And there he was ...
Noir
Hands in his coat pockets, posture calm and unshaken. He wasn't surprised to see her, no gasp, no stumble. But his steps faltered just slightly when their eyes met. Ayumi's breath caught. And for a moment, time seemed to fold in on itself.
Because that face sharper now, more refined, cloaked in cold quiet mystery, was still there.
Ayumi's lips parted, her voice nearly a whisper:
"It really is you."
Noir stopped just a few feet away. The air between them buzzed, memories, silence . He said nothing. Just looked at her with unreadable eyes.
Ayumi's chest rose with every shaken breath, defiant and trembling. "You changed your name, your face, your everything," she said, her voice tighter now. "But you couldn't erase that. That mark. I saw it back then, and I see it now."
Noir's gaze flicked briefly to his hand. He didn't deny it. Didn't look away. Didn't apologize. Instead, his voice came low, steady: "You should have stayed away."
Ayumi's fists clenched. "I tried. For so long. But you..." her voice broke just slightly, " you're still hurting people. Mia. Yona. Me."
"Why?"
A pause. A quiet moment where the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Noir looked at her, really looked, and for a flicker of a second, something old sparked behind his eyes. Not cold. Not cruel. But… haunted.
Still, he shook his head. "You don't understand."
Then make me ," Ayumi snapped. "Because I'm not walking away again."
Silence stretched. Then Noir took a step closer. One quiet, deliberate step. His voice was barely above a whisper now: "If you come any closer to the truth… you'll regret it."
Ayumi didn't flinch. "I already regret letting you go the first time."
Their eyes locked, anger, pain, and something unspoken tangled between them.
Then—
He turned.
Without a word, Noir stepped past her, toward the gate. His hand reached for it.
Ayumi's voice came again, softer, but laced with steel: "I'm not the girl you left behind."
Noir paused at the gate. Didn't look back.
"I know," he said.
"I'm not her. I'm not standing in the shadows. I'm not watching you from far away."
She clenched her fists at her sides, taking another shaky breath. "I'm right here. Facing you."
Her voice grew stronger, clearer with each word.
"And despite everything… despite the cruel way you rejected me back then… despite how you ignored me like I didn't matter…", she swallowed hard, eyes beginning to glisten,
"I still love you."
Silence hung between them like a thread.
"You've changed, I know. You look different now, colder, more distant. Handsome in a way that everyone notices."
Her eyes flicked to his right hand. "But I saw it. That tattoo… the small heart on your hand. I remember it."
She took a single step closer.
"You're still the same boy I fell in love with. Even if you tried to bury him."
Her voice dropped lower, almost a whisper now.
"And I'm not too proud to say this. I'm not afraid to feel it again."
She lifted her head fully, her voice steady and open.
"I beg you this time… give us a real chance... together , Noir."
She stood there, no walls, no armor, just honesty and hope shining through her tears.
Noir didn't answer right away. His eyes searched hers, something unreadable shifting in his gaze.
But his hand… it moved, slowly, to cover the tattoo she had remembered, the small heart on his right hand. His fingers curled around it tightly.
Noir turned around slowly to face her.
His eyes met Ayumi's again, intense, unreadable. He stepped closer. Just one step. But it felt like the world moved with him.
Ayumi's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened.
A whisper slipped out, raw and fragile:
"N…oir?"
He didn't speak. Just kept looking at her.
She blinked, once, hard. Her voice cracked, fear blooming behind her words.
"You have another girl… right?"
Noir's expression didn't change. He didn't flinch, didn't confirm, didn't deny.
Instead, he turned again, slow, deliberate, giving her his back.
And then… he nodded. Once.
A silent truth, heavier than any word.
Ayumi stood frozen, staring at him. Her heart stumbled in her chest. The wind had gone quiet again, as if the world itself held its breath for what would come next.
Ayumi's voice trembled as she took a small step forward, her fists still clenched at her sides.
"Who is she?"
Her words were barely above a whisper, but they cut through the silence like glass.
