Chapter 9: The Calm After the Storm (2)

Part 2

"Thanks for waiting," Shizuki said as she approached the table, her voice as gentle as wind defying gravity.

"Waiting? More like admiring," Jake replied, still recovering.

"Please ignore him," Touma murmured as he stood—clumsily—to offer her the seat beside him.

Shizuki nodded with a slight bow and sat down with elegance, as if she were descending onto an invisible throne.

For a moment, the air filled with the sweetness of her perfume—so refined it seemed crafted for celebrities or queens, not casual dinners.

"That dress… it's gorgeous," Hina said sincerely.

"Thank you. It's one of my favorites, though I rarely get the chance to wear it," Shizuki replied calmly.

"And it looks amazing on you! You even turned heads across the restaurant!" Akari exclaimed, raising her glass of soda. "A toast to surviving today's chaos!"

Glasses clinked gently.

"The club and the academy definitely survived today," Jake joked.

After the toast, everyone placed their orders, and soon the table filled with a variety of dishes.

Everyone ate, some spoke with their mouths full but tonight, no one cared for manners or corrections.

Only for the joy of being together.

Shizuki observed them with an expression that could almost be called… amused?

It was hard to tell. Her lips barely curved, but her eyes held a subtle glint—almost imperceptible.

"Touma," she said suddenly.

"Huh? Y-yeah?"

"Your cheek," she commented, elegantly pointing. "There's something on it."

Touma blinked, confused, reaching for his face just as Shizuki extended a napkin.

Her fingers brushed his —barely— but it was enough to freeze his thoughts.

"Ah… thanks."

Hina felt a faint prick of jealousy, but remembering that Shizuki had saved the club,

she let it go just for tonight.

"Just for tonight, homewrecker cat… just for tonight," she muttered to herself.

The dinner continued with laughter and teasing about the earlier fight, though it was clear the chatter was starting to wear on Shizuki.

At one point, she quietly rose from the table and walked toward the shoreline,

sitting near the sea.

The ocean breeze caressed the coast in gentle rhythm as if even the sea had decided to rest.

Touma stood up without a word and followed. He found her seated on a low bench, legs crossed, her lilac dress swaying softly around her ankles.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Not at all," she replied without looking at him, but shifted her purse slightly to make room.

Touma sat beside her in silence. For a few seconds, only the waves spoke.

"You okay?" he finally asked.

"I just needed some fresh air. Being surrounded by so many… loud people… it's exhausting."

"Jake's pretty loud," Touma said with a chuckle.

"They all are," she replied softly, but without judgment. "Though I don't mind. I'm just not used to it."

Touma glanced at her.

Under the distant glow of the boardwalk lights, Shizuki looked… less untouchable. Almost normal. Almost.

"I didn't think you'd stay this long. At the dinner, I mean."

"Neither did I," she folded her arms. "But after everything that happened… I figured a bit of normalcy wouldn't hurt."

"Thanks for today," Touma said plainly. "For what you did for the club. For all of us."

She looked at him—finally.

"It wasn't for the club."

Touma blinked.

"…Huh?"

"It was for you."

He felt a silly flutter in his chest but Shizuki quickly looked away.

"Don't overthink it. I'm just being honest."

Touma let out a nervous laugh.

"You know, sometimes I really can't tell if you're joking or being completely serious."

"That's part of the mystery, isn't it?"

They both fell silent for a while.

The night was calm.

The restaurant wasn't far, but the noise felt distant as if that little corner belonged only to them.

Shizuki pulled out her pocket watch and stared at it with a touch of nostalgia. Without taking her eyes off it, she spoke again, in her usual soft voice.

"The first time we met, you asked me about this watch…"

"Yeah. The Lancaster Chronos. It's beautiful—super detailed. Still fascinates me every time I see it."

"That's right…" Her voice shifted—more serious now.

"But there's something I haven't told you."

With her free hand, she intertwined her fingers with his. In the other, she held the watch.

Touma blushed instantly.

The gesture had completely caught him off guard.

Maybe from Hina, sure… But Shizuki?

