The sun had barely risen, painting the sky in streaks of orange and pink.

  Ethan sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the neckce in his hand. It was still warm from his skin overnight — a constant reminder of the barrier between him and Eri.

  Neckce on, he was Ethan: tired, hollow, pretending to be someone who fit in.Neckce off, he could be her — light, free, complete.

  He exhaled slowly as he stopped gripping the neckce, letting it settle against his chest. The gem’s cool touch grounded him, reminding him of the rules he couldn’t break — not here, not now, not with anyone around.

  Breakfast downstairs was quiet. His parents noticed immediately how pale and distant he looked.

  “Ethan, you okay?” his mom asked gently, setting a pte of eggs and toast in front of him.

  “Yeah… just a bit sleepy,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze.

  Yui gave him a quick gnce, frowning. “You look like crap, Ethan.”

  “Thanks,” he said quietly, picking at the food.

  He forced a small smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. The neckce felt heavier than usual, pressing into his colrbone as if it knew the temptation waiting for him tonight.

  When the time came to leave, Alex was waiting at the curb, backpack slung casually over one shoulder.

  “Morning! Ready for the gardens tonight?” Alex asked, grinning.

  Ethan nodded, voice ft. “Yeah… should be fun.”

  “Don’t act so dead inside,” Alex said, elbowing him lightly. “It’s supposed to be a night trip, you know. Fun!”

  Ethan gave a faint ugh, but it was hollow even to him. Fun. Right.

  As they walked to the bus, Ethan kept his fingers brushing against the neckce under his hoodie. The cool metal was the only thing holding him back. He imagined the moonlight filtering through the trees, the quiet paths of the gardens… and, more vividly than ever, Eri walking there, her tails brushing the grass, her silver eyes shining in the glow.

  He swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep moving as Ethan.

  Because he had to.He couldn’t take it off now.Not in front of anyone.Not on the morning of the trip.

  But the pull — the desperate, aching pull — was already there.

  And he knew it wouldn’t fade.

  A couple hours after school

  The bus hummed down the quiet roads heading for the gardens, the early afternoon sun dipping lower in the sky.

  Ethan sat by the window, hands folded in his p, eyes fixed on the blur of trees and streetlights outside. The neckce pressed against his chest through his shirt, heavy and insistent.

  He forced himself to breathe evenly. Ethan. You are Ethan. Stay Ethan.

  But already, beneath the calm surface, something flickered — Eri.

  Her presence was soft at first, a whisper of warmth in his chest, a pull in his limbs. The thought of walking under the moonlight, surrounded by glowing pnts, made his heart pound in a way that had nothing to do with excitement as Ethan.

  Alex, sitting across from him, was chatting casually about which sections of the gardens they wanted to see first. “I’m gonna check out the bioluminescent pond,” he said. “Should be insane at night.”

  Ethan nodded, giving a quiet, hollow agreement. Words were hard to form. Each mention of the gardens, of moonlight, of night — it tugged at something he wasn’t supposed to feel right now.

  By the time the bus pulled up to the entrance, the sky had turned a deep indigo. Streetlights glinted off the gss of the gardens’ main building, and faint light leaked through the treetops.

  Ethan’s chest tightened.

  He stepped off the bus, keeping his hands over the neckce, forcing himself to stay in control. But the pull inside was stronger than ever. He could feel her now — Eri — stirring in the back of his mind, brushing against his thoughts like a phantom tail across his consciousness.

  He swallowed. “Stay Ethan. Stay Ethan. Stay Ethan…”

  The group moved toward the ticket booth, chattering, ughing, oblivious to the storm inside him.

  Ethan kept his head down, trying to focus on Alex’s voice. “Come on, let’s stick together. You’ll love it, trust me.”

  The words barely registered. All he could think about was the gardens in the moonlight. The quiet paths. The glow illuminating soft white tails…

  He gripped the neckce tighter under his shirt, metal biting into his skin.

  Just a little longer. Stay Ethan a little longer.

  But somewhere in the back of his mind, Eri was already awake, watching the shadows grow longer, waiting.