The garden behind the Butterfly Estate was silent at night. Wind drifted through the plum trees, scattering petals over the stone path. Most of the recruits were asleep. Even the crickets seemed to whisper.
Johan sat alone by the pond, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade, the other loosely curled over his knee.
He didn't sleep much.
The system didn't need him to. And even if it did, his mind wouldn't let him.
Too many thoughts. Too many questions.
"Couldn't sleep either?"
He turned.
Kanae stood a few paces behind him, arms folded gently behind her back, her hair loose for once. She wore a simple kimono instead of her usual uniform, pale lavender with soft butterfly patterns.
Johan nodded once.
She stepped closer and sat beside him without a word.
They stayed like that for a while—saying nothing, just listening to the soft ripple of water and distant wind.
Finally, she spoke.
"Sometimes I wonder how many of us keep going just because we're afraid to stop."
Johan glanced at her, but she didn't meet his eyes.
She was staring at her own reflection in the pond.
"I joined the Corps because I wanted to protect Shinobu. But I stayed… because if I stopped, I'd have to feel everything I've lost."
Her voice was calm, but there was a raw edge beneath it.
Johan looked back at the water.
"…I understand," he said quietly.
Kanae turned slightly, studying him.
"You do, don't you?"
He didn't answer.
But she saw it—in the way his gaze never truly settled, in the slight tension always in his shoulders. As if he was bracing for something no one else could see.
Later, as they walked back toward the estate, Kanae spoke again.
"You don't talk about your past."
"No reason to."
"Still… I wish you'd let someone in."
He stopped.
"I can't," he said. Not sharply, but with a finality that made her pause.
"I'm not who you think I am."
Kanae's expression softened.
"I never assumed you were anyone," she said. "I just see the person who saved others when he didn't have to. The one who trains harder than anyone here but never brags. The one who listens when others talk, even if he never shares anything back."
Johan looked at her, really looked at her.
And for the first time, his voice dropped just above a whisper.
"…Why do you care?"
Kanae's answer came without hesitation.
"Because you're not alone, even if you want to be."
That night, Johan lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the wooden ceiling.
[Quest Progress: 35% — Emotional Bond Deepening]
[Optional Objective Unlocked: "First Touch"]
Condition: Share a moment of genuine vulnerability.
He closed the window in his mind and exhaled slowly.
"She's getting too close…"
But part of him—just a flicker—didn't hate it.