???? ??? || Ni-ki ?

★

Back at their base, the old lady handed Riki a new assignment. “It’s a quick job. Won’t take more than a couple of hours.”

“I’ll do it,” he replied without hesitation, taking the file.

But instead of looking through it, his eyes wandered toward the pile of letters gathering dust on the shelf.

He had never cared to read them before. They didn’t matter.

Yet now…

Now he wanted to.

He wasn’t sure why, maybe because of Natsumi.

Because of the way she spoke about Phantom, about him.

Because of the way she made him feel things he wasn’t supposed to feel.

He sat down, pulling the stack toward him.

The first few letters were the usual nonsense.

— “Who are you? Why do you hide your face?”
— “You must be really handsome, right? Wanna go out sometime?”
— “Are you dating? Or single.”

He skimmed through them, unimpressed.

Then he picked up another one.

The handwriting was different, neat, with a slight slant, as if the writer had taken their time.

There was no name, but something about it felt familiar.

He started reading.

— “I don’t know if you’ll ever read this, but I just wanted to say thank you. You always help others without expecting anything in return. That kind of kindness is rare.”

His fingers tightened around the paper.

— “I hope you’re taking care of yourself too. You’re always looking out for everyone else… but who looks out for you?”

His heart did something weird in his chest.

— “Even if we never meet, I just want you to know—you’re doing a great job. Please remember to take care of yourself.”

Riki exhaled, staring at the letter.

It was hers. It had to be.

She didn’t ask what he looked like. She didn’t try to flirt or make it about herself. She just wanted him to be okay.

She had written this for him.

He placed the letter down carefully, staring at it for a long time.

Why did this make him feel so-

He shook his head. No. He couldn’t let this get to him.

But even as he tried to push the feelings away, one thought remained.

She had always cared. Even before she knew him.

Riki was still staring at the letter when a voice broke through his thoughts.

“Oh? What’s this?”

Rei leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, a teasing smirk on her lips. Maki peeked over her shoulder, eyes widening.

“Wait… Are you actually reading those?” Maki gasped dramatically.

“No way. Riki’s gone soft!”

“Not just soft,” Rei added, grinning. “He’s lovesick.”

Riki’s expression darkened immediately. “Shut up.”