Mira drove Yuki home—not to Arisuke's house, but to her parents' place.
Outside the house, an ambulance with a police escort pulled away, disappearing into the city night.
As soon as Yuki stepped inside, her parents approached her with concern.
"Yuki, Arisuke called us. He was looking for you," her mother said. "What happened?"
Yuki lowered her gaze. "We had an argument," she answered quietly. "Please… I don't want to see him. At least for three days."
Her parents exchanged glances but didn't press further.
Without another word, Yuki retreated to her room and locked the door.
Meanwhile, Mira had the police drop her off at Takumi's apartment.
She stood outside for a moment, watching as the ambulance carrying Takumi's body disappeared down the road. Then, as the last police escort drove off, three black cars appeared.
Edenfall.
Their people stepped out in silence. Without a word, they carefully took Takumi's body and transported him to Edenfall's hidden headquarters.
At Edenfall HQ, the air was heavy with grief.
The once lively halls now held only sorrow.
Inside a coffin, draped in Edenfall's insignia, lay Takumi Asahiro—the Wonder Child of Edenfall.
Raizen Takamura, the leader, stood before the gathered members. His voice carried over the mourners.
"Here he is… not just our comrade, but our family. Takumi Asahiro."
He took a deep breath.
"He fought bravely. Until the very end."
A solemn silence followed.
Mira stood among them, her hands clenched into fists.
"Stay strong," came a quiet voice. Ayato Kurasaki, Mira's older brother, stood beside her.
But Mira couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I couldn't keep my promise, brother…" she whispered.
Her body shook as tears fell, and Ayato pulled her into a side hug, letting her grieve.
Once the Edenfall Honor Ceremony for fallen members was complete, Mira approached Raizen.
"Takamura-dono," she said, standing before him. "I need your permission to arrange an outside burial for Takumi."
Raizen narrowed his eyes. "Why? All fallen Edenfall members are laid to rest here."
"I know…" Mira hesitated. "But this is different. There are people he loved. And people who loved him. There's a girl—she deserves to say goodbye."
Raizen remained silent for a moment, then sighed.
"If that's the case, then do it. We'll hold a decoy funeral outside. But at night, after everyone has left, we'll retrieve him and bury him the Edenfall way."
Mira closed her eyes, nodding. "Thank you… Takamura-dono."
Mira arrived at Yuki's parents' house early in the morning.
She explained the reason for her visit—to take Yuki to Takumi's grave. Before leaving, she gently asked Yuki's parents,
"Please… don't tell Arisuke Kirishima about this. Not today."
They nodded in understanding.
Mira and Yuki left together.
The sky was gray and overcast, as if the heavens themselves mourned with them.
A quiet cemetery on the edge of the city became the setting for Takumi's decoy burial. A few trusted members from Edenfall had gathered, standing in silence, their heads lowered.
Yuki stood at the edge of the grave, beside Mira.
The coffin—simple, yet dignified—rested above the freshly dug earth.
Mira turned to Yuki gently.
"Yuki-chan?" she whispered.
Yuki looked up. "Mira-san…" she tried to smile, but her eyes remained heavy, wet with grief.
Mira placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Stay strong," she said softly. "Takumi would've wanted to see your smile—just like he always did."
"I will, Mira-san," Yuki nodded, voice trembling.
As the coffin was slowly lowered into the grave, the moment grew heavier.
Yuki stepped forward. Her voice cracked.
"Takumi-chan… thank you. For everything."
She gave a small wave with her hand. "Goodbye…"
The first shovel of earth fell.
Yuki tried her best to keep smiling, to stay strong like Mira said—but the moment the soil began covering his coffin, her lips trembled.
Her smile broke.
She clutched her chest, tears streaming uncontrollably as she waved at the grave, crying through her goodbye.
Even as grief overtook her, she didn't look away.
She faced him until the very end.
Farewell to my savior.
As agreed with Edenfall Japan's leader, Raizen Takamura, the operation to quietly retrieve Takumi's body and return him to Edenfall was underway. With the decoy burial complete, Mira turned her focus to the next step.
She gently guided Yuki away from the cemetery.
"You did well, Yuki-chan," Mira said softly.
"I know Takumi must've been happy… the last thing he saw was your smile, and your wave—just like always." She smiled through her sadness.
Yuki looked down, her voice barely a whisper.
"I'm glad… if he liked it, even just a little."
"For now," Mira continued, "let him rest. Peacefully. But you need to stay healthy, okay? So when you visit him again, you can still smile like that."
Yuki nodded. "Yes. I'll let him rest for now...
See you later, Takumi," she whispered, turning to wave at the grave one last time.
"I'll visit again soon."
As they stepped away, Mira asked gently,
"Yuki-chan… would you like to come with me?"
"Where to, Mira-san?"
"Takumi's apartment," she said. "I want to check on a few things… maybe start organizing his stuff. There might be things that need to be passed on… or kept safe."
Yuki wiped her eyes and nodded.
"Yes. I'd like that… if I can help."
As they arrived at Takumi's apartment, a quiet stillness greeted them. The air felt untouched, like time had stopped the moment he left.
Mira walked ahead, opening the small kitchen cabinet.
"Here, Yuki-chan—look," she said with a soft chuckle.
"As I told you… nothing but instant ramen."
Yuki stepped closer, her eyes widening.
"Ah, you were right, Mira-san." She giggled lightly. "All types… even the spicy ones."
Mira smiled. "He loved noodles more than anything. Said they were quick, simple, and comforting."
Their laughter was brief—tinted by the sadness still lingering in their hearts.
Yuki wandered toward Takumi's bedroom, hesitating at the door.
"You can go in," Mira said gently.
"If you're okay with it, Mira-san…"
Mira shrugged with a warm smile. "Who am I to stop you?
