"He's so locked in it's kind of creepy," Xinyi muttered, leaning close to Yasushi's ear. Her voice wasn't as quiet as she thought — it carried enough for everyone to hear, and it made Furuya's mouth twitch.
"He's buckling down harder than ever lately. Let him be," Yasushi said, eyes staying on his own work, ignoring Xinyi's comment, making her scoff in annoyance.
It had been a few months since Halloween passed. The cold bite of winter meant Christmas was around the corner, but they had a bigger problem first: winter exams. Those loomed in front of them like the last boss they had to defeat before the break started.
All of them were crammed inside Xinyi's house, attempting to study together. Hours dragged by since the session began, and the room's focus was starting to wear thin. But just as everyone's concentration began to slip, a handful of maids and butlers entered quietly, setting down trays of snacks and drinks on a table nearby.
Xinyi tossed her pen down. "Guess that's the signal to take a break," she said, already rising from her seat.
Everyone stood up, gravitating toward the snacks and drinks. Conversations started as they began to eat and sip.
"You know, once the break's over, the studying is just gonna ramp up," Furuya said after he swallowed a bite, eyes flicking between them.
"Yeah, we all know that, Furuya," Laura shot back, leaning against the table. "But we've got no choice. We just sit down, shut up, and grind it out so we can get into whatever college we need."
"Honestly, sometimes I wish I could skip it and just get a job." Furuya sighed, taking another bite. "But getting a degree gives you better options. Not that it's always a guarantee."
"It's not always that simple," Alicia said, making them look her way. "If you study abroad, and you're good at English — or whatever language the country speaks — you might have an advantage. Some places have labor shortages in certain fields."
"Going abroad, huh?" Furuya muttered, scratching his head. "Never even thought about it. My English is crap. Can't picture myself picking up another language either." He shook his head, clearly not thrilled at the idea.
Reina shifted her focus to the others. "What about you three?" She asked, her gaze moving from Yasushi to Xinyi and then to Jingliu.
"I'm staying local, going to the nearby university. These two are headed there too, but..." Yasushi paused, looking at Xinyi and Jingliu. Both of them nodded at him, confirming something unsaid.
"On our dad's suggestion — hell, on all our dads' suggestions — we'll be going to an extra three years of school after we graduate. Yasushi's coming along too, but he's diving straight into a job. We'll all be in the same country though." Xinyi explained it like it was no big deal, eating while absently twisting strands of her hair around her fingers.
The room fell silent for a moment. Furuya broke it, wide-eyed. "Wait, hold on — what? When did all of this get decided?" His eyes flicked over to Yasushi, looking for some kind of explanation.
"Three weeks after Halloween," Yasushi began, rubbing the back of his neck. "We were on FaceTime with our parents, and they pitched the idea. We all agreed to it. I'm not an heir, so I won't need to do what they're doing in school. I'll get a head start on work for those extra three years while they finish studying. But, we'll be abroad for a while, so we won't be seeing much of each other."
Xinyi jumped in, filling in more gaps. "Basically, we're staying here for now, going to university. After we graduate, Jingliu and I will head abroad for another three years of school. Yasushi will already be working by then. Once we finish, we'll join him."
"Where?" Laura asked, clearly intrigued by the new development.
"The United Kingdom. Yasushi will start working there, and we'll hopefully get into Oxford. We'll be working in the UK for a few years, then travel to a few other countries, and eventually come back to Japan," Xinyi said, her expression turning a little downcast as she spoke.
Yasushi felt a strange mix of excitement and anxiety gnawing at him. In his past life, he had been an Englishman before reincarnation, so the idea of returning to the UK stirred something familiar inside him. But there was that nagging thought in the back of his mind — what if his old parents existed in this world too, living different lives?
He had never bothered to look them up, didn't dare, really. Some weird fear had always held him back. They hadn't gotten along well before, but now... he couldn't stop wondering about them. How were they doing here? What were their lives like now?
"The UK, huh? Gonna chow down on some crumpets and sip tea all day?" Furuya chimed in, snickering at his own comment.
His laughter died quickly, and the blood drained from his face. "W-w-wait... what about Catherine!?" His voice cracked as he turned to look at his girlfriend, his panic rising visibly.
Xinyi's eyes lit up with mischief as she skipped over to Catherine, wrapping her arms around her from behind, and pulling her away from Furuya. "I'll be taking her with me!" she teased, her voice playful but carrying just enough bite to make Furuya flinch.
Laura glanced at the others — Bhaqui, Alicia, Yunxue, Layena, and Yinhaie — and asked, "Are you guys leaving too?"
Bhaqui nodded, answering first. "Alicia and I are heading back to China. Maybe we'll cross paths again, but I can't say when." Alicia agreed silently, her head moving in sync.
Yinhaie, who had been standing quietly, spoke next. "I serve Lady Jingliu, so wherever she goes, I'll follow." Layena, who stood beside her, nodded without a word.
Yunxue, still chewing her food, barely looked up. "I work for Yasushi, so I'm going where he goes," she said in between bites, the crumbs scattering across the table.
Furuya leaned against the edge of the table, sighing heavily. "Hearing it like that just makes everything sound... depressing as hell."