Noir didn't answer. He didn't even turn. Just stood there with his back to her, unmoving.
Ayumi's breath hitched. Her eyes burned.
"Are you telling me this… just to push me away?" Her voice cracked.
Finally, Noir's voice came. Low. Steady. Almost tired.
"I don't have a reason to do that."
He paused, then added more quietly,
"You know this very well."
Ayumi's eyes shimmered with disbelief, confusion, and something dangerously close to heartbreak. The ache in her chest grew heavy... too heavy.
Then...still not facing her, Noir spoke again, his voice lower now " is it you...the one sending me those flowers ?"
Beat..
"And the love letters?."
Ayumi's eyes widened . Her lips parted in shock.
" I..." She began, voice caught in her throat
But before she could say anything more
Footsteps, quick, sharp, cut through the silence like a blade through glass.
Yui stormed around the corner, her coat flaring behind her, hair wind-tossed, eyes burning. She didn't hesitate. In three fast strides, she threw herself between Ayumi and Noir, shoulders squared, back to Ayumi, chest heaving as she faced him.
Her voice cracked like thunder: "You can't do this."
Then louder, fiercer..."I have priority over her!"
The air tightened, every heartbeat louder than before. Noir's face remained still, but something in his jaw clenched, sharp. A flicker passed through his eyes, part guilt, something darker.
Yui jabbed a finger toward him.
"Say something!" she demanded. "Don't you dare look at her like that, not after everything."
Ayumi's breath caught. Her eyes flicked from Noir's unreadable face to Yui's shaking fists, her trembling shoulders.
Yui's voice cracked.
"You told me it was me. That no one else mattered. That I was the only one who knew who you really were. Was all of that just… lies?" Her voice trembled, fury tangled with disbelief. "Is she all it takes to undo everything between us?"
Ayumi stepped forward instinctively, lips parted, confusion washing over her.
Yui didn't move. Her glare cut sideways toward Ayumi.
She wasn't done. She stepped even closer, voice shaking with rage.
"Tell her, Noir. Tell her what you told me. That she doesn't matter anymore."
Ayumi's mouth trembled. She tried to speak, to reach forward, but her body froze. Her hand hovered midair. Her lips moved, but her voice refused her.
Noir looked at her, for one brief, burning second.
And still… he said nothing.
Wind passed between them, cruel and quiet.
Yui's voice dropped, cold and cutting.
"If you walk away now, it'll mean everything you told me was a lie. And if that's true..."
She looked at him, eyes sharp with tears—
"Then I don't even know who you are anymore."
Silence slammed down like thunder withheld.
Noir's eyes flicked between Ayumi and Yui, the pieces suddenly clicking into place. His gaze sharpened, cold and cutting.
"You're the one sending those flowers and love letters," he said flatly, voice low but firm.
Yui's breath hitched. Ayumi's eyes widened in shock, realization washing over her face like a wave.
Noir took a slow, deliberate breath, then spat out with bitter finality,
"I already erased you from my life, for good. I regret knowing you in this life."
His voice dropped, heavy with disdain:
"And don't you dare send me one of those… your suit flowers and dirty letters again."
Yui's eyes widened, trembling lips whispering,
"N…Noir? You're… not serious, right?"
He didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned in slightly, voice cold as ice:
"I swear, if I smell you around me again, I will regret ever knowing you."
He straightened, his gaze snapping toward Ayumi but sliding past her, side-eyes sharp and unreadable.
"Have dignity," he added harshly. "Disappear from my sight. And I'll say it for the thousandth time, I'm not interested in you anymore. Not even by one percent."
Yui's face crumpled, the shock and pain flooding through her. Without a word, she spun around and ran. tears streaming down her cheeks.
Noir didn't look back. He simply opened the door to his house, stepped inside, and closed it firmly behind him.
Ayumi stood frozen in front of the gate, silent. The ache in her chest deepened, the quiet swallowing her whole.
