Since a very long time ago,

Toya's family and Akito's family have hated each other.

The old grudge entwined between the two houses did not fade no matter how much time passed, and the relationship was so toxic that they hesitated to even utter the other family's name.

Becoming close to someone from the other side was taboo, and loving them was something beyond imagination.

However, Toya and Akito, the children of these two families, were in love with each other.

During the day, they passed each other with indifferent faces. In gatherings where family members were present, they didn't even lock eyes, treating each other coldly for fear their relationship might be discovered.

But when the sun set and the night came for everyone to sleep, the two would slip out of their respective mansions as if by unspoken promise.

And they met in the deep forest that no one knew, by the beautiful lake where the moonlight settled calmly.

There, no one called them enemies of the family.

Neither Toya nor Akito cared about each other's surnames. They simply called out the name of the person they loved.

---

Tonight, Toya had arrived at the lakeside first.

The moonlight filtering through the trees settled faintly upon his hair, and the stars of the night sky were reflected perfectly on the silent surface of the water. Toya waited for Akito quietly in their usual spot.

After a moment, the sound of branches rustling lightly came from the other side of the forest.

Toya looked up.

Familiar reddish hair revealed itself through the darkness.

It was Akito.

Akito approached the lakeside, catching his breath slightly, and the moment his eyes met Toya's, he quietly let out the smile he had kept hidden all day.

...Sorry I'm late.