Days turned into weeks.
It had been almost three weeks since Yuki left for training with Lord Genji and Tetsu. Three weeks of silence. Three weeks of waiting. Three weeks of a house that felt too quiet, too empty, too still.
Back in Nagoya, morning arrived slowly—the night dying inch by inch, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of pale grey and soft gold.
The streets were empty.
Quiet.
The kind of quiet that only existed in the hour before the city truly woke.
Two figures jogged through the empty streets, their footsteps echoing off shuttered storefronts and sleeping buildings.
Yukari led the pace, her twin pigtails bouncing with each stride. She wore grey joggers and a half-cut hoodie over a thin white shirt, her breath steady, her movements effortless. Her blue hair caught the weak morning light, shimmering like water. She wasn't even sweating.
Behind her, Luna struggled.
She wore black gym tights and a blue shirt, her long hair tied back in a ponytail that swung wildly as she ran. Sweat plastered strands to her forehead. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, each step heavier than the last. She was barely keeping up.
But she didn't stop.
This had been their routine for the past few days. Wake before dawn. Run. Push. Repeat.
Yukari had been building Luna's physical foundation first—strength, endurance, stamina. The Kizo training would come later. Before you learn to use power, you learn to endure without it.
They ran through the city for another hour before turning back.
By the time they reached their neighborhood, the sun had risen fully. Shops were opening their doors. People hurried along the sidewalks, coffee cups in hand, phones pressed to ears, rushing toward jobs they didn't want to go to.
Normal life.
Yukari slowed to a walk, her eyes drifting to a small pastry shop just unlocking its doors. The smell of fresh bread and sugar drifted through the morning air.
She turned to Luna.
"Let's get something to eat."
Luna's face lit up like the sun itself. "Okay, Onee-chan!"
---
They sat by the window, two cupcakes between them—vanilla for Luna, red velvet for Yukari. The shop was small and warm, filled with the quiet hum of the refrigerators and the soft clink of plates.
Luna ate happily, frosting smeared on her cheek.
Yukari ate slowly, her eyes fixed on the window, watching the city wake up.
The waiter—a young man, maybe nineteen—couldn't stop staring.
He had been sneaking glances since they walked in. Yukari was impossible not to look at. Blue hair. Blue eyes. A face that belonged on magazine covers. A body that moved with effortless grace beneath her casual clothes.
He approached their table, heart hammering, mouth dry.
"Are you enjoying your cakes?" His voice cracked on the last word.
Yukari gave a slow, unbothered nod. She didn't look at him.
The waiter stood there for a beat too long, waiting for something—a smile, a word, anything. He got nothing.
He smiled awkwardly and retreated.
Luna watched him go, then looked at Yukari. "He liked you."
Yukari didn't respond.
She just kept eating.
---
Back at the machiya, they showered and changed.
The living room was quiet, the afternoon sun filtering through the paper screens and casting soft rectangles across the tatami.
Yukari and Luna sat opposite each other, legs crossed, hands resting on their knees.
"Close your eyes," Yukari instructed.
Luna obeyed.
"Feel your Ki. Not just in your chest—everywhere. Your fingertips. Your toes. The space behind your eyes."
Luna's brow furrowed in concentration.
"Now move it. Slowly. Like water through a pipe. Let it flow through your whole body."
The room fell silent, save for the soft rhythm of their breathing.
Hours passed.
Luna's face shifted from concentration to calm, her breathing syncing with the slow pulse of her own Ki. Yukari watched her for a moment—saw the faint shimmer beneath Luna's skin, the way her energy responded to her will.
She's a natural.
Yukari stood.
"I'm going for a walk. Keep meditating."
Luna nodded without opening her eyes.
---
The evening air was cool against Yukari's skin.
She walked through the neighborhood with her hands in her pockets, wearing baggy jean shorts and a black sweatshirt. The outfit was boyish, loose, unremarkable—but on her, it still looked like something from a fashion magazine.
She looked up at the darkening sky.
And spoke to no one.
"I miss Yuki."
Her voice was quiet. Small.
"When is he even going to get back? Can't I go visit him?" She kicked a loose stone, watching it skitter across the pavement. "But the Amazon forest is huge. I won't be able to find him."