Then, slowly, tears began to stream down her face. She brought her trembling hand up, touching her cheek, her eyes widened, breathe catching " Why... why am I feeling this pain ?" She whispered to her self .
She had thought she was done crying for him, done with the ache, the longing, the confusion...after two long years.
But here she was again… broken open by the same person who once taught her how to feel everything in the first place.
And this time, the silence hurt more than the words ever could.
-----------------------------
The evening sky was streaked in warm tones of gold and dusty pink as Daiki moved quickly along the sidewalk, his footsteps sharp and urgent. His phone buzzed once in his palm, just a notification. Not her. No reply from Aria. Not in hours.
That alone made his stomach twist.
As he neared the quiet bus station on the corner, a figure on the worn wooden bench caught his eye.
Ayumi.
She sat completely still, perched at the far end of the bench, her school bag limp at her feet. The light touched her softly, outlining the sadness in her expression. Her eyes were glassy. Red. Distant. Tears had clearly fallen not long ago, leaving faint trails down her cheeks. She didn't even blink as the wind pushed lightly at her hair.
Daiki's steps faltered just slightly.
Their eyes met for the briefest second.
Ayumi didn't smile. Didn't look away. Just watched him.
Daiki gave her a short glance, quiet, uncertain, but didn't stop. He turned his head and continued on, tightening his grip on his phone. His chest felt heavy.
Still no message. No explanation. No Aria.
Whatever was happening, whatever wall she'd put up... he couldn't just stand around. He had to see her. He had to know.
By the time Daiki reached Aria's house , the air was tight with tension. The sun had slipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the street. People were gathered, clustered on the front steps, along the driveway, even inside. Murmurs filled the air like a growing storm.
Daiki's eyes widened. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.
Without hesitation, he pushed through the crowd , weaving between neighbors and family members, rushing toward the door.
"Move...please...let me through!"
Inside, the scene hit him like a blow to the chest.
Aria's mother sat on the couch, her shoulders shaking violently as she sobbed into a handkerchief. Her face was pale, broken.
Her father stood near the hallway, silent and unmoving, gripping a folded piece of paper in both hands.
Daiki stepped forward, breath caught in his throat. "W-What's going on…?"
Her father turned to him with heavy eyes and slowly held out the paper. Daiki took it with trembling fingers and unfolded it.
The note was scribbled hastily in Aria's handwriting.
"I feel like something bad will happen to me, Daiki. I'm so scared. I tried to contact you yesterday but it wasn't going…"
The words cut off abruptly, a smudge of ink bleeding out mid-sentence. Like the pen had been yanked from her hand. Like someone didn't want her to finish.
Daiki stared at the page in disbelief.
Then slowly, his eyes lifted to meet her father's.
" Where is she?" he asked, voice cracking, laced with horror.
Her father shook his head, eyes hollow. "We… we don't know. Last night, Sanae "...he motioned to his wife..."went to check on her before bed. Her room was empty. No sign of her. We searched the whole neighborhood. Every alley. Every corner."
He paused, voice raw. "The police haven't even started looking yet. They said it's too soon to file a report."
Daiki's heart thundered in his chest. "Can I...please. Let me check her room. There might be something…"
Her father nodded once.
Daiki bolted up the stairs and swung open Aria's door. The room was dim and, disheveled. A lamp lay on its side. Books scattered. The sheets twisted.
It looked like someone had struggled. Resisted.
His gaze darted around until something metallic glinted under the edge of the bed. He dropped to his knees, reached underneath—
Her phone.
He pulled it out, screen cracked but still working. Hands shaking, he unlocked it. Straight to the messages.
His name was at the top of her chat list.
He tapped the thread.
"Daiki… please answer… something's wrong I'm..."
Pending.
Unsent.
Frozen in the queue.
His blood ran cold.
She had tried to reach him.
She had begged for help.
And something, or someone stopped her before she could finish.
Daiki gripped the phone tight, heart hammering like thunder in his chest.
"Aria…" he whispered.
"I'm coming for you."
To be continue ...