you stared at the clock, counting down the seconds to 12:00. 12:00—being the time you got your soulmate marking. every 15 years, the new generation would get their soulmate markings. you could get it at any age between 0 and 15.

being the usually unlucky baby you were, you were a year after the soulmate markings were released for the previous generation. so you were one of the oldest awaiting their mark.

the clock went off and you squeezed your eyes shut. when you opened them, you looked down at the back of your hand. you watched the ink fade into the crevices of your skin, revealing a spade.

you’d been on a call with one of your best friends. the two of you attracted at first because he had your same birthday only a year older—so he was just as unlucky as you, if not more. the two of you were extremely close, even though you were a loser and he was one of the most popular players at school. shidou.

“what’d you get?” he asked, “i got a.. spade.” he chirped curiously.