She pressed the dial of the watch gently.

"Golden Time."

The world froze.

The waves stopped mid-motion.

The lights turned golden, floating like magical particles.

Everything stood still—except for the two of them.

Still full of color.

Still breathing.

"W-what is this?" Touma stammered, trying to pull his hand away—more out of instinct than rejection.

But Shizuki held tighter, locking their fingers firmly.

"Don't let go, or you'll freeze too," she said seriously. "We're inside Golden Time. Time has stopped."

Touma swallowed hard.

"So this… this is how you see the world when you use your power."

She nodded gracefully.

"This watch isn't just an expensive heirloom. It's the catalyst for my ability. I brought you here so we could speak freely. No ears. No cameras. Just you and me."

"I understand…" Touma murmured, as if about to hear a forbidden truth.

"This watch was a gift from my grandfather—when I was five."

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning that."

"What I didn't tell you… is how he got it. Or my mother's last name."

She paused.

The golden air around them seemed to lean in, listening.

"I'm telling you this because I trust you."

"You can tell me anything," Touma said, more serious now. "I promise I won't tell a soul."

"I know. That's why I'm doing this."

Shizuki took a deep breath.

"I'm a descendant of Sir Ian Lancaster. That's why NovaTech has no data on me… or my Astra Core. They only refer to it as the British Prototype."

A chill ran down Touma's spine.

He always suspected she came from nobility there was no hiding it.

But… a Lancaster?

"Are you telling me your grandfather is…?"

"I see you know who I mean," Shizuki nodded. "Sir Benjamin Lancaster. The only inventor in history who dared to defy NovaTech."

Touma blinked.

"Then I don't get it… Are you some kind of British spy sent to steal NovaTech's secrets?"

For the first time since they met, Shizuki burst into genuine laughter.

"Ha ha ha… You're so sweet."

Touma looked at her, completely confused. He wasn't sure if she was teasing him… or if the whole thing was just unreal.

"I came here to learn more about my powers. That's why I'm in the Research Division."

"I still don't get it… What's there to figure out about a power that cool?"

"Well, it's not as great as it looks," she replied, her voice softening again. "I told you, if I overuse it… I lose memories. Right now, nothing's happening because we're still, but…"

She paused, lowering her gaze to the watch in her hands.

"I didn't receive this fragment like everyone else."

Touma frowned.

"What do you mean? You didn't get it from the UK?"

"That's just it. I don't know what's inside me. I don't know when it happened. My grandfather and I kept it secret from the rest of the family, but… this definitely isn't an Astra Core."

Touma was speechless. No logic. No answer.

"I'm not trying to scare you," she continued, her voice quieter. "I just want you to know. It's unstable… and if something ever happens to me, I want you to help."

Shizuki lowered her face, still staring at the watch.

"Because… just like my grandfather… you're one of the few people who sees me as a person. Not an object. Not a weapon."

He squeezed her hand tighter, leaning in a little to see her face.

"You know you can count on me. I'm not anyone special… and definitely not British royalty,"

he joked with a smile. "But I'll be there if you need me."

Shizuki smiled again, just a little and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I hope so. Never change," she said, pressing the watch's dial once more.

Time resumed.

The sounds of waves crashing against the shore, distant cars, and the restaurant chatter returned as if nothing had happened.

Except Touma.

He remained frozen but for entirely different reasons.

He didn't quite understand what had just happened, only that his heart was racing.

Shizuki let go of his hand, carefully tucked the watch back into her purse, and stood with elegance.

"Oh, and don't forget… you owe me a date," she said before walking away with that same unshakable grace as always.

Touma turned his head to watch her go. For the first time in a long while, something inside him stirred.

She stepped out of the restaurant, where her servant was already waiting with the car door open.

"Miss Tokisaka, are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, William. Take me home."

And so, inside the car, with her eyes lost in the window and her heart still racing, Shizuki Tokisaka felt something different.

A gentle warmth. Strange but comforting.

She didn't know if it was love.

But she did know that, for the first time in a long time, she had felt warmth.

The kind of warmth like a home glowing in the winter of her heart.