Ray ♡

The amusement park hummed with life—peals of laughter tangled with upbeat music, and playful chatter drifted through the air like confetti. Strands of twinkling fairy lights draped over roller coasters and cotton candy stands, casting a warm, golden glow that turned the whole place into a Valentine’s Day dreamscape. It was a peaceful, romantic night for anyone who stepped inside… except for Yuri Briar.

It seemed that someone had plucked him straight out of a gritty horror-thriller and dropped him into a fluffy rom-com. The second lieutenant was coiled tight as a spring, his entire body radiating jittery paranoia that made passersby glance over uneasily. His ruby-red eyes darted everywhere—from a group of cackling kids to a vendor flipping popcorn—never lingering on one thing for more than a second. Even his movements felt awkward; his arms swung stiffly, like he’d just grown them and had no clue how to use them.

“I’ve seen drug dealers way calmer and less suspicious than you, you know that, Yuri?” Chloe tugged lightly on the hem of his coat, her magenta curls bouncing as she did. Someone had to remind him he wasn’t alone. Between his inability to act even a little natural and the way he marched as if racing an invisible marathon runner, she decided it was better to focus on the pink, fluffy cotton candy in her hand than keep staring at her flustered superior.

“YURI?? You know very well it’s Lieu—” Yuri cut himself off mid-sentence, his jaw tightening. He really was treating this like an undercover op instead of an almost (not quite) date—after all, the whole thing was a farce.

Chloe was clearly having the time of her life. Who wouldn’t be? The all-powerful prodigy—lieutenant at twenty years old—Yuri Briar, couldn’t even fake being on a date without looking like he was about to arrest someone. She took a big bite of her cotton candy, the sugar melting on her tongue. “Since you’re treating this like a mission, Sir,” she drawled the last word with so much sarcasm that Yuri snapped his full attention to her, shooting her a withering side-eye that could’ve melted ice, “let’s review the plan. Ahem,

“Our holy Yor notices that her twenty-year-old intern–babysitter–music tutor might have a girlfriend. She wonders if she did something wrong, and why her own brilliant younger brother doesn’t have one. Said genius brother—who entered university at fourteen, mind you—can’t come up with a believable name under pressure and blurts out that yes, he is dating someone.”

Yuri’s dark brows knitted together so tight they looked like they might stay that way. A faint pink flush crept up his cheeks, and he clenched his fists at his sides. How he wanted to curse her out!

“That is not precisely how—”

Chloe simply pressed her right index finger to his lips to silence him… they were warm, and for a split second, she noticed how soft they were. With the same hand, she placed it on her chest, feigning honor as if she’d just been given a medal.

He ground his teeth together, his eyes flashing with irritation.

“—and that the lucky lady’s name,” Chloe continued smoothly, ignoring his glare, “is Chloe. A coworker.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again—he knew she was right, and that made it worse.

She felt a surge of pride at how well she was handling this. “Moving on… Our beloved Briar coerces his friend to help—after all, it’s kind of his fault you ended up in this mess, right? The friend, who probably shares the same single brain cell as you, thinks it all makes sense and plans this ‘date’ we’re on right now—with the so-called girlfriend who’s actually just his roommate, thank you so much for inviting me to help with the planning by the way; I have high expectations for when that letter arrives at my house on February 30th... anyway he’s gonna snap a photo and show Yor later…”

Yuri crossed his arms over his chest, his expression sulky. “And what’s so hard for you to understand about that?”

Chloe let out a soft chuckle, running her tongue along the inside of her cheek. Did he have no shame shifting the blame like that? Sure, she was doing Yuri Briar a huge favor, but it wouldn’t be smart to irritate the boss she saw five days a week—no matter how fun it was to tease him.

“I was just thinking—why not pretend it’s a double date? I admit your friends must be nice…” She snuck a quick glance around them, her eyes scanning the crowd of families and couples. Nice friends and nice stalkers, it seemed—because all she saw were normal civilians, no sign of his friends anywhere. “Or maybe they didn’t even bother to come here and take the photo? Unlikely…”

Yuri shook his head firmly, his dark hair falling over his forehead. “Naida’s weird. That’d be even more uncomfortable than it already is with her around… Well, with her by our side, they’re definitely here. Yuki’s not that kind of person—he’d never skip out on something he promised to do.”

