As Makoto pulled into the quiet driveway, Ayaka frowned at the warm glow spilling from the windows of her house.
"…The lights are on." Her voice held a mix of surprise and wariness.
Makoto stepped out and walked around to open the door for her. "Looks like someone's inside."
Ayaka let out a small sigh. "It's probably my brothers. They never text before showing up."
He escorted her to the front door, their footsteps echoing softly against the pavement. But just as Ayaka reached for the handle, the door swung open on its own.
"Hello, little sister!" Kai said in a sing-song voice, smiling a little too sweetly. He leaned casually against the doorframe like he hadn't just broken into her evening.
Ayaka narrowed her eyes. "You never call me that unless you're up to something."
"Can't a big brother just drop by for a visit?" Kai grinned.
Behind him, Kei stood near the wall with his arms crossed, quiet but unmistakably tense.
Before Ayaka could say anything else, Kai's gaze shifted. "Oh? Wait a minute—isn't this Moonlight Sonata? The man from the interview?"
Makoto bowed politely, composed even under the scrutiny. "My name is Makoto Miura. I'm Ms. Yamamoto's friend."
Kai's eyes twinkled. "Friend, huh? I see, I see… Well, thanks for bringing her home safely." He turned, throwing a glance at Kei. "Kei? Don't you have something to say?"
Kei's voice was low and flat. "I'm going to bed."
He walked off without a glance, the tension in the hallway thickening behind him.
"…Right." Ayaka let out a breath. "Well, thank you again, Miura. I'll see you around."
Makoto gave her a soft smile. "Take care, Yamamoto." He turned and made his way back to the car, leaving Ayaka standing at the doorway.
The moment she shut the door, the air in the living room changed.
Kai was the first to speak, predictably. "That guy clearly likes you."
Ayaka didn't respond.
She walked past them toward the kitchen, trying to act like she didn't hear.
Kai followed with a teasing lilt. "You didn't deny it."
"Because it doesn't matter." Ayaka muttered, opening the fridge aimlessly.
Kai cocked his head. "So do you like him?"
She froze, hand hovering above the juice carton, before slowly closing the fridge door. "…That's none of your business."
"But it is." Kei said suddenly from behind her, his voice sharper than it had been at the door. "Because if you keep this up, you're going to hurt someone."
Ayaka turned to face him, her jaw tightening. "Can we not talk about Akihiko right now?"
"I didn't say his name." Kei said evenly, stepping forward. "You did."
The silence that followed was deafening. Ayaka's eyes flared for a moment before she snapped, "We're just friends, okay?!"
"You keep saying that." Kei shot back, his voice rising for the first time, "but everything you do says otherwise. You're still clinging to him while stringing someone else along."
"I'm not stringing anyone!" she barked. "He knows exactly where we stand."
Kai quietly backed into the hallway, sensing this wasn't his place to mediate.
Kei shook his head, his tone low and bitter. "Then you're either lying to him… or lying to yourself."
Ayaka's chest heaved, fists clenched at her sides. "You think I want any of this? You think this is easy for me?"
"No." Kei replied, meeting her gaze. "But it's cruel. Whether you mean to be or not."
She blinked hard, struggling to hold her ground as emotion cracked her voice. "I never asked him to like me."
"That doesn't make it okay to keep him close just because you're lonely."
Ayaka took a shaky breath and turned away. "Goodnight, Kei."
He didn't stop her this time. But as she climbed the stairs, her heart felt heavier than before.
From the bottom of the steps, Kei called out one last time, quiet but clear—
"…He's not coming back, Ayaka. Don't waste your time waiting for him."
She paused mid-step.
And kept walking.
She turned back around slowly, her eyes burning. "How would you know that?"
Kei didn't flinch. "Because if he cared the way you think he did, he wouldn't have disappeared without a word. You're not the only one who lost someone."
Her voice cracked, fury barely contained. "You don't know what happened. None of you do."
"Then tell us." Kei challenged. "Tell me what I'm missing. Because all I see is you shutting down, locking yourself away, and clinging to the idea of someone who made his choice to leave. You think I don't care? You think this doesn't piss me off too?!"
Ayaka's hands balled into fists. "Then stop acting like you're the only one who gets angry! You don't get to throw Akihiko's name around like he meant nothing—like I meant nothing to him! You weren't there!"
"And you were?" Kei snapped. "If he actually gave a damn, he wouldn't have left you in pieces Ayaka!"
"Shut up!" Her voice shattered in the room like glass.
Kei didn't back down. "And now you're letting another guy orbit around you while you're still bleeding over the first one!"
