The maid café's warm yellow lighting and faint scent of brewed coffee made Naoki sit stiffly in his chair. His hands were pressed against his knees, his mind replaying Takeshi's last words like a broken radio.
"I'm heading out early. I assume she's one of your bullies back then. You stay, talk to her. Stand up for yourself she's not that monster in your head anymore. Trust me."
Then Takeshi left, vanishing into the evening crowd outside, leaving Naoki stranded at the little table like a soldier ordered to guard an empty fort.
Across from him, Yume Hoshikuro sat with her elbow propped lazily on the table, swirling her iced latte with the straw. Her lavender-gray hair was tied into a neat, practical ponytail tonight, though a few strands had escaped and framed her face. She looked… calm, but unreadable.
"Naoki," she said suddenly, voice soft yet carrying a strange weight.
He flinched a little, which made her smirk faintly.
"You don't have to act like I'm going to throw water on you."
Naoki blinked. "I… wasn't—"
"You were," she said, leaning back, casual as ever. "Your shoulders went up like a scared cat the moment I opened my mouth."
He looked down, cheeks warming. There was truth there, more than he wanted to admit.
For a few seconds, silence sat between them not heavy, not light, just… there.
Then Yume tilted her head, the faintest glimmer of mischief in her black eyes. "You know, this is the first time we've actually sat down like this."
Naoki swallowed. "Yeah."
"And what, you still think I'm the same brat who threw erasers at your head two years ago?"
The question struck him harder than expected. The memories were still fresh the teasing, the name-calling (pig, pervert, fatty. Disgusting.), the humiliating moments when everyone laughed. Naoki's fingers gripped his jeans under the table.
"…Kind of." he admitted quietly.
For a moment, Yume didn't reply. She just watched him, expression unreadable. Then she let out a breath that was half a laugh.
"Guess that's fair," she said finally. "I was a little demon back then."
The admission caught him off guard.
"You're not gonna deny it?"
Yume shrugged. "Why would I? I was awful. Thought it was funny at the time, y'know? Everyone laughed, I laughed easy way to feel like I mattered."
There was no pride in her tone, just a strange, distant honesty, like she was reading off an old diary entry.
"You… changed?"
"Obviously." She swirled her drink again. "I got bored of being the class terror. People grow up, Naoki."
Naoki frowned slightly. "Just like that?"
Yume looked at him for a long moment, then chuckled not mockingly, just… lightly.
"You make it sound like I woke up one day and became a saint. Nah. I just… realized I didn't like the person I was becoming. So, I stopped. Or tried to."
She said it so casually, but Naoki caught the faintest flicker in her tone the kind of sincerity she probably didn't show often.
"You're still scared of me, huh?" she asked, resting her chin on her hand.
He hesitated, then nodded. "…A little."
Yume smiled not teasing, not cruel, but something softer, almost fragile.
"Then let's fix that." she said simply.
Naoki blinked. "Fix.. uhh… what?"
"This weird thing between us. You don't have to like me, but I'd rather not walk into class every day feeling like I'm a ghost haunting you."
Naoki stared at her, unsure what to say. The Yume in front of him was not the one from his memories. The one from back then was loud, obnoxious, always finding new ways to make him feel small. But this Yume… she felt real. Human.
She tilted her head. "You don't talk much, do you?"
"I talk." Naoki muttered.
"Mm, no, you respond. That's different."
For some reason, that made him laugh quietly. Yume raised an eyebrow but smiled faintly, as though pleased to get a reaction out of him.
"You're… not what I expected." he admitted.
"Yeah, well, neither are you." she shot back with a smirk. "Didn't think you'd turn out this quiet-but-secretly-sarcastic guy. Honestly? I kind of respect it."
The words surprised him. Respect wasn't something he'd ever associated with Yume Hoshikuro.
"I don't get you." Naoki said finally.
"Good," she said, sitting up straighter. "Wouldn't be any fun if I was that easy to figure out."
