A PROMISE(1)

Noah left the hospital and headed straight home without being distracted along the way. Upon arriving, he walked along the stone and cement pathway decorated with pieces of phosphor, and stopped in front of the black wooden door. He grasped the iron handle but paused before turning it to open the door.

"Nothing about the test has been leaked, so everyone is supposed to be unaware of what happened. Dealing with their worries would be a bit annoying if they knew," Noah thought quietly, feeling anxious. He slowly turned the handle with tension and opened the door, taking his first step inside the house.

"I'm back—," Noah said, but soon found himself in an awkward position. His little sister jumped at him, hugging him tightly. She was so short that she barely reached above his waist, making the situation even more awkward.

"Y-Yana?" Noah asked, worried about his sister's sudden intimate behavior. "Damn! Did any information get leaked about what happened?!" Noah thought silently, anxious as he prepared to deal with his family's concerns.

"Is something wrong?" Noah asked nervously, sweating a little from the stress.

"You're late… I thought something bad had happened," Yana said in a barely audible voice, almost as if she was whispering.

"A-ah, I'm sorry about that. It's just that the test took longer than expected," Noah said, a worried smile forming on his face as sweat ran down his forehead and cheeks. He gently patted Yana's head.

"...About the test..." Yana whispered anxiously.

"I passed, don't worry," Noah reassured her, easing her worries.

Yana then pulled herself away from Noah's embrace, her pink eyes shining, her cheeks a bit flushed, and a wide smile spreading across her face from pure joy and excitement.

"Really?! You really passed?!" Yana asked, her eyes filled with enthusiasm and spirit.

"Y-yeah," Noah said, a little surprised by Yana's excitement. "S-She's really excited."

"This... is great news! I'll tell Dad!" Yana said, and quickly left Noah to head toward the living room. However, she stopped near the doorframe, turned to Noah, and walked back toward him, her eyes downcast with embarrassment. She stood in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Noah asked, confused by why she returned to him and why she was looking down.

"You're tall. Could you bend down a little?" Yana said, her voice carrying a bit of embarrassment despite her commanding tone.

"H-Huh, okay," Noah said, yielding to Yana.

Noah bent down slightly, resting his hands on his knees, and lowered himself until his knees almost touched the ground, bringing himself to Yana's height. Then, Yana grabbed Noah's shirt and pulled him a little closer. She kissed him on the cheek, then stepped back slightly, smiling shyly. Her cheeks were deeply flushed. Noah stood frozen in place, shocked by Yana's kiss. He placed his hand on his cheek where she had kissed him and nervously looked at her.

"W-What are you doing?" Noah asked, flustered.

"I-it's your... reward," Yana said, her cheeks bright red from the intense embarrassment.

"You didn't have to do something like that," Noah said.

Yana frowned slightly, her violet eyes staring off to the side in mild annoyance, avoiding looking at Noah. Her face was clearly flushed, as if she was trying to hide her embarrassment behind a scowl. Her arms were crossed over her chest as if trying to conceal her conflicting emotions. Her words were unnecessary; the look in her eyes and the redness in her face said it all...

"Idiot..." Yana whispered weakly, trying to hide her annoyance and feelings, while Noah stared at her in confusion, unable to hear her whisper.

"D-Did you say something?" Noah asked, confused and tense.

"Nothing..." Yana said, turning her back on Noah and heading to the living room. Noah noticed her ears turning red as she walked away.

"...What the fuck just happened?" Noah thought to himself.

After a few moments, Noah snapped out of his shock and followed Yana to the living room, where she was holding a cell phone, trying to call her father, Adonis.

"It looks like Mr. Adonis isn't here today... What about Mira?" Noah thought to himself, as he walked up the stairs to the second floor, where he reached a crossroads leading to three different rooms. He went down the narrowest hallway, stopped in front of a door, and knocked three times, but received no answer. He turned the handle and opened the door, only to find the room empty. All he noticed was an unmade bed, stacks of books on a table, and clothes scattered on the floor. The room was in a state of chaos... as usual.

"Mira isn't here either. Is she working?" Noah thought to himself as he left the room, closed the door behind him, and went back downstairs to the living room where Yana was sitting on the couch, hugging one of the pillows tightly.

"Did you get through to Mr. Adonis?" Noah asked, although he already knew the answer from the expression on Yana's face, which seemed on the verge of breaking down and crying.

"I couldn't reach him," Yana said, holding the pillow even tighter.

"He must be somewhere out of coverage, this isn't the first time, so there's no need to worry," Noah said, trying to comfort Yana.

