Satoru dove under the overhang and leaned against one of the wooden support beams, gasping for breath. He peered over his shoulder to scrutinize the downpour outside, sighing in relief upon finally finding proper shelter. Suddenly, he heard some music and turned to see someone seemingly… dancing ... on the other side of the pavilion.

Who is that-? He moved closer silently, not wanting to scare the individual, and smirked upon recognizing her.

He opened his mouth to call her name. However, he faltered once she came to full view. He blinked once, then twice, upon realizing she had finally taken off her outerwear and was clad in only her bathing suit.

Her wet hair was plastered on her all-but-bare back, nothing but a thin ribbon string tied around her neck and below her shoulder blades. She did a little twirl, her eyes remaining closed as she danced. The suit was mainly pale mauve in color, with ivory lace cloth that dipped down between her- he clenched his jaw- unexpectedly… ample… cleavage, before continuing to flow past her abdomen, the scalloped-edged trim of the fabric barely covering her waist. He gritted his teeth as his gaze continued to roam below her curvy hips, where a frilly cream-colored skirt clung to her bottom. As her long legs skipped around while she swayed to the beat, he became uncharacteristically at loss for words.

God… had she always had a body like that? He rubbed his hand over his face, which suddenly felt too warm. Even though she wasn't slim nor fit like most of the women he's been with, she had all the curves in the right places and…

He swallowed thickly as he continued watching her, unable to tear his eyes away.

…those were his favorite places.

—-

Qian hummed to herself as she happily hopped up and down in place to the rhythm of her music. She could practically hear her blood pumping through her veins, finally feeling warmth return to her limbs.

She grinned, cheering to herself as she raised her arms to the melody. Knowing her playlist always helped to distract her throughout the day, she realized dancing was the perfect way to warm herself up. She hopped and turned around, a bright smile on her face, before she yelped and staggered backwards upon seeing the infamous sorcerer standing closely behind her.

"G-G-G-G-GOJO-SENSEI!" She shrieked in mortification, immediately covering her arms over her chest. She stumbled to the table to grab her phone, quickly pressing the pause button to turn off the music as she shoved the device in her bag. "I-I-I didn't know you were here!"

The sorcerer quickly composed himself, forcing his usual smirk on his face. "Neither did I." He coughed awkwardly. "Well, I now know why you were the only one wearing a jacket in this crazy weather."

She paled and quickly leapt to the railing, grabbing her still-wet jacket and shoving her arms through the sleeves. "I-I am so, so, so sorry! I know what I'm wearing is very inappropriate!"

Her fingers fumbled with the zipper as she tried to hook in the slider. "B-But I had no choice! My best friend-" She immediately clamped her jaw shut, hanging her head shamefully, knowing anything she tried to explain would probably just irritate him.

"Your best friend…?" He trailed off, quirking a brow in amusement. She shot up to face the man incredulously. He met her stare quizzically. "What? You were in the middle of saying something."

"I-I- uh, sorry, I didn't think you'd be interested– or care, really-" She gulped nervously, finally able to pull the zipper up to her neck fully.

"I mean," He tilted his head outside, towards the torrential downpour. "It's not like I have anywhere else to be."

"A-Ah, right." She nodded with a nervous chuckle before looking back down. "W-Well, my best friend gifted me this bathing suit for Christmas last year and…I never go swimming… so I never wore it."

She reached for her leggings and sat down on the nearby picnic table. "T-Then I accidentally told her I was going to the beach today and she…kind of freaked out and forced me to video call her to prove I was wearing it."

"Why didn't you just tell her no?" Satoru asked, biting back a laugh upon watching her attempting to pull the clothing over her legs, but the material was too wet and wouldn't budge past her calves.

She blushed in embarrassment and gave up, peeling off the fabric to hang it back on the railing before slumping back in her seat, crossing her legs together and pulling her sleeves down to cover her hands. "I-I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Plus, she threatened to break off our friendship."

"Sounds like a great friend." Satoru quipped, seating himself at another table across from her. Another cold breeze rushed through the pavilion and both of them inadvertently shivered.

Satoru frowned and breathed in sharply, unable to bear the feeling of the wet rags on his body much longer. "Do you mind if I take off my shirt? I'm freezing."

Qian whipped her eyes to stare at the man in disbelief. "I-I beg your pardon?!"

