Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, soft and golden, resting gently across the room as if afraid to disturb what little peace remained.
Yuma stirred first.
His body protested immediately.
A dull ache spread through his arms, his shoulders, his ribs—reminders of the previous night carved into muscle and bone.
"…Right," he muttered.
The fight.
The ambulance.
Serena.
His eyes shifted.
She was still there.
Curled slightly on his bed, facing away from him, one arm tucked under her head. Her breathing was slow, steady—but not entirely relaxed. Even in sleep, there was tension in her posture.
Yuma exhaled softly.
"…She stayed."
A small, almost unnoticeable smile formed.
Above them, floating near the ceiling, Stud was already awake.
Watching.
"Ah," Stud said quietly, voice low but amused. "The survivors of yesterday's disaster. Remarkable. Both still alive. I'm almost disappointed."
Yuma didn't even look up.
"…Morning, Stud."
"Morning?" Stud tilted slightly. "Is that what humans call this? Because from what I see, it's more like 'barely functioning after near death.'"
Yuma sat up slowly.
Bad idea.
Pain shot through his side.
"…Yeah," he winced, pressing a hand against his ribs. "That sounds more accurate."
Stud drifted lower, inspecting him.
"You're damaged," he observed.
"Thanks. I noticed."
"Not fatally, unfortunately."
Yuma rolled his eyes.
"Can you try being supportive for once?"
Stud considered it.
"…No."
Yuma sighed.
Some things never change.
A small movement behind him.
Serena shifted.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she woke, her hand instinctively reaching out—
Then stopping.
She opened her eyes.
"…Morning."
Her voice was quieter than usual.
Yuma glanced at her.
"…Morning."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
No teasing.
No arguing.
Just a strange, unfamiliar stillness.
Stud floated between them, looking from one to the other.
"…This is uncomfortable," he announced.
Serena grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it.
Stud phased through it effortlessly.
"Ah. There she is," he said, pleased. "The violent one returns. Nature is healing."
Serena sat up slowly, wincing slightly before hiding it behind a scowl.
"Shut up."
"Ah, yes. Definitely healing."
Yuma watched her carefully.
"…You shouldn't be moving that much."
Serena immediately crossed her arms.
"I'm fine."
"You said that yesterday."
"And I meant it."
Yuma gave her a look.
She looked away.
"…Mostly."
Stud clapped slowly.
"Progress. From 'I'm fine' to 'I'm mostly fine.' At this rate, she might admit weakness by next week."
Serena grabbed another pillow.
"Do you want to die again?"
"You've tried. Repeatedly. I'm still here."
"…Annoying."
Yuma couldn't help it.
He smiled.
Just a little.
Serena caught it.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
"Nothing."
"Don't 'nothing' me."
"Seriously, it's nothing."
"…You're smiling."
Yuma blinked.
"…Am I?"
"Yes. It's weird. Stop it."
Stud leaned in.
"Oh, don't stop. This is new. The boy smiles, the girl doesn't stab him—this is unprecedented."
Serena threw the pillow again.
"Shut. Up."
The pillow bounced harmlessly off the wall.
Stud drifted lazily to the side.
"Your aim is getting worse. Must be the injury."
"I will aim better next time."
"I look forward to it."
A knock came from downstairs.
Then Aunt Melda's voice:
"Breakfast is ready."
A pause.
"…And take it easy, both of you. No training today."
Serena scoffed lightly.
"Yeah, right."
Yuma stood carefully, slower this time.
"No, she's serious."
Serena frowned.
"…What?"
Yuma glanced back at her.
"You got hit pretty bad. And I… didn't exactly walk it off either."
Serena looked down at her hands.
For once—
She didn't argue.
"…Fine," she muttered. "Just today."
Stud gasped dramatically.
"Did you hear that? The feisty one surrenders. Truly, the world is ending."
Serena stood up—
Slowly.
Carefully.
Then glared at him.
"Keep talking and I'll make sure you don't see tomorrow."
Stud grinned.
"There it is. Balance restored."
Yuma moved toward the door, then paused.
"…Serena."
She looked at him.
"…Yeah?"
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
"…Let's go eat."
Serena blinked.
Then huffed lightly.
"…Yeah. Obviously."
They walked out together.
Not side by side.
Not close enough to touch.
But not distant either.
Just… close enough.
Behind them, Stud floated lazily, watching with quiet amusement.
"…Two humans," he muttered. "Injured, stubborn, and completely unaware."
A small grin spread across his face.
"…This is going to be fun."
The house was unusually lively that morning.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
Just… active.
The smell of breakfast filled the air, and for once, Serena wasn't the one being forced into the kitchen. She sat at the table with a bandage still wrapped around her arm, slowly stirring her drink while trying very hard not to move too much.
Across from her, Yuma ate quietly, occasionally wincing when he reached too far.
