The hallway echoed with quick, light footsteps.
"Mother!"
Yumi didn't knock.
She never did.
The door burst open.
Warm steam rolled out immediately, filling the doorway in a soft, cloudy haze. The scent of herbs and heated water lingered in the air, calming—quiet.
Inside, the bath chamber glowed under dim lantern light.
Kazue sat partially submerged in the wide stone bath, her long hair draped over one shoulder, the surface of the water still and undisturbed—
Until—
"Yumi?!"
Too late.
"I'm joining!"
Yumi shouted—
And jumped.
SPLASH—!
Water exploded upward, crashing over the edges of the bath and soaking the polished stone floor. Waves rippled violently across the surface, breaking the calm in an instant.
For a brief second—
Yumi disappeared completely beneath the water.
"…Yumi?"
Kazue blinked, caught between confusion and disbelief.
Bubbles rose to the surface.
Then—
Yumi burst back up.
"—HAH!"
She threw her head back, laughing, water dripping from her hair, her face brighter than it had been all day.
Kazue stared at her.
"…What," she said slowly, "is going on with you?"
Yumi didn't answer.
She just laughed.
Again.
Louder.
Unrestrained.
Water sloshed as she leaned back slightly, still catching her breath between bursts of laughter.
"I just—" she tried to speak, but it broke into another laugh.
"I just felt like it!"
Kazue's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You 'felt like' interrupting my bath, flooding the floor, and nearly drowning yourself?"
"I didn't drown!" Yumi shot back immediately, still smiling. "I came back up, didn't I?"
"That is not the point."
Yumi grinned.
Bright.
Alive.
Completely different from just an hour ago.
Kazue studied her carefully.
The laughter.
The energy.
The shift.
"…You're in a strange mood," she said.
Yumi leaned back against the edge of the bath, water rippling softly around her now.
"…Maybe," she said.
Still smiling.
Kazue didn't respond right away.
She simply watched her.
Something had changed.
Not fully.
Not clearly.
But enough.
"…Did something happen?" Kazue asked.
Yumi paused.
Just for a second.
The smile didn't disappear—
But it softened.
"…Maybe," she repeated.
Then she splashed water lightly in Kazue's direction.
"Stop asking so many questions! You're ruining it!"
Kazue caught the splash against her arm, unimpressed.
"…You started this."
"And I'll continue it!"
Yumi shot back immediately—
And sent another splash flying.
This time—
Kazue reacted.
Water surged back toward Yumi in a controlled wave, far more precise, far more deliberate.
It hit her directly.
Yumi froze.
Dripping.
Silent.
Then—
"…You're going to regret that."
Kazue almost smiled.
The water had long since settled.
The chaos, the splashing, the laughter—
All of it faded into a calm, steady quiet.
Now—
They sat outside the bath.
Wrapped in soft towels.
Yumi sat in front, her damp hair falling down her back in loose strands. Small traces of bubbles still clung to her arms, and she absentmindedly poked at them, watching them pop one by one.
Kazue sat behind her, one hand gently working through Yumi's hair, the other pouring warm water slowly down her back.
Careful.
Steady.
"…So," Kazue said after a while, her voice calm again, "how was your day?"
Yumi didn't answer.
She just kept poking at the bubbles.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Kazue didn't press.
She simply continued washing her back, fingers moving in slow, practiced motions.
"…It was alright," Yumi said eventually.
Quiet.
Casual.
Like it didn't matter.
Kazue hummed softly.
"Just alright?"
Yumi shrugged slightly.
"…Yeah."
Pop.
Another bubble disappeared under her finger.
"…That's good," Kazue replied.
And she left it at that.
A small silence settled again.
Comfortable.
"…What about you?" Yumi asked after a moment, still not turning around. "Your mission."
Kazue let out a small breath.
"…Long."
She poured another stream of warm water down Yumi's back.
"…Tiring."
Another pause.
"…And boring."
Yumi let out a small sound.
"…That sounds awful."
"It was."
Yumi leaned her chin slightly into her hand, thinking.
"…I want to go," she said.
Kazue paused for a second.
"…Go where?"
"Outside," Yumi said. "To other places. Not just here."
Her voice was quieter now.
But real.
Kazue chuckled softly.
"…You can."
Yumi blinked slightly.
"…I can?"
"Mhm."
Kazue resumed washing her hair.
"When you're stronger."
Yumi's shoulders dropped immediately.
"…Of course."
Kazue smiled faintly behind her.
"In order to become stronger," she added, "you need to train."
Yumi's face scrunched up.
"I don't want to train."
Kazue didn't miss a beat.
"Then you won't leave the village."
Yumi puffed her cheeks out, arms crossing slightly.
"That's unfair."
"It's reality."
Yumi huffed.
Louder this time.
Kazue gently wrung out a section of her hair.
"…You'll change your mind eventually."
"I won't."
"You will."
"I won't!"
Kazue almost laughed.
Yumi pouted harder.
Then—
Slowly—
It softened.
A small smile appeared instead.
"…Maybe," she muttered.
Kazue didn't respond.
But her hands slowed slightly.
Gentler.
The room fell quiet again.
Warm.
Still.
And this time—
The silence didn't feel heavy at all.
The mansion was quiet again.
Yumi pushed open the door to her room and stepped inside.
Soft candlelight flickered gently against the walls, casting long shadows across the polished floor. The large bed sat untouched, perfectly made—just as it always was.
For a moment—
She just stood there.
Then—
She walked forward and climbed onto the bed.
No ceremony.
No hesitation.
She fell back.
The mattress dipped beneath her as she landed, her arms spreading out to either side, her body sinking into the soft sheets.
Her damp hair fanned slightly beneath her.
She stared up at the ceiling.
Blank.
Still.
"…Haa…"
A quiet breath left her lips.
Silence filled the room.
And then—
Her thoughts returned.
The bridge.
The voices.
The laughter.
"Someone no one wants to be around."
Her fingers twitched slightly against the sheets.
Her expression tightened.
"…That's not true," she muttered under her breath.
But it didn't sound convincing.
Her eyes shifted slightly.
Unfocused.
"…Then why…"
The question didn't finish.
Images replayed—
The kids stepping away.
The looks on their faces.
The way they laughed.
Her chest tightened again.
But this time—
She didn't cry.
Instead—
She frowned.
"…I did what he said."
Her voice was quiet.
Almost annoyed.
"I talked to them."
A small pause.
"…I told them who I was."
Silence.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"…That's not the same thing."
Sui's voice echoed faintly in her mind.
Yumi turned her head slightly against the pillow.
"…Then what is?"
No answer came.
Another thought surfaced.
Kaito.
The way he laughed.
The way people gathered around him.
The way it all seemed so… easy.
Yumi stared back at the ceiling.
"…We're really different."
The words came out softer this time.
Not frustrated.
Just… honest.
A small pause.
"…Stupid Kaito."
But there was no anger in it.
Only thought.
Her arms shifted slightly as she pulled the blanket up just a little.
The room felt quieter now.
Heavier.
But not suffocating.
Her eyes slowly began to close.
"…Tomorrow…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"I'll figure it out."
A small pause.
"I'll find a way… to make friends."
The words lingered in the air for a moment—
Before fading into silence.
And slowly—
Yumi drifted off to sleep.