The room was quiet, bathed in silver moonlight. Kazuki lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't slept.
Mom died when I was four...
He could still remember her silhouette—arms wrapped around his tiny body. He couldn't recall her voice. But her scent lingered in his memory, soft and strange.
Like morning rain.
The world moved on. He had stood beside his father at her funeral, too small to understand the weight of the loss. People moved. Life continued. But Kazuki stayed behind.
He remembered sitting alone, cornered by silence. Holding her necklace, looking for meaning. There was none. Only distance.
After that, everything felt louder. Lonelier.
The kids didn't help.
They pushed him. Threw things. Called him weak. Called him scared. Called him a crybaby.
He didn't cry. Not really. But he remembered holding it in, hands balled into fists, breath caught in his throat.
Maybe they were right.
Raiken, his father, was a legend. Rensei, his older brother, was lightning incarnate.
They shone. In battle. In strength. In presence.
Kazuki? He watched from the shadows.
There was no space for me.
But his memories were warm too. His father spinning him in the air, still laughing even when wounded. Rensei showing him how to spark static between his fingers.
They were proud. They were strong. And Kazuki… he thought maybe if he stayed quiet, maybe if he was patient, he could become like them.
He never did.
But I'm not like them.
He clutched the blanket tighter.
I don't feel brave. I feel… small.
Everyone had their minds made up. The adults, the family friends, even Rensei—
"You'll make a great hunter someday."
The words echoed like a verdict.
But what if I don't want to be a hunter?
He sat up. The thought was real, hot in his chest.
What if I just want to be... me?
He curled up tighter, burying his face into the pillow.
I can't say that. Not to Dad. Not to Rensei.
"They wouldn't understand…" he whispered.
They'd call him confused. Or worse… they'd be disappointed.
His hand loosened its grip on the blanket. His eyes closed.
I wish someone… had asked me.
Outside, the night stayed silent. Inside, a single tear slid down Kazuki's cheek as sleep finally came.
END OF CHAPTER