The journey had been long, hot and full of music that only Taeju seemed to truly love. Still, they arrived. The shared house was not luxurious, but it had that nice air of rest and organized chaos.

The bags were slowly unloaded. Sora and Aya were already discussing where each of them would sleep, while Taeju went downstairs with the cooler, excited about the idea of a “silky night” later.

Shu got out of the car in silence, his face pale, his eyes heavy, still groggy from the medicine. He didn't complain, he just picked up his suitcase as if each wheel was made of lead and dragged himself to a random room. He dropped his things there and went straight to the bathroom.

It took a while.

The sound of the shower was muffled, constant. So much time passed that Kio looked at the clock, worried. When Shu finally came out, he was wearing light clothes and his hair was still dripping slightly. His eyes, red from exhaustion, seemed unfocused.

Kio remained silent. He collected his belongings and went to the room. After quietly arranging his things, he took a quick shower and emerged, drying his hair with a towel without attracting attention.

Shu was on the couch, half sprawled like a crumpled sheet, his head lolling slightly to the side, his eyelids half lowered. Tired. But not exactly disconnected. Kio approached.

— You feeling any better? he asked, not looking directly. The towel was still hanging over his shoulder, and his hair was a bit messy from drying.

Shu took a few seconds. He seemed to be trying to understand the question, as if he had only just returned to Earth.

— A bit... he replied in a drawling tone.

Kio let out a low sigh before sitting on the floor, his back to the couch. He picked up his phone and started scrolling through videos slowly. Shu had a perfect view of the back of Kio's head from there. He watched intently, hunched over slightly, his shoulders relaxed. At some point, he held his phone up, showing a short, silent video.