He hooked the collar of his shirt with two fingers. "Like you, I'm kind of soaked, and wearing this drenched thing is just making things worse in this weather." He turned to meet her horrified stare, an amused smirk stretching across his lips. "What's wrong, does it bother you?"

"I-I-I-It u-um k-kind o-of um-" The poor girl stammered incoherently, her face completely red at this point.

Without waiting for her response, he plucked his glasses off his face, tossing them onto the table beside him, and pulled his shirt over his head. She gasped, unable to avert her eyes in time.

His body was immaculate. His toned muscles rippled underneath his flawless skin as he rolled his shirt into a tight ball, wringing out any remaining water that soaked the fabric. His silver hair was plastered onto his forehead, the droplets in his hair trickling down onto his broad chest and over his hard pecs. Her gaze was fixated on each drop as they cascaded further down over his six-packed abdomen, soon soaking the waistband of his jeans, which hung low on his hips.

He then glanced at her and she immediately covered her eyes, completely mortified by her blatant ogling.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he hung his shirt over the same railing to dry. "Come on, how old are you? Have you really not seen a shirtless guy before?"

"I-I h-have b-but-" Qian spluttered, still hiding her face behind her hands.

"Really?" His smirk widened. "Okay, great, then I can take off my pants too, right?"

She tore her hands away and glared at the man. "P-PLEASE DON'T!"

He started laughing, completely amused by her behavior. "Alright, alright, relax. I won't."

They fell into silence as the rain continued to pour. Qian peered back at the man, who had pulled out his phone and was scrolling through the screen. She stared at his face.

Satoru heaved a sigh, without taking his eyes away from his phone. "I can feel your eyes on me. What is it?"

"Y-You're not wearing your sunglasses." He turned his gaze towards her and they locked eyes.

The corners of his lips twitched as he leaned forward, giving her full view of his face. "Alright, I'll let you have a good look at them. You should feel honored, these eyes are the result of centuries of genetic crafting within my family."

Qian wordlessly continued staring into his blue irises. They were a mix of ice and sky, constantly and endlessly swirling in an infinite winter storm. She could feel herself becoming lost, becoming drawn in closer and closer…

…and yet, there was something about them that- "...T-They're…"

He smirked upon observing her entranced expression. "Let me guess, they're beautiful aren't they?" He's heard it all. Some described them as "mesmerizing", others swoon because they're "sexy"... even a few obsessive fans have framed photos of his irises, calling them "god-like".

"T-They're…lonely." She murmured out loud before her eyes widened in shock, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. She turned away and he raised a brow in confusion.

He regarded her incredulously as her cheeks darkened in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that-"

"Lonely?" He barked a harsh laugh as he sat up, facing the girl fully. "Me?"

"I-I-" She peered up at him, folding her hands nervously over her lap. "I-It's nothing, I apologize-"

"No please, do elaborate." He straightened his back, his face darkening as he leaned forward. Shying away, she swallowed thickly.

"I-It's just… you have the same eyes as an old friend of mine." She murmured, thinking back to her childhood friend, Hayato. "He always had the same lonely eyes, but he wouldn't talk to anyone about it and kept it all inside. He was always trying to be strong for everyone else."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, right. He sounds like an idiot and I'm not him, so-"

"D-Don't talk about him like that!" She snapped, causing him to glare at her. She raised her head to meet his gaze, her heart racing in her chest as she took a shaky breath. "Y-You may be right. I have no idea what you've been through, but you have no right to talk about him like that."

Satoru clenched his jaw, biting back a retort. They both fell into tense silence once more, a clap of thunder bellowing outside. The torrential downpour continued, the raindrops hitting the wooden roofing like a violent shower of bullets.

His jaw tightened as he finally spoke. "So…what happened to him?"

"I-I'm not sure…" She remained tense, peeking at the man hesitantly. Upon seeing his pure curiosity, his gaze clear of malice, she cleared her throat. "H-His house was caught in a fire but…I think he was killed by a cursed spirit."

"Ah, so he's just unlucky then." The sorcerer muttered offhandedly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he turned his head to watch the raindrops continue flowing down the edge of the roof.

Unlucky? Qian bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her face burn in indignation.

