The dim glow of the restaurant nterns flickered as Satsujin Sha and Aira Kun entered, hand in hand. The scent of sizzling food filled the air, a blend of spices and herbs that tugged at Aira’s memories. For a brief moment, everything felt like it had before—simple, familiar, even normal. Yet beneath the surface of this reunion was an undercurrent of something far more dangerous.

  They chose a secluded table by the window, away from prying eyes. Aira leaned forward, her heart still fluttering in disbelief. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Satsujin Sha, the man she had loved and lost, was sitting in front of her as if nothing had happened. It was surreal, almost too good to be true.

  “Order anything you want,” Satsujin said softly, his gaze unwavering.

  Aira gave him a small, hesitant smile and looked through the menu. Memories of this pce washed over her—it had been her favorite restaurant since she was a teenager. Without hesitation, she ordered her go-to dish: buttery miso ramen with caramelized onions and grilled fish.

  While they waited for the food, they sat in silence, staring at each other like two strangers rediscovering a forgotten love.

  Then, without a word, Satsujin leaned in and kissed her.

  It was soft at first, tentative. But then, it deepened. Aira felt the world slip away as his lips moved against hers, as if the years of separation and chaos had never existed. For a fleeting moment, nothing else mattered—not the crimes, not the confusion, not even the looming threat of who he truly was.

  When they finally broke apart, Aira’s cheeks were flushed, and she bit her lip, trying to suppress a nervous smile.

  The steaming bowl of ramen arrived, and they dug into the meal like two ordinary people on an ordinary date. Aira closed her eyes with a sigh of delight at the familiar taste.

  “I missed this,” she whispered.

  Satsujin gave her a small, enigmatic smile as he watched her eat. There was something strange in his expression—affection, perhaps, or amusement—but it was hard to decipher.

  Between bites, he casually asked, “Do you still have lemic?”

  Aira froze, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She looked at him, her heart skipping a beat. Lemic. The obscure medication she had taken since childhood. Very few people even knew about it—Satsujin had been one of the few.

  “Yes,” she said quietly, lowering her chopsticks. “I still have it. I take it every morning.”

  Satsujin gave a satisfied nod, but there was something unsettling in his gaze, like a puzzle falling into pce. Aira didn’t dare ask why he wanted to know. Some part of her already knew it wasn’t a coincidence. With Satsujin, nothing ever was.

  After finishing their meal, Satsujin suggested they go back to Aira’s house. She hesitated briefly, but the pull of nostalgia—and something deeper—overcame her doubt. With a nod, she agreed, and they left the restaurant, walking side by side through the cool night streets.

  The air between them was thick with unspoken words, memories they both knew but didn’t acknowledge aloud. As they walked, Aira’s mind churned with questions she was too afraid to ask. Was this really him? The man she had once loved, now resurrected from a world of shadows? Or was it something else—a dream she didn’t want to wake from?

  When they reached her home, Aira hesitated at the door for a moment before turning the key. The familiar scent of her mother’s jasmine candles greeted them as they stepped inside. Aira’s heart raced. She had never introduced anyone as her boyfriend before—not to her mother, not to anyone.

  She cleared her throat nervously. “Mom?” she called, her voice shaky.

  Her mother appeared from the living room, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. When she saw the two standing in the doorway, her brows lifted in surprise.

  Aira gave a small, almost shy smile. “Mom... my boyfriend is here.”

  Her mother’s eyes flicked to Satsujin, and though she gave a polite smile, there was a flicker of unease behind her gaze—something only a mother could sense. But before she could say anything, Satsujin stepped forward, his smile cool and measured, and extended his hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said in a voice as smooth as silk.

  Aira’s mother shook his hand, her smile faltering slightly. There was something off about him, something she couldn’t quite pce—but she brushed the feeling aside for her daughter’s sake.

  “Welcome,” she said politely, though her tone was cautious. “Make yourself at home.”

  As they settled into the living room, the atmosphere remained light, but tension simmered just beneath the surface. Aira’s mother made tea, and the three of them exchanged polite conversation. But in every word Satsujin spoke, there was an unsettling calm—a man too comfortable in a pce he didn’t belong.

  Aira sat close to him on the couch, her hand resting lightly on his arm, but her thoughts swirled with confusion. She had told herself she didn’t care about the past, about who he was or what he had done. And yet, as she looked at him now, a question gnawed at her heart:

  What had she invited into her life?

  And deep down, did she even care?

  As the night wore on, the delicate veneer of normalcy threatened to crack, but Aira clung to it. She didn’t want this moment to end. Even if it was dangerous. Even if it was wrong.

  Because love—like crime—has a way of blinding those who fall too deeply into it.