Yasushi shrugged, trying to lift the weight that seemed to hang over the group. "It's not like we can't stay in touch. We've still got our group chats, even if the time zones mess with things. And this isn't forever. But right now, let's focus on the exams and the Moon Weaving event first. We've got plenty on our plate before any of this even hits."
The group kept eating and talking, but the future still loomed over them, creeping closer even as they tried to ignore it for the moment. They threw themselves into the conversation, trying to push away the thoughts of what was coming.
After finishing their food, they dove back into their study session, losing track of time until the clock struck eight. The quiet that followed the end of the study session felt strange, but it gave them room to think about what was just around the corner.
Later that night, Yasushi found himself getting messages from his father. It had become more common lately — ever since the topic of graduation started to take over their lives and his parents had more free time to talk about what was happening abroad. They wanted to share what their life was like now and check in with him before the next big step.
Yasushi stood on the balcony, his hand resting on the cold metal railing, staring out at the snow covering everything. The quiet around him made him think of how close graduation really was. Christmas was coming fast, and in just a few months, he'd be stepping out into the world. But this time was different. He wasn't just floating anymore like in his previous life. Now, he had a clear path ahead, and for the first time, he had something to chase after.
He took a deep breath, then walked away from the balcony, leaving the cold air behind. Moving down the silent hallways of his home, he caught the sound of voices coming from one of the rooms nearby. He stepped closer, listening for a moment before peeking in. Yinhaie was there, guiding Yunxue through some drills, focused on her training.
Yunxue's attention never wavered, and Yasushi figured it was better not to interrupt. Without saying anything, he continued down the hall, making his way back to his bedroom. When he entered, Jingliu was already there, a book open in her lap, flipping through the pages. She looked up at him the second he came into view.
Without a word, she put the book down and patted the spot next to her on the bed. He understood, getting himself ready for the night, switching off the lights before joining her. As soon as he lay down, Jingliu placed her hand on his chest, her eyes meeting his with an unspoken request.
"Do you want…?" he asked, his voice low, and she gave a small nod, her hand sliding lower across his chest.
+-+
The classroom held a heavy silence. Pens hit paper, and the sound of scribbling filled the air, though no one dared to speak. Everyone sat hunched over their desks, eyes glued to the exams in front of them. Exam week had kicked off at Nosenki High School, and now every student found themselves stuck in that moment where everything they'd studied either came through or failed them.
English 1 was the first subject they tackled. Most students felt a bit of relief at this; their confidence in English wasn't high, but at least they knew it wasn't their toughest exam. English 2 would come soon enough, and that one had the reputation of crushing spirits.
Yasushi's pen moved rapidly, filling the blank spaces on his exam without hesitation. Each question rolled into the next, but none gave him any real trouble. He had come into this exam ready, his mind running through each answer like he'd done it a hundred times before.
Having lived his previous life in England made this particular subject easy. The language felt natural, flowing from him without effort. All he really needed to focus on had been brushing up on the details of grammar and whatever novel they'd been assigned to read. Every other challenge felt light, almost as if it didn't matter.
Time crawled as the exam finally wrapped up, but there was no rest yet. History 1 followed right after, and then came Business 1. Those were the first three in a series of grueling tests before the students got any kind of break. When the twenty-minute pause between exams finally hit, everyone collapsed back into their seats, shoulders sagging and a wave of exhausted sighs rippling through the room.
"I'm fucking dead... should've studied more," a classmate muttered, slumping over his desk, getting a chorus of tired groans in response from others who felt the same.
Around the room, more students grumbled about not being prepared, while the rest moved to pull out their snacks and drinks, eager to get a quick recharge after pushing their brains to the limit. Yasushi, unfazed, unwrapped a sandwich and ate it absentmindedly. He turned his gaze to the window, noting how the snowfall outside had picked up again. It reminded him of the last heavy storm, though he knew it wouldn't get quite that bad this time around.
A tap on his shoulder snapped his attention back. He turned and saw Furuya standing there, looking drained, eyes heavy with fatigue. "You alright?" Yasushi asked, concern creeping into his tone.
"Ugh... I'm fucking dying," Furuya muttered, slumping face-first onto his desk.
"You probably did better than last time, man. Keep your head up," Yasushi said, though he knew his words wouldn't land. Furuya had put in serious effort this year, more than before. Yasushi could tell just by watching him.
Hell, maybe this time he'd crack the top thirty, even the top twenty. Last year, he wouldn't have even touched the rankings, but now, there was a chance. Furuya had worked himself to the bone.
Still, Furuya wasn't buying it. He always called himself "stupid" with a sort of sad resignation, and pushing his limits like this was a battle way beyond what he usually signed up for. "Hope all this shit is worth it," Furuya grumbled before dragging himself back to his seat, dropping his head onto the desk again with a dull thud.
Yasushi looked around the room at his classmates, all in the same state. Most of them had their heads down, faces resting on arms, completely drained. Some were trying to eat or sip from water bottles, but the exhaustion hung heavy over them.
And Yasushi knew they weren't even halfway done. This was just the beginning — there'd be more of these brutal tests for the rest of the week before they could even think about their break.