Once I was alone, I released my energy, letting my true form emerge. Then I perched atop the tallest rooftop in the city, scanning for any trace of Afaria's missing prince. A facial birthmark like his is rare—I've only seen three others with one, and one of them was a woman.
Truthfully, the moment I realized the prince had been estranged from Afaria, my motivation to find him began to fade. The search became a convenient excuse—an excuse to stay near Akina.
But that new guy who's been hovering around her... he fits the description. And that worries me. There's something strange about his aura—like he's one of my kind. If he's after her to get to me, I'll make him regret it. Exile from Afaria doesn't mean innocence. If all he wants is to fight and flex his power, he should face me directly.
Still, my mind drifts back to what's important. Akina. I wonder what she thinks about our age difference. I've looked the same since I was ten—just like everyone else from Infaniya. But here on Earth, age matters. I'd forgotten how much.
I pulled out my phone and reread the message she sent yesterday. A small smile crept up before I could stop it. Warmth bloomed in my chest. Embarrassed, I quickly put the phone away.
It's ridiculous how much I like her.
Six hours until she's out of school. I should at least pretend I'm patrolling. With a beat of my wings, I soared into the sky, tracing a wide arc over the city.
I've been able to fly since I was two days old—and yet it still thrills me. Akina does the same. When I'm near her, I feel something impossible: free. Excited. Alive.
Nacina's POV
I hate my heart. It never acts logically. It only races for what I can't—or shouldn't—have. I never thought it would interfere with my relationship with Aki, though.
Tiren messaged me while I was in Calculus with Aki. His message read:
"I'm glad to hear that you're okay. Btw, is Shion's gf there?"
I glanced at Aki.
"Yeah," I replied. His response was almost instant:
"What is she doing?"
"Math," I replied plainly. The conversations are usually neutral, but sometimes they shift to Aki... I don't know why he's so curious about her.
"Are you going to be walking home together today?" That question felt a bit odd, so I said:
"Not today, why?"
He stopped responding after that.
Once class was over, Aki waited for me at the door and hugged me. I was shocked—she doesn't usually initiate physical contact. After the hug, she looked me in the eyes and asked,
"Are you okay?"
Her concern reminded me of why I loved her. I was in a slightly bad mood, and she noticed right away.
"I'm fine."I just hate myself. I'm a horrible person. I'm the one who encouraged her to pursue the one person I fell for at first sight—then I fell for him again and only deeper the longer I knew him...
"Okay... you can talk to me if you have a problem. I'm not always the best with advice, but I'll listen," she said, fumbling over her words and gesturing animatedly.
"Thank you. I love you."
My response made her giggle.
"I love you too."
My expression must've looked awful, because Aki isn't usually the one to start a conversation or ask questions... She stayed close to me on the walk to lunch.
Classes ended, but Aki knows I have to practice with the school orchestra today, so she shouldn't be waiting on me. As I made sure my violin was properly tuned, I received an odd message from Tiren:
"How important are your friends to you?"
Akina's POV
After lunch, I had gym class. Time usually flies during gym and no one talks to me—but today wasn't usual. Jey was here. I was sitting on the floor stretching when he approached me.
"I didn't know you had this class with me," I commented.
"I didn't. I just transferred, remember?"
I laughed a little. "You're right." I raised my arms to continue stretching.
"Wow... you're surprisingly muscular."Because of his comment, I felt the urge to cover up.
"Are you in any sports?" he added, sitting next to me and stretching as well.
"I... took Judo and kickboxing. I stopped taking lessons this year," I replied.
"You must've been a top student. Why did you quit?"
Instead of answering, I just glared at him.
"Oh... touchy subject. That's fine. I have things I don't want to talk about too."
I felt a little guilty—his voice sounded sad. And now I was curious about his past... even though I'd never tell him about mine.
Once we were done stretching, we were instructed to jog a mile around the track. I finished early so I could play games on my phone. Jey finished at the same time as me—everyone else was far behind.
"Is there anything you want to do now that you quit Judo?" he asked.
I sighed. "My dad died."I decided to admit it. That part isn't a secret, after all. "He always encouraged me to take lessons. So when he died, I quit."
"You're lucky," he responded.
No one had ever said that to me before... especially about my dad dying.
"You have a father that you can miss when he's gone. He must have been a decent man."
I could only assume his father isn't someone he'd cry over when he passes away. But it's hard to imagine that. We all have different perceptions of the world. I can't judge him based on mine.
We separated after class since I had to change back into my school uniform.
I knew Serco would be waiting for me, but my heart still raced when I saw him. I don't know how many more of these intense emotional reactions I can handle.
"Hey," he said, leaning in to kiss my forehead.
"Hi."I stared into his eyes for a few seconds before catching myself and looking away, embarrassed.
"Once we're alone, we'll talk."
I nodded in affirmation. Serco gently intertwined our fingers, and we started down the path home after Nacina joined us.
It had been a while since Serco had been to my house—with my mom being aware, I mean.
He greeted her, and she greeted him in return.
"It's good to see you, Shion. How have you been?" Mom asked from her recliner, sipping her tea.
"I am well. Sorry to come unannounced—I plan to come tomorrow too, if that's okay?" he replied politely.
"Oh yes, you are always—"
"We're going to my room," I blurted, interrupting their small talk.I didn't mean to—it just spilled out, because I was so nervous.
This isn't the first time he's been in my room, but it is the first time with my mom being aware.
"...Okay. But leave the door open," she said, then got up and headed to the kitchen to refill her cup.
"Let's go..." I mumbled, leading the way upstairs and opening my room door.
This is the first time he's used the door to enter my room, too... He's such an oddity.
We sat on the pillows I had placed on the carpet, near the bed. Once he was comfortable, he said:
"I guess... I should begin. This is hard. I don't like talking about myself, so... please be patient with me."
"I will! Take your time."