"...You're right..." Yana said, wiping away the tears that were stuck in her eyes, refusing to fall. Then she added, "Anyway, I've prepared dinner. Do you want to eat together?" Yana said, smiling, refusing to appear as a weak child asking for help.

"Alright..." Noah said. Seeing Yana like this was painful, like he was being stabbed in the heart repeatedly. Even though he was supposed to be used to seeing her this way, his emotions were conflicted at that moment, and his heart felt like it was about to break. But all he could do was smile at her.

After a while, Noah and Yana sat side by side at the table in the kitchen, eating dinner together. Noah glanced at Yana from the corner of his eye as she silently ate. The only sound in the kitchen was the clinking of spoons against the white glass plates.

"I can't say I understand Yana's feelings because that would be a lie. She's just a 12-year-old girl. Her father is one of the greatest hunters in the world, and he's always away. He spends most of his time in Antarctica, why? There's only one answer to that, and it's demons. Disgusting, ugly, terrifying creatures that feed on human fears appeared a long time ago through a tear in the sky. These horrific creatures quickly took over Antarctica because of their precious king, and we humans can't stop them. Most of the time, top hunters are sent to the borders to prevent demons from entering the human world, but if they really wanted to enter, no one could stop them. Even Mr. Adonis himself said that he saw the Demon King just once, and with just himself, he could defeat the top 10 hunters without breaking a sweat. What does this have to do with Yana? Of course, she would feel incredibly anxious. She thought her father was the strongest until he told her something like this. Also, she's always alone most of the time. Mr. Adonis is in Antarctica so much that the number of times we meet doesn't even exceed the fingers on the hands. Mira spends most of her time working, and I will be leaving soon, so she'll feel even more lonely. As for her mother... well, I feel hopeless just thinking about it. She's waited for years, but all she gets is more suffering," Noah thought to himself.

Then, Yana broke the silence.

"By the way, which university are you going to?" Yana asked. Noah felt relieved. A topic like this was supposed to shift her mood to something better.

"I've been invited by 'Nova University,'" Noah said.

"Nova University?! The top university in the country?!" Yana asked, surprised and anxious, unable to believe what Noah was saying, though her tone carried a hint of pride and admiration.

"Yeah, that university," Noah said, smiling.

"That's amazing! That means you'll be going to the place where the greatest geniuses of the country gather!" Yana said, amazed and proud of her older brother Noah's achievement. But she quickly realized something that made her breath catch, causing her smile to fade and her sadness to return.

"So... you'll be leaving..." Yana said, looking at her plate again, her long messy pink hair shadowing her eyes.

"...Yeah, I'll leave in two days."

Yana remained silent for a little while, a bit shocked by the closeness of the date. Then she remembered something else, and her heart started racing as she felt a coldness in her chest, like she was standing in the middle of a snowstorm.

"...And you'll be getting married soon," Yana said, feeling like a dagger stabbed her heart as the words left her mouth.

Noah remained silent about the marriage part, even though the date hadn't been set yet. He remembered his confined situation and lost freedom, which made his resolve weaken.

"...I'll miss you," Yana said, her voice louder than a whisper. Noah's eyes widened as he looked at Yana. It became hard for him to breathe, and his heart began beating fast for some reason. Without thinking he extended his hand,and gently patted Yana's head, making her raise her head to look at him. But for some reason, his face was covered by a gray mist that prevented her from seeing his face now. Yana realized that this mist was a wall between them, an invisible line that kept them from crossing boundaries. She looked down and a fake smile appeared on her face. She had gotten used to this; waiting had become a habit. All she ever did was wait, wait, and wait. Yana's eyes filled with tears, but they refused to fall.

"Yana..." Noah said softly and gently, pulling his hand away from her head, which made Yana lift her head again. Noah wiped away her tears and smiled gently.

"Do you want to go out with me tomorrow?" Noah asked.

"Go out?" Yana asked, feeling confused by his question and a little warmth in her cheeks from him wiping her tears.

"Yes, a date," Noah replied.

Yana's cheeks flushed deeply, and she felt dizzy and disoriented. Her heart beat rapidly, and she felt intense nervousness.

"A-a-d-d-d-date?" Yana stuttered, struggling with her words.

"Yes, let's go out tomorrow," Noah said.

Yana tried to gather her scattered thoughts and took a deep breath to calm herself, but it was useless. It felt like her heart was about to explode, and she began to sweat from the intensity of her blush and embarrassment. Yet, this didn't stop her from answering.

"Y-yes! Let's go on a date!" Yana said, incredibly excited, which made Noah smile at her with kindness and affection.