Kazutora has made positive changes since that day. Although he still shows disdain and behaves violently towards Takemichi, he is at least kinder to him. He tells Takemichi to stop waiting for him to go to school too early, no longer orders him around, and if he doesn't like the food Takemichi brings, he throws it back instead of tossing it in the trash.

Their relationship isn't quite at the level of friends yet, but Takemichi feels that Kazutora has accepted him being around.

It's just over a week until October 31st, and Valhalla still shows no signs of starting a fight, and neither Kazutora nor Baji have taken any related actions. This quietness makes Takemichi even more worried.

The weather recently has had sudden showers, so Takemichi often carries an umbrella, but Kazutora doesn't care about the weather and never brings one. Therefore, Takemichi escorts him to the door.

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella echoes, and, as usual, Kazutora talks to Takemichi if he feels like it; otherwise, he stays silent, letting Takemichi chatter on about various things.

To prevent Kazutora from getting wet, Takemichi tilts the umbrella more towards him, so his shoulder gets wet. If he walks with Hinata, he stays close to her, and neither of them gets wet. But with Kazutora,... he is afraid that if he gets too close, he will get hit.

Kazutora notices Takemichi's actions and narrows his eyes in annoyance.

"Give it to me, you walk too slow."

He grabs the umbrella from Takemichi and moves closer to him. The sudden action startles Takemichi, who looks up at him, but Kazutora keeps his eyes on the path ahead and doesn't notice. When Takemichi stops looking at him and smiles secretly, Kazutora finally glances down at him.

Getting happy over something like this, this guy is simple to the point of being foolish. Kazutora can't understand what he's been doing these days. He just can't act like he normally does.

During his dark days, everything around him makes him angry and he wants to destroy it all. This world is full of bad things and betrayal, all of which hurt him. Only one person stays by his side, Baji, but Baji isn't just by his side. Mikey, if Mikey is around, Baji will leave him one day, right?

Thinking about this, Kazutora's eyes fill with hatred. He looks at the person walking next to him, and even this person, who always says he will be his friend, is one of Mikey's people. So, he will stay by Mikey's side too, right? If he finds out that Kazutora is the one who caused Mikey's brother's death, how will he react? Kazutora has asked himself this many times.

And he really hates people like him. He hates how this person clings to him, how he stubbornly enters his life, hates the peace, and hates the gentleness he brings. He doesn't want it; he wants to reject it. These feelings are like a sedative for him, but one day they will become poison and kill him.

"Kazutora-kun, I can't walk home with you tomorrow. Remember to bring an umbrella, it might rain."

Takemichi's voice interrupts Kazutora's thoughts.

"You're too talkative, I got it," Kazutora snaps.

Not walking home together tomorrow? Fine, he has time to himself.

The reason Takemichi won't walk home with Kazutora is that he is being blamed for neglecting people in Touman. Baji invited him to practice martial arts, but he said he was busy and would do it another time. When everyone invited him to hang out, he also refused. Even Chifuyu, who knows the reason, is blaming him for not keeping in touch. So, tomorrow, he has to show up with everyone.

"Remember to bring an umbrella tomorrow."

Before leaving, Takemichi reminds Kazutora once more. Kazutora turns away, acting annoyed. Takemichi is used to this attitude, so he waves and smiles brightly to say goodbye.

When Takemichi turns and walks away, Kazutora finally looks after him.

"Hanemiya Kazutora-kun."

A stranger with glasses appears out of nowhere.

The next day, Takemichi waits for Kazutora to go to school, but even when it's late, Kazutora doesn't show up. Takemichi goes to Kazutora's class and hears that he didn't come to school. A feeling of unease rises in him. Takemichi abandons his promise to meet everyone at Touman and, in the rain, runs to Kazutora's house to look for him but doesn't find him.

The rain is even heavier than yesterday, and although Takemichi uses an umbrella, he still gets half-wet. The evening winds make him feel cold and shivery, but he keeps waiting for Kazutora to come back. Takemichi doesn't know how long he waits. It's very dark, the rain also stops, and the cold makes his lips turn purple.

After waiting for a long time, Takemichi finally sees Kazutora. Kazutora frowns at Takemichi, who is so cold he can't stand up. But upon seeing him, Takemichi still manages to give the happiest smile.

"Kazutora-kun, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Kazutora's eyes flicker, but he quickly shows a look of disdain.

"Are you crazy, idiot? Why are you waiting for me?"

"You skipped school without telling anyone, so I was worried."

"Since when do I need to tell you whether I go to school or not? I skip if I want. Why are you making such a big deal?"

After enduring so much, today Takemichi finally feels like getting angry. Yes, he's making a big deal because he worries that Kazutora might make another mistake. Takemichi doesn't want to yell, so he glares at Kazutora, his face angry, takes a deep breath to calm himself, and then walks away.

For the first time, seeing Takemichi's harsh attitude, Kazutora feels a bit panicked and grabs Takemichi's hand. Takemichi staggers because his legs are numb from waiting in the cold, and Kazutora's sudden pull makes him lose balance and fall into Kazutora's arms. Both are surprised. Takemichi looks up at Kazutora, and even in the dim streetlight, Kazutora sees the resentment in Takemichi's eyes. Kazutora feels a slight pain, a sudden urge to hold the person in front of him tightly, but Takemichi quickly pushes him away and leaves without saying a word.

