[Yuri's POV]
Japan changed me.
It wasn't just about learning to fight or taking responsibility — it was about finally understanding peace.
And peace, I realized, doesn't mean silence. It means choosing
who's worth your noise.
When I walked through the front gates of High Value International School, the air smelled the same — warm sun, chalk dust, and faint hints of cafeteria food from the next building.
I made my way down the hall, each step heavier with memories.
Section E's door looked just as it did before — scratched, messy, loud on the other side.
I pushed it open.
The room fell silent.
Then, chaos.
"YURI!"
"Bro, you actually came back from Japan!"
"Hanamitcchi's alive!"
I laughed, dropping my bag. "Yeah,
I heard rumors I died. Guess I disappointed everyone."
Jayjay's smile was soft — calm, peaceful. Keifer looked up from his seat, meeting my eyes with a knowing nod.
We didn't need words. Time had done the work for us.
But there were two faces I didn't recognize — a boy and a girl sitting near the back.
"New students?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jayjay nodded. "Transferred here last week. Adrian and his sister, Ciel."
I turned toward them, curious.
Adrian gave a respectful nod.
Ciel, on the other hand, just stared — wide-eyed, like she wasn't expecting the person in front of her to actually exist.
"Ciel, huh?" I said, walking closer.
"That's a beautiful name."
Then I added with a small smirk,
"You might want to stop staring though — I blush easily."
Her reaction was instant — a soft pink spreading across her face.
The whole class burst into laughter.
Ci-N shouted, "He's been here for two minutes and he's already flirting!"
Rory grinned. "Classic Hanamitcchi move."
I just chuckled, sliding into my old seat. "Relax. I was just being friendly."
Jayjay rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "Some things never change."
[Jayjay's POV]
Yuri's return wasn't awkward — not this time.
It was like he'd come back lighter, freer, as if the weight he carried before had finally been left in Japan.
When our eyes met, it wasn't tension I saw anymore. It was peace.
"Welcome back," I told him.
He smiled. "Missed my seat. And my friends."
Keifer gave a polite nod. "Good to have you back, Hanamitcchi."
The others quickly surrounded him
— Rory asking about Japan, Eman talking about his restaurant, Ci-N bragging about who replaced him as the class clown (which no one believed).
But my mind was already somewhere else — on home.
Angelo had been texting me all week, asking when I'd come back.
Aries too. It had been months since I last stayed with them. After everything that happened in
Checkmate, I'd moved closer to school.
Maybe now it was time to go back.
[Ciel's POV]
He was different from how I imagined him.
I'd heard stories from the others — the red-haired heir, the calm fighter,
the boy who once made Section E infamous.
But seeing Yuri Hanamitcchi in person was… something else.
He was confident without trying, polite but playful, and his voice — low and teasing — had this warmth that made people listen.
And when he said my name, like it was something delicate —
"Ciel, huh? Beautiful name."
— my heart did this weird thing it hadn't done before.
I looked away quickly, pretending to scroll my phone, but I could still feel my face heating up.
Adrian leaned toward me, whispering, "You're blushing."
"Shut up," I muttered, but even I could hear the smile in my voice.
As laughter filled the room again, I sneaked one last look at Yuri.
He was already laughing with Ci-N, his red hair catching the sunlight from the window.
And for some reason, that moment — that small, stupid smile — felt like the start of something I couldn't name yet.