Stud floated above the table, upside down, watching them both like a bored inspector.
"You both move like elderly people," he commented. "Very slow. Very fragile. Very entertaining."
Serena didn't even look up.
"Keep talking and I'll test if you can regenerate from being put in a blender."
Stud paused.
"…I would prefer not to run that experiment."
From the kitchen, Aunt Melda placed another plate on the table.
"Eat more. Both of you lost a lot of energy yesterday."
Erika followed behind her, wiping her hands on a towel.
"And no training today," she added firmly. "Doctor's orders. And mine."
Serena groaned. "I said I'm fine."
Both Melda and Erika looked at her at the same time.
She immediately looked away.
"…Mostly fine."
Stud clapped slowly. "Character development. Beautiful."
Serena reached for a fork.
Stud floated back quickly. "I will stop talking now."
Everyone ate quietly for a moment before Erika suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, right. Melda."
Melda nodded. "Yes, I was about to mention that."
Serena looked up. "Mention what?"
Melda and Erika exchanged a glance.
"We're going out of town this afternoon," Melda said.
Yuma paused mid-bite. "Out of town?"
Erika nodded. "Work related. We'll probably be gone for a few days."
Serena blinked. "Wait… so…"
Melda smiled gently. "So the house will be yours for a while."
Silence.
Stud slowly turned toward Serena and Yuma.
Then grinned.
"Oh… this is interesting."
Serena immediately pointed at him. "Don't start."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"I was thinking many things."
Yuma rubbed his temples. "Please don't."
Erika laughed softly. "Just don't destroy the house while we're gone."
Melda added, "And no fighting indoors."
Stud raised a tentacle. "Define fighting."
Serena glared at him. "You're not included in the rules. You're the problem."
"I am the entertainment."
"You are the problem."
Breakfast continued, but the mood had changed slightly.
The idea that the house would soon be quiet… just the two of them… lingered in the air, unspoken but very present.
That Afternoon
Melda and Erika packed quickly.
They weren't people who made big dramatic goodbyes.
Just simple reminders.
"Food is in the fridge."
"Bandages are in the cabinet."
"Don't overexert yourselves."
"Lock the doors at night."
"And please," Erika added, looking directly at Serena, "try not to throw knives at Stud indoors."
Stud crossed his tiny arms. "Thank you. Someone understands my suffering."
Serena rolled her eyes.
Melda smiled at Yuma. "Take care of each other."
Yuma nodded. "We will."
Serena crossed her arms. "…We don't need babysitting."
Melda just smiled knowingly.
"That's not what I meant."
A few minutes later—
The front door closed.
The car engine started.
Then faded into the distance.
And just like that—
The house became quiet.
Very quiet.
Serena stood in the living room, arms crossed, looking around.
"…It's quiet."
Yuma nodded. "…Yeah."
Stud floated between them.
"…Ah. Two young humans. Alone in a house. This is either a romance story or a disaster story."
Serena threw a cushion at him.
"Stop narrating our lives."
The rest of the day passed slowly.
They didn't train.
They didn't fight.
They didn't argue much.
Instead—
They did normal things.
Very normal things.
They watched TV together, though Serena complained about Yuma's choice of shows.
They played video games, where Serena lost repeatedly and then accused the controller of being broken.
They tried cooking instant noodles, which Serena somehow still almost burned.
Stud sat on the couch like a king, judging both of them.
"You two are incredibly incompetent at basic survival," he said.
"We fought a Malwisp yesterday," Yuma replied.
"And yet you struggle with noodles."
"…That's different."
Serena sat on the floor, leaning against the couch.
"…Yesterday was crazy."
Yuma nodded. "…Yeah."
She looked at her bandaged arm.
"…I thought that thing was going to crush you."
Yuma scratched his cheek.
"…I thought it was going to crush you."
They both went quiet.
Stud looked between them.
"…Ah. Emotional moment number two."
Serena grabbed the remote and threw it at him.
Later that evening, Serena sat alone on the couch scrolling through her phone while Yuma was in the kitchen.
Her thumb stopped.
She stared at the screen.
The date.
Tomorrow.
She blinked.
"…Oh."
Her birthday.
She stared at the screen for a long time.
No smile.
No excitement.
Just a quiet, unreadable expression.
"…I forgot."
Stud floated next to her. "What did you forget? How to cook? We already knew that."
"…Tomorrow's my birthday."
Stud paused.
"…Oh."
She locked her phone and put it down.
"…I don't really like birthdays."
Stud tilted slightly. "Why?"
She leaned her head back on the couch.
"…I don't want to talk about it."
She stared at the ceiling.
Stud watched her quietly for a moment.
He was about to make a remark but chose not too, feeling something was odd.
Serena closed her eyes.
From the kitchen, Yuma called out, "Food's ready!"