It was late at night.

The final bell at school had rung hours ago, and the students had all returned home one by one.

The neighborhood playground, which was noisy with children running around during the day, was strangely quiet now that night had fallen.

A single streetlight dimly illuminated one side of the playground, and only long shadows stretched across the ground beneath it.

Sanemi was there.

He was a kid no one at school dared to mess with easily.

Because of his rough speech, sharp eyes, and fierce personality, he was famous even among his peers, and he always moved with a group of friends.

If someone picked a fight, he threw the first punch, and he didn't even blink when called in by the teachers.

At least, that was how it was at school.

But at home, it was different.

On days when his father came home drunk, Sanemi held his breath in silence.

He prayed countless times to himself that today would pass without incident, that he wouldn't hear the sound of the door opening, and that he wouldn't hear a voice calling for him.

In the end, the same thing happened that day.

Having fled the shouting and verbal abuse that started at home, Sanemi was practically dragged to the playground. Caught in his drunken father's rough hands, he was hit several times, and Sanemi gritted his teeth and endured it.

It was a sight he would never show at school.

He never told his friends. He never brought up his family story to anyone.

Even if someone mentioned parents, he brushed it off with a curse, and he explained away the scars on his body by saying he got hurt during PE or in a fight.

So no one knew.

No one knew why Sanemi sometimes stared blankly out the window during class, why he was in such a hurry to dress when changing for PE, or why he hated going home after staying late at school.

Not a single person.

But that night, of all times, Giyu was passing by that way.

Giyu was on his way home after staying late at school.

Unlike usual, he heard a strange sound coming from the playground and stopped walking, discovering a familiar silhouette beyond the streetlight.

At first, he thought he had misseen.

But the moment he looked again, he could recognize that face. Even though they weren't in the same class, it was a face impossible not to know at school.

It was Sanemi.

Sanemi also felt a presence and looked up. And their eyes met.

In an instant, Sanemi's expression froze.

It was a sight he didn't want anyone to catch him in. A moment he didn't want to show his friends, his teachers, or anyone at school.

And yet, of all people, Giyu—the quietest one, who usually never exchanged a single word with him—was watching.

...What the hell.