"Yasushi," Yunxue called, her voice cutting through the stillness, prompting him to turn from his desk.
"Hmm? What's up?" Yasushi asked as he pushed his chair back, the legs scraping against the floor.
Hours had slipped by since school had let out. Yasushi sat in his office, the remnants of the day's homework sprawled before him. Earlier, Jingliu had stepped out, joining her group of friends — Xinyi, Layena, Laura, Reina, and Alicia — for a girls' outing.
"Did you talk to Alicia about something?" Yunxue asked, her brow furrowing as she adjusted her stance. "She's been acting a bit off since lunchtime."
Yasushi tilted his head, his interest growing. He recounted his encounter with Alicia in the school hallway. He described finding her, the love letter clutched in her hand, the awkward moment that followed, and the revelation that it had all been a dare. As he spoke, Yunxue listened, her expression changing as she absorbed the details. When he finished, silence settled between them, and Yasushi observed her, seeing the gears turn in her mind, contemplating the implications of what he had just shared.
Yasushi leaned back in his chair, a frown creasing his brow as he considered the question. "Now that I think about it, do the staff in the Yang or Cheng family get to have romances with one another or outside? I know some had… I guess before joining, but what about during employment?"
Yunxue met his gaze, her expression thoughtful. "It would be inhumane for them to deny the other staff, like myself, a chance at that. So no… well, as far as I know. There have been people who married and had children while still employed by Lady Jingliu's family. Sir Heinz is an example. He's the head butler, but he has his own family outside of his job."
Yasushi nodded, a hint of surprise flickering across his face. "Okay… I admit I didn't see that coming, but it does make sense. Heinz is quite old, and for him to not have a family is strange, though not impossible." He rubbed his chin, contemplating the implications of her words.
"I don't think she's interested in romance, but she may be considering it now since we do have a long life ahead of us, especially for the staff in the Yang family. If you marry Lady Jingliu, you will become the next Master of the family, especially once Master Liang Yang and Lady Yuhan Yang retire or step down," Yunxue explained, her tone steady as she laid out the implications.
Just then, the door swung open, and Azari, their cat, sauntered into the room. She padded over to Yasushi, leaping onto his lap and beginning to rub against him. Yasushi chuckled at the unexpected visit but welcomed it, gently stroking Azari's head and giving her a bit of affection.
"What about Bhaqui?" Yasushi asked, glancing up at Yunxue. "He doesn't strike me as the type to get into romance."
Yunxue giggled softly, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Bhaqui does have a crush on someone back in China. He has a local girl in Mengyinhu, and he met up with her regularly enough once he didn't have any responsibilities left to tend to."
"Now that's surprising. I didn't expect that," Yasushi said, his hand moving steadily over Azari, who purred loudly in response.
"Yes, many wouldn't see this side of Bhaqui. He hides it well. Only Anfeng, Yinhaie, Heinz, a few others, and I know. Lady Jingliu and her parents know too," Yunxue said, a light laugh escaping her lips.
The mood lightened, their discussion growing more playful. They drifted through various topics about the staff, tossing out guesses about who might be in secret relationships, each idea sparking laughter and intrigue.
+-+
Later that night, Jingliu came home, her expression indicating something weighed on her mind. After dinner, they settled onto their shared bed, and Yasushi broke the silence. "Is something wrong?"
Jingliu leaned against him, her voice soft. "…I think Xinyi still likes you, and I mean romantically."
Yasushi felt no surprise; he had known this since last year but had chosen not to address it. The knowledge lingered in his mind, but he lacked the time and space to confront it properly. He valued Xinyi as a close friend, and the thought of disrupting their current dynamic created a knot in his stomach.
In his previous life before reincarnating, he had never faced a situation like this. Now, he grappled with the necessity of addressing feelings he had avoided. Yasushi had always prided himself on his independence, so navigating this emotional terrain proved to be a challenge in itself.
"I'm aware," he said, a flicker of discomfort showing through. "But since last year, things have been chaotic. I haven't been able to sit her down and talk about it. I do plan to though, before graduation. She deserves to hear it from me, that maybe she should set her sights elsewhere."
Jingliu shifted closer in the warmth of their embrace, settling more comfortably as she continued, "We were hanging out, just like usual. Other girls joined us, friends of Reina and Laura from different classes. Naturally, the conversation drifted to boys, relationships, and whether anyone had a boyfriend."
"They started going around, asking all of us. When they got to Xinyi, she tried brushing it off at first. But in the end, it slipped. She described someone, and it sounded a lot like you. I could see her sneaking glances at me now and then. She was anxious. She's figured it out too."
"And no," she added without hesitation, "I'm not worried about you cheating. You don't seem like the type."
Yasushi found himself smirking at her bluntness. He didn't have it in him to do something like that to her, but hearing it said so plainly gave him a strange mix of relief and humor. Still, what caught him off guard was how Xinyi had described him — unmistakably the image of the boyfriend she wanted. That part lingered in his thoughts more than he expected.
"Did anyone call her out on her 'ideal man' after she laid it out?" he asked, intrigued by the thought of how her friends had reacted to something so bold.
Jingliu didn't hesitate. "Reina and Laura noticed, definitely. But the others? They either didn't catch it or stayed quiet to avoid stirring anything up."
