The evening was woven from impossible coincidences and snow dust.

  I stood in the middle of the park, trying to comprehend how a person could dissolve into thin air in a second.

  "Okay, stay calm," I muttered. "Let's think about the facts. Here is her footprint in the snow, here is the indentation... Oh right, Yanu! I'm not schizophrenic, you saw her through the phone, right?"

  But Yanu didn't have time to answer. A hefty, crumbly snowball hit me in the back of the head.

  I turned around. Yoto stood a few meters away, already packing a new projectile, and little fires danced in her eyes. Yoto stood in the light of the streetlamp, and snowflakes melted in her hair, turning into tiny diamonds. She wasn't laughing out loud—she was simply looking at me, and there was so much unspoken warmth in her smile that the frost suddenly stopped biting.

  "Testing reflexes!" she yelled.

  I dodged left, letting the second snowball fly past my ear, and instantly scooped up a handful of snow.

  "Oh, is that how it is?! Well, brace yourself!"

  We ran around the park for a good half hour. Every time our gazes crossed, something inside me responded with a strange, lingering ache and delight. I laughed like never before in my life. We fell, hid behind trees, and covered each other in snow until Yoto threw her hands up, breathing heavily. I felt that I needed no other victory than this very minute.

  "Alright, alright! I surrender! Peace!"

  "WOOHOO! I won!" I threw my fist up victoriously.

  "And the winner pays!" she immediately parried, squinting slyly.

  "Alright," I exhaled. "You win."

  She stepped closer and, completely naturally, wrapped her arm around mine, resting her head on my shoulder. We walked down the street, and I froze, afraid to make a wrong move and scare away this moment. The skyscrapers of Yokohama vanished, my fears vanished. She smelled of winter freshness and something elusively familiar... something I couldn't quite remember.

  We were passing by an old movie theater when she stopped abruptly.

  "Arkgrim, let's go to the movies! Especially since they're playing classics today. Your favorite."

  "I have a favorite movie?" I asked in surprise.

  "Well of course, silly," she nudged me gently toward the entrance. "You've told me about it a thousand times."

  As we climbed the stairs to the box office, I couldn't resist:

  "And what is it, my absolute favorite?"

  Yoto turned around one step above me, and her gaze became very deep for a second.

  "You could never pick just one thing."

  We bought a mountain of popcorn and two huge cups of cola. There was no one in the theater besides us. When the lights went out, a quote floated up on the screen: "And the machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire..."

  We sat side by side, and at some point, I felt her fingers carefully touch my hand on the armrest. Her fingers were trembling slightly. The movie was incredible.

  I sat clutching the armrests, worrying about the characters as if it were my own story. When the main character slowly lowered himself into the vat of molten metal at the end, giving a thumbs-up, I felt a lump form in my throat.

  I felt Yoto squeeze my hand tightly, as if she was afraid I would disappear right now too. I turned to her and saw the blue flames from the screen reflecting in her eyes. In that moment, she seemed so defenseless and so...

  We stepped out of the theater into the night chill.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "The ending is totally unexpected!" I started emotionally. "How he lowered himself..."

  "...into that vat to save the future," Yoto finished my sentence. Exactly. Word for word. Simultaneously with me.

  I froze, staring at her.

  "Hey... how did you do that?"

  "It's just that I know you too well," she pulled me toward a small 24-hour pizzeria. "Come on, I'm hungry."

  We sat at a table, I opened the menu, and the moment I opened my mouth to order...

  "The largest pepperoni pizza for you, and a chocolate shake," she said, looking at the menu.

  I slammed the book shut.

  "HEY! How do you..."

  "I told you: I know you like the back of my hand," she laughed, and that laugh made me forget my suspicions for a second. "And for me—a vanilla shake and a Margherita."

  I had already opened my mouth to say, "Ew, how can you eat a Margherita, it's just solid tomatoes," but Yoto beat me to it:

  "...and no, tomatoes are not ew, it's a classic!"

  She laughed again, looking at my dumbfounded face.