"Because he asked! Because he offered! What am I supposed to do—crawl into a corner and die?!" she screamed. "Do you want me to pretend none of it happened? That he didn't matter? That I can just erase Akihiko like it's convenient for you?!"
Kei's eyes narrowed, his voice deadly quiet. "You think you're the only one who's hurting?"
The room felt like it was collapsing around them.
"I watched you waste away at his door for five damn days." Kei continued, his voice rising again, uncharacteristically emotional.
"Do you know how many nights Kai and I sat there wondering if we should break it to you that he's gone? That maybe this time, he's not coming back?"
"I don't need you to protect me!" Ayaka yelled. "I'm not a child!"
"You're right. You're not. So stop acting like one." Kei's tone was cutting now. "Either move forward or tell Miura to back off. But you can't keep living in between."
Ayaka was trembling, but her voice came out steady and low. "You don't get to tell me how to heal."
"And you don't get to hide behind the excuse of healing just to avoid making a choice."
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kai's voice cut through the storm like a whip.
Ayaka and Kei both froze. Neither had even realized he'd returned from the hallway.
Kai's expression was deadly serious now, all traces of his usual playfulness gone. "This isn't helping either of you."
He looked between them, arms crossed. "Kei, I get it—you're worried. But don't tear her apart just because you're frustrated. She's already broken."
Kei's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.
Kai turned to Ayaka, softer now. "And you… I know you're hurting, Ayaka. But we're not your enemies. We're your family. Let us in."
Her shoulders slumped slightly, the fight draining out of her.
Her chest rose and fell quickly as she fought the burn in her throat.
Kai stepped closer. "You don't have to pretend to be okay for us. But don't lash out at the ones who stayed."
Ayaka blinked rapidly.
One tear slipped down her cheek, but she didn't bother wiping it away.
Kei turned away first, his voice gruff. "…I'm going out for some air."
The front door shut a little harder than necessary as he left.
Ayaka stood frozen on the stairs, her back to Kai, breathing hard.
"…You okay?" he asked gently.
"No." she whispered. "Not even close."
Kai just nodded, and walked past her toward the kitchen. "Then let's start with tea."
The sound of the kettle boiling was the only noise in the kitchen.
Ayaka sat at the counter, arms limp at her sides, her gaze fixed on a crack in the tile like it held all the answers.
Kai moved around her quietly, pouring hot water into two mugs and adding a splash of milk to hers—just the way she liked it. He slid it over without a word, then took the seat beside her.
Ayaka wrapped her hands around the cup but didn't drink. Her fingers were still trembling.
"…I didn't mean to yell." she said quietly, her voice raw.
Kai exhaled a gentle sigh. "You had every right to."
She shook her head. "No. I was being defensive. I just—I didn't know how to explain it without falling apart."
He looked at her, eyes soft. "Then fall apart."
She blinked, startled by how calm he sounded.
"You don't always have to be so composed, Ayaka. Not with us."
Her lips trembled, and she dropped her gaze. "It's not that easy."
"I know." He took a sip of his tea. "But it doesn't mean you have to do this alone."
The silence stretched again. Then Ayaka finally whispered, "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore, Kai. I keep pretending I've moved on, that I can…function, but it's like I'm walking through a fog. And sometimes I catch myself waiting for a knock on the door. For him to just… come back."
Kai didn't say anything, just let her speak.
"And Miura…" she let out a shaky breath, "He's been kind. Patient. But the more he's there, the more I realize I don't even know if I'm capable of letting someone else in. Not really. Not while I still…"
She trailed off. The words were too heavy.
Kai finally spoke. "You still love him."
Ayaka closed her eyes. "…Yeah."
Kai reached across the counter and gently placed a hand over hers.
"That's not something you have to apologize for."
"But it's hurting everyone around me."
"No." he said gently. "What's hurting is the silence. Kei included. He's angry, but it's only because he's scared. He doesn't want you to end up with regrets."
Ayaka turned her head toward him. "And you?"
He smiled, a little sadly. "I just want you to breathe again."
That did it. Her eyes filled with tears, and before she could stop herself, she leaned forward, her forehead resting on Kai's shoulder.
"I miss him." she choked. "So much I can't even sleep."
"I know." Kai wrapped his arms around her, holding her the way he used to when they were younger and she scraped her knees. "I know you do."
They stayed like that for a long while, the tea cooling between them, the storm inside her chest quieting just a little.
"Thank you." she whispered, voice muffled.
Kai kissed the top of her head. "Always."