Chapter 62: Echoes Beneath the Moonlight
The moon hung low and golden in the Hoshikawa sky, casting a quiet glow over the Hayato estate. The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves with secrets too old to be spoken aloud. Naoto sat on the cold bench in the garden where he'd last held Himari's hand. Her warmth had long faded from his fingers, but the memory remained—vivid and complicated.
His mind wasn't quiet. It hadn't been for a long time.
Footsteps approached, light but purposeful. Rika.
She stood near him, arms crossed, her usual confident air replaced by a hesitant vulnerability. "You always end up out here when something's bothering you."
Naoto didn't turn to face her right away. "And you always find me."
Rika sighed, walking around the bench to sit beside him. "It's not hard to find someone who doesn't want to be found. They make it obvious."
There was a long pause. The night was filled with crickets and the distant hum of city life, muffled by the estate's walls.
"You're not going to ask what happened?" Naoto asked quietly.
"No," Rika replied. "Because I already know. Or at least, I know enough. Himari's important to you. You don't need to explain why."
Naoto turned toward her, startled. "Rika…"
"But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," she added quickly, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "It does. Because I… I started believing in something again. In you. In us. Even if it was small. Even if it was hopeless."
Naoto looked down at his hands. "Rika, I never meant to hurt you."
"I know you didn't. But that doesn't stop it from happening, does it?"
They sat in silence again until Rika stood. "I need to go inside. I promised Aiko I'd help her with her late-night project. You know how she is."
Naoto stood with her. "Rika, wait—"
But she'd already turned and walked away, the darkness swallowing her figure.
---
Later that night, Naoto found himself in the study room with Souta and Aiko. The light from the ceiling lamp flickered slightly—an electrical quirk, or maybe the mood playing tricks on him.
"You look like someone who's been hit by three trains and then kicked by a horse," Aiko said, not bothering to sugarcoat anything.
Souta laughed a little. "Classic Aiko."
Naoto offered a half-smile. "Thanks. I needed that."
"What happened between you and Rika?" Aiko asked.
Naoto hesitated. "It's complicated."
Souta leaned forward. "Well, we're all tangled in complicated things these days. You're not the only one. There's something going on in this city. Something bigger than just heartbreak."
Naoto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Souta exchanged a look with Aiko. She nodded subtly.
"We've been researching that strange pendant of yours—the one tied to your family," Souta said. "And the name 'Shirosaki' came up more than once."
Naoto's breath caught. "You mean… Himari?"
"Possibly her family," Aiko added. "Or someone tied to her. There are records in the old archives beneath the city library—hidden files. Mentions of a group of people connected to strange energy patterns. The same kind of aura that appeared the night your father disappeared."
Naoto sat back, stunned. He had long suspected Himari was part of something greater, something beyond their daily lives. But this—
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because we weren't sure until recently. And because we knew it would only pull you in deeper," Aiko said. "But now… it looks like you're already in it."
Naoto clenched his fists. "I need to see these records."
Souta nodded. "We'll take you. Tomorrow night. But it won't be easy. Security is tight, and these files are hidden for a reason."
---
Meanwhile, in her room, Himari sat by the window, writing something in her old leather notebook. Her hands trembled slightly. She had seen Rika's eyes earlier—eyes that mirrored the same pain Himari had once felt.
She closed the notebook. She couldn't keep running from the truth.
Downstairs, a man in a black coat stood outside the estate's gates. Hidden by the shadows, he stared up at the mansion with unreadable eyes.
He whispered into a device on his wrist. "Subject Naoto Hayashi has crossed the emotional threshold. Initiating Phase Two."
The device crackled in response. "Proceed with caution. The Shirosaki girl is still a variable."
He vanished into the shadows as if he'd never been there.
---
The next morning, Naoto woke up to a message on his phone. It was from Himari.
"Meet me by the old bridge at sunset. I need to tell you everything."
His heart pounded.
Everything was starting to unravel.