There was a playful edge to her voice, but something deeper sat underneath, like she meant it more than she wanted him to know.
For a moment, Naoki thought of Takeshi's words again.
"Stand up for yourself."
This wasn't about yelling at her, or throwing the past in her face. Maybe it was just… sitting here, not running away.
He looked up and met Yume's eyes. "Then let's start over."
Her brows lifted slightly. "…Huh."
"You said you don't want to haunt me," Naoki said, forcing the words out. "So…umm.. fi-fine Let's start over."
For a long moment, Yume just stared at him. Then, slowly, she smiled not one of her teasing, lopsided smiles, but something softer.
"Alright," she said finally. "Hi. I'm Yume. Nice to meet you."
Naoki exhaled, tension he didn't even know he was holding finally leaving his shoulders.
"Naoki Hoshizaki," he said quietly. "Nice to meet you too."
For some reason, that made Yume laugh a quiet, genuine laugh that made something in Naoki's chest feel lighter.
Maybe Takeshi was right. Maybe this was the first step.
"Anyways I'm skipping work for now. Wanna go to the festival Naoki?"
"But umm.. aren't you on a shift?"
"So?"
"Nevermind.."
The festival grounds were glowing. Lanterns swayed gently in the evening breeze, their light pooling in soft, golden circles across the dirt paths. The sound of distant drums, chatter, and sizzling food stalls blended into a kind of organized chaos that felt alive.
Naoki followed just a step behind Yume, who weaved through the crowd effortlessly, hands tucked into the pockets of her oversized hoodie. Her hair was braided tonight not too fancy, but neat enough to catch the reflection of the lantern light.
"You're slow!" Yume said over her shoulder, not even looking back.
"You walk too fast." Naoki replied flatly.
"Or maybe you just walk like an old fat man."
He didn't rise to the bait, just shoved his hands into his pockets and kept pace. It felt strangely normal, walking like this, even if his brain kept reminding him who he was with.
They stopped at a takoyaki stall. Yume ordered without hesitation, leaning casually against the counter while waiting.
"You still like spicy stuff?" Naoki asked, surprising himself.
Yume smirked. "Of course. Why, you offering to challenge me?"
"I was just asking."
"Mm.. shame." she said, accepting the steaming container from the vendor. She took one bite, winced dramatically, then laughed. "Still hot. And still great."
"You're pretending, aren't you?" Naoki asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Yume raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Pretending what?"
"That you can't handle the spice."
Her smirk widened into something more mischievous. "What gave me away?"
"You didn't drink any water."
She chuckled and popped another piece into her mouth. "Maybe you're not as oblivious as I thought."
They found a quiet spot by the edge of the festival where the noise dulled to a low hum. Yume sat cross-legged on the grass, the lantern light painting her face in warm tones. Naoki sat nearby, more reserved, pulling his jacket closer against the night air.
"So," Yume said after a moment, twirling the last takoyaki ball on a toothpick. "College is coming up. You figured out what you wanna do yet?"
Naoki hesitated. "…Not really. Maybe engineering. Or computers. Something safe."
"Safe, huh?" Yume leaned back on her hands, staring up at the night sky. "Makes sense. You look like the type who'd build a steady, quiet life."
He glanced at her. "And you?"
She was quiet for a long moment, then shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe psychology. Or fashion. Or hell, maybe I'll just run off to Kyoto and open a tea shop."
Naoki blinked. "That… doesn't sound like you."
"That's the point."
He frowned. "You mean… you'd pick something just because it's not what people expect?"
Yume grinned, but there was no real humor in it. "Sometimes, yeah. Changing things up makes me feel like I'm still in control. Like I'm not stuck in one version of myself forever."
Naoki looked at her carefully. She sounded casual, but her words lingered, heavy.
"You change your hair for the same reason, don't you?" he asked quietly.
Yume froze mid-bite, then lowered the toothpick slowly. "…You notice too much."
