Chapter Text
Paris had returned to sunlight and laughter, as if the storm the day before had been nothing more than a passing rumor. Students poured back into Françoise Dupont, buzzing with excitement, exaggerating stories about heroes as if they had watched from front row seats.
Alya was already glued to her screen.
“The Ladyblog is exploding,” she announced. “Zenith is trending in every tag ‘Angel of Shadows,’ ‘Feather Saint,’ even ‘Bug’s Secret Weapon.’”
Across the room, Ken sat at his desk, sketchbook open but untouched. His face was paler than usual. The unification had drained him far more than he wanted anyone to know.
Koro’s whispers flickered in the back of his mind, sharp, restless.
Aurora countered softly, attempting to soothe the crackle in his nerves.
But he kept his head down.
Across the classroom, Kagami watched him, not with suspicion, just certainty. She had seen cracks in his mask that others hadn’t noticed.
She waited.
By lunch, Ken retreated to the school rooftop. He wasn’t hungry. He just needed air, quiet air where he could breathe without eyes on him.
The city stretched out beneath him, deceptively peaceful.
The door clicked open behind him.
Kagami stepped out.
She didn’t speak. Didn’t demand anything. She just crossed the space between them and stood beside him, leaning on the railing. Her presence was calm, but her silence carried weight.
After a long moment, she broke it.
Kagami:
“You fought yesterday.”
Ken’s shoulders stiffened.
Ken:
“…What are you talking about?”
Kagami didn’t look away.
Kagami:
“I saw you months ago. Here. You became Noctis.”
Ken turned toward her sharply, really looking at her for the first time.
She continued, steady as a blade.
Kagami:
“And yesterday… You were Zenith.”
Ken’s fingers tightened around the railing, knuckles white. His mouth opened—ready to deny, push, retreat.
But Kagami beat him to it.
Kagami:
“I didn’t say anything. Because I know what a secret costs.”
She paused. “I'm a miraculous holder too… I'm Ryuko.”
Ken’s breath caught.
Not fear understanding.
A piece of the puzzle shifting into place.
Ken:
“…You’ve known all this time?”
She nodded slowly.
Kagami:
“Yes. And I waited for you to trust me. That matters.”
Wind brushed past them, tugging lightly at Kagami’s hair and Ken’s loose ponytail.
He turned away, voice low.
Ken:
“I didn’t want anyone to know. The more people who know… the heavier it gets. If they saw the things I fight… the things inside me…”
His voice cracked, not broken, but tired.
Kagami stepped closer. Not touching him. Just standing close enough that he felt grounded.
Kagami:
“You’re afraid they’ll see you differently.”
He stayed silent.
Kagami (softer):
“I don’t.”
The words didn’t strike like a confession. They landed like truth, a truth she had already accepted long ago.
Ken exhaled, the fight momentarily draining from his shoulders.
The school bell rang somewhere below.
Ken reached back and tightened his chain clasp, steadying himself.
“…Don’t tell them. Not yet.” Ken said softly.
Kagami nodded once, out of respect, not obedience.
Kagami:
“Your secret stays yours. But if you fall, I won’t let you hit the ground alone.”
Ken allowed a faint smirk small, rueful, but real.
Ken:
“Thanks… Kagami.”
They stepped back inside together. Kagami glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and for a fleeting moment, Ken felt something unfamiliar but warm settle in his chest.
Someone was seeing him.
***
Sabrina hurried up the stairwell, Ken’s sketchbook tucked under her arm. Ms. Bellerose wanted it returned before the end of lunch, and the rooftop was the last place she hadn’t checked.
She pushed the door open just enough to slip through.
Voices carried across the open space.
She stopped.
Kagami’s voice reached her first, calm and low.
“…I saw you. Months ago. You became Nocti—”
A sharp gust slammed the door against the frame.
The sound cut the word in half.
Sabrina flinched, fingers tightening around the sketchbook.
Ken spoke next, closer now.
“…You’ve known all this time?”
There was a pause. Then Kagami again.
“Yes. And I’ve been waiting for you to say it yourself.”
Sabrina’s heart thudded.
Nocti… what?
The name felt unfinished, like a sentence dropped mid-thought. She leaned forward, careful, but the wind howled again, rattling the metal door. Panic prickled up her spine. She stepped back into the stairwell, pressing herself against the wall.
When she peeked through the gap again, their voices had lowered. Too quiet to catch.
She saw shapes instead of words.
Kagami standing close.
Ken’s hand at his hair, fingers resting on the chain clasp.
The space between them tight, deliberate.
Something important was being said. She could feel it. But the meaning stayed just out of reach.
Sabrina retreated down the stairs, sketchbook still clutched to her chest. Her thoughts spun, circling that broken sound.
Nocti…
A name, maybe. Or the start of one.
She didn’t know what she had overheard. Only that it wasn’t meant for her. And that whatever it was, Ken was standing at the center of it.
She left the rooftop behind, curiosity settling deep and uneasy, the questions following her long after the door swung shut.