At the end of a jagged side tunnel, the Labyrinth revealed something different.
The narrow stone corridor opened into a chamber larger than any they'd seen in recent floors. It was unnaturally quiet. The air felt heavier. At the far end stood a pair of massive double doors, each towering at three meters. Faded glyphs wound across their surface like veins of forgotten power, and on either side, half-sunken into the walls, stood towering statues of cyclopes—single-eyed giants with crude stone clubs resting on their shoulders. They didn't move, but both Hajime and Renji could feel it:
They were being watched.
Hajime stopped at the threshold. A familiar instinct—the one that had kept him alive through madness—gripped him tight.
"Something's behind those doors," he said, flatly.
"Yeah," Renji replied, golden mana faintly pulsing along the veins in his hands. "Not just another monster, either."
Hajime stepped back without a word. Renji followed. The retreat wasn't fear—it was strategy. Neither of them were dumb enough to rush into a death trap without a plan.
—
Back at their temporary camp—a shallow alcove just two turns away from the door—they prepared.
Hajime crouched near a spread of gear, inspecting the cylinder of his revolver. He'd cleaned and reloaded it carefully, counting every round, every backup speedloader tucked into his belt. Across from him, Renji sat cross-legged, Chrono Trigger disassembled on a cloth. He methodically oiled the precision slide, mana-reactive parts humming faintly in the dim light.
"Mana capacity?" Hajime asked, without looking up.
Renji's voice was calm. "Stable. I've been syncing to the chamber's distortion for the last two floors. Temporal backlash shouldn't be a problem unless things escalate."
Hajime glanced at him. "They will."
Renji gave a humorless smirk. "Then I'll adapt."
He clipped the Chrono Trigger's frame back together with a soft click, then closed his eyes. Golden mana pulsed gently around him—like sunlight caught in motion—then receded as he breathed it back in. His control was tighter now. Refined. He'd been working to fine-tune his Temporal Sync, stretching fractions of seconds into full reaction windows. Hajime had seen him move faster than a blink when it counted.
"I've got two casts of Rewind ready. No more," Renji muttered. "If it goes sideways, I can reset the last few seconds for one of us."
"You'll use it on yourself first," Hajime replied sharply.
"Not if you're the one bleeding out."
They left the argument hanging.
Hajime holstered his revolver and pulled on his gauntlet, checking the kinetic release on his knuckles. No fancy spells, no special gear—just raw, forged tools and unbreakable will.
He rolled his shoulders once, exhaled.
Then turned to Renji. "We ready?"
Renji stood, golden mana flickering faintly across his boots as he activated Aerodynamic and Supersonic Step. He drew Chrono Trigger and spun it once before locking the safety off.
"Always."
—
When they returned to the chamber, the doors were still closed. Still waiting.
This time, neither hesitated.
Their steps echoed off the stone, quiet but sure. As they approached, the oppressive air thickened. Mana brushed against their skin like static, reacting to the presence of challengers who meant to pass.
Hajime stopped just in front of the doors. He looked up, then sideways to Renji. "Whatever's in there... it's not just another fight. We move clean. We don't panic. We don't split."
Renji nodded. "And we don't hesitate."
Together, they placed their hands on the cold stone and pushed.
The sound of ancient hinges groaning echoed through the chamber, and the doors creaked open—revealing darkness deeper than anything the Labyrinth had shown them before.
They stepped through, side by side.
What waited for them… was the beginning of everything.
Hajime's eyes narrowed as he examined the double doors before him, the mana circles glowing with an ominous energy. He could feel the tension in the air—this was no ordinary door, no simple puzzle. Every inch of this place screamed danger, but it was a kind of danger he was used to.
"Great. Another door, another puzzle," Hajime muttered, glancing at Renji. "What's your take on this one? I don't think brute force is going to work this time."
Renji, leaning casually against the stone wall, gave a half-hearted shrug. "Brute force usually works fine for me. But if you want something a little more... efficient, I guess I could help."
Hajime wasn't sure whether he wanted to know what Renji was suggesting, but before he could ask, Renji pulled out his sidearm—Chrono Trigger. The sleek steel frame gleamed in the dim light, its classic Colt 1911 design instantly recognizable. But it was far from ordinary. The barrel was lined with mana-reactive alloys, and the grip, smooth and ergonomic, looked ready to deliver both precision and power.
Renji spun the gun in his hand, eyes glinting with a mix of mischief and confidence. "I've got a better idea. Let's speed things up a bit."
