The holiday sun rose behind silver clouds, soft and cold after the storm. The streets were still damp, the air carrying a hush like the world was holding its breath.
Mia stepped out of Noir's apartment, her bag clutched tightly to her chest. She walked fast, eyes low, hoping no one would see her.
But someone did.
"Mia?"
She flinched at the sound, turning to see a familiar face standing a few feet away near the corner.
Daiki.
His brows drew together, confused. "And… Noir?" His eyes shifted, scanning the building she had just exited. "What were you...."
"I was just leaving," Mia blurted quickly, her face flushed. "It's not… it's nothing. Please don't tell anyone."
Before he could ask more, she turned and hurried off down the street, her steps fast and uncertain, like she was running from her own heartbeat.
Daiki watched her go, eyes narrowing. Something wasn't right.
Meanwhile, a few streets away, Noir had just exited the bus station. He walked slow, hands in his pockets, lost in the quiet hum of thoughts circling his mind. His path was automatic, feet moving with no real destination—until he stopped.
She was there.
Aria.
Standing under the pale light of the early morning, hands folded around a small, wrapped gift box. She looked like she had been waiting.
He said nothing at first.
Neither did she.
Then Aria stepped forward, her voice trembling. "I wasn't sure if you'd come this way… I just—" she held out the gift, eyes darting nervously to his.
"I made this for you."
Noir looked at the box, then at her. Silent. Still.
Aria's voice cracked slightly as she went on, her fingers tightening on the edge of the gift. "I know… I don't have the right to ask anything from you. After everything. After her. But I… I still—"
Her breath hitched.
"I still feel something. Every time I see you. Every time I don't see you, it hurts even more."
Noir's eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't speak.
Aria took one step closer, desperation creeping into her voice. "Please don't reject me now. Not like this. Not when I've spent so long trying to forget and failing every time."
She held the gift out, arms slightly trembling.
"I do care to feel the same. I just need you to know."
The wind whispered between them.
And Noir, for the first time, blinked slowly—his gaze fixed on her like he was trying to read something behind her eyes.
But still… he said nothing.
The silence weighed heavy.
And Aria stood there, eyes glistening, waiting for a truth she both feared and longed to hear.
Noir's eyes lingered on Aria's trembling hands, then drifted up to her face—the storm of emotions barely hidden behind her careful smile.
He didn't reach for the gift.
But he didn't turn away either.
His voice, when it came, was quiet. Measured. "You waited in the cold… just to say that?"
Aria swallowed, the weight of his words pressing against her chest. "I didn't know what else to do. I thought… maybe if I just told you, finally, I could breathe again."
Noir looked at her for a long moment. His gaze wasn't harsh… but not soft either. Somewhere in between, like he was seeing her through a layer of fog he wasn't ready to wipe away.
He took a slow step forward, just one.
Close enough to reach the box if he wanted. But he didn't.
"I hear you," he said simply.
Just that.
Aria blinked. Her lips parted, unsure if that was a good sign… or a gentle end.
But before she could speak again, Noir finally took the box from her hands, fingers brushing hers only for a second.
"Don't wait in the cold again," he said without looking at her.
Aria bit her lip, a flicker of something like hope glinting in her eyes. "So… you'll think about it?"
Noir didn't answer.
He turned, walking off into the pale gray light of the morning, his steps steady, silent.
And with that—he disappeared, like smoke into mist, leaving Aria standing in the cold street, alone with the silence and her pounding heart.
-------------------------
The moment Mia stepped through the front gate, the front door flew open.
"Mia!" her mother cried, rushing toward her. She pulled her into a tight embrace, voice trembling. "Where have you been?! We've been looking everywhere!".
Mia barely had time to breathe before her father appeared behind them, face stern. "We called the police, Mia. You vanished without telling anyone. What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice small, weighed down by guilt. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just… I needed to get away. I was overwhelmed."
Her mother pulled back slightly, hands still on Mia's shoulders. "Are you hurt? Where did you stay? Were you with someone?"
Mia nodded slowly. "I ran into Noir… but I didn't stay with him. I ended up spending the night at Aria's place."
"Aria?" her father repeated, brows furrowing. "Your friend?"
"Yes. She found me crying and took me with her. I didn't want to come home in that state."
Her mother exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Aria's a good girl. But Mia… you can't just disappear like that. Do you know what you put us through?"
"I know," Mia said, eyes cast downward. "I wasn't thinking clearly."
Her father looked at her more gently now. "We're not angry because you were upset. We're angry because you didn't let us help you. That's what we're here for."
"I promise I won't do it again," she whispered.
Her mother smoothed a hand over her hair. "Go inside, change, and rest. We'll talk more later."
As Mia started up the stairs, she heard her father say softly to her mother:
"She said Noir's name… I thought she wasn't talking to him anymore."
Her mother replied, "Let's not assume. Right now, she just needs to feel safe."
Mia paused for a moment halfway up the stairs, her heart heavy.
She continued up without a word.
---------------------------
Later that evening , golden light filtered through the curtains of Aria's room, soft and quiet. Outside, the rain hadn't stopped, falling in a steady rhythm that echoed her heartbeat.
The letter lay on the edge of her desk creased, damp in places from her grip.
Not a letter she received.
The one she sent. "You don't belong to him. This time, I will kill you."
Her reflection in the window looked pale, almost haunted. She pressed her fingers to the glass as if trying to anchor herself.
