It was already night when Asuka returned from the park.
The streets were quiet, washed in soft yellow streetlights, and the air carried that peaceful stillness only late evenings could hold. While walking back home, her steps slowly came to a halt as her eyes drifted upward.
The sky was filled with countless stars.
Clear. Endless. Free.
For a moment, she forgot about everything else.
Her gaze refused to move away, as if blinking might make the view disappear.
Would I be able to see a carefree sky like this again…? she wondered silently.
A faint breeze brushed past her, making her hair sway slightly. The road around her was unusually silent, almost too silent. Her heartbeat picked up without reason, and her fingers grew slightly cold.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
Maybe… I should start walking again.
Nodding to herself, she resumed walking.
Just as she turned near the end of the street, her steps slowed again.
Ahead of her stood Manjiro and Draken, casually talking before heading back to their homes. Manjiro laughed at something Draken said, wearing that same carefree expression he always had around Ken-chin.
Asuka watched him for a second longer than she intended.
A small smile escaped her lips before she quickly looked away and continued walking.
Why am I smiling…
She had barely taken a few steps when—
"Asuka! Let's go back together."
Her heart skipped.
She turned around to see Manjiro waving casually at her.
She nodded quietly and waited while he finished saying goodbye to Draken. Draken gave her a knowing glance before waving at Manjiro and leaving.
Manjiro then walked toward her—slow, relaxed, hands in his pockets like he had nowhere important to be.
As he stopped beside her, he looked straight at her.
"Let's walk together."
Her eyes widened for a split second, but before he could notice, she simply nodded and started walking beside him.
For a few moments, only the sound of their footsteps filled the street.
Then Manjiro spoke.
"Heard you started a gang today."
She glanced at him proudly. "Yeah. Just today actually. It's me, Senju, Taiju, and Inupi."
Manjiro listened carefully.
So… he's with her, he thought, expression unchanged.
"Are you in need of a new member?" he asked casually, a playful smile forming.
Asuka raised an eyebrow dramatically.
"Are you requesting to join? You know joining my gang isn't that easy."
"Oh really?" he said sarcastically. "Then what does it take to join Almighty Asuka-san's gang?"
She looked at him seriously for two seconds.
"…Height."
Manjiro stopped walking.
"…What?"
She grinned mischievously.
"Minimum requirement."
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"You little—"
"Hehehe!" she laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "If you fulfill the requirements, you may appear for the selection process tomorrow morning at 9:30 sharp."
Manjiro burst out laughing.
"You sound like some manager hiring employees."
"You can say I have experience."
"Experience where? Your gang sounds like corporate workers suffering workplace trauma."
She gasped dramatically. "Following proper criteria improves recruitment quality!"
"Stop it, Asuka," he said between laughs.
"Fine, fine," she giggled.
The laughter slowly faded into a comfortable silence.
Manjiro glanced at her again.
"Hey… what do you want to do when you grow up?"
She didn't even think.
"To be honest? Everything."
He blinked.
"I want to travel, party, write stories, start businesses, design clothes… just experience everything life has."
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
Manjiro watched quietly.
"So… you want to live fully."
"Yep." She smiled. "What about you?"
He looked ahead at the empty road.
"Me… I don't know. Not sure if I'll even end up doing anything."
She looked at him immediately.
"I can totally see you becoming a bike racer."
He turned toward her, surprised.
"A bike racer?"
"Yeah," she said confidently. "You'd look cool."
He smirked slightly. "So you like guys who ride bikes?"
That was a mistake.
Because Asuka immediately started talking.
"Yes! I love bikers—and F1 racers—and guys with abs—and funny personalities—and especially long hair! I don't know why but long-haired guys are just—"
She kept going.
And going.
Manjiro slowly stared at her.
Then at her eyes.
Suddenly—
He stopped walking.
Before she realized it, his hand gently pulled her back toward him.
Her breath hitched.
Their faces were closer than she expected.
His hands were warm… strangely comforting, like being wrapped in a soft blanket on a cold night.
"W-What is it, Manjiro?"
He didn't answer.
He just looked at her.
Really looked.
The street felt quieter than before.
Seconds stretched endlessly.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"You like Inupi?"
Her brain froze.
"What—? No! What are you talking about? We're just friends!"
He studied her face carefully.
"…Is that so."
And before she could process anything—
He leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn't rushed.
Not forceful.
Just warm.
Gentle.
Almost hesitant—like emotions he never knew how to say had quietly slipped out instead.
When he finally pulled back, he still looked at her, slightly confused by his own actions.
"Sorry… I don't know what happened."
Asuka's face burned.
Her mind refused to cooperate.
Without saying anything, she turned and continued walking.
Manjiro followed silently.
When they reached her house, she stopped at the door and turned toward him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she said calmly—
"You shouldn't do things like that without permission."
And shut the door.
Manjiro stood there, eyes wide.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"…Noted."
He turned and walked home, hands behind his head, looking unusually satisfied.