Hajime raised an eyebrow. "You're going to use that?"
Renji grinned, giving the gun a fond tap. "Oh yeah. This little beauty isn't just for show. Chrono Trigger can mess with time itself. So, why not use that to our advantage?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Renji aimed the gun at the door, pulling the trigger. There was no loud gunshot. Instead, the world seemed to flicker, as though the very air around them had been stretched and compressed. Time itself slowed for a fraction of a second—just enough for Renji to shift the environment. The doors, which had been locked in place by a powerful magical force, slowed down as if caught in the midst of a time distortion. The mana circles flickered like dying embers, and the pulsing energy around them became sluggish.
Renji lowered his gun, looking at Hajime with a casual air. "So, how's that for a little twist in time?"
Hajime, feeling the subtle change in the atmosphere, nodded. "Okay, I'll admit that was pretty impressive. But can you stop messing around and get us through this door?"
Renji chuckled. "You say that like it's not fun. But fine, fine. You want to do things the boring way? Let's get you inside." He pulled the trigger once more, and this time the temporal distortion surged through the door, unraveling the magical seal that had kept it shut. There was a faint crackling sound, and the door creaked open slowly, as if reluctantly yielding.
The moment it opened, the room beyond came into focus. But Hajime's victory was short-lived.
From the shadows emerged two massive cyclops statues, their eyes glowing a fierce red, their stone bodies shaking with sudden life. The ground beneath their feet rumbled as they raised their heavy stone swords.
Renji didn't seem fazed in the least. He holstered Chrono Trigger and cracked his neck. "Alright, this is where it gets fun."
Hajime shot him a quick glance. "You're kidding, right? This is where you jump in and do some crazy time trick to stop them, right?"
Renji grinned. "Don't worry. I've got just the thing." He pulled his gun out again, his finger brushing the trigger as the familiar gleam of mana-reactive steel caught the light. "But this time, I'm going to do something a little different."
The cyclopes charged, but before they could take more than a few steps, Renji squeezed off two quick shots. The sound of the Chrono Trigger firing was barely audible—there was no gunshot, just the sensation of time itself warping. For a split second, everything slowed down, the world almost grinding to a halt.
The cyclopes, caught in the pulse of time manipulation, froze in mid-stride, their stone bodies stiffening like statues in a museum exhibit.
Hajime stared, blinking in disbelief. "You froze them?"
Renji's smirk didn't falter. "Not exactly. Just slowed them down. The Chrono Trigger doesn't freeze time, just distorts it around the target. They'll still feel every hit, they'll just be... way easier to deal with."
With a flick of his wrist, Renji reloaded, then took a few steps forward, aiming his gun with deadly precision. The first shot rang out, and the stone of the cyclops's chest cracked open with a loud explosion of debris. The cyclops stumbled back, but time was still distorted around it, its movements sluggish and disoriented.
Renji shook his head, admiring his work. "Man, I love this gun."
Hajime, now moving with quick efficiency, followed suit. He ducked behind cover, taking aim at the other cyclops, which was still struggling in its slowed state. With a few well-placed shots, it collapsed, stone limbs shattering under the barrage.
Renji watched him, his expression unreadable. "You know, you could've just let me handle them. I've got this whole 'time manipulation' thing down to a science."
Hajime holstered his weapon, wiping the sweat off his brow. "I'm not letting you have all the fun."
Renji chuckled, holstering Chrono Trigger and clapping Hajime on the shoulder. "Guess I can't argue with that."
With the cyclopes taken care of, they turned their attention back to the now-open door, which led into the deeper chambers of the ancient temple. But as they approached, the faint rumble of magic returned, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
Hajime didn't miss a beat. "Another trap?"
Renji gave a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe. But it's nothing we can't handle, right?"
Hajime smirked, ready for whatever came next. "As long as you've got that gun of yours, I think we'll be fine."
Renji grinned, twirling Chrono Trigger in his hand as they stepped forward. "Let's see if I can't make time bend a little more in our favor."
Renji blinked as the sudden brightness hit his eyes. He instinctively stepped forward, pushing open the door with a careful, deliberate motion. His senses were on high alert, every part of him primed for a threat. He knew better than to assume anything in this labyrinth would be straightforward. His fingers hovered near the grip of Chrono Trigger, his trusted semi-automatic, while his eyes scanned every inch of the room.
