The cafeteria was loud. Trays clattered against tables. Students shouted across the room. The smell of fried oil and soup filled the air. It was a normal sound. It was a safe sound. Kaito sat at the corner of a long table. He kept his head down. His hair was styled to cover the white patch at his temple. It itched. He did not scratch it.
Ryota sat opposite him. He was eating quickly. He talked with his mouth full. Jin sat beside Kaito. He ate quietly. He watched the room. He watched the exits. He watched Kaito. Hana sat beside Ryota. She had a bento box. She had not opened it yet. She was talking. Her hands moved as she spoke. She was animated. She was alive. Kaito listened. He ate his rice slowly. The exhaustion from the night before was still in his bones. The full merge with Kuro had cost him. He felt hollow. He felt old. But the warmth of the cafeteria reached him. It seeped through the jacket. It warmed the cold spots in his chest.
