“You did it, you got yourself killed.” A small, weak voice called for him, mournfully.

He found himself before a beach, its sand a greyish shade of yellow, as the small waves crashed lazily against the shore.

His gaze turned to the owner of the voice. She sat on the sands, watching the waves with teary eyes.

Itsuki knew her all too well. Her hair returned to its natural purple shade, rather than the white one he had seen the last few times.

No longer a vengeful spirit, or anything of the sort, he thought.

“Yeah. Tried to play the hero, and failed.” Itsuki laughed, scratching the back of his head. It didn’t play out as well as he wanted.

He still tried, and failed, but still tried in the end. Nothing more could be asked of him.

She sighed painfully, and Itsuki went to her side.

For a few moments, only the sound of the waves made them company. The sky was gray, but with no rain in sight.

“I wanted you to live a longer life. Be happy. I guess fate was not so keen to give us a good ending, huh?” She said in a self-mocking tone.

If she were stronger, her heart sterner, her skin thicker, none of those tragedies would’ve happened. Itsuki looked down as he listened to her words.

He, too, wished for happiness. Who didn’t?

It seemed that the star they were born under sucked.

“At least now, we are together again, aren’t we?” Not under the circumstances he wished, and certainly not in the way he envisioned.

But they were together.

Koharu closed her eyes and closed her hands on the beach’s sand. “Yeah, you are right. It seems there is nothing left to us in this story, right?”

She looked behind.

And so did Itsuki.

There, he saw Shu, enjoying his afternoon with Yae, Ran, Yaya, and Kaoru. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but from their faces, they were trying to be happy and enjoy their day despite the tragedy that had struck them recently, despite Madoka being in the hospital.

Shu was being a goofball. Ran tried not to laugh, but the quiver at the corner of his lips betrayed that he was amused. Yae seemed enthralled by Shu, even if she didn’t show it outwardly, as Kaoru looked at them taciturnly, but even Itsuki could tell she was happy with those antics, lifting some of the heavy weight they carried on their shoulders.

Further behind them, he saw Momo with Madoka in the hospital. The gyaru tried to cheer up her grumpy friend, telling her everything was right, and she would soon recover.

Itsuki saw the darkness that stirred inside Momo, but said darkness was soothed away by Madoka, little by little. It wouldn’t disappear overnight, but her friends could dispel it in time.

He saw the other gang members appear one by one. Dawn and Fumiko started to cheer Madoka, and helped dispel that dark thing’s influence over Momo.

Strangely, Alyona and Renka also came, making the hospital room seem cramped.

Even further, he saw Reiji and Sophia. Her cting as the perfect maid, while Reiji glossed over a few papers, their contents? Who could tell? They would be alright, nothing could even reach them as far as mundane dangers or tribulations went. Itsuki could at least rest well knowing that misfortune wouldn’t fall over them.

Going even further, he saw Mei and her grandma, drinking tea in the afternoon, a lazy mood and day for them, without a single hitch or bad thing happening. Knowing her grandma, Itsuki doubted that even a meteor could bother Mei as long as the hag was around.

They were so happy. Itsuki couldn’t help but feel happy to. “Yeah, it seems so. It is time for us to retire, Koharu.”

The old guard had done enough. As the last one who remained, it was time for him to retire. Let the youngsters handle this task from now on.

Koharu smiled and got up. “Yeah, we’ve done enough. Now, it is their time. They did more than enough to earn your trust, didn’t they? They will protect the future and pave a path of hope, won’t they?” Koharu’s questions felt more like silent pleas.

A begging for those who came after them to finish the job they left behind. Clear all this mess, save humanity from the yokais.

Itsuki put a hand over her shoulder, his gaze softening. “We both said it, Koharu. It is time for us to retire. The future now belongs to them.”

They were already dead.

Koharu’s lips trembled, but she closed her eyes in resignation. There was nothing left for them to do. Itsuki gave two steps back and looked over them. He raised his hand and waved at them.

“Now, the mission to defeat Nurarihyon is up to you, guys! Don’t do anything too crazy, and stay alive until the end! I won’t forgive you if you dare to die so young! Stay healthy! Fumiko, stop Momo from going over the board! And you, Shu, start thinking more about yourself! You will give everyone a heart attack if you continue to do such insane things!”

Itsuki shouted at the top of his lungs. They couldn’t hear him, much less feel him watching over them.

It didn’t matter.

He didn’t want to depart so soon, but he couldn't reach them now.

Koharu looked towards the horizon as it changed. From the grey skies of a lonely shore, it became a street bathed by twilight.

“Itsuki, I will be going first. Just as I awaited you, I feel like you will wait for that gang of whippersnappers to cross over to this place. Make no mistake, you idiot… I will await you on the other shore. This time, not even fate will keep us apart when you come over.”

Koharu walked towards the twilight, as Itsuki turned around to share a last glance with her. “Yeah, I will come with you when the time comes.” And so, she vanished down the street.

Itsuki sat on the ground and kept looking at the orange sun that covered his view. He had a blank expression. His long wait would start now. He and that perpetual twilight.

He kept looking as the street morphed and transformed by the passage of time. Reforms and modernization, changes and evolution.

He felt time passing, but it was hard to tell how much. He didn’t know. Three minutes, or six decades?

More and more time, until that same street became unrecognizable from the one he saw when he was alive.

Yet, he wouldn’t move; he would only get up when everyone crossed. Deep in his heart, he could feel when one of them passed.

Like dominoes falling.

Until the last of their little group passed on.

“Hey, did you wait for us all this time? Didn’t you learn that you shouldn’t sleep on the streets, you idiot?”
Your world no longer exists. Goodbyes hurt me so much. This is the end of your story. Alone, you won't die. In my heart, you will always live.
A voice called out to him, and Itsuki turned around and smiled for the first time in a long while.

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Pub: 11 Jan 2026 23:07 UTC

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