The next evening, just after training, Asuka stood outside Inupi's house, the faint warmth of dusk brushing her cheeks. The street was quiet, painted gold by the sinking sun. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "Hey, Inupi! You home? Come out already!"
Her voice echoed lightly down the lane. She called again, louder this time, hoping he'd hear her. Moments passed, and silence remained her only answer. Just as she sighed and turned to leave, footsteps echoed behind her. She turned, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, and saw three figures approaching from down the street.
Inupi was in the middle, his blond hair catching the sunlight. Beside him walked a graceful young woman with blonde hair just like inupi and a calm, kind expression. Asuka recognized her instantly—Akane, Inupi's older sister. Her presence had a warmth to it, like standing in the sun. The third person was a boy with black hair and sleepy cat-like eyes: Kokonoi Hajime. He walked with his hands in his pockets, posture relaxed, but his eyes flicked constantly toward Akane, quietly protective… or maybe something more.
Akane's gaze drifted to Asuka with soft curiosity. "Inupi… is she your friend?" she asked, her voice as gentle as her expression.
Inupi nodded, a rare smile touching his lips as he jogged ahead to meet Asuka. "What are you doing here?" he asked, surprise mingling with delight in his voice.
"I thought we could hang out," Asuka replied with an easy smile, hands in her pockets. "We're friends now, after all."
"Yeah," Inupi said, eyes brightening. He turned and called to his sister, "I'm going to the park with Asuka, okay?"
"Be safe!" Akane replied, smiling warmly. Kokonoi gave a silent nod in parting, but not before stealing one last glance at Akane, the kind that lingered longer than it should have.
Asuka noticed, and something in her heart pinched. That quiet affection Kokonoi carried—pure and aching—was part of why she was here in the first place.
She and Inupi headed toward the nearby park, the sun low and warm behind them. The world felt lighter there—less heavy than the thoughts she carried. They settled on the swings, the chains creaking gently as they rocked back and forth. Their conversation jumped from school stories to classmates and the most ridiculous things they could imagine. Inupi laughed more freely than usual, his usual stoic air softening around Asuka's teasing.
During one of their lighter moments, Inupi blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're a year younger than me?"
"Yup," she grinned. "Shocking, right?"
"You don't act like it," he said, shaking his head. "You're… way more confident than most people I know."
"I know," she said with a smirk. "I'm just smart like that."
Inupi chuckled, genuinely entertained. He liked being around her. She wasn't afraid of saying what she thought. She wasn't quiet or cautious around him. She just… was.
And that was rare.
Over the past week, their bond had deepened. What had started as a few short conversations became hours spent together, laughing under the sky, confiding secrets they didn't even know they were carrying.
But for Asuka, it was more than friendship. Every step she took with Inupi brought her closer to Akane. And the closer she got, the more urgent her mission became.
She knew the future—or at least, she thought she did. Something terrible was meant to happen to Akane. Something that would shatter both Inupi and Kokonoi's lives. If Asuka could stop it, if she could change even one piece of the timeline, she could rewrite their pain. That was her mission. That was why she was here.
But while she focused on saving one future, another was quietly shifting behind her.
Back in their usual hangout spots, Manjiro had started noticing her absence. At first, it didn't bother him. Asuka came and went like the wind, always on the move. But then it became frequent. She stopped walking home with them. Stopped meeting them at the convenience store after class. Stopped laughing at his dumb jokes the way she used to.
Even Emma had picked up on it.
"She's always with that blonde-haired boy now," she commented one afternoon, chewing thoughtfully on a rice cracker.
Manjiro didn't say anything at first. He just looked away.
Later that day, sitting on the park swings beside Emma—the same ones Asuka and Inupi had used—he finally muttered, "She's really spending a lot of time with that Inupi guy."
Emma raised an eyebrow, swinging gently. "Maybe they're just having fun. You spend a lot of time with Baji."
Manjiro considered that. It wasn't like he had a claim on Asuka. They were friends. That's all.
But still… when she laughed with someone else, when she smiled in a way that used to be just for their group—it felt strange. Like something inside him was tilting out of place.
"I guess," he murmured.
He wasn't angry. He wasn't even jealous—at least, not in a way he understood. It was more like… a silent worry. A quiet tug in his chest that made him want to pull her back.
But Asuka didn't have time for that.
Her heart was set. Her mind focused.
Save Akane. Stop what's coming. Protect Inupi. Protect Kokonoi. Protect their world from breaking.
Even if it meant walking away from the people she loved.
Even if it meant letting Manjiro feel that shift—just a little.
Because some futures were worth sacrificing everything for.
Even the present.