Sitting in the taxi, I felt my palms starting to sweat suspiciously. It was strange. I wasn't afraid of bullets and wasn't even particularly wary of Rabuki, but the thought of meeting Yoto made my insides tie into knots.

  "Listen, Yanu," I whispered, leaning close to the phone. "How do I do something nice for her? You know, so she doesn't disappear in five minutes?"

  "If you're asking about the social protocol of a date," Yanu's voice replied in my earbud, "then most often people give something. A material confirmation of sympathy, so to speak."

  "Yeah, exactly!" I perked up. "And what do they give? Hmm... maybe a new jacket? Or... oh, a double bacon burger! That's perfect!"

  "You're hopeless," Yanu sighed. "Usually, people give flowers. It's impractical, they wilt quickly, but humans consider it a sign of romance."

  "Flowers..." I thought for a moment. "Alright. Yanu, change the route. We're going to a flower shop!"

  As soon as the taxi braked, I rushed inside the shop. Hundreds of aromas and a riot of colors greeted me. A smiling sales clerk approached me immediately.

  "Hello! What kind of flowers are you interested in?"

  "The best ones!" I stated confidently, looking over the shelves.

  "Alright..." she was a little taken aback. "But which ones exactly? Roses? Tulips? Lilies?"

  "Umm... which ones are better? I don't know."

  "Who are you giving them to?" she asked softly.

  "To an... acquaintance. She's very special."

  "Come with me," she began to guide me toward different bouquets.

  I started sniffing them. Lavender... roses... tulips... They all smelled fine, but how was I supposed to know which one was "the one"? A brilliant (or so I thought at the time) idea clicked in my head. How do you test the quality of a product? That's right—by taste.

  I quickly reached out, plucked a scarlet rose petal, and popped it into my mouth.

  "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FOOL?!" the clerk screamed, throwing her hands up. "They're treated with chemicals! You can't eat them!"

  I ignored her shouting, thoughtfully chewing the petal. A bit bitter. Not it. Then I lightning-fast pinched off a piece of a tulip. Crunched like cabbage, but absolutely no taste. Finally, I got to a sprig of lavender.

  As soon as I chewed a couple of the grains, a strange calmness spread through my body. Tart, a bit reminiscent of perfume, but there was a certain special, deep meaning in it.

  "I'll take the lavender," I declared, wiping my mouth. "It seems to be the highest... quality."

  "Lord..." the clerk began to assemble the bouquet with trembling hands. "Then buy her some chocolate too. Maybe it'll distract her from the fact that you grazed on my display."

  "Chocolate? Great idea!" I paid with my card and shot out into the neighboring store.

  There, I hovered by the sweets shelf. The choice was unbearable. White or dark? Milk or with nuts? What does she like? I pictured Yoto. She was like a pre-dawn fog—mysterious and bright all at once.

  "Alright," I decided, grabbing two huge bars at once: the most delicate white and bitter dark. "I'll take both. One of the probabilities is bound to work."

  I walked out of the store, clutching the fragrant bouquet of lavender and two packs of chocolate to my chest.

  "Okay, Yanu, I'm ready!" I reported, feeling the adrenaline start to bubble in my veins again. "Operation 'Do Something Nice' is entering its active phase."

  "Good luck," Yanu muttered. "The main thing is—don't try to eat the bouquet right in front of her. That might ruin the atmosphere."

  I quickened my pace toward the park. The sun was already starting to dip toward the horizon, and I only had a few minutes left until our meeting by 'that same tree'.

  I walked toward our tree, constantly checking the time on my phone. My heart was beating out an erratic rhythm in my chest, and the armful of lavender felt unusually heavy.

  "Hi, Arkgrim," a quiet voice spoke up right behind me.

  I flinched and spun around sharply. Yoto stood very close, enveloped in the evening shadows of the park. She was smiling, looking at my flustered state.

  "This... this is for you," I held the bouquet out to her, feeling my ears turn red.

  Yoto laughed—the sound was like the chiming of little bells. She accepted the flowers, inhaled their tart scent, and then, to my complete delight, lightly pinched off a single purple petal and popped it into her mouth.

  "I KNEW IT!" I yelled joyfully, almost jumping up. "I knew they had to be taste-tested! The cashier at the shop yelled that I was a fool, but I felt like you'd appreciate it!"

  "Next time, Arkgrim, don't buy them at a store," she wrinkled her nose adorably, still chewing. "The chemicals ruin the whole bouquet. But ten out of ten for effort."