Chloe raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a smirk. “More awkward than it already is? Impossible.” She huffed, tossing a strand of magenta hair over her ear. “So what’s the plan, Lieutenant Briar? If we keep going like this all night, your friends are gonna get a perfect photo! Perfect for the front page of the paper with the headline: ‘Meet Berlint’s Newest Serial Killer—’”

Yuri grunted, his face flushing again. Couldn’t she see he was trying to fit in, damn it?! Of course, all his over-analyzing made him seem like a criminal scoping out a new victim, but that wasn’t the point right now. “Do you have someone to see after me? Because I’M NOT IN A HURRY!” he snapped, his voice louder than he intended.

Chloe finished her cotton candy in one swift, sharp motion, the fluffy pink stick now empty. She tossed it into a nearby trash can with a flick of her wrist, then turned to him, gesturing furiously with both hands. “Of course I do, everyone has! Are you jealous? My schedule as a rental girlfriend is packed tight! You’re the only one getting these services for free—LUCKY YOU!” she shot back, her eyes sparkling with annoyance.

Yuri bit his lip, glancing aside like a child who’d just been reprimanded, resentment glistening in his crimson eyes.

Suddenly, a thought so alien it sent a cold shiver rippling down his spine cut through his mind—:

'Chloe extends her aid to you, and yet you have done nothing to reciprocate her kindness.'

The words carried a crisp, measured formality—utterly unlike his own way of thinking. That voice, unrecognizable and distant, slowly melted away the anger that had been building within him, leaving only the weight of its unyielding logic in its place.

He ran a hand through his black hair, sighed, and for the first time that night, a pang of guilt pricked at him... not for Yor, but for the woman standing before him, staring at him with annoyance. Glancing at the couples scattered around the park, he realized he was the kind of guy who never paid attention to anything other than Yor or his studies... But Chloe wasn’t like that—she was normal. She should’ve been spending this holiday with someone she actually liked.

His gaze landed on a pair nearby, laughing and shouting as they celebrated catching a small animal. Determined to make it up to Chloe, he grabbed her hand without warning and tugged her toward the crane machine.

“H-hey, wait a minute!”

Yuri didn’t look back. Her hand was surprisingly soft and small compared to his. He tried to shake off the warmth of her touch, then flipped open his wallet stuffed full of dalcs. He gestured at the machine. “Pick one.”

Chloe's magenta eyes widened, her cheeks still flushed from their earlier outburst, but she chuckled anyway. “I thought we had to take a picture that would convince Yor that we're a couple—this way your friends will be taking pictures of a live breakup! You forgot about our discussion last week when you tried to beat up a vending machine?”

“That old tin can stole my money and my drink—but I got both back in the end, didn’t I?” Yuri scanned the plushies inside: rabbits, puppies, bears… and a kitten, half-buried under the others but undeniably cute. He pointed at the glass. “That one. It’s got the same stupid, lazy look as you.”

“Excuse me??! I hope you spend your whole salary here!”

Yuri shot her a smirk, trying to hide the fact that three times he’d tried to win a teddy bear for Yor, and three times he’d walked away empty-handed—each time realizing he’d have been better off just buying one outright. At least now he had more cash to spare.

He focused so intently it looked like he was disarming a bomb. Carefully, he positioned the claw right above the buried cat…

“The cat’s too heavy, it won’t be able to—”

“Shh.”

Yuri pressed the button to lower the claw. It drifted down and made a lazy grab—like a civil servant counting down the days to retirement. But at the last second, the machine let out a strange, creaking groan… In a move that felt almost eerie, the claw clamped down, lifted the cat, and dropped it straight into the prize box.

Silence.

Chloe moved first.

She snatched the plush kitten from the prize slot, blinking at it like it might vanish if she stared too hard. The thing was absurdly soft, its stitched little face permanently half-lidded, unimpressed with the world.

She turned to hand it to Yuri—

—and the world tilted.

His hand slid around her waist before she could react. Firm. Warm. Certain. The other arm lifted instinctively as he spun her in a full circle, coat flaring around his legs.

“WAHOOOOOOOOOO, YES! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE MANAGED TO CATCH ONE! HAHAHAHA!”

His voice cut clean through the music and laughter around them.

For once, the second lieutenant didn’t look like a coiled blade. His red eyes shone bright and wide, messy black hair falling across his forehead as he laughed openly—boyishly—like someone who had just conquered a mountain instead of a claw machine.

Chloe’s magenta eyes, usually narrowed in dry amusement, were stretched wide in shock. Her face burned hot; she probably looked like a tomato. A very well-dressed tomato.

“Yay! Congratulations!” she laughed awkwardly, clutching the plush against her chest for stability. “Seriously—put me down!!”

He set her back on the ground.

But he didn’t let go.

His hand lingered at her waist a second too long. Close enough that she could feel the solid line of his chest through the neat layers of his shirt and coat. Close enough that she could smell something clean and faintly sharp—soap and paper and something distinctly him.