The space beyond the door was pitch black, not a single light source in sight. However, with his night vision goggles and the faint light streaming in from the corridor, he could make out the outline of the room. The floors were smooth and glossy, like marble, reflecting the dim light in strange angles. The walls rose high, supported by rows of thick pillars at regular intervals, stretching all the way to the far end of the room.
In the center of it all stood a massive slab of rock, its surface polished and shining faintly under the dim light. It looked like it had been placed there purposefully, standing starkly out of place, almost like a monument.
Hajime, standing beside him, was as focused as ever, his eyes narrow and calculating. His right hand was firmly gripped around Donner, his prized revolver—a custom-built firearm. It was no ordinary revolver. With a hefty barrel and a high-powered cylinder, Donner was a weapon of precision, designed for close-range power with an accuracy that allowed Hajime to hit with deadly efficiency, whether in the chaos of a firefight or the eerie silence of the labyrinth. He'd never need another gun. Donner was all he would ever require, a reliable companion for every battle.
"Stay sharp," Hajime muttered, not looking at Renji but keeping his focus trained ahead.
Renji nodded silently, his gaze now fixed on the stone slab. Something about it felt off, too pristine, too... new in this otherwise decaying space. His instincts were screaming, and from the way Hajime was handling Donner, it was clear he felt the same unease.
As they stepped further into the room, the light from the open door spilled further in, revealing more of the eerie surroundings. And then, just as Renji was about to speak, a voice—soft, weak, and trembling—cut through the silence.
"Who goes there?"
It wasn't loud. In fact, it was so faint that Renji barely caught it at first. But it froze him in his tracks. He looked over at Hajime, who didn't flinch, his eyes narrowing even further, like a hawk sighting its prey.
"Careful," Hajime warned softly, his voice a low growl, like the tension of a drawn bowstring. "We don't know what we're dealing with."
Renji didn't argue. Instead, his eyes flicked back to the source of the voice. The center of the room, where the stone slab was, seemed to shift slightly. A figure, barely discernible at first, stirred. The soft glow from the corridor illuminated it, revealing a young woman. She was embedded in the rock, her body trapped from the neck down, golden-blonde hair spilling across her face like some sort of tragic ghost.
Her eyes—bright red, glowing with an unnatural hue—peeked through the gaps in her hair, locking onto Renji and Hajime with a fierce, penetrating gaze.
Renji's breath caught. "What the hell?"
Hajime was unmoved, his expression grim, but his hand never strayed far from Donner. His thumb brushed against the grip of the revolver, preparing it for whatever came next. The cold steel of Donner felt familiar, the balance perfect in his hands. It was a revolver built for precision, designed to hit what needed to be hit without hesitation.
The girl, despite her ragged state, somehow mustered the strength to speak again, her voice faint and hoarse, like she hadn't used it in years. "Please... help me... I don't want to... be here…anymore "
Renji looked to Hajime, his hand resting a little too firmly on his own weapon. "What do we do now? Do we help her?"
Hajime didn't take his eyes off the girl. "We don't make decisions based on emotion," he replied evenly, voice flat. "She might be bait. Or worse."
Renji's gaze shifted to the girl, her desperate expression striking a chord with him, even in this twisted, dangerous place. "She doesn't look like bait... but what if she is?"
Hajime's gaze hardened. "Doesn't matter. If we open Pandora's Box, we deal with whatever comes out of it. No exceptions."
The girl, weak and struggling, tried to raise her head just enough to meet Hajime's eyes, her red pupils glaring with an intensity that belied her fragile appearance. "Please... I don't know how much longer I can stay here... Please..."
Renji felt his hand twitch, his finger itching towards the trigger of Chrono Trigger. But Hajime's steady presence grounded him, reminding him that rushing in was not the answer.
"No," Hajime said, his voice a sharp contrast to the girl's pleading tone. "We don't help until we understand what's going on. Donner will be our answer if it comes to that."
He stepped forward, carefully observing the slab, Donner aimed at the girl's form, but with caution. He wasn't ready to take the shot—not yet. But the room still felt wrong, a sense of impending doom pressing in from all sides.
"Please…" The girl's voice broke through again, a tremor of fear in her words. "Help me…"
Sorry. I'll just leave now," Hajime muttered, starting to close the door again.
But a voice, weak and raspy, cracked through the silence.
"W-Wait...! Please...! Help me..."
It was hoarse, barely more than a whisper, yet heavy with desperation. Hajime paused—just for a moment—but didn't turn back.
