Time moved slower than usual. Yasushi and Jingliu had started working out more, their sessions growing into something of a group activity. Yinhaie, Layena, and Yunxue joined in as well. It caught the attention of the rest of the staff, who initially found it odd but ended up joining in themselves.
It wasn't just exercise anymore — it became a part of their day that brought everyone a little closer. Even the atmosphere around the house lightened, a quiet sense of ease settling over them all.
But the calm couldn't last. Only a few days remained before graduation loomed ahead, along with the arrival of the Banquet. Yasushi, Jingliu, and Xinyi's parents would soon return to Japan for the ceremony, their presence hovering over the approaching days like a deadline nobody could outrun.
The snow had already started melting, leaving behind patches of the earth that had been hidden for months. The night was still. Jingliu stood on the balcony, staring out into the dark. Worry lined her face.
Yasushi came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "What's on your mind?" His voice was quiet, the tension underneath it unmistakable.
She glanced back at him, her face tight with concern. "Goddess Hakufubuki said everything kicks off tomorrow night… are you really ready for this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Yasushi said, as Jingliu turned fully toward him, wrapping her arms around him. Her embrace felt different this time. He noticed it immediately, but before he could say anything more, she gently pushed him back toward the bed. He fell onto it without resistance. Jingliu climbed on top of him, her eyes fixed on his, searching for something he wasn't sure she would find.
But he shook his head. "We can't — not like this. I don't think sex is the answer when we're both feeling... like this." He paused for a second, his voice steady but firm. "Let's wait until we're in a better place. If things start looking up, then we'll see how we feel, yeah?"
Jingliu stared at him, not moving for what felt like forever. Then, after a breath, she nodded, settling back down on top of him. She closed her eyes, her head resting against his chest. They lay like that, in silence.
This might be their last normal night. Tomorrow everything would change — whether for better or worse, neither of them could predict. All they wanted, at least for tonight, was to forget that the Banquet of the Gods was looming, if only for a little while longer.
+-+
"You alright, man? You're looking pretty tense," Furuya asked, glancing at Yasushi while they ate lunch in their classroom.
Yasushi turned his head, forcing a smile. "Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night," he admitted. "We wrapped up our finals a few weeks after the Kyoto trip, and now we're just a few days from graduation. It's… a lot." He shrugged, feeling the weight of everything hitting him at once.
Furuya nodded, chewing on his food. "Yeah, I get it. Catherine's been helping me deal with it, but... she might leave once we're done here. You know, since she's gonna stick with Xinyi. She's her maid, and, well... she works for her and all that."
He turned to Bhaqui, who was sitting quietly at the edge of the table. "You and Alicia are heading back to China too, right?"
Bhaqui nodded, his expression dropping slightly. "Yeah… that's the plan. We've only been here for a year, but Alicia and I — man, it's been amazing. We're gonna miss this place…" His voice cracked a little, eyes starting to water. He didn't say more, but the look on his face said enough.
"C'mon, let's not get too emotional. We've all got each other on social media, and Bhaqui's still in the group chat with Alicia. It's not like we're disappearing forever," Yasushi said, hoping to shake off the heaviness that had settled over the conversation.
Furuya smirked, nodding. "Yeah, you're right about that," he said, glancing at Bhaqui, who gave a small nod in return. The tension broke just enough for them to keep talking.
They spent the rest of lunch bouncing between random topics, letting the heavier thoughts drift out of their heads for the moment. The girls in their group had taken off to have their own chat somewhere else, and while Yasushi and the others didn't follow — giving them their space — curiosity stayed.
+-+
"See you guys," Yasushi called out as his friends drove off in Xinyi's car, disappearing down the street.
He and Jingliu stayed behind, deciding to walk back instead. Yunxue and Layena trailed along with them, quiet but sticking close. All four of them knew what was coming later that night, nerves hanging over them like a cloud none of them could shake off.
Yasushi's plan had been simple — only Jingliu, Xinyi, Yinhaie, and Yunxue were supposed to know. Layena had somehow found out, though. She wasn't supposed to, but now she was stuck carrying the weight of that knowledge, unable to unlearn what she'd overheard.
As they walked, Yunxue, walking next to Yasushi, broke the silence. "When is Goddess Hakufubuki supposed to take you there?"
Jingliu answered before Yasushi could. "She said it would be at night. I'm guessing around midnight since most of the household should be asleep by then. I wouldn't be surprised if it's in some completely new space or dimension. I read a little about this stuff in fiction, and that's usually how it goes."
Yunxue nodded, her thoughts turning over what Jingliu had said. After a pause, she added, voice shaking slightly, "Do we even know what's going to happen? Like, Yasushi has to… beg them to let him live, right?"
"We won't know anything until we're there. But yeah, that's what we're thinking," Jingliu said, voice steady, though the uncertainty in the air was impossible to ignore.
Layena cut in, asking, "What about that fighting thing? Yasushi mentioned it after the Kyoto trip. Something about that woman you fought saying a guy named Peter would face him again."
Yasushi shrugged, eyes on the street ahead. "Maybe. Maybe not. We won't know until it happens. But if we do come back, you'll hear all about it."
Layena didn't look convinced, her discomfort clear even if she didn't speak more on it. The idea that Yasushi might not return gnawed at her. They weren't the closest, but that didn't change the fact she wanted him back, safe and alive.