Between them, the plush kitten stared blankly into eternity.

Yuri looked at it with an expression bordering on paternal pride.

Chloe swallowed.

Her heart was skipping beats it technically needed to survive.

“…Do you want to give this one to Yor?” she asked, trying for casual.

He blinked as if waking from a trance. “Hm? Aha—no! This one’s yours! But the next one’s for her!”

The relief that washed over her was embarrassingly intense.

Her heartbeat steadied. Mostly.

“You know that was beginner’s luck, right?” she said, lifting her chin.

“Impossible.”

They glared at each other.

Then the bickering resumed immediately—who would win the next one, who had better aim, who was more pathetic at arcade games. The plush kitten was unofficially declared the trophy for Round One.

———

Not far away, under a canopy of gold fairy lights, another couple lowered a camera.

Yuki carefully slipped the camera into his coat pocket before clapping softly, as though applauding a theater performance.

He looked almost delicate beneath the lights—pale skin luminous against the dark fabric of his long coat. His bluish-black hair brushed his shoulders, soft and straight, framing his gentle face. From afar, in the dim glow, he could easily be mistaken for a girl.

“First,” he said with a grin, droopy blue eyes sparkling mischievously, “you choose an amusement park—Yuri’s natural habitat, surrounded by screaming civilians—and then you practically use telekinesis to make him win the plush?”

He pressed a hand dramatically to his chest.

“Absolutely insane.”

Beside him, Naida dabbed delicately at her nose with a handkerchief embroidered with a small, elegant “Y,” accompanied by tiny snowflakes. A thin line of blood had begun to trail downward.

Worth it.

Her ebony skin drank in the warm gold light and somehow returned it cool—every highlight along her cheekbones faintly blue. Even dressed in soft pink—a gingham dress belted at the waist, cardigan draped over her shoulders—she felt oceanic. Otherworldly.

Her long dark-blue hair flowed down her back like ink spilled in water. When she tucked a strand behind her shoulder, the gold ring around her dark blue irises caught the light like a halo.

“It was statistically unexceptional,” she said calmly.

She glanced at the photo.

In the foreground: her and Yuki, perfectly composed, convincing. A pair that looked close enough to be real.

In the background: Yuri spinning Chloe under fairy lights, coat flaring, magenta bob flashing in motion.

Wasn’t the coincidence beautiful?

Yuki leaned closer, studying her instead of the picture. “I’m serious. First Anya with Yor and Loid. Now you with Yuri and Chloe. Is the chimera part of you two secretly Cupid? Because I would very much like to invest in your services.”

Naida scoffed softly.

“I must request that you abstain from trivializing the matter. I do not fulfill the occupational function of a matchmaker. Rather, I am experiencing sustained psychological fatigue as a consequence of Yuri Briar’s recurrent and unsolicited occupation of our shared residential space.”  She adjusted the headphones around her ears, expression cooling—she just wanted to drown out the noise of this cursed place.

“Unlike you two noisy psychopaths who survive on thirty minutes of sleep per week, I… I require quiet. I need it.”

Yuki laughed, admiring her openly. “But this was a lot of effort. I was just going to take a suspiciously angled photo of them. You escalated everything.”

Naida put the handkerchief, now stained with blood, in Yuki's bag, gaze steady. “If the task is performed with acceptable precision, Mrs. Forger will not initiate suspicion protocols."

He smiled.

“Should we give them a signal that we’re leaving?”

Naida glanced toward the Ferris wheel towering above the park, lights blinking rhythmically.

“Although I am currently preserving financial units to achieve reunion with my sisters, I would enthusiastically resent allocating a portion of those funds to secure Yuri Briar at the apex of that Ferris wheel for three consecutive hours.”

She Inhaled and exhaled slowly.

“They possess the cognitive capacity to resolve their own complications. I hate it here.”

She extended her hand.

Yuki didn’t hesitate. He took it immediately, fingers lacing gently around hers, giving a soft reassuring squeeze.

Her skin was cold against his pale fingers, Yuki didn’t hesitate. He took it at once, fingers lacing gently around hers and giving a soft, reassuring squeeze, and in that moment, he made it his unspoken mission to warm them.

“I’ll buy whatever you want for dinner,” he said lightly as they began walking away from the glowing chaos.

She glanced sideways at him. “Was that ever not the plan tonight?”

He laughed again, swinging their joined hands between them as they exited the Valentine’s dreamscape—gold lights fading behind them, replaced by cooler streets and quieter air.

Behind them, Yuri and Chloe argued over whether pride counted as a competitive advantage.