The following days passed, and although Sota visibly tried, Haruki could not ignore that the Omega had grown quieter than before. And the Alpha simply did not understand. Had he missed something? It seemed almost as if something traumatic must have happened—yet between their stormy reunion, the tender affection, and their excursion, nothing of the sort had taken place. How could he have overlooked anything, when they had been almost inseparable?
Haruki tried earnestly to keep Sota's spirits high. But as he watched him listlessly push his food around, his patience wore thin.
"Ebisu."
Sota shivered when he heard the name. He lifted his gaze, offered Haruki a faint smile. "Yes?" he asked softly, then looked back at his plate, continuing to prod at it.
Haruki sighed and sat closer beside him, leaning gently against Sota, his voice quieter now. "What's troubling you? I can tell something is wrong." His hand rested on Sota's thigh, caressing him softly. "I'm really worried about you…"
The moment he spoke those words, Sota looked at him in shock, as though he had said something obscene. And then, without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around him and began to cry. Haruki wanted to reassure him, to insist that nothing was wrong—but the words stuck in his throat. Instead, Sota sobbed out:
"I love you…! I love you so much!"
Haruki was overwhelmed—utterly so. Yet he turned Sota's face toward his own and kissed him tenderly. "I love you too. My sweet little miracle." He had called him that many times before, for Sota's very existence felt like a miracle. And still, helplessness gnawed at him. He, too, felt the dreadful certainty that their beautiful time together was slipping away.
"Haru, we need to go back… to where you found me…"
Haruki tilted his head at Sota's request, gesturing toward the window. "But the weather is terrible. I don't think that's a good idea."
Sota, however, shook his head, no matter how many objections Haruki raised. Just as the Alpha was about to suggest waiting for calmer skies, Sota pressed a finger against his lips.
"No. The weather… it's because of me."
He lowered his gaze, breathing deeply. "I see them everywhere… the Onis… and yesterday, at the shrine—there was that man…"
Haruki stared at him in disbelief, the way one naturally reacts when told something impossible. Yet… had Sota not appeared just as suddenly, back then? As hard as it was, he wanted to believe him.
"Okay… but does that mean…"
Sota pressed his lips together before Haruki could ask whether this meant they would be parted again. Instead of answering, he rose, walked to the door, and began putting on his jacket and shoes.
"Let's go. Okay?"
He smiled brightly at Haruki, though the Alpha's stomach twisted in pain. The entire scene felt like the dismal farewell of a fleeting love story.
As they set out, the true force of the storm revealed itself. Umbrellas were useless; they were drenched to the bone by the time they arrived. On the slippery path—where Haruki nearly fell several times—the rain suddenly stopped. The sky remained dark, thunder rumbled, but not a single drop fell.
"What the…" Haruki looked upward, unable to comprehend what was happening. Then he turned to Sota. "Ebisu. Are you… are you truly Ebisu? The god?"
Sota lowered his eyes and continued toward the water's edge. "Haru… I love you…" he began softly, standing with his back to the shore. "Ebisu… what do you want here?"
For a moment he faltered, then looked at Haruki with a forced brightness, a smile made to hide despair.
"The weather is like this because I cannot leave this place… don't you see?"
Haruki shook his head furiously, refusing to accept it—but he understood. He knew what this was. This was a farewell.
"I won't leave you behind!" Haruki's voice was sharper than intended as he stepped closer. "Then I'll stay here too! I don't know how, but I'll find a way. With you, I finally found the love I'd been missing all my life. I don't need anything or anyone else—only you."
Sota kept smiling, though great tears rolled down his cheeks. He even nodded. He didn't want to let Haruki go either.
"Okay… we'll make it. Right? Together."
Haruki nodded, his own tears now falling.
Sota took a step toward him—when suddenly, enormous black arms, long as serpents, shot from the sea. They seized the Omega with brutal force and dragged him beneath the waves.
"Haru—kiiii!" he screamed, before vanishing. And with him, the storm clouds broke apart and dissolved.
Haruki rushed to the shore, waded into the sea, dove under—but there was nothing. No trace. Sota was gone.
He collapsed to his knees on the shore, weeping bitterly. He had lost everything. Everything. And worse still: he saw in his mind's eye Sota's radiant smile, the way he had delighted in even the smallest things. He imagined the terror that must have filled him in those final moments—and his own crushing helplessness.
Despair tore through him as he roared into the night: "I will find you!!" His fist slammed down hard into the soaked earth.
He stayed by the water's edge until darkness swallowed the land. Unable to move. And Sota remained lost.