"Don't wanna," he muttered bluntly, and kept pulling the door shut.
"Wh-Why... Please... I'll do anything, so..." Her trembling voice faltered but didn't break.
Still, Hajime didn't flinch. "You know, I really doubt it'd be a good idea to free someone who's been sealed in the literal depths of hell. That's usually a red flag. As far as I can see, this is just a cursed cell and a seal—not exactly a sign of innocence."
The girl's voice grew more desperate.
"No! Cough... I-I'm not anyone bad...! Please wait! I..."
Then came the words that made Hajime's hand freeze on the door.
"I was betrayed!"
His fingers trembled slightly. A long silence followed.
Behind him, a voice cut through the tension.
"Hajime... wait," Renji said quietly, stepping into the dim light. His expression was unreadable, but there was something burning behind his eyes. "We should hear her out."
Hajime turned his head slowly. "Are you serious?" he asked, voice edged with disbelief. "You wanna believe that?"
Renji didn't hesitate. He stepped forward toward the door, peering inside where the girl's faint figure shivered on her knees. "Yeah. I do."
"You're losing it," Hajime muttered, crossing his arms. "She's locked in the deepest cell we've seen so far. Sealed with pure mana. That's not something you do to someone who just pissed off the wrong noble."
Renji crouched at the doorway, staring in at the girl. "Or it's something you do to someone you're afraid of. Someone powerful. Someone you want to erase quietly."
Hajime frowned. "Exactly my point. Powerful means dangerous. The last thing we need is some sealed freak running loose while we're trying to survive."
Renji turned his head, his voice calm but firm. "And what if it's not like that? What if she's like us? Betrayed. Thrown away."
Those words made Hajime stiffen. He looked away, jaw tightening. "Don't... compare her to us."
"I'm not," Renji said gently. "But I'm saying maybe we're not the only ones they tried to bury."
Hajime stared at him for a long second. He glanced at the girl again—her face pale, bruised, those crimson eyes pleading.
"Damn it," he whispered.
Renji stood back up, hand resting casually on the hilt of his blade—not out of fear, but habit. "You heard it in her voice, didn't you? She's not lying."
Hajime ran a hand down his face. "I heard desperation. Doesn't mean she's not dangerous."
"I'll take the risk," Renji said quietly.
"That's the problem." Hajime stepped in front of him. "You're too willing to risk everything for someone you think you understand."
Renji met his eyes evenly. "And you're too scared to admit that she reminds you of what happened to us."
Silence.
Hajime's jaw clenched. He didn't deny it.
The girl raised her head weakly. "Please... I don't want revenge... I just want to be free. That's all..."
Hajime looked away.
Renji spoke gently. "We give her a chance. We keep our eyes open. But we don't let her rot in here."
After a long beat, Hajime exhaled slowly and muttered, "If she betrays us, it's on your head."
Renji crouched in front of the crystal, peering into it. The girl inside didn't flinch under his gaze. Her crimson eyes were calm, but there was a heaviness in them. A tired kind of silence.
"You said they betrayed you," Renji started, his voice low but steady. "What happened?"
She blinked slowly, her voice barely a whisper at first. "I was... one of the originals. An atavistic vampire."
Renji frowned slightly. "What does that mean?"
"I was born with too much power," she continued, her throat rasping. "I didn't choose it. But I used it... to fight for my country. For my people."
Hajime crossed his arms, lingering a few steps behind. Watching, listening.
The girl paused. "They said I was a symbol. A protector. For years, I believed it."
Renji stayed quiet, letting her speak at her pace.
"But when peace came, they decided they didn't need me anymore. My uncle stepped in... said he'd rule in my place. I didn't fight it. I thought stepping down would be enough."
Her expression darkened, just slightly.
"But they were afraid of me. Of what I could do. Said I was dangerous. Unstable. A threat."
Renji's jaw tightened, just a little.
"They couldn't kill me. Not really. So... they sealed me here."
Silence settled for a moment. Then Renji spoke again, gently. "So you were royalty?"
She gave a small nod. "In name, maybe. But I was more like a weapon."
"And when you say they couldn't kill you...?"
"I regenerate. No matter what they did, I always healed. Even if they tore me apart, I'd come back."
Renji let out a quiet breath. "Damn."
"Yeah," Hajime muttered. "That's not normal."
She turned her gaze to him briefly. "I know."
Renji leaned forward slightly. "What else made them afraid of you? Was it just that?"
