Page 133 of Ghost Ribbon

“It’s fine. You’re here now. That’s what matters.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small bag I had brought.

Inside was a small silver bracelet with a tiny flower charm that I had picked out myself, weeks ago. “Here,” I smiled, wiggling the bag in front of his face. “I got you something.”

Rei’s eyes went wide. “Marco, you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

Rei then grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him across the hall.

“Come on,” he said. “I need to introduce you.”

“I know everyone already,” I protested, stumbling slightly as I tried to keep up with his pace. “We go to the same school.”

“That doesn’t count. This is proper.”

He dragged me to the other side of the hall, where a small cluster of people had gathered near the windows.

Alexei was there now.

He moved from the entrance to this corner at some point during Rei’s hug, and he was standing with his arms folded. Ilya was beside him, bouncing on his heels, already talking about something I couldn’t hear. And near them but not quite with them - close enough to be part of the group, far enough to make it clear he wasn’t - stood Kento.

He pulled me forward until I was standing beside him, slightly in front, like he was presenting something precious.

“This is Marco,” he announced. “You already know him. But I’m introducing him properly.”

He looked at each of them in turn. “Don’t spook him or I’ll end you,” he threatened.

Ilya, who had been talking to me more than anyone else in recent weeks, played along perfectly. “Nice seeing you up close, Mario.”

He said it like we were meeting for the first time.

Kento had no particular reaction to me.

He was standing slightly apart from the others, his posture stiff, his face arranged in the kind of cold blankness that I recognized because I had seen it on Alexei’s face a thousand times. But where Alexei’s blankness was controlled, Kento’s was different. Hostile.

His eyes weren’t on me.

They were on Ilya.

Rei pulled me away from them. His hand found my wrist and he tugged me gently afterwards. “Sorry,” he said once we were far enough away. “If you’re uncomfortable near them.”

I looked at him, confused. “What? I’m not—”

“I know you don’t like scary people. And they can be… a lot. Especially Kento. And Alexei, honestly, even though he’s been less terrifying lately, which is weird, but whatever. The point is if they do something, just tell me. Okay? I’ll beat them.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll tell you.”

He nodded once, satisfied. “Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand. I looked up at him. “Where?”

“Just come.”

I took his hand.

He pulled me up from the couch and dragged me to the back of the mansion. When the door opened, I stepped into a garden. I saw roses climbing trellises. Lavender lining stone paths. Hydrangeas in shades of blue so deep they looked purple. Sunflowers taller than me, and so many flowers I couldn’t name. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It’s…” I started, then stopped, because words felt insufficient. “Rei. This is…”