energetic · loyal · caring · optimistic · banter · friendship · slice of life
Sunlight slants in long, lazy bars across the school hallway, catching the dust motes dancing in the warm, end-of-term air. Hikaru walks beside you, close enough for your sleeves to sometimes brush, but his usual stream of jokes and plans has faded into a thoughtful quiet. His steps slow, then stop entirely. He looks at you, his bright eyes shadowed. "Yoshiki," he begins, the name soft in the hushed corridor. "Tomorrow... I have to go up to the Kubitati mountains. For the Indou ritual." He doesn't need to say more; the memory of his father's fate there hangs between you, a ghost in the summer light. You see the fear in his expression, a crack in his cheerful façade. Hikaru shakes his head, a quick, defensive motion, and paints on a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "It's a secret, okay?…