Even Takumi would've told you to make yourself at home."
They laughed quietly again, the memory of him softening the mood.
Inside the room, Yuki noticed something on the nightstand—a small keychain. Her eyes widened.
It was nearly identical to the one Takumi had gifted her—a pink cat charm she always carried.
But this one was blue.
"Mira-san… this keychain… is it… a pair?" Yuki asked, holding it gently.
Mira stepped closer and looked at it. "Seems like it," she said. "A couple's set… He probably bought both, he is too shy to say to let's couple with me, so only gave you one."
Yuki smiled through her tears. "He really was shy, huh…"
"Keep it, Yuki-chan," Mira said softly. "You should have both now."
"Both?" she repeated, surprised.
Mira nodded. "This place won't be his home much longer. No one will rent it again.
So… keep the blue one for him, will you?"
Yuki held both the pink and blue cats in her hands, clutched them close to her chest.
"I'll take care of them. Both of them… for him."
They walked over to Takumi's desk next, scanning over the books stacked neatly. Yuki picked one up.
"He read so much," she whispered. "No wonder he turned out so smart."
Mira pulled one of the books open and smirked.
"This one's his college notebook… but look inside."
Instead of class notes, the pages were filled with doodles, sketches, and scattered words.
Yuki laughed. "Maybe he didn't need to take notes. Too smart for that."
Mira reached into a drawer and pulled out a slim, leather-bound journal.
"This one's his diary," she said. "He didn't write often… but when he did, it was personal."
Yuki opened it carefully. One page caught her eye—words written in Takumi's handwriting, then crossed out with a shaky "X".
Plan A: Say these words when I give her the gift:
Thank you for giving my life color.
Thank you for smiling at me.
Thank you… for calling my name.
Thank you for everything.
Ugh… so stupid. If I said that to her, she'd probably avoid me forever.
Plan B: Stay cool.
Yuki stared at the ink, her vision blurring. A single tear dropped onto the page.
As they continued sorting through Takumi's apartment, laughter slowly began to fill the quiet space.
Even with the weight in their hearts, these moments—sharing memories, finding little pieces of him—made it feel like he was still there with them.
They laughed over his bottle cap collection and the notebook full of doodles that made no sense to anyone but Takumi.
Time flew by. Before they realized it, the sky outside had already begun to darken.
Mira glanced at the window.
"It's already evening," she said softly. "Yuki-chan, thank you for helping me sort and organize his things."
Yuki smiled, a gentle, heartfelt one.
"It's okay, Mira-san. I'm happy I came… I feel like I know Takumi even more now."
Mira nodded, warmth in her eyes.
"He'd be glad you were here today."
Yuki looked down at the blue and pink cat keychains in her hand. "I think so too…"
Mira reached for her jacket.
"I'll drive you home before it gets too late."
Yuki stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Mira.
"Thank you… for letting me do this."
Mira hugged her back, voice soft but steady.
"No, Yuki-chan. Thank you—for making Takumi's life matter."
She pulled back just enough to look Yuki in the eyes, her own glistening with unshed tears. Then, with a soft smile, she gently patted her head.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go."
Yuki nodded, holding the blue and pink cat keychain close to her chest.
"Yeah…Mira-san."
Mira pulled up in front of the Hanazawa household, her car humming quietly in the evening calm.
Yuki stepped out and gave her a small wave, her smile soft but tired.
"Thank you, Mira-san," she said.
Mira smiled back. "Take care, Yuki-chan. I'll see you soon."
Yuki nodded and walked up the steps to her house slowly, while keep seeing the blue and pink cat keychain.
But as soon as she stepped inside—
"Yuki-chan! Where have you been all this time?!"
It was Arisuke, his voice sharp with frustration.
In the living room, seated across from each other, were both sets of parents.
Masayoshi Kirishima, Arisuke's father, lounged calmly on the sofa, his expression unreadable—cold, almost detached.
Across from him sat Yuki's parents, their faces tense with worry and confusion.
The moment Yuki stepped in and saw them all, her expression darkened.
"Ari-chan?," she said coldly, "I don't want to see you."
"What? Why?" Arisuke's face twisted in confusion.
"Are you mad at me? Just tell me—where have you been? I was worried."
"You want to know where I was?" she said, her voice shaking.
"I was attending a funeral!."
"A funeral?" Arisuke blinked. "Who—?"
"The guy you always looked down on,"
"The one you called a nobody? He died saving us."
Arisuke froze.
"Takumi Asahiro is dead." Yuki shout
The words hit the room like a thunderclap.
Yuki's fists clenched. Her eyes burned with tears she refused to let fall.
"He fought seven men. Unarmed. While we ran away. And now he's gone."
"Yuki—" Arisuke started, but she cut him off.
"You want to be mad at someone? Be mad at yourself. You stood there. You did nothing." Her voice cracked, raw with pain and guilt.
"You're the coward. Not him."
Arisuke had no reply. Even Masayoshi looked stunned.
Yuki stepped past them, her back straight.
"I don't want to see you right now. Please… just leave me alone," Yuki said, her voice cold and tired.
"Wait—until when? Yuki-chan, please, wait—" Arisuke reached out, starting to chase after her.
But his father, Masayoshi Kirishima, rose from the sofa and stopped him with a firm hand.
"Arisuke! What did I tell you? Give her space," he snapped, his voice sharp and commanding.
She went upstairs, her footsteps slow and heavy.
The house fell into a cold silence.
She locked the door to her room, collapsed onto her bed, and let the tears fall freely. Clutched tightly in her hands were the pink and blue cat keychains.
"Takumi… please save me…more…" she whispered through sobs, curling into herself as the weight of guilt and sorrow consumed her.
Too late, love bloomed.