She stopped walking.
Stared at the ground.
"I wish he'd just come home."
Her expression shifted—the hard mask she wore around others cracked, just for a moment. Underneath was something softer. Something lonely. Something that had been waiting for three weeks with no word, no sign, no proof that the person she loved most was still alive.
Without Yuki, something was missing.
A piece of her.
The part that made her feel whole.
---
A familiar voice cut through the quiet.
"Kinatarou-san."
Yukari's expression shifted instantly—softness retreating, neutral detachment sliding into place like armor. She turned.
Three figures stood a few meters away.
Derek. Ren. Sophia.
Her eyes narrowed.
They weren't close. Derek was Yuki's rival. Ren was Seri's cousin. Sophia was a Royal from the Uzushi family. None of them were part of the same social circle.
So why were they together?
"How can I help you?" Yukari's voice was flat. Detached.
"Oh, we actually planned to visit you," Ren said, stepping forward. "We were heading to your place when we spotted you. Seri and Emi are running a bit late."
Yukari frowned. "Why are you coming to visit me?"
Derek looked confused. "Obviously because you're a friend." He shrugged. "We haven't seen you in a while. We thought you might need company."
Yukari chuckled.
It wasn't a warm sound.
It was the sound of someone watching a child try to explain something they couldn't possibly understand.
She looked at them—really looked—and her expression was condescending. Patient. Like she was explaining something to a group of particularly slow students.
"Yuki isn't here right now," she said slowly. "He was the only connection I had to you people."
She sighed.
"I'm not your friend. I'm Yukari Kinatarou."
The words hung in the air.
"Sorry, but we're not friends. None of you are." She turned away. "Now go away. You're ruining my peace."
Derek's fists clenched.
Sophia's expression remained blank. She expected this. She understood.
We're not offended at all.
Sophia knew the truth. Yukari was a Kinatarou—the strongest of all warrior families. To Yukari, they were background characters in Yuki's life. Weak. Insignificant.
Powerful Royals like Yukari were dragons.
They were lions.
The two could not mix.
Ren understood too. He didn't take offense. It wasn't personal—it was just hierarchy.
But Derek didn't understand.
He wasn't a Royal.
He had clawed his way up through sheer effort, through talent. He had won the Strongest Student Tournament. He had defeated Giyu's Prodigy at the docks. He had earned his place.
And now this girl—this beautiful, cold, dismissive girl—was treating him like a bug on the sidewalk.
He spoke without thinking.
"We came to visit you. We're trying to be nice. And you're treating us like this just because you have a fancy last name? Just because you're a bit more powerful?"
Yukari smirked.
"Yes. That's correct."
She turned back to face him, her blue eyes sharp as winter ice.
"And I'm not a bit more powerful. I'm far stronger than all of you combined."
She tilted her head.
"Don't think you're something just because you came first in the Strongest Student Tournament."
She turned away again—dismissing him. Dismissing all of them.
Derek's voice rang out.
"Then duel me!"
Yukari stopped.
"Fight me one-on-one! I'll show you just how strong I am. I'll wipe that pride off your face."
The street went quiet.
Ren looked at Derek like he had just signed his own death warrant. Sophia's expression didn't change—but something flickered in her golden eyes. Something like pity.
Yukari turned slowly.
A smirk played at the corner of her lips.
She had been bored.
So bored.
Three weeks without Yuki. Three weeks of training Luna. Three weeks of quiet, peaceful, dull days.
And now—entertainment.
"Okay then."
Her face was devoid of emotion.
"I admire your courage."
She met Derek's eyes.
"But you're being very stupid right now."
"I agree," Sophia said quietly, blankly.
"Same here," Ren muttered.
Derek didn't waver.
"I won't let anyone talk down to me. I'm strong too."
His voice was steady. Resolute.
Yukari watched him for a moment—and something shifted in her expression. Not respect, exactly. Something closer to curiosity.
He has spine.
"Let's go to the docks where I fought Giyu," she said, as if discussing the weather. "It's abandoned anyway."
She turned and started walking.
Derek followed.
Sophia and Ren exchanged a glance—then followed too.
The night stretched ahead of them.
And somewhere in the back of Yukari's mind, a small voice whispered:
Finally. Something to do.