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Chapter 14: Beneath the Steam
The next morning, Kuro was already waiting at the hangout spot—earlier than usual, and pacing.
"Morning!" he beamed, a little too wide-eyed. "Hope y'all didn't make plans today, because guess what?"
Riku raised a brow. "You won the lottery?"
"Even better," Kuro said, clapping his hands once. "Hot spring day. My treat. Let's go."
Jason blinked. "Huh?"
Sera tilted her head. "...You're being weird."
"I'm always weird," Kuro said, grinning.
He was moving fast. Talking fast. Not giving anyone room to decline.
---
They took the bus. The ride was quiet except for the music in Kuro's headphones—he hummed along, gaze out the window, tapping his fingers like counting something.
When they arrived, the others hesitated. The place wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. Riku leaned toward Kuro, voice low.
"You sure you can pay for all of us?"
"Yep. Let me spoil you for once, grumpy goth boi," Kuro winked.
Riku rolled his eyes. Sera stayed quiet. Jason shrugged. Eve watched Kuro longer than the others did.
They walked in.
---
The spring was small, tucked behind thick bamboo walls and warm steam. They used the joint bath, since Kuro booked it entirely for them. Privacy, he said. Safety, he added under his breath.
Clothes off, towels on, water warm. The group relaxed.
Riku leaned back against the stone edge with a sigh. "Okay. I take it back. This is… actually nice."
Sera tied her wet hair in a bun and said nothing, just stared at the rising steam.
Jason cracked a joke about ghost stories.
Kuro laughed loudest.
And Eve?
She didn't say anything. But she sat close to Kuro, and when her hand brushed his beneath the water, he didn't move away.
His skin was warm.
But his fingers were shaking.
---
After the soak, they got dressed and walked toward the park. The day was bright and slow. Kuro stayed near Eve, holding her hand openly this time.
Jason, Riku, and Sera were ahead, arguing about snacks or music or something meaningless.
Kuro kept glancing at the trees.
Every few steps, he checked a certain pine. Then a birch. Then another tall, old tree knotted like veins.
Eve noticed. "What are you looking at?" she finally asked.
Kuro blinked, his smile flickering. "Nothing. Habit."
She didn't believe him.
She turned and looked at the last tree he stared at.
And her breath hitched.
It was bleeding.
Not sap. Not paint.
Dark red. Thick. Slow.
A long gash down the trunk.
Kuro's hand tightened around hers.
He gently turned her chin back toward him with two fingers.
Eyes soft. Smile gentle. But… hollow.
"Let's not ruin a good day," he said.
Then, with practiced ease:
"So, you still watching Mob Psycho, or what?"
He pulled her along, talking about anime, asking what kind of pen she used to sketch lately, telling her about some funny scene he saw in a manga last night.
He never looked back at the tree again.
But Eve did.
And the bleeding hadn't stopped.
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To be continued…