  "And also this," I pulled out the two chocolate bars. "I didn't know which one you like: dark or white, so I got both."

  "Alright," she tucked the chocolate into her jacket pocket. "Then let's take a walk."

  We slowly wandered along the snow-covered paths. The silence in the park was cozy, almost homey.

  "Listen, Yoto," I looked at her from the side. "What's your favorite color?"

  She thought for a moment, looking at her boots.

  "Hmm... I don't know. I guess I don't have one. What about you, Arkgrim?"

  "I don't know yet," I sighed. "Everything around is just so... colorful. Hard to choose."

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  We sat down on a bench under an old streetlamp. I stared at my pale hands for a long time, and a strange thought came to mind.

  "Man, Yoto... where do white kids even come from?"

  She raised a questioning eyebrow, clearly not expecting this turn in the conversation.

  "Well, look," I pointed to my skin. "I'm pale-white. Theoretically, if you believe in evolution, people should be dark to survive under the sun. Why are white people still being born? It's... illogical."

  Yoto snorted quietly but said nothing. Encouraged by her attention, I decided to ask the most important question that had been tormenting me all week.

  "Listen, Yoto... am I a good person?"

  She turned to me, and her gaze became serious.

  "Why the sudden question, Arkgrim?"

  "It's just my friends... Leon, Rabuki... They're obsessed with this Exterminator Corps. They train until they pass out, they dream of protecting some strangers, of doing their duty to society. And I... I don't understand them. I don't care about duty. I just want to drink shakes and not be bothered by anyone. Does that mean I'm bad? That I'm selfish?"

  Yoto didn't answer right away. She looked up at the cold, prickly stars, and then slowly placed her hand on my head.

  Her fingers touched my hair, and I felt a warm wave pass through my body. All the noise of the world, all the anxieties and questions instantly quieted down. She began to softly, rhythmically stroke the back of my head, and without even realizing it, I started to "drift off." My eyelids grew heavy, and, unable to resist, I rested my head on her lap.

  Yoto continued to caress my hair, and her voice sounded from somewhere above—quiet, enveloping, like a lullaby.

  "You are a good person, Arkgrim. Actually—very good. You just act like a grump. But you know what I've noticed? When you see others succeeding... when you see that your acquaintances are happy or becoming stronger—there isn't a drop of hatred or envy in you. It makes your own soul feel warm. You know how to rejoice in someone else's light, even if you yourself are sitting in the dark. And that is a trait of a very rare and kind heart."

  I listened to her, feeling myself fall into a deep, peaceful sleep. There was no "black hole" inside anymore. Only the warmth of her palm and the smell of lavender.

  "Sleep," she whispered, leaning close to my ear. "You need to rest from this world."

  And I fell asleep, finally convinced: whoever Yoto was, next to her, for the first time, I felt like I was in my right place.

  I drifted through a viscous, warm fog. Consciousness returned in brief flashes. I felt someone's strong, yet incredibly gentle hands pick me up as if I weighed no more than a feather. The world swayed, it smelled of car leather and that same lavender scent I had brought to the park.

  When I cracked my eyes open, the lights of nighttime Yokohama were already flashing outside the window, blurring into long neon streaks. I was lying in the passenger seat, reclined back. Yoto was behind the wheel. Her profile, illuminated by the soft glow of the dashboard, seemed carved from a precious stone. She drove the car confidently, barely touching the steering wheel with her fingers, and quietly, almost in a whisper, was humming a song.

  Her voice was pure and endlessly sad. Every word landed on my heart like a heavy weight, although I didn't understand why.

  "Time will pass, and you will forget everything that was..." the melody flowed easily, but an echo of loneliness could be heard within it. "With you and me, with you and me... No, I am not waiting for you, but know that I loved... For the last time, for the last time..."

  I woke up completely and turned my head, looking at her. She felt my gaze. Yoto didn't flinch, wasn't surprised. She simply turned her head smoothly toward me, and that same smile—sad and bright—blossomed on her lips.

  "Though nothing lasts forever under the moon..." she continued humming, looking right into my eyes. "Not for an hour will I forget the day when you were with me... For the last time..."

  In that moment, it felt to me like she wasn't singing a song from the radio. She was singing to me. Every word about "forgetting everything that was" pierced into my amnesia like a red-hot needle. Who is she? Why does this song feel more real to me than my entire current life?

  I wanted to ask. I wanted to know where she was taking me and why her eyes were shining so strangely right now, as if reflecting stars that died millions of years ago. But I didn't have time.