Kazutora just stands there staring after him, feeling a sense of disappointment. Then, he feels anger, an anger he can't understand whether it's directed at Takemichi or at himself.

The body of a 14-year-old boy is still growing, so it's not surprising that Takemichi falls ill after being caught in the rain and exposed to cold winds for many hours. This also makes Touman forget about him ditching them. Mikey, Draken, Baji, Chifuyu, and Mitsuya are the ones who come to visit him.

It's their second time at Takemichi's house, everyone now goes up to his room. Chifuyu, being a regular visitor, feels at home. This makes Mikey secretly jealous. Takemichi is in his room under the blanket. Hearing them, he slowly opens his eyes and smiles.

"You guys come to visit me?"

Takemichi tries to sit up, sweating so much that his t-shirt sticks to his skin. Feeling uncomfortable, he pulls at his collar, accidentally revealing his collarbone and a neck covered in a thin layer of sweat. His breathing is hesitant, his voice weak, and his eyes dreamy.

Draken and Mikey suddenly feel their faces heating up and quickly look away. They silently curse themselves, wondering why they feel excited when he's sick. But the sight of the frail boy in front of them stirs some improper thoughts they can't suppress.

Mitsuya looks at the two of them and then at Takemichi, an astonished look crosses through his eyes. What are these two with such alarming expressions?

"Takemichi, what did you do to get this sick? Your mom said you have a fever of nearly 39 degrees."

"Got caught in the rain, I didn't expect such a high fever."

If Chifuyu knew why he was in the rain, he would probably yell.

"If you weren't sick, I would have handled you myself," Baji says, not sure if he's there to visit or to threaten him.

"I bought some fruit for you, eat it later to refresh your mouth."

Mitsuya approaches Takemichi, a habit from taking care of his siblings when they're sick, he places his hand on Takemichi's forehead to check his temperature. Takemichi feels the coolness of Mitsuya's hand and shows a contented, relaxed expression. Mitsuya suddenly feels flustered by the cute face of the young boy in front of him.

"Mitsuya's hand is really cool."

Takemichi sincerely says, not knowing that Mitsuya's ears turn slightly red because of it. Now Mitsuya feels he's showing some alarming signs himself.

"Takemitchy, get well soon. When you're better, I'll take you to the beach again."

Mikey, resting his chin in his hand, speaks sadly. He hasn't seen Takemichi recently and feels something missing. Is this what longing feels like?

The group chats for a bit before quickly leaving so Takemichi can rest. Takemichi secretly texts Chifuyu to come back after everyone leaves because he has something to say.

"Has Baji-kun contacted Kazutora-kun at all?"

"Those two don't meet much. Mostly, Baji-san tries to approach him, but he seems to avoid Baji-san. I think they had an argument. Baji-san has been thoughtful and unhappy lately."

Only Chifuyu can notice something unusual about Baji. When Takemichi met him today, he seemed the same as usual. It also seems Kazutora hasn't mentioned him to Baji. Takemichi is very worried. Has Kisaki approached Kazutora? If so, what will happen? If Kazutora still opposes Toman, what then? Will Baji act as he did in the past, or will he act differently this time because he's unaware of Kisaki's presence?

"In the past, Ba Luu Ba La will declare war on us in two days. I'm still very afraid that Kisaki will pull Kazutora to his side."

Takemichi says sadly. Both of them fall silent for a moment.

"Don't worry. Even if he does, I will still protect Baji-san. He'll be fine. And as for Ba Luu Ba La, Toman will win. It'll be okay."

Chifuyu pats Takemichi's head, smiling to encourage him. Takemichi, on the verge of tears, looks at Chifuyu with a distressed expression.

"You idiot, I promise. I said we'll create a good future for everyone. I'm your partner, right?"

Chifuyu holds out his pinky finger to make a pinky promise with Takemichi.

"Promise sincerely," Chifuyu says firmly.

Takemichi, touched, links pinkies with Chifuyu. Their thumbs seal the promise, and Takemichi responds with a smile.

"Yes, for sure."

After two days of being sick, Takemichi feels much better. He isn't fully recovered yet, but he still tries to go to school. Takemichi hopes Kisaki hasn't approached Kazutora yet and that he can still stop him. Feeling tired, Takemichi goes to school and immediately heads to Kazutora's class, where he finds Kazutora attending. He feels happy.

"Kazutora-kun, about the other day I..."

Takemichi feels confused and hesitates, unable to finish his sentence.

"That was my fault. You don't need to feel guilty. I'm sorry, Takemichi."

Kazutora's kind words surprise Takemichi. He looks up at him. Kazutora is smiling, but as Takemichi looks into his eyes, he realizes it's too late. What he feared has come true. This is the crazed look Kazutora had in the past.

Kazutora expects the person in front of him to smile foolishly at his attitude, but instead, Takemichi looks at him with eyes filled with pain and a shocked expression.

Kazutora is momentarily stunned but quickly hides it. No, the person in front of him isn't worth his attention because Takemichi is on the enemy's side. Kazutora's gaze changes, becoming cold and crazed.

"Come with me to one place after school, okay, Takemichi?"

Takemichi painfully smiles, realizing all his efforts and feelings haven't changed anything. He was too naive to think he could change someone else. What he did was insignificant. Did he think becoming Kazutora's friend would soothe his hatred? Ha, what a dream. He isn't Baji, and he and Kazutora have never been close.

"I get it, I'll meet you after school," he says, lowering his head and walking away.