The light streaming through the living room window felt gentler than usual. Not even a full day had passed since that dawn. Kaito sat on the sofa, staring at his own palms. The sensation of touching Misaki's back still seemed to linger on his fingertips. (*Is it really okay for me to stay like this?*) No answer came. As evening approached, there was a rustling sound from the depths of the closet—Misaki was pulling something out. When she returned to the living room, she carried two yukata in her arms. Deep indigo fabric, patterned with silver fireworks scattered across it. " [gentle] There's a fireworks festival tonight at Seikaihama Park. Did you know?" Kaito looked up. The fireworks festival. He'd gone with Yuta last year. They'd bought yakisoba from a stall, breathed in the smoky air amid the crowds, and talked about going somewhere to cool off afterward. A distant memory now. " [gentle] You need to breathe some outside air once in a while, or it's bad for your health. Just for tonight. A special occasion. Let's go together." She smiled. Her golden eyes caught the sunset, glowing sweet as honey. Kaito accepted the yukata. The fabric was smooth and crisp, carrying the scent of new starch. (*I can go outside.*) In a crowd, maybe he could escape. In the bustle of the fireworks festival, if he could just put some distance between them, even for a moment— Somewhere in his mind, he was thinking that. " [gentle] Shall I help you change?" " ...I'll do it myself." Kaito stood and headed for the study. As he tied the yukata's obi, his gaze drifted out the window. The auxiliary lock on the balcony—he'd grown far too accustomed to it over these eight days. The words from the diary he'd read yesterday surfaced in his mind. *—The day Kaito-kun sat next to me, the world changed—* Words penned by a fourth-grade girl. A girl who'd transferred schools over and over, who had no friends, who had grasped a single ray of light all on her own. (*If I run away, what happens to her?*) Kaito pulled the obi tight. Misaki, waiting at the entrance, had changed into a pale cherry-blossom yukata. The white nape of her neck rose from the collar, and the gathered ends of her black hair swayed with a glossy sheen. " [gentle] It looks wonderful on you." She extended her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Kaito took it. Misaki's fingertips felt colder than usual, and he thought he felt them trembling slightly. (*Is she nervous too?*) That vulnerability—the first he'd ever noticed—sent a small, sharp pang through Kaito's chest. The two of them left the apartment together. The outside air was humid, carrying the scent of the tide mixed with the sweet smoke of sparklers burning somewhere in the distance. Kaito's lungs drew in a deep breath of outside air for the first time in what felt like forever. (*Nostalgic.*) The smell of an ordinary summer night, back when he was free. They took a bus from Seikai Station and walked along the coastal road. Couples in yukata and families with children gradually grew in number around them. Misaki never let go of Kaito's hand. Even in the crowd, her grip held him fast with unwavering strength. If he was going to run, maybe now was the time. But Kaito's feet kept walking naturally beside her. By the time they neared the sandy beach of Seikaihama Park, the sky had already deepened to dark navy. The sound of waves mingled with the murmur of the crowd. They sat down on a bench a little apart from the rest, one with a view of the sea. A deep *boom* resonated in their chests, and the first firework shot into the sky. Red and gold light bloomed and scattered against the pitch-black sky. Misaki, still gazing up at the fireworks, spoke quietly. " [gentle] Hey, do you remember? What you said to me, in the autumn of fourth grade." Kaito tilted his head. " [gentle] 'Let's be together forever.'" The light of the fireworks flickered across her profile, illuminating it and then fading. That face wasn't the perfect student council president, nor the ruler of the household. It was just the face of a nineteen-year-old girl. " [gentle] I've been trying to protect those words all this time. The reason I've been able to keep going until now... it's all because of that." Her voice trembled, just a little. Kaito tried to remember. Honestly, he didn't have much recollection of saying something like that. But the image of the lonely girl from the diary—the one who kept transferring schools—overlapped with the Misaki before him now, and his chest tightened painfully. " [serious] That doesn't make what you did okay." He forced the words out. Misaki blinked slowly. " [sad] I know. But I didn't know any other way." She looked at him. The rims of her golden eyes seemed ever so slightly wet. Righteous anger and the unbearable ache of knowing this person had been alone for so long clashed violently inside Kaito. The fireworks reached their climax. With a thunderous roar, one massive bloom after another filled the sky. Cheers rose from the crowd around them, applause breaking out. But to Kaito's ears, those sounds felt distant. (*I want to run away.*) That was real. (*But without this person, I've already forgotten how to breathe.*) That, too, was probably real. Kaito pulled Misaki's shoulder toward him. Her body stiffened for an instant, and she seemed about to say something. But before she could, Kaito pressed his lips to hers. Soft, and slightly cool. Misaki's eyes opened wide. (*I don't know if this is right.