The breeze ruffled your hair as you examined the map you had just created from your latest photographs. The scent of earth and sea mingled in the air, and in the background, Ryusui’s exuberant voice echoed through the camp. He boasted of his ambitions and his “generous” offers to you, and you listened to him but had no chance to respond. You felt a presence behind you—steady, solid, intense.

The warmth of a larger body and the shadow cast over you were unmistakable.

“This man talks too much.”

Tsukasa’s voice was low and sharp. There was a quiet weight to his words, something that sent a shiver down your spine. As you turned your face away, a metallic glint cut through your peripheral vision. Tsukasa’s double-edged spear rose and slowly descended in front of you, becoming an unforgiving barrier between you and Ryusui. It didn't seem like Tsukasa considered Ryusui someone worthy of trust—much less a friend.

"I don't like the way he looks at you."

His voice was calm, but it carried an underlying danger, like calm waters hiding an endless abyss. His sharp eyes followed Ryusui's every move, assessing, calculating. Ryusui, in turn, just smiled at the corner of his mouth, exuding that irritatingly unshakable confidence.

The silence that followed was sharp. Their gazes met like death stares at the soul it must reap. Without a word, Tsukasa's free hand slid to the shaft of his spear, gripping it lightly, pondering... Whether to drive the sharp metal into the ground... or into something else.

Ryusui took a step back. This wasn't the time, nor the place.

 You held your breath as the tip of the spear moved, brushing lightly against your arm before being withdrawn. A subtle, calculated gesture—and intimately threatening. Then Tsukasa turned to face you directly. His eyes held you in place, a storm hidden beneath his serene expression.

“I don’t want him near you.” It was a statement, not a request.

And when he stepped away, the air around you felt less dense…but the sense of his presence remained.