CHRISTIAN
The air in the courtyard was heavy with incense, pine smoke, and silence.
Today was Hajime’s funeral.
It was being held on Ryuji’s estate, beneath the moonlit sky. The ceremony was traditional—painfully so. Every detail was deliberate, from the sacred salt placed at the entrance to ward off evil spirits to the quiet procession of black-clad mourners who bowed three times before approaching the body.
Liam and I had both been given mourning robes—black montsuki kimonos etched with Ryuji’s family crest. Wearing it felt strange at first, like stepping into someone else’s skin. But it was essential, I was told. A show of respect. A symbol of brotherhood in grief.
I had it in me to argue, but I didn’t. Wearing this dress was only for a few hours, I could live with it. At least I d