*) Even so, being beside this person right now—that was his reality. For the first time, Kaito chose it by his own will. The roar of the fireworks shook the world. Misaki slowly closed her eyes. Her lashes trembled faintly. When their lips parted, Misaki touched her own cheek, and with a face on the verge of tears, she smiled. " [whispers] Kaito... chose me. For the first time." Her voice shook, but it sounded happier than any words he'd ever heard from her. They returned to the apartment about an hour after the fireworks ended. The sound of the front door locking echoed unnervingly loud. Misaki's demeanor shifted, soft as a breeze. She gently grasped the hem of Kaito's yukata, like a child. " [whispers] Don't run away tonight." The fragility in her voice made Kaito's chest ache. Instead of answering, he took her hand and dimmed the living room lights. Moonlight streamed through the window, faintly illuminating the room. Kaito reached for the obi of Misaki's yukata. He could feel his own fingers trembling. And he knew she could feel it too. Misaki let out a small, caught breath. The obi came undone. The cherry-blossom fabric slipped from her shoulders, and her white skin emerged in the moonlight. Her breasts were bared, the pale tips hardening as they met the air. Kaito didn't hesitate. Of his own accord, he buried his face against her chest. " Ah..." Misaki's small voice melted into the darkness. Kaito extended his tongue and gently touched her nipple. As if handling something fragile—tenderly, but with certainty. " [whispers] ...More." Her slender fingers tangled in Kaito's hair, pressing him closer. Kaito obeyed, sucking harder this time. Rolling it with his tongue, grazing it with his teeth. " Nn... ahh, Kaito..." Misaki's hips swayed slowly. Kaito laid her down on the sofa, parting the hem of her yukata to expose her thighs. Deep within the white skin, the cloth covering her secret place was already thoroughly soaked, the sweet scent of her arousal rising. " [whispers] Look... just from what you're doing, I've become like this." Misaki used her own fingers to shift the fabric aside. What was revealed glistened wetly, twitching with small spasms. Kaito caught his breath. (*I thought it was beautiful.*) For the first time, he felt like he was looking at her with something other than fear. Kaito shed his own yukata as well. His penis, already fully erect, twitched as it met the air. Pre-cum slicked the glans. " [whispers] Put it in. Give me Kaito... inside me." Misaki stretched out both arms. Kaito collapsed into them, covering her body with his. He pressed the tip of his penis against her slick entrance. Hot. A melting heat seemed to envelop the glans. " [whispers] Only you." A voice came out so steady it surprised even himself. And then, Kaito pushed his hips forward. With a wet, yielding sound, the glans was swallowed by her vagina. " Aaahhh...!" Misaki's back arched like a bow, and her vaginal walls clenched tightly around Kaito's penis. Warm, soft, yet strong. The sensation sent a numbing thrill deep into Kaito's mind. Deeper. As he pressed further, his entire length settled inside her. A wet, squelching sound came from where they were joined. " [whispers] I've wanted this for so long." Misaki's voice was thick with tears. From her golden eyes, just a few tears spilled over, tracing down her temples. Kaito licked those tears away, then slowly began to move his hips. " Ah, aah, Kaito...!" Misaki wrapped her arms around Kaito's back, digging in her nails. Even that pain felt precious to him now. Kaito pulled his penis back, then thrust deep again. With each repeated piston, her arousal frothed, and obscene wet sounds filled the room. " [whispers] Only you. Only Misaki." " [crying] I'm so happy... so happy, Kaito...!" More. More. Kaito quickened his pace. Misaki pressed her hips against him in return, their bodies colliding fiercely. Her vagina began to spasm, clenching and milking the glans as if trying to wring him dry. " [whispers] I'm coming... I'm going to come...!" " [serious] Yeah, me too—" Kaito drove his hips deep one final time and released his semen into her deepest place. The hot liquid pulsed, splashing against the entrance of her womb. " Aaaaahhh...!" Misaki's body bucked violently, and her vagina clamped down on Kaito's penis with crushing force. The long aftershocks of her climax made her body tremble again and again. The two of them held each other for a while, breathing raggedly. Still entwined, their sweat-dampened skin gradually cooled. But deep in their hearts, strangely, there was warmth. Misaki gently buried her face against Kaito's chest. " [whispers] I love you. Always. Always." Kaito said nothing, just stroked her hair. (*I don't think this is right.*) (*But this is what I chose.*) Even if it was twisted. Even if it would someday break. Right now, he wanted to soak in this warmth. Outside the window, the night wind made the balcony's auxiliary lock creak. — The next morning, while Kaito slept in Misaki's arms. Behind the Luminous Seikai Tower, in a closed-off parking lot, a single man stood. The morning breeze ruffled his light brown short hair. The small mole near his eye stood out darkly under the strong sunlight. Oono Yuta operated his smartphone, sending a memo—compiled from information gathered over several days—to a mutual friend group's messaging app. *'I'm worried about Kaito. Something's going on with him living with Misaki.'* *'I've confirmed the blind spots in the apartment's security cameras. Is there anyone who can move with me?'* He pressed send. Yuta closed the screen and looked up at the towering high-rise. " [serious] Hang in there, Kaito. I'll get you out, no matter what." His voice, heard by no one, faded into the morning stillness. This was the true beginning of the rescue operation from the outside. Around the same time. In a private booth at a net café somewhere in Seikai City. Only the smartphone screen illuminated the dark room. On the display, an unsent message remained. *'On the day Misaki-senpai realizes everything, I'll make her regret it.'* Shiratori Rio was curled up in the booth's simple chair, hugging her knees. Her silver short bob was disheveled, and her light blue eyes were red and swollen from crying. Her smartphone, in this place with weak signal, lay quietly dormant. The cage of Kaito