It was close to the dead of night. The firework show was long over, as the last piece of litter was snatched away from the ground and thrown into a bin. Sleepy humans travel home on foot or train in large numbers. The noises prevailed for a certain amount of time, before everything sunk into darkness. Stars accompanied streetlights, but that was it. Even the cicadas stopped flirting and buried themselves into burrows. Only the lingering sound of wind scraping on concrete structures could be heard.

A person, tall and thin, held his face sitting on a random park bench. He was alone, surrounded by darkness, yet breathing hard and full of energy. Kenichi Kazuo did not take part in the hanabi festival, not because he didn`t have the money to, but he felt himself unworthy of being in such places. Instead he trained, stretching his stamina, conditioning his bones, reviewing his form, adjusting every inch of his body, in a desperate attempt to achieve perfection.

He was exhausted. Kenichi has been moving non-stop for over three hours, and yet content was the thing he wouldn`t dare to dream of. He had a stable job, earned reasonable money, physically fit, yet still alone. Age has secured the goal of his life and calmed his heart to a socially acceptable degree, but the unceasing flow of time haunted him in his worst nightmares. That he would not be able to atone for his sins even if he spent his life to do so, that he would forever be chained with the crime of murder.

Faces appeared in his mind, hailing mournful yet resentful stares at him. The act of dispensing justice, would it still be right if one`s life is lost in the process? What about their family? Their acquaintances? Or a mere person that hates people dying? How would they feel when justice takes away the life of that human?

“I`m way too weak. Just too weak.” Kenichi mumbled.

Not very far away, under the same inky sheet of black where specks of lights were uselessly clear, another figure, small and nimble, was walking the empty streets.

A stream of cold air guided his legs, lightly pushing on his every step. Gradually, the boy ended up strolling towards the park. He had decided to go for a run.

Shrouded in the black of night, the invisible wind carried sounds of footsteps, slithering into Kenichi`s ear.

He looked up. Sougo Kyoya, the best student he has ever taught, was running at his direction.

“Sensei, konbawa.”

“What are you doing out here at this time?” He frowned. His breathing has returned to its normal rhythm.

“Eh… My mother hasn`t got home yet, and I`m not sleepy so I wanted to run a bit.”

“You have strange hobbies. Don`t tell me you stayed home studying for the whole festival and finally decided to go out when it was over?”

“Eh… How did you know, sensei?”

“You really don`t know when to take a break. Life is much more than that!”

“Gomenasai…” He awkwardly scratched his head.

It was not because he didn`t want to go to the festival, Eirin was going too. Kyoya remembered clearly how his friends and classmates excitedly talk about the summer festival. Specifically about what games they want to try, what food they want to eat, what things they want to buy. Japanese goods were always very carefully made and their quality is unquestionable. Kyoya also wanted to buy Eirin a gift, but he couldn`t. Because when he looked for his mother, she was sitting in her room holding her forehead, on the table laid a notebook. That notebook, with the help of Kyoya`s eyesight, contained numbers and the symbol ¥.

He has always been a good kid. Too good. To the point where all his built up emotions were ignored by himself, and sometimes brutally crushed under the weight of society. But they don`t disappear.

“Sensei, but you were training too. You look all sweaty now. Why didn`t you go see the fireworks?”

“Eh… personal reasons…”

“Someday I want to be as strong as you, sensei.”

“No… Don`t say so. I`m not amazing or anything. You shouldn`t restrict yourself to become me.”

“But you don`t seem to celebrate anything. You would just use the spare time to train even more. That`s so amazing.”

“Well it`s my job… But also because I`m weak…”

“No you`re not!” Kyoya protested.

“Don`t idolize me now… Someone talented like you should not look up to me….” Kenichi then looked at him in the eyes ”Kyoya, you are the best student I could ever ask for. You… You are a great person too. Focus on your academics and you can become somebody that contributes greatly to the society. I would be grateful if you would remember the days you trained Taekwondo, remember the art and its beauty, when you are at the top of your career.”

“Of course I will sensei. Taekwondo is more than just martial arts to me. It represents you, sensei, and all the times we had with eachother. I am forever in your debt, sensei.”

“…”

“Thank you, Kyoya. But you do need to know… This time fifteen years ago, when I was in my late twenties, something horrible happened.”

Kyoya silently listened. The air around them has completely stopped moving. At that very moment, the atmosphere was dead still.