  "Yes, Arkgrim... you're still exactly the same."

  She propped her elbows on the table, rested her chin on her hands, and began staring piercingly right into my eyes. In that gaze, there was so much warmth, sorrow, and something else I couldn't find a name for.

  Some crazy vortex spun inside me. The spectrum of emotions was so strange: fear, comfort, anxiety, and absolute, crystalline happiness. I didn't understand who she was, where she came from, or why she knew me better than I knew myself. But I was certain of one thing: I didn't want this evening to end. I just wanted to sit here under this gaze and feel this strange warmth.

  We finished the pizza, and Yoto, squinting slyly, nodded toward a brightly lit neon sign across the street.

  "Listen, wanna test your strength at the arcade?"

  "You bet!" I jumped up readily, forgetting all fatigue.

  The arcade hall greeted us with a cannonade of sounds, flashing neon lights, and the smell of heated plastic. Yoto immediately headed for the claw machine—a device packed with plush toys.

  "Look, Arkgrim, the main thing here is patience and a keen eye," she said seriously, taking the joystick.

  Stupid, cheerful music started playing as the claw floated over the mountain of plush.

  "Oh, look! I want that duck," she bit her lip in concentration.

  I stood nearby, but I wasn't looking at the machine. I was only looking at her. At how the colored lights reflected in her eyes, how her eyelashes trembled, how she smiled unconsciously when the claw finally closed around the yellow duck's neck. One precise jerk—and the toy fell into the chute.

  "I got it!" she joyfully hoisted the duck above her head. "Now it's your turn, hero."

  I stood at the machine, trying to look like a pro. Targeted the biggest bear, lowered the claw... and watched in disappointment as the iron fingers limply slipped off its fluffy side.

  "Hey, is it just me, or is this thing cheating?" I protested. "The claw has no grip at all!"

  "You're exactly right," Yoto leaned her shoulder against the machine, watching me. "They are all rigged that way."

  The thrill of the challenge flared up inside me. Oh no you don't, I thought, and began to carefully channel mana through my veins, directing it in a thin stream toward the claw mechanism to force it to clench in a death grip. My bracelet immediately beeped a warning and started shocking me, but I paid no attention.

  Suddenly I felt a soft, almost weightless flick on my forehead.

  "Play fair," Yoto whispered right into my ear. Her breath scorched my skin, and an electric shock ran down my spine.

  I flinched, my concentration broke, and the claw predictably dropped the bear halfway up.

  "Damn it! Why?!" I groaned, clutching my head.

  "Because you are greedy, Arkgrim," she laughed, nudging me lightly in the side. "You grabbed the most massive toy, knowing the chances were zero. Just like always."

  We moved on to the shooting games. The roar of virtual gunshots, flashes on the screens, frantic dynamics... But every time I raised the plastic assault rifle, I caught myself aiming at the screen but seeing her profile. I had no interest in the games. This entire hall, this entire world was just a backdrop in which she was the only living and real object.

  I didn't even notice how the night darkness outside the windows began to thin, giving way to a cold, blue pre-dawn fog. The sun slowly rose over Yokohama, painting the roofs a pale pink.

  Yoto suddenly stopped right at the exit.

  "I have to go, Arkgrim."

  It was the most terrible moment of the entire night.

  "Will we... will we meet again?" I froze, afraid to hear a "no."

  She looked at me for a long, strange moment, and then smiled softly.

  "Yes. Of course we will. Take down my number."

  She took my phone, quickly tapped the screen with her fingers, and placed it back in my palm. Without another word, she stepped out into the morning chill.

  I stood in the doorway, watching her fragile silhouette melt into the fog. She had vanished again, leaving nothing behind but a contact entry under the name "Yoto" and this frightening feeling. As soon as the door closed behind her, that same black hole formed in my soul again. The cold returned, and the world around me instantly lost all its colors, becoming flat and gray.

  I walked to school, and it felt like I wasn't walking, but floating a few centimeters above the asphalt. The cold morning air invigorated me better than any coffee, and in my pocket