Morning came quietly.
Yui woke up slowly, blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling above her. For a second, she forgot where she was. Then the memory came back all at once—the bus, the cold, the man, the house.
She sat up slightly, rubbing her eyes. The futon beneath her was warm, softer than anything she'd slept on in what felt like forever.
Across the room, Haru was still asleep, sprawled out in a way that made it look like he had fought the blanket and lost. Airi was already awake, sitting quietly with her hands folded in her lap. Kaito sat near the window, the Jester's Clock resting in his hands again, his eyes scanning it like he didn't fully trust it yet.
"…Morning," Yui muttered.
Haru groaned from across the room. "Too early," he mumbled, not even opening his eyes.
Airi gave a small smile. "Good morning."
Kaito didn't look up. "It's still working," he said quietly, almost to himself.
Yui pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders. Something felt… off. She couldn't explain it. The house was quiet. Too quiet. No sounds from outside, no movement in the hallway.
Airi glanced toward the door, her expression faintly tense. "He said we could stay the night," she said. "He didn't say anything about today."
Kaito finally stood, slipping the clock into his pocket. "We shouldn't stay long," he said. "The longer we stay in one place, the worse it gets."
Yui nodded slightly, though she wasn't sure why. It just felt right.
A soft knock came from the door.
Everyone went still.
Then it opened, the man from last night stood there, smiling like nothing was wrong.
"Morning," he said casually. "You guys hungry? I made breakfast."
Haru sat up immediately. "Yes."
Yui gave him a look.
The man laughed lightly. "Come on."
The kitchen was warm again, sunlight spilling in through the window. Plates of food were already set out—eggs, toast, something warm that smelled almost too good.
Haru didn't hesitate. He grabbed a seat and started eating like it was his life's mission.
"This is amazing," he said through a mouthful of food.
Yui sat more slowly, glancing around again. Everything looked normal. Too normal.
Airi thanked the man again, polite as always. Kaito stayed quieter, watching everything instead of eating right away.
The man leaned against the counter, arms crossed loosely. "You guys get some rest?"
Haru nodded. "Best sleep of my life."
Yui didn't answer.
Kaito gave a short nod. "Enough."
Airi smiled faintly. "Thank you again for letting us stay."
"Of course," the man said. "Couldn't just leave you guys out there."
"Actually," he said, pushing himself off the counter, "I know a place that can help you guys."
Kaito's eyes lifted immediately.
"What do you mean?" Airi asked carefully.
The man smiled, a little too easily.
"It's a center," he said. "For kids. They'll know what to do."
Yui felt something twist in her chest.
Kaito didn't say anything, but his expression sharpened slightly.
The man glanced between them.
"I can take you there," he added. "It's not far."
They'd agree and quickly gather their things, and walk towards the door, but Yui noticed the man's smile was crooked. Sinister. Something she hadn't noticed until now.
The moment the door opened, cold air rushed in—and before anyone could react, the man tossed something small into the middle of the group.
A glass sphere, it hit the ground and released a thick cloud of gas
Yui coughed immediately, her vision blurring. "W-what—"
Yui immediately passed out.
Suddenly, she woke up in darkness. Her head throbbing. The air was damp and cold, heavy with the smell of stone and something metallic. For a moment, she couldn't move. Then slowly, her vision adjusted.
"…Yui?"
Her head snapped to the side.
"Haru—?"
He was there. Sitting up, rubbing his head, looking just as disoriented as she felt.
Relief hit her so hard it almost hurt.
"You're okay," she breathed.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," he muttered, glancing around. "This place is… not great."
The realization set it, they were underground. Locked in a dungeon, then Yui suddenly remembered seeing the man's appearance change before she passed out, white hair..the Counselors leader. She should've known, she felt so stupid.
Yui's chest tightened. "Kaito and Airi—"
"I don't see them," Haru said quietly. "They're probably somewhere else."
Yui pushed herself up, legs shaky. The cell door in front of them was slightly ajar, like it hadn't been properly locked.
"…We can get out," she said.
Haru followed her gaze. "Well, that's convenient. Suspiciously convenient."
"Do you want to stay here?" she shot back.
"…Fair point."
They slipped out carefully, stepping into the dim corridor. The dungeon stretched endlessly, lined with cells, shadows flickering along the walls.
Hey."
Yui looked over at Haru.
