Yasushi wandered through his home, the hallways sprawling before him, an endless stretch of space that still amazed him with the sheer scale of it. The price he had paid for it baffled him — such a place, and for what it cost? It didn't add up. But at this hour — just after midnight — he figured everyone had already drifted off, lost in whatever dreams held them.
He reached a certain corridor, stopping briefly as something caught his eye. The room ahead, dimly lit, glowed faintly from the outside. The moonlight poured in, painting long streaks of white across the floor. He stepped closer, curious, and peeked inside. The balcony doors were ajar. His gaze landed on Yinhaie, her figure framed against the open sky, her eyes locked on the snowy expanse beyond.
Yasushi hesitated, then pushed the doors wider, careful not to make a sound. His steps were slow, deliberate, until he stood beside her. Yinhaie hadn't moved; her gaze remained fixed on the city, its lights scattered beneath them, snow falling in lazy flurries.
He broke the silence, voice low. "You alright?" He glanced over at her, unsure of what was happening behind that stillness.
Yinhaie stood quietly, eyes fixed on the distant lights scattered over the city. She didn't speak right away, and Yasushi waited, his own gaze lingering on her face, wondering what was running through her mind. Moments passed before she glanced in his direction, her expression calm.
"It's nothing, really. I just come out here sometimes… to look at this view," she said. There was something in her tone, something harder to place, but Yasushi didn't press yet.
"Look at the view?" he repeated, watching her closely, the word hanging between them.
"The older you get, the more you start noticing the small things that never mattered before." She paused, shifting slightly as she glanced back toward the sprawling city lights below. "After I finish my work, especially when you or Lady Jingliu are at school, or out with your friends, I find myself sitting around, looking out at whatever scene's in front of me. I guess I've started doing the kind of things older people do…"
She trailed off, staring out into the cold night as the snow continued to fall. Yasushi stayed quiet, not quite sure how to respond. He got it, though. In his own way, he understood. Last year, things had been different — before Jingliu's transfer. His life, too, had been spent in those quiet moments, caught between what felt like nothing and everything.
Yasushi had never been the type to connect easily with others. Even after his new parents had made efforts to draw him out of his shell, he had only opened up to them and no one else. He kept his distance from the world, finding solace in solitude, until Furuya showed up, persistent and irritating in his constant need for attention. Furuya didn't give him a choice, eventually dragging him into a friendship Yasushi hadn't been looking for.
Not much changed, though. Yasushi continued to live quietly, keeping everything under the radar, avoiding trouble whenever possible, no matter how often Furuya tried to drag him into his messes. Furuya had a knack for stirring things up, but Yasushi preferred not to be part of it.
But all things came to an end. Jingliu transferred, her presence shaking up his life in a way nothing else had. It wasn't something he had been prepared for, but it affected him all the same, shifting parts of himself that had stayed static for too long.
"I think I know what you mean," Yasushi said, his voice carrying a weight that hinted at those long, quiet days. "Before you all came to this city, I used to do that. Stay in my room, head out to random spots — sit there, staring off, just thinking about life." A faint smile crossed his face, the memory of it still vivid in his mind.
Without any buildup or warning, Yinhaie turned toward him, her arms wrapping around him, pulling him close without hesitation. Yasushi's face ended up pressed against her chest, throwing him off for a split second. He didn't move, though. This wasn't the first time she had done this, so he stood there, letting it happen, not exactly resisting, just letting her get through whatever it was she needed.
After what felt like a few moments, Yinhaie loosened her hold, stepping back from him. "Good night, Lord Yasushi. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, her tone almost dismissive, before she quickly walked out of the room, leaving him standing there, more confused than before.
His father's voice rang through his head then, like some sort of offhand advice from years ago. "The hearts of maidens are complicated, Yasushi. If you ever deal with girls acting strange in the future, don't waste your time trying to figure it out."
Yasushi stared at the door Yinhaie had just walked through, running the moment through his head again. He didn't understand any of it. He shook his head and let out a quiet sigh, before deciding to just head back to his room to sleep next to Jingliu, pushing the odd exchange out of his mind for the night.
+-+
Yasushi walked through the school hallways, moving without much thought, his mind elsewhere. It was lunchtime, and the usual crowd had already scattered, giving him space to wander. As he neared the guidance counselor's office, he spotted Reina by the windows. She stood there, her gaze fixed outside on the schoolyard. Her face told a story before she even spoke — there was a weight there, something pulling at her, an expression he hadn't seen on her before.
He walked up beside her, voice low. "Something wrong, Reina?"
She jumped, clearly not expecting anyone, her body tensing for a brief moment before she realized it was just him. "Jeez, Yasushi, don't sneak up on me like that," she muttered, letting out a slow breath. Her hand moved to her chest, as if steadying herself from the brief shock, then she lightly tapped his head with her fist, more playful than serious.
Yasushi gave a half-smile in response, shrugging. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But seriously, is something up? I saw you went to the counselor's office today. You were getting some career advice, right?"
Reina nodded, her expression darkening as she glanced back toward the schoolyard. The lightness from before faded, and she seemed lost again in whatever was on her mind. "Yeah, I did," she said quietly. "But… they told me I should pick something else. Something more realistic." She paused, her voice growing quieter as if admitting something hard to swallow. "They said if my plan failed, I'd be left with nothing. Homeless, basically."
