiled. "That's called growing up, little brother."
He almost smiled back.
---
Across the crowd, three girls were separated by the chaos.
Riko stood near the food stalls, craning her neck to see. Hikari was trapped near the entrance. Yuki searched desperately for familiar faces.
The crowd pushed and pulled. Voices shouted. Laughter echoed.
Then the fireworks began.
BOOM. Color exploded across the sky. Gold. Red. Blue. Green.
The crowd oohed and aahed. Families pointed. Couples held hands.
BOOM. Another burst. Purple and silver.
And then—
A voice.
It cut through the noise of the final firework, loud and clear. Desperate. Brave. Unmistakable in its emotion.
"KAITO-CHAN! I LOVE YOU! NOT AS A FRIEND—BUT AS A PERSON!"
The words hung in the air just as the last firework exploded.
A heart. Perfectly formed. Burning gold against the night sky.
The crowd gasped. Turned. Searched.
Who said that?
The voice was familiar—everyone knew that. But the fireworks had drowned it just enough. The direction was impossible to pinpoint. The speaker had vanished into the chaos.
Riko froze, her heart pounding.
Hikari's eyes went wide.
Yuki spun in circles, searching.
And Kaito—
Kaito sat on the ground, the heart-shaped firework reflected in his eyes.
Aiko squeezed his hand again. "Well," she said softly. "Someone's brave."
Kaito said nothing.
But for the first time in years, the ice prince smiled.
A real smile.
Because somewhere in the crowd, someone loved him.
And tomorrow, he would find out who.
(End of Chapter 90)
End of Volume 2