"No," she replied. "It was how I used mana. I didn't need circles. Or chants. I could shape it with just... will."
Hajime's eyes narrowed. "Direct manipulation?"
"Yes."
Renji whistled softly. "That's... more than rare."
She nodded faintly. "I could cast spells before others even finished chanting. It made things easy in battle. Too easy."
There was no pride in her voice—just fatigue.
"Please…" she added after a pause, her voice cracking a little. "I've been here a long time."
Renji looked at her—really looked this time. Her voice wasn't desperate. More like someone asking not to be forgotten again.
Hajime didn't say anything. But Renji could feel his tension behind him.
"Even if she's telling the truth," Hajime finally said, "you don't think it's convenient how she left out her side of things?"
Renji didn't answer right away. He looked back at the girl—trapped, tired, still watching them quietly.
"…Maybe," he said. "But I don't think she's lying."
Renji stepped toward the cube, slow and deliberate. The girl inside met his gaze, not pleading—but waiting. Like she'd already given up before this moment even began.
Hajime shifted beside him, arms crossed, eyes narrow. "You sure about this?"
Renji didn't stop walking. "No," he muttered. "But I'm doing it anyway."
Hajime didn't like that answer, but he didn't argue. Not yet.
Renji knelt by the crystal, his palm hovering inches from its surface. A pulse of golden mana lit under his skin, threads of power dancing up his arm like veins of sunlight. The cube twitched in response—resisting. Ancient, heavy, and full of malice.
He closed his eyes and exhaled. Temporal Sync kicked in—subtle, but absolute. The room bent just slightly, like heat over a flame. The air thickened. Sound faded.
Dust hung mid-air like stars frozen in water.
The cube was locked in time.
So he'd pull it apart from time itself.
Golden strands wove between his fingers—Chrono Weave latching onto the seal's ancient mechanisms, slowly unraveling it. Not brute force. Precision. Control. A surgeon cutting into eternity with a threadbare needle.
"You're not forcing it," Hajime observed. "You're... picking it apart."
Renji didn't answer. The effort was burning through his focus. Sweat beaded across his forehead. He could feel the cube fighting back—like something alive.
A flare of pressure slammed into his chest as the prison's defense spiked. His hands trembled. Not from fear, but from the weight of the spell. The seal was dense—layered with centuries of reinforcement.
"Push any harder, you'll burn out," Hajime warned.
"I'm not stopping."
"Why?" Hajime's voice was cold now. "You don't even know her. She could be a monster."
"She already is," Renji said without looking back. "Same as us."
Silence. Only the crackle of distorted time filled the space.
Cracks split across the surface of the crystal. Not from impact—from age. Forced regression. Rewind was unthreading its permanence, taking it back to when it was just forming. Just vulnerable.
The girl inside gasped quietly. "How are you doing this…?"
"I'm cheating," Renji grunted, voice low. "Pulling your prison apart second by second."
The final threads snapped. He raised his arm one last time, golden light igniting down his forearm like a blade. He drove it down—Eclipse Edge—but not to strike. Just to make the last cut.
The cube shattered.
No explosion. No glory.
Just a sharp, sudden crack—like ice snapping in a warm hand.
She dropped forward, half-conscious. Renji caught her by instinct, one arm around her back, steadying her. Her skin was cold. She was real.
Behind him, Hajime stayed tense, hand near his holster.
"She twitches wrong, I'll put her down," Hajime said.
Renji didn't argue. He lowered her gently, checking her pulse. "She's weak," he muttered. "She's not a threat. Not now."
"She's lived centuries sealed in solid mana," Hajime replied. "Weak doesn't mean harmless."
Renji didn't meet his gaze. "Then keep watching. That's your thing, right?"
Renji's fingers brushed the vial of Ambrosia, but before he could grab it, Yue's small, trembling hand rested over his. He looked down at their hands, intertwined. She was fragile, almost otherworldly, but the way she held him had a quiet strength. Her crimson eyes met his—no longer vacant, but filled with something raw.
"You saved me," she murmured, voice shaking but filled with an intensity, as if it had taken everything to say it. "Thank you."
Renji's heart tightened. It wasn't just gratitude—it was something else, something deeper. He didn't know exactly what, but the weight of it hit him. He squeezed her hand gently, the touch almost instinctive, as if he'd been doing it for longer than he realized.
Yue's voice was barely above a whisper, her crimson eyes fixed on Renji as if she was searching for something in his gaze. "What's your name?"