He nodded as he took it all in, the pieces fitting into place. After a moment, he turned back to her and asked, "Do you want me to deal with it now, or should I stick to my plan and talk to her before graduation?"
Jingliu sat in thought, the pause stretching out as she mulled over the situation. She finally spoke, "I'll leave it to you. If I bring it up myself, it might mess with the balance we've got going. If I confront her head-on, it could drive a wedge — not just between me and her, but with everyone else too. I don't want that."
Yasushi nodded. It made sense. She was trying to keep everything from falling apart, trying to put others first. If he really thought about it, she wasn't the same person she was last year. Back then, she would've gone straight to Xinyi without hesitating, probably wouldn't have even told him before doing it. The change in her approach didn't go unnoticed.
"Alright," he said, after a brief pause. "I'll stick to what I planned, then. Sorry, and thanks for putting up with it."
They settled back into the couch, the warmth of their bodies close together as they flicked the TV on, scrolling through movies.
+-+
"I've got an announcement," Furuya said as he marched straight to Yasushi's desk, eyes wide.
Everyone turned to him, unsure of what was coming. His grin stretched as he let the silence drag on, milking their confusion.
"I'm pregnant," he declared, the words hanging in the air like a boulder crashing through the room.
The entire group sat there, jaws practically on the floor, stunned into silence. Catherine, sitting closest, slapped her hand against her forehead, clearly regretting every second of being within earshot of this nonsense. She shot Furuya a glare that could melt metal.
Furuya's chuckle broke through the awkward moment. "Alright, alright, just messing around. Lightening the mood, you know? Anyway," he said, turning serious in a heartbeat, "the Chinese students don't know this yet, so listen up — you, you, you, you, and you," he added, pointing directly at Jingliu, Xinyi, Alicia, Bhaqui, and Yunxue. "I'm talking about the Moon Weaving event. You know, the one the seniors are part of."
"The Moon Weaving event? What even is that?" Yunxue asked, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of his sudden revelation.
Xinyi crossed her arms, her skepticism clear. "No one's mentioned this before. Are you just pulling this out of thin air?" She stared at Furuya, her expression bordering on disbelief.
Jingliu shook her head slightly. "Yasushi brought it up when we came back to school, but he didn't really go into details. We were second years, so it makes sense we didn't know much about it. I guess the seniors were in the loop," she said, her voice trailing off as she pieced it together.
Laura let out a sigh, shaking her head at the confusion in the room. "Oh, that... Well, for me, it's nothing to write home about. Some might think differently, I guess," she added, leaving the rest of them even more puzzled.
"So... what is it then?" Xinyi asked, clearly getting impatient, her curiosity growing by the second. The mystery wasn't helping her mood.
"It's an event organized entirely by students, not the school. Mostly seniors since it's our last year," Furuya began explaining, shifting into the role of a guide. "It happens in Goruji Park, out to the west, and starts around six in the evening. The whole thing lasts until two or three in the morning, depending on how it goes."
He paused, giving everyone time to let the information settle. Then he added, "It's a way for the seniors to celebrate our last Christmas as high schoolers, but it's also tied to celebrating the goddess."
"So what do we actually do there?" Bhaqui asked, his interest clearly piqued.
Furuya shrugged, as if trying to downplay it. "Honestly, it's not some grand thing. We show up, bring food, drinks, and a few specific items that get emailed to all the seniors. The main event changes every year, so no one really knows what it'll be until we're there with our stuff. It's more like a giant gathering for every senior in the city to just hang out together," he explained, his tone casual but firm.
"But like I said earlier, it happens closer to Christmas, and we've got time. Last year, we were busy with the museum event, so you guys missed out. It's mostly known by the people who've been here for a while. Those who grew up in this city have known about it for years," Furuya added, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had been through it all before. "Anyway, emails will come in a week or two before it kicks off, so just be prepared."
Layena stared at the desk for a moment, then raised her head. "We've still got a few months before any of that. Besides, Halloween's coming first, not to mention exams."
Furuya let out a short laugh, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, Halloween's gonna go down pretty much the same way it always does, so nothing to stress about there."
A brief silence followed, each of them sinking into their own thoughts. Yunxue finally spoke up, cutting through the quiet. "So, now we know about the events, but it's not like we can do much about them yet. Why not just enjoy our last year together without overthinking it? Sure, careers are something we gotta figure out, but the rest of it? We should just take it one day at a time, live through each moment."
Her words hung in the air for a second before the group responded, smiles forming as they took in her upbeat attitude.
"She's got a point," Yasushi said, pulling everyone's attention back to him. "We don't know what's gonna happen after these last months. Some of us might end up in different prefectures, maybe some of you'll go back to China. Who knows when we'll cross paths again? Better to make the most of it, rather than getting bogged down by stuff that doesn't matter as much."
After Yasushi spoke, the group lapsed into silence again, the weight of his words settling on them. Eventually, conversation picked back up, though a different energy now hung in the air. That slight shift in mood wasn't something any of them could ignore.
Their friendships had only really formed the year before, apart from Furuya and Yasushi, but somehow that didn't make it any less significant. Bonds had tightened over time, and even the newer faces in the group had managed to fit right in as if they'd been there from the start. That unspoken connection made the idea of everyone going their own way after graduation hit harder than they expected, stirring a quiet sadness none of them had wanted to face this early.