They tried to push the conversation in a lighter direction after that. Nobody wanted to dwell on the unknown, especially not with the night looming closer.
+-+
Yasushi put on what he could, matching the effort of Jingliu, Xinyi, Yinhaie, and Yunxue. The two maids stayed in their usual outfits, while Jingliu and Xinyi slipped into dresses, and Yasushi chose a black three-piece suit. It felt a bit suffocating for him, but he knew it was something he'd need to get used to soon.
As midnight came, Hakufubuki stood before them. Her smile held concern. "I'm here to take you. Stay close so I can teleport us," she said. Without hesitation, they followed her instructions. She wrapped her arms around Yasushi for a moment. "Once we arrive, I won't be beside you. No gods near you will be allowed close. The chief gods have ordered it. You'll be on your own as soon as we arrive, understand?"
Yasushi gave her a nod, keeping silent. In a blink, they were transported somewhere new.
Their eyes went wide when they took in their surroundings. The hall stretched out in front of them, enormous. The ceiling soared upward, rivaling the tallest skyscrapers back in the human world. Everything around them radiated something unworldly. It felt like any misstep could shatter something — perhaps even themselves.
"W-where do we go?" Xinyi asked nervously, grabbing Yasushi's arm.
Yasushi couldn't explain it, but something inside him tugged in a specific direction. "Follow me," he said, then started walking toward the massive hallway ahead of them without another word.
As they moved, the place around them seemed enormous, filled with giant vases, massive paintings, towering pillars, and strange plants. Everything felt far too large, as if they didn't belong there. The entire space gave off a strange glow that made it feel different from anything they'd seen before.
No one spoke as they continued forward, but their eyes wandered, taking in the sight of the strange and foreign decor. After about ten minutes of walking, they reached an enormous glowing golden door. It opened slowly, revealing something on the other side. The moment they stepped through it, they were transported somewhere else entirely.
Yasushi looked around and realized that Jingliu, Xinyi, Yinhaie, and Yunxue were no longer by his side. Though still nearby, the four of them were seated in chairs, separated from him. Sitting beside them were Inari, Hakufubuki, Amaterasu, Hachiman, and Fujin, as though waiting.
"Yo, ladies, glad you could join us. What do you think of the place?" Hachiman threw up his hand and grinned at them. His tone was casual, but there was something just beneath it, as if he found this more amusing than he should.
The women exchanged looks for a few seconds, their eyes shifting from Hachiman to the others sitting nearby. There was a strange air around them, but no one moved.
Jingliu broke the silence first. "Are we... in a gladiator arena?" Her voice trembled, betraying her unease. After her words hung in the air, Hakufubuki turned her head away, making it impossible to read her expression.
Fujin, who had been the loudest against Yasushi's reincarnation, spoke next. His face hardened. "The other chief gods thought it would be entertaining. One of Hades' subordinates suggested pitting Yasushi against him again." He paused, frowning. "But first, Yasushi has to defend himself. Prove his right to stay."
Amaterasu added, her words sharper than expected. "Those here with us, they're in favor of Yasushi living. The middle rows, they remain undecided. And across from us..." She trailed off, but the message was clear enough. There were barely any gods sitting on the opposite side, which made their stance on Yasushi's fate all too obvious.
The four women had their eyes locked on Yasushi, who wasn't looking at any of them. He stared ahead, not moving, focused on something else entirely. In front of him floated a strange orb — like a bubble. Inside, it showed various gods, who he must have recognized as the chief ones, though they weren't physically present. They all sat back, their judgment ready, but quiet for now.
Yasushi didn't move, waiting for something to happen. His gaze didn't waver as the silence stretched on for a few more seconds. Then, a man's voice came from the orb, deep and cold, as though detached from the whole thing.
"Today," the voice started, "we've come to decide the future of a human. This one's different. He was reborn into our world, but kept his memories from before." The statement hung in the air a moment. "When humans enter the cycle of rebirth, their memories are supposed to be wiped clean, but not this time. This one," the voice paused, as if mulling over the word, "is unique."
The voice didn't stay long on that. "I'll spare you the details. Otherwise, we'll be here forever. Instead, I'll get to the point." There was a short break. "He'll have two minutes to make his case. Convince us. We'll also weigh the actions he's taken during this second life, and decide based on that."
The area around Yasushi seemed to brighten, every focus on him now as he kept staring at the orb. His lips didn't move, not yet. It was like he was planning what to say, or maybe bracing himself for what was coming next.
Yasushi exhaled and moved forward, glancing around the area with purpose. His eyes stopped on the girls he'd come with, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. Then, his attention turned back to the orb hanging in front of him, the gods watching from within.
"I'm trash," he said, his voice calm. The unexpected confession sparked confusion across the room, while a few gods snickered in amusement.
His speech wasn't something grand or groundbreaking. He had no lofty words planned. No rehearsed phrases. He figured he'd appeal to them using a mix of plain reason, simple logic, and maybe — just maybe — stir some emotion.
Yasushi wasn't the kind of person who could easily tap into deep emotion. That wasn't him, never had been. But this time, maybe he'd have to find it somewhere. He did have the memories from two different lives inside him.