~Dammit, it's just a friendly dinner with my ex-professor... so why the hell am I this nervous...?~
Hakuto trembles.
He's clearly agitated.
So much that everything that happened earlier today—first the meeting with Akashi, then with Itsu and the mysterious red sphere—has almost faded into the background.
Now, at 6 P.M., he sits on a bench at the side of the road.
They're on the outskirts of Ashiya.
There isn't a soul in sight.
And now he understands why Professor Misaki Yuunami chose this exact place for their meeting.
Hakuto did exactly what Misaki asked.
He wore the most elegant clothes he packed for those eight days around the world: a long-sleeved white shirt and velvet pants.
He practically fasted all day.
Only a small snack at midday, just enough to recover after the brief clash with Akashi.
He's starving.
His stomach growls and twists in knots.
But he's pretty sure it's more nerves than hunger.
Professor Yuunami had told him to be there at 6:15 P.M.