"Noticing isn't a crime."
"No, but it's annoying," she said, though there was a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's like… if I change my hair, people expect me to act a little different too. And that's easier than letting them see when I actually feel different."
Naoki didn't respond right away. The festival lights flickered in her eyes as she stared at the ground.
"You ever feel like you're just… acting?" she asked suddenly.
He blinked. "Acting?"
"Yeah. Like no matter where you are, you're putting on a version of yourself. At school, at home, with friends it's all just… masks. Different voices, different faces."
Naoki thought about it. "I guess. But I think everyone does that."
"Maybe," Yume said softly. "But sometimes I forget what the real one looks like."
The words hung in the air between them.
Naoki didn't try to answer. He just sat there, listening to the faint music drifting from the main square, until Yume stretched and stood up, brushing off her skirt.
"C'mon," she said, her voice lighter now. "If I stay too long in one spot, I'll start overthinking. Let's go see if there's a goldfish scoop stall or something."
They wandered through the festival a little longer, Yume darting between stalls with that strange energy of hers restless, yet oddly focused on the moment. Naoki followed, slowly realizing that she wasn't one of the people who used to torment him, and maybe she wasn't any of the versions she showed everyone else either.
When the night finally wound down, Yume waved him off at the train station with a lazy salute.
"See you around, Naoki.." she said, her voice calm but carrying an odd kind of sincerity.
Naoki nodded once. "Yeah."
Her apartment was quiet when she returned, the faint hum of the fridge the only sound. Yume kicked off her sneakers, dropped her bag, and collapsed face-first onto her bed with a groan.
A soft weight landed on her back a moment later her cat, a black-and-white little tyrant named Miso.
"Miso," Yume mumbled into her pillow. "I think I did okay today."
"Maow."Miso replied, curling into a loaf on her chest as she rolled over.
"Yeah, I know. I'm still confused," she said softly, running a hand through her fur. "But at least Naoki doesn't look like he's about to run every time I talk to him. That's progress, right?"
"Maow."
Yume smiled faintly, the first real, unmasked smile of the day.
"…Thanks for listening," she whispered.
"Maow. Maow." The cat purred, as if to say, always.
And for the first time in a while, Yume let her mind go quiet.
(Narrator) "Ahh.. finally it's my time to shine after missing up countless chapters.. oh by the way. Here's a bonus scene.."
Naoki watched Yume disappear into the crowd, the faint sound of festival music fading with her steps. For a moment, the world felt unusually still until a voice right behind him nearly made him jump out of his skin.
"Sooo," Takeshi drawled, leaning against a lamppost like he'd been there the whole time. "How's the enemy-to-love date?"
Naoki spun around, glaring. "Jesus christ.. have you been spying on me this whole time?"
Takeshi grinned, unbothered. "Spying? No. Observing, yes. I had to make sure you didn't just run away screaming like a girl back then."
"It wasn't a date." Naoki said flatly, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Oh? Looked suspiciously like one to me." Takeshi took a step closer, clearly enjoying himself. "You were walking around together, talking under lantern light, eating festival food sounds like a date in every rom-com ever written."
Naoki groaned. "It was just… catching up. She's not who she used to be anymore."
"That's good, righttt?"
"Yes, but—" Naoki stopped himself and exhaled. "…Besides, Takeshi. You're the one who literally left me there. What choice did I have?"
Takeshi's grin widened. "Exactly. You had no choice but to talk to her, bond over takoyaki, and have your big dramatic character development moment. You're welcome."
Naoki muttered something under his breath and started walking toward the station.
"Hey, don't look so grumpy," Takeshi called after him. "I'm proud of you, man. Really."
Naoki didn't turn around, but the corner of his mouth twitched just slightly.
---
End of Chapter thirty-eight, Volume 3.
"Now since we're finally done with volume 3.. I Finally get a break from this book..Thank you all! In behalf of everyone!" (Narrator)