Liuk kept walking until he reached a tree in the same park where he had met Leon.

He sat down and leaned against the trunk, crossing his arms and slowly looking up at the sky.

He raised one hand, pretending to touch a star, then brought it back to his chest and squeezed tightly.

"At least... I wasn't left alone," he murmured to himself, closing his eyes and relaxing beneath the leaves that drifted gently in the wind.

Hours later, sunlight began illuminating everything once again.

Leon stood in his kitchen, stirring a cup of coffee with a spoon while staring intently at the clock.

The sound was the usual one.

Tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

A fair-haired man watched him from nearby.

Leon finally sighed and began taking quick gulps of coffee without actually enjoying it.

"I can never get it right!" he complained. "What Mile used to make was way better."

He left the mug in the sink and started climbing the stairs, entering his room and opening his wardrobe.

Running his hands through the clothes, he pulled out a black hoodie and removed the shirt he was currently wearing, leaving the hoodie as the only thing covering his upper body.

He looked down at himself, still wearing his pyjama bottoms and socks.

After slipping on a pair of slippers, he headed to the bathroom.

"Quite the face... for a Grimac, I suppose."

He turned on the tap and splashed water across his face.

When he opened the back door and stepped into the garden, he knelt beside a few plants and inspected their condition.

Satisfied with what he saw, he stood back up and continued on his way.

"Come back anytime, sir!" the cashier shouted.

Leon left the small café eating doughnuts and scrolling through his phone.

"Not gonna rain today. What a miracle."

He spoke while trying to chew.

As he walked, he felt the breeze against his face and looked up at the partially cloudy sky.

"I wonder if he'll be there."

He continued walking.

The grass swayed less strongly than usual, though enough to create a constant motion.

Leon stopped when he spotted a figure sitting beneath the tree.

The person was holding a notebook.

No pen.

No pencil.

Slowly, Leon approached and observed the handwriting.

Then he paused.

Something looked different inside the notebook.

"Hm..."

Liuk made a sound and turned his head, meeting Leon's gaze.

"I needed to see you."

He brushed a hand across the ground, offering him a place to sit.

Leon sat beside him, still chewing on a doughnut.

"I need to talk to you as well," the blond said immediately afterward.

"You can start. I assume I've got less time than you do."

Liuk briefly glanced at a website on his phone, which was half-hidden in his pocket, while Leon continued examining the notebook.

Noticing the blond's attention on it, Liuk closed the notebook and sighed.

"Let's talk about more important things. What did you want to ask me?"

He looked at Leon with a calmer smile on his face.

Not a big one.

But not a small one either.

"About... you knowing what you know."

Leon took another bite of his doughnut.

"And what do I know about you? That you send me a riddle and leave me to figure it out myself?"

Liuk let out a short laugh.

"That wasn't it, but... how's that going?"

"Not well at all. You don't make things easy."

Liuk looked straight ahead at the scenery.

"I did the best I could."

Leon grumbled.

"But you know my name."

"And?"

Liuk's smile disappeared.

"And you can't tell anyone."

Leon finished one doughnut and grabbed another.

"Who exactly would I tell?"

"That friend of yours, for example."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I shouldn't have told you anything. But now that I did, we should... we should..."

He froze.

"We should...?"

Liuk let out another small laugh.

"You sound like an old game CD skipping. What exactly should we do?"

"We should ge... uh... we should..."

Leon bit his tongue.

"Get to know each other better?" Liuk suggested.

"Y-Yeah. That's it. That phrase."

He took a few more bites from the new doughnut.

"I see. And how exactly do you plan on starting that? So far, to me, you're just the strange lad who wants me to keep his name secret. What's this connection you've got with me, anyway?"

"I don't want to go into details, but remember that. That's all I'm asking."

He sighed.

"Alright then. Can you tell me what your impression of me is?"

"You're... different, I think. You seem like someone I can talk to. And you don't seem like the sort of person who'd go around telling everyone everything."

"Am I really like that?"

Liuk laughed.

"Are you suggesting something? Should I keep an eye on you?"

Leon looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"That's not what I meant... honestly, you take everything I say literally. Has nobody ever joked with you before?"

Liuk growled quietly.

"Depends on what you consider joking. But if that's all our conversation is going to be about, shouldn't you be careful not to be late for your class?"

Leon pointed toward the notebook.

Liuk looked at it and moved it farther away from him.

"It's not a study notebook."

He replied.

"Then why can't I see it?"

Leon stared at the side of his face as Liuk deliberately looked away.

"It's... a dictionary."

He finally showed him only the cover.

"That short? And with... what letter is that?"

Leon leaned closer to examine it.

Liuk immediately pulled it back and stood up.

"You were right. I think I am running late. I just checked my phone."

He waved to Leon with a smile.

"Try not to go overboard on the sugar. I've gotta go."

He continued on his way.

Leon watched his figure grow more distant.

"What a bastard. Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? I'm more important than whatever he's doing."

Leon complained.

Then he stopped eating and looked quietly at the scenery.

"'Dictionary'... that's what he said."

Leon squeezed the grass beneath him with his free hand.

"But that writing didn't look anything like English..."

He lowered his gaze.

"Maybe you've got more to tell me..."

A small pause followed.

"I think we're alike."