Renji was momentarily taken aback by the question, his expression softening as he met her intense stare. He scratched the back of his head, a nervous chuckle escaping him. "Renji Aikawa. And you?"
Yue repeated his name quietly to herself, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly as she rolled the name around in her mind. "Renji... Aikawa..." Her gaze lifted to his once more, steady and unwavering. "And... what about me? Can you name me?"
Renji blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't expected the request to come so easily, so quietly. He studied her for a moment, sensing the weight of her words. "You want me to name you?" he asked, his tone unsure, though he could tell this wasn't a simple request. "Did you... forget your old one?"
Yue's eyes softened for the briefest moment, and then her gaze hardened again, as if steeling herself. She shook her head slowly, her voice firm yet gentle. "I don't need a name from the past. I want a new one... A fresh start. Something... different."
Renji was quiet for a moment, his brow furrowing as he thought. He wasn't the type to give much thought to naming, but something about her request made it feel important. He crossed his arms, staring down at the ground as he mulled it over. Finally, he looked up at her, meeting her crimson eyes with a quiet intensity. "I'm not great at this... but I think I'll name you Yue."
Yue blinked, the name unfamiliar on her tongue. "Yue?"
Renji nodded. "Yeah. It means 'moon' where I'm from. When I first saw you... your eyes, your hair... It reminded me of the moon. Not flashy, but always there, even when things seem dark."
She blinked in surprise at his words.
It seemed she hadn't expected him to have a reason behind picking the name. And though her face remained as expressionless as always, her
eyes were sparkling with happiness.
Yue's gaze remained fixed on him as she repeated the name quietly to herself, the sound of it settling into her mind. "Yue..." Her voice was softer now, as if the name was beginning to take root. Slowly, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, a smile that held the weight of something new, something significant. "I... I like it." Her eyes met his again, brighter now, almost glowing. "Then... from today, I will be Yue."
Renji gave a small, relieved smile. "I'm glad. It suits you."
Before he could add anything else, Hajime's sharp voice cut through the moment like a knife. "So that's it, huh? Just gonna sit around naming each other all day?"
Renji shot him a brief, irritated glance. "What, you got a problem with it?"
Hajime just snorted, his tone dry. "Can we focus already? We've got a long road ahead."
Yue's crimson eyes flickered over to Hajime, her expression calm but now carrying a quiet resolve. She spoke softly, but there was a newfound steadiness in her voice. "Thank you, Renji. I'm... glad you named me."
Renji gave her a small nod, the usual smirk on his face. "It's nothing. Glad you like it."
Yue stood a little straighter now, feeling the weight of her new name, her new identity. She turned toward Hajime, her crimson eyes meeting his directly. "And you... What's your name?"
Hajime paused for a moment, caught off guard by the question. His usual guarded expression flickered, and then he sighed, crossing his arms. "Hajime. Hajime Nagumo."
Yue's crimson eyes softened as she repeated his name quietly. "Hajime Nagumo..."
Renji chuckled softly, "Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Here. Wear this. Can't have you running around like that," Renji said, holding the coat out toward her.
Yue glanced down at herself, and the realization hit her all over again. She was completely exposed, her body bare to the world. A wave of embarrassment washed over her, and she reflexively took the coat from Renji. She held it against her body, her cheeks flushing as she tried to cover herself as much as possible.
She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Renji, you perv."
Renji blinked, slightly taken aback by her words. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, realizing anything he said would only make things worse. Instead, he simply smiled, shaking his head, and watched as she wrapped the coat around her.
The coat was too large for her, and as she tried to adjust it, the sleeves hung off her hands, almost swallowing her small frame. She made a frustrated noise, trying to fold the sleeves back, her face scrunching in concentration. Renji couldn't help but smile a little at the sight.
"Need help?" he asked, his voice quieter than usual.
Yue's gaze snapped up to his, and she hesitated, before shaking her head. "I've got it." But there was a slight softness in her tone, something that hadn't been there before.
Yue looked between them now, a sense of peace settling over her as she fully embraced her new name. "What now?" Her voice was steady, full of quiet strength as she faced both of them.
Renji glanced at Hajime, his expression serious but resolute. "Now... we move forward. Together."
Hajime's lips twitched, a brief moment of something like understanding passing between them. "Right. No turning back."
Yue nodded slowly, the faintest smile gracing her lips as she looked back at the path ahead. Whatever came next, she was no longer just a nameless girl—she was Yue.