As the deluge flooded the sand around them, his apathetic comment echoed in her mind. So that's it. He was just unlucky then? A strong breeze flew between them and rustled through her now almost-dry hair, causing her to brush back her bangs. She then began to tremble in her seat, whether it was due to the wind or her inner turmoil…she wasn't sure.

She swallowed and took a deep breath.

"...I-I always wondered." She finally whispered, barely audibly.

"What?" He crossed his arms, his eyes still fixated on the misty downpour.

She gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on her jacket. "E-Everything that's been going on in this world, all those...spirits... hurting people... I don't get why."

He shrugged dismissively. "They're manifestations of humanity's negative emotions...you already know that."

She shook her head angrily. "No. I mean, why are we the lucky ones that get to live?"
Upon hearing the lack of stutter in her voice, Satoru turned his gaze back to her, surprised to see that she had raised her head. Her eyes shone with suppressed tears. "You said Hayato was simply 'unlucky', right? It's not like he had a choice. What makes him deserving of such poor luck- why are we fortunate to be blessed instead?"

She couldn't help but release an uncharacteristic chuckle, bitterly laughing at her own words. "Well, you, I understand. You were born with your gifts and you trained your whole life to become unstoppable. You can at least control your fate. Meanwhile, others are out there who are like me, powerless and victims of such violence and there's nothing we can do about it."

Her voice began to quiver but she couldn't stop herself. "I-If he's unlucky, then what does that make me? I should be unlucky as well- it's basic Biology, after all. Survival of the fittest, which I am not. I'm pathetic and weak, I can't fight. You said it yourself, I shouldn't be here, and yet I'm still alive…all this time. Honestly, let's face it. I don't deserve to live."

She finally took a shuddering breath, panting heavily as she met the silent expression of the man seated across from her. For a moment, they simply looked at each other.

Her face paled upon realizing her immature outburst and she scrambled to her feet, away from the sorcerer. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"You chose to be here." She faltered in her step and cautiously looked over her shoulder to see him rise from his seat. "You are right, none of us are able to control how lucky or unlucky we are. Some of us are born with better hands, others are not. But we make the most of what we have."

He stood behind her, staring down with an unknown look in his eyes. "I am…sorry…about talking about your friend that way. What happened to him was truly unfortunate. But life isn't defined by luck. Yes, sometimes good things happen to bad people. And bad things happen to good people. Some things are out of our control. But life is also about how we choose to make it. You could've just stayed in place, choosing ignorance and probably living peacefully. But you instead chose to make the most of it and decided to follow this path, which is full of hardship, and yet, has a small possibility of changing the world for the better."

She remained quiet and he coughed uncomfortably, a bit perturbed by his unusual verbosity. "S-So…" He glanced back at the girl, who was now peering up at him, her eyes wide as the tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I-Is it okay that I'm alive, then?"

Satoru sighed, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Obviously, but you don't need me to answer that."

The girl hiccupped, turning her gaze down as she choked back her tears. "T-Thank god…" She whispered, her voice shaking with a mixture of relief and sorrow. "T-Thank god…"

She finally succumbed to a fit of sobs, hiding her face in her hands. "I-I'm sorry I'm like this," She coughed out, furiously wiping her cheeks with her palm, "I know you hate seeing weakness so I'll just need a moment-"

However, she suddenly felt the cold fabric of her hood cover her hair, along with a gentle hand resting on her head.

"If you put this on, I can't see you so…" His voice softened, and she stared at the floor in bewilderment. "You can cry as much as you want."

Qian bit her lip, clenching the fabric over her lashes. "T-Thank you."

They both fell quiet, simply listening to the soft patter of the last raindrops splashing the shore. His warm palm remained, soothing her anguish and she finally inhaled, forcing herself to take deep breaths. The storm had finally begun to lighten, causing a soft, gentle tapping melody on the rooftop.

Suddenly, there was a loud buzz, and they jumped apart.

"U-Um, that's my phone, I should get that." She stammered, ducking around him to reach for her bag. Her face was burning as she fumbled with the device, immediately pressing the green button without looking at the caller ID. "H-Hello?"

"Qian! Where are you?" Kasumi's voice asked frantically. "Everyone's gathered by the surf shop and we can't find you!"

"O-Oh I found a pavilion around the east side of the shore! I'm with-" She turned around and paused, realizing the sorcerer had disappeared.