The night air sat heavy over the street, the kind that made everything feel slower than it really was. The lights from the convenience stores and passing cars painted the road in dull reflections, stretching shadows across the pavement. It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either. Just… people passing through.
Yusuke wasn't.
He stood still.
A few meters away.
Watching.
Riku.
It wasn't planned.
No message. No meeting. No reason.
Just coincidence.
Riku stood near the edge of the street, hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed in a way that didn't match anything about him. His head tilted slightly downward, eyes unfocused, like he wasn't really looking at anything in front of him.
For a moment—
neither of them spoke.
"…Riku."
The name felt heavier than it should have.
Riku didn't react immediately.
Then slowly—
his eyes shifted.
Landed on Yusuke.
No surprise.
No tension.
Just… acknowledgment.
"…You again."
Silence stretched between them.
Cars passed.
Voices faded in and out.
But neither of them moved.
Yusuke took a step forward.
Then another.
Stopping just a few meters away.
Close enough to see clearly.
Far enough that it still felt distant.
"…We lost."
His voice came out quieter than usual.
Not steady.
Not sharp.
Just… honest.
Riku didn't respond.
Yusuke's hands tightened slightly at his sides.
"…That guy… Aka."
A breath.
"…We can't beat him like this."
Still nothing.
Yusuke's chest rose and fell unevenly.
His eyes stayed locked on Riku.
Waiting.
For something.
Anything.
"…So?"
That was it.
That was all Riku gave him.
Yusuke's expression cracked.
Just slightly.
"…So we have to do it together."
The words came out faster now.
Messier.
Less controlled.
"…We need you."
Another step forward.
"…The team needs you."
His voice shook.
"…I need you."
Riku's gaze didn't change.
Didn't soften.
Didn't harden.
It just stayed the same.
Yusuke's breathing hitched.
"…You said it yourself," he went on, the words starting to stumble over each other now. "You said no one sees you—then make them see you."
His voice broke.
"…Don't just walk away."
A pause.
"…Come back."
Silence.
Then—
Riku moved.
One step forward.
Closing the distance slightly.
Not enough to feel close.
Just enough to stand directly in front of Yusuke.
For a moment—
it felt like something might change.
Yusuke's eyes lifted slightly.
Hope.
Small.
Fragile.
There.
Riku looked at him.
Really looked at him this time.
At the shaking hands.
The uneven breathing.
The tears starting to form.
"…You're crying?"
The words weren't loud.
But they landed hard.
Yusuke didn't answer.
Because it was true.
The first tear fell.
Then another.
Quiet.
Uncontrolled.
"…We can beat him," Yusuke said, his voice breaking completely now. "We just—"
He swallowed hard.
"…We just need to do it together."
Riku's expression didn't change.
"…You still don't get it."
Yusuke froze.
"…Get what?"
Riku's eyes stayed on him.
Calm.
Detached.
"…It's not about winning."
The words didn't come with anger.
Or frustration.
Just… fact.
Yusuke shook his head quickly.
"…That's not—"
"Buzz off."
It cut through everything.
Clean.
Final.
Yusuke stopped.
Riku stepped past him.
Not fast.
Not dramatic.
Just… moving.
"…I'm done with that team."
Each step created more distance.
"…And I'm done being invisible."
Yusuke turned slightly.
Watching.
Not moving.
"…Then prove it with us!" Yusuke shouted, his voice cracking as it rose. "Don't run from it!"
Riku didn't stop.
Didn't turn.
"…I'm not running."
His voice came back quieter now.
Almost lost in the night.
"…I just stopped caring."
And with that—
he kept walking.
The distance grew.
Step by step.
Until the street swallowed him completely.
Yusuke stood there.
Alone.
The noise of the city returned.
Cars.
Voices.
Movement.
But none of it reached him.
His hands hung at his sides.
Loose.
Empty.
"…Damn it…"
The words came out in a whisper.
Barely there.
The tears didn't stop.
And for the first time—
Yusuke didn't try to hide them.