That message… was never meant for Mia.
It was a shadow from the past meant for her.
A mistake. A trap she fell into.
A threat she had been forced to deliver.
"I never meant it," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I was just… trying to protect Noir."
She hadn't dared speak his name aloud since.
The man who made her write it.
She didn't even know who he truly was only that he watched from corners, spoke through others, and left consequences wherever he passed.
Now the message had resurfaced.
Mia had received it.
And Aria's lungs ached with panic, guilt curling in her chest.
She needed to tell Noir.
Needed to explain.
But would he believe her?
Would he think she was just jealous? Dangerous?
Would he walk away…?
Her phone sat in her lap, Noir's name glowing on the screen—untapped.
She stared at it, fingers hovering.
Then— a knock downstairs.
Aria froze.
Her parents weren't home.
She wasn't expecting anyone.
The knock came again firmer this time.
She took one step toward the door… then another.
Her breath hitched.
She glanced back at the desk—the letter still there like a wound that never closed.
She whispered, not to anyone in particular, more like a frightened prayer:
"Please… don't let it be him."
The knock came softly , almost hesitant.
Aria hesitated by the desk, her hand still resting on a folded paper she had just sealed seconds ago. Her heart jumped in her throat.
Then—
"Aria? …It's me. Mia."
The voice made her breath hitch.
She slowly crossed the room, opened the door.
Mia stood there slightly damp from the evening chill, shoulder, eyes tired but searching.
"Can we talk ? she said, trying to smile.
Aria stepped back without a word, letting her in. She closed the door quietly behind Mia.
"I know it's sudden, but everything's been so strange lately," Mia added, glancing at her. "And you've been acting so distant. You're not… you anymore."
Aria didn't respond immediately. She walked to the small table near the window, hands fidgeting with the edge of the cloth.
"I've just had a lot on my mind," she said at last. "It's nothing to worry about."
Mia stepped forward. "It is something. Because I got a letter. It wasn't signed. Just my name… and a threat. Said I don't belong to him. That—"
Aria froze.
Mia noticed.
"…That I'd be killed."
Aria's knuckles turned white as she gripped the back of the chair. Her lips parted slightly, but nothing came out.
"I told Noir," Mia said carefully. "And he said… he knows who sent it."
That was the wrong thing to say.
Aria spun around, her voice sharp and sudden. "Noir? What does he have to do with this?"
Mia took a step back, startled. "I—I just said he..."
"So that's where you were?" Aria's voice rose with something wild—panic, maybe. "You were with him all this time? While I was losing sleep trying to ...?!"
Mia blinked. "Aria… what are you saying ?!!"
"Why are you even trusting him?" Aria's voice cracked. "You think he can help you? Is that it? Are you with him now?"
"No! I mean—I just… he was there when I needed someone," Mia stammered, hurt blooming behind her eyes. "Why are you acting like this?"
Aria turned away, biting her lip hard. Her breathing was uneven.
"I just..." she said at last, barely above a whisper. "You have no idea what's going on, Mia. You don't know what they're capable of."
Mia's voice trembled. "Who, Aria? Who's they?"
Aria looked at her , truly looked, but said nothing.
And behind her on the desk, the edge of the second letter peeked from under a book. Another one Mia hadn't seen yet.
Mia stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat as she watched Aria's expression shift fear, frustration, and something unreadable flickering in her eyes.
Aria turned away again, arms crossed tightly over her chest, as though holding herself together. The silence between them grew heavy, pressing down like the thick clouds outside the window.
Then quietly, too quietly Aria spoke.
"...I think you should go, Mia."
Mia's heart sank. "W-what? Aria, I didn't mean to upset you..."
"I know," Aria said, her voice strained. "But I need to be alone right now. I can't… I can't talk about this."
Mia blinked, hurt and confusion swimming in her gaze. "But we always talk. That's what we do. If something's wrong....."
"I said I can't, " Aria cut her off, louder this time. Her shoulders trembled. "Just… please. Go home. "
The words stung more than Mia expected.
She nodded slowly, swallowing down the lump rising in her throat. "Okay… if that's what you want."
She moved toward the door, glancing one last time at Aria who refused to meet her eyes.
The door clicked softly as Mia left, the sound echoing in the room like a goodbye neither of them wanted to speak.
Aria stood there, motionless.
Only when the footsteps faded down the hallway did she finally let her tears fall silent, restrained before reaching for the hidden letter on her desk.
The name scrawled on it wasn't Mia's
It was Noir's .
And this time the massage was worse.
---------------------------
Aria stood in the dim light of her room, fingers trembling as she held the letter with Noir's name on it. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, shaky breaths. The silence after Mia's departure only made everything louder her heartbeat, her guilt, the storm inside her mind.
Tears spilled over, running hot down her cheeks. She didn't bother wiping them this time.
She grabbed her phone with unsteady hands, scrolled through her contacts, and hesitated for just a second before pressing call.
It rang once. Twice.
Then a voice , deep, quiet, familiar. "Hello?"
Her lips parted, and the words came out barely above a whisper , raw and trembling.
"Please…" her voice cracked, breath hitching, "I need you."
A long pause on the other end.
Then she ended the call, before he could say anything back.
She dropped the phone onto the bed like it burned her, covered her mouth with both hands, and let herself finally fall apart.
To be continue ...