The words hung there, Reina's eyes still locked on the scene outside, but Yasushi could tell her thoughts were miles away.
Yasushi stood beside her, eyes shifting from her face to the yard outside. "I won't say they're wrong," he began after a moment, his voice quiet but direct. "Not every dream's going to pan out, no matter how much effort you throw into it. That's how things work. Some things get in the way."
His gaze flicked back to her, catching the small curve of her lips as she listened. "And it's not always about what you do. Sometimes it's just external stuff — someone higher up not liking you, blocking your chances just because they can. Or life just deciding to throw shit your way because it feels like it."
Reina's smile grew a little wider, but there was still something heavy in the way she stood, something he couldn't ignore. Yasushi sighed, shrugging a bit. "But that doesn't mean you should quit. Just because teachers or other people say it's not stable doesn't mean it's not worth trying. A lot of authors didn't hit their stride until way later, and some lucked out right from the start. So, don't stop, Reina. Keep pushing forward with it."
Reina exhaled, head dipping slightly before she gave a small nod. "Yeah... I know. But hearing it from someone else makes it stick a little better. Thanks, Yasushi," she mumbled, her hand reaching up to tap the top of his head in a light, almost absentminded gesture.
Yasushi blinked at the contact but didn't react beyond that. Reina glanced toward the hallway, her tone shifting back to something more casual. "Come on, we should head back to the others before they start wondering where we went."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned, her steps leading them away from the quiet corner of the hallway. Yasushi followed without hesitation, his mind wandering as they approached the classroom, where the rest of their classmates were waiting, likely already halfway through lunch.
+-+
"Yasushi, what are we supposed to expect for the Halloween event at school?" Bhaqui's voice broke through the conversation, cutting into the noise of the film playing in the background.
It had been a few hours since Yasushi and Jingliu returned home. Bhaqui and Alicia had joined them not long after, and now they were all gathered in the living room. The movie provided some distraction, but their casual talk carried on. Yasushi popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth before answering.
"Nothing too exciting. I haven't heard anything new. It's just the same school event where we build a haunted house — our own version of it anyway. The public's allowed to come in for it too." His tone stayed flat, barely interested, as he spoke while chewing.
Bhaqui seemed satisfied, nodding slightly. But Alicia wasn't done. "Does the school have a cultural festival?" she asked, leaning forward, her voice cutting through the room. "I read about it online, and it seems like it's standard everywhere."
"I've been wondering about that too," Jingliu added, the three of them turning to look at Yasushi now. "We didn't have one last year."
He shook his head, pausing for a moment. "They stopped doing it after something happened a few years before I joined. But they make up for it with smaller events spread throughout the year. Halloween's one of those."
Yasushi scratched his head, thinking back. "If you're curious about what went down, I only know bits and pieces. Apparently, there was a group of people that caused a lot of trouble — trashed the place, sent eight students to the hospital. They tried again the next year, but the same thing happened. After that, they cut it for good. I don't really have all the details.
Jingliu frowned, crossing her arms. "Figures that a bunch of idiots would ruin it for everyone else. Something similar almost went down last year, but we handled it a lot better."
"Yeah," Yasushi agreed, leaning back into the couch. "Admin and staff freaked out for a minute, though they were relieved when things calmed down fast. Still, we should keep in mind that it could happen again this year." He turned back toward the film, eyes narrowing slightly as the scene unfolded.
"It's a few months away, but do you guys have any ideas for it?" Alicia asked, grabbing more popcorn without looking away from the screen.
Yasushi shrugged. He started talking about the theme from last year — a haunted house centered around ancient antiques that somehow became animated, mixed with some odd concepts. Jingliu had been the focus, playing the role of a deity that supposedly created the city. It had been over-the-top, but it worked.
Bhaqui leaned forward, eyes lighting up. "Why don't we do something with Chinese mythology this time? It'd be cool to base it around that."
Yasushi suddenly shot up from his seat, catching them off guard. He sat back down quickly, but his attention had changed completely. Pulling out his phone, he started tapping away furiously, glancing back and forth between different screens. His eyes widened with each second that passed, a grin starting to stretch across his face as he scrolled through information.
"Is something going on with you?" Bhaqui asked, taken aback by the sudden change.
Yasushi didn't respond at first, eyes fixed on the screen in front of him. After a moment, he mumbled, "I've got an idea…" He started typing again, faster this time. When he was done, he held out his phone, showing them what he'd found.
Yasushi's voice carried a weight of excitement as he explained the concept, "The whole thing would have a winter setting, but not just snow. Imagine a mix of horror elements, like Bingfeng — those Ice Spirits from Chinese mythology — combined with Tengliu, the Snow Goddess. And, of course, Goddess Hakufubuki. We'd use all three in the same haunted house."
He didn't wait for their reaction, already deep into the plan, his eyes gleaming with the thought of it. "Xinyi would be Tengliu, obviously, and Jingliu would play Hakufubuki again, like last time. The rest of us could be the Bingfeng, scattered around the room. We could even mix in other Chinese and Japanese creatures from folklore, blending both mythologies into one space."
He leaned back, scanning their faces. "So, what do you think?" His grin spread wider, not hiding his anticipation.