He hesitated, scratching the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous. It was weird seeing him like that here, of all places.
"When this is over…" he started, glancing at her, then away. "Do you wanna go to the movies with me?"
Yui blinked.
"…Like… us?" she asked, a little confused.
Haru let out a small breath, then reached over and gently took her hand.
Her heart skipped.
"Yeah," he said, quieter now. "Like a date."
Yui froze for a second, her fingers tightening slightly in his. Her face warmed, and she looked down at their hands like she needed to confirm it was actually happening.
"A date…" she repeated softly.
Haru gave a small, awkward smile. Then, a little more confidently—
"Well I have to take my girlfriend on at least one date, right?"
Yui's breath caught.
Girlfriend.
The word hit her harder than she expected. They'd said things before, feelings, confessions—but they'd never… actually said it like that.
She looked up at him, eyes wide, like she was trying to process it.
"…I'd love to," she said finally, her voice soft but certain.
Haru squeezed her hand, just a little.
"Cool," he said, like he wasn't internally freaking out.
For a moment, the dungeon didn't feel real. The fear, the tension—it all faded just enough for something warm to take its place.
Yui sighed. "So how exactly do we get out of here, I'm trying to think but I really can't think of anything right now."
Haru smiled softly. "Don't worry about that. I'm actually good at picklocking some doors.."
Yui blinked. "Since when can you do that?"
He smirked slightly. "Since always. You just never needed to know."
He crouched down, sliding the piece of metal into the lock. The faint scraping echoed in the quiet dungeon, every tiny movement feeling louder than it should've been.
Yui kept glancing over her shoulder, heart pounding. "Be careful…"
"Relax," Haru muttered. "I've got it."
Then—
click.
The lock gave.
Haru pulled the door open slowly, standing up with a small, proud grin. "Told you."
Yui let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Okay… that was actually kind of impressive."
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
They stepped out into the corridor.
It stretched out endlessly in both directions, dimly lit by flickering lights along the walls. The air was heavy, almost suffocating.
Haru pulled the door open slowly, standing up with a small, proud grin. "Told you."
Yui let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Okay… that was actually kind of impressive."
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
They stepped out into the corridor.
It stretched out endlessly in both directions, dimly lit by flickering lights along the walls. The air was heavy, almost suffocating.
Yui's stomach dropped. "What do we do then?"
Haru leaned back slightly, frustrated. "Unless you've got a spare key lying around…"
Yui turned, scanning the walls again.
That's when she saw it.
A small door.
Barely noticeable, built into the stone. Slightly cracked open.
"…Wait," she said, stepping toward it. "There."
Haru stood, walking over. "What is that?"
Yui knelt down and pulled it open. Inside was a small box, sitting quietly like it had been waiting for them.
Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.
Relief flickered across his face as he stood up, a grin forming.
"Yes! Now let's go before—"
There was a sound.
A sharp, wet noise.
Haru's expression froze, for a second, nothing made sense, nothing made sense that there was a piercing blade going straight through Haru's chest. Blood spilled from his mouth, dark and sudden. His eyes widened in shock, like his body hadn't caught up to what had just happened as the blade slid back out.
Yui dropped the key, scrambling toward him, her hands shaking violently as she grabbed onto him. "Haru—Haru, stay with me—please—!"
His breathing was uneven. Shallow. His eyes flickered, trying to focus on her.
Haru could only stare at Yui, trying so hard to stay alive, but his body went numb and cold, and the light from his eyes finally gave out, as his mouth stayed slightly open with some blood still pooling out.
Sayaka stood there, her weapon resting at her side, stained with blood.
She exhaled softly, almost relieved.
"…Finally," she muttered. "God, you were annoying."
Yui froze, her entire body going cold.
Sayaka stepped forward, crouching beside Haru's body. Her hand moved to his emerald—the one tied to his soul—and she pulled it free.
Then without hesitation, she'd grab Haru's emerald, still pulsing slightly and crush it.
Before Yui could react, Sayaka grabbed her by the hair, yanking her up harshly.
Yui cried out, her hands gripping Sayaka's wrist as she was forced to her feet.
"You'll be next if you don't shut up." Sayaka said, annoyed.
She dragged her down the corridor, Yui struggling weakly, tears streaming down her face.
Behind them, Haru's body lay still on the cold stone floor.