Akihiko Sanada hadn’t expected the room to feel this quiet. After everything that had happened in the P-1 Climax—shadows, red fog, doppelgängers, strange worlds born from regrets—you’d think silence would feel refreshing. But now, standing in the old Shadow Operatives safehouse, the stillness only made him more aware of the weight in his chest. It had been three years since he’d last spoken to Aika Hara alone. Three years since they’d fought side by side, planned strategies, and bickered like teammates did. Three years since Akihiko had tried to pretend her absence didn’t bother him as much as it really did. He heard the soft click of footsteps. Familiar ones. Aika stepped into the room, and for a second Akihiko almost forgot to breathe. Three years.

She looked older—not drastically, but enough. A little more confident in her posture, a little more composed around the eyes. Life had changed her. But something about her was still undeniably familiar. The quiet fire, the steady gaze.

Akihiko exhaled. “Hey.”

It came out rougher than he planned. He cleared his throat.