  Yoto reached out again and covered my hand with hers, and with her other hand, she touched the top of my head. Her fingers buried into my hair, and the familiar paralyzing bliss instantly spread through my body. All questions flew out of my head, fear vanished, and my eyelids grew heavy again.

  "Sleep, Zen..." she breathed out, and I didn't know if I misheard the name or if she actually called me that. "Sleep. While time is still on our side."

  I couldn't resist. The last thing I remembered was her quiet voice fading away along with the hum of the engine, and the endless road stretching into the darkness to the chords of the song.

  I opened my eyes and jerked upright in bed, breathing heavily. The walls of "Yokohama Tower," the panoramic window, the soft blanket... I'm home. But how did I get here? The last thing I remembered were the city lights outside the car window and Yoto's sad voice.

  A quiet rustle and the clinking of dishes came from the kitchen. I jumped up and rushed over there.

  By the stove, in the rays of the morning sun, stood Yoto. She was wearing one of my new kitchen aprons, and her hair was carelessly tied back in a ponytail. She turned around and, seeing my dumbfounded face, smiled softly.

  "Good morning, sleepyhead."

  "Good..." I exhaled, perching on the edge of a chair. "How did I... I mean, how are you here?"

  "I brought you back last night," she returned to the oven as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "You were sleeping so soundly that I felt bad waking you. I had to convince Yanu to let me in."

  I looked at her and didn't know what to say. She felt perfectly at home here, and it didn't scare me; on the contrary, it filled the apartment with some strange sense of purpose.

  "Listen, Yoto..." I hesitated. "Maybe you could tell me something about yourself? Since we... well, if we've known each other since childhood, I should know at least something."

  She froze for a moment, looking at her hands.

  "Well, what can I tell you about myself, Arkgrim? I don't even know where to start."

  I noticed a ring on her ring finger. It was strange—with a faintly visible engraving that seemed to pulse with a weak light.

  "And what kind of ring is that?" I asked, pointing to the jewelry.

  Yoto looked at her hand and smiled—this time with a particular warmth and sadness.

  "This? A young man gave it to me once. A very long time ago. And it's no ordinary ring, Arkgrim. It's an artifact."

  "Whoa!" I leaned forward. "And what can it do? Summon lightning? Or make you invisible?"

  She sat across from me, placing her hands on the table.

  "No. It's much more complicated than that. It can store emotions. The very feelings that you put into it."

  "And that's it?" I was a little disappointed.

  Yoto looked me straight in the eyes, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

  "Sometimes in life, there are days you don't want to forget for anything in the world. Happy moments that shine brighter than the sun. This ring helps to preserve them. See the inscription on the inside? It says: 'When your soul darkens...'"

  "And then what?"

  "...remember the light," she finished quietly. "When truly dark times come, when your heart is tearing apart from pain or emptiness, you can touch this ring and live through those happy days again. It is a cure for despair."

  "Yeah... cool artifact," I mumbled, mesmerized by her voice.

  Ding! The oven timer broke the silence.

  "Oh, it's ready!" Yoto jumped up. "And here is my signature breakfast."

  "What is it? It smells simply divine."

  "It's 'Triple Chocolate'," she pulled a small, steaming cake from the oven. "A recipe that... well, you'll like it."

  She took a small spoon, scooped up a piece of the delicate sponge cake, and before I could even process anything, brought it to my mouth.

  "Open up."

  I obediently ate what was offered. In that very second, my taste buds threw a massive celebration. It wasn't just chocolate. There was some elusive undertone to it, something I had never—I swear, never!—tasted before. It was the taste of comfort, safety, and something very...

  "Wow... so delicious," I exhaled, feeling pleasure spread through my body. "Very strange. There's something... special in it. What did you add to it?"

  Yoto smiled, pulling the spoon away. That same adoration flashed in her gaze for a moment.

  "Thank you. That's just my soul in there, Arkgrim."

  She took off the apron and neatly draped it over the back of the chair.

  "Alright, I have to go. We'll meet again."

  I walked her to the elevator. When the doors closed and she vanished, I stood in the empty corridor for a long time. The silence of the apartment in "Yokohama Tower" suddenly became oppressive. I returned to the kitchen, looked at the empty plate, and felt the world around me beginning to fade again. The colors turned gray, the sounds—muffled.

  That same black hole opened up in my soul again, and no thirty million in an account could fill it. Only the taste of chocolate on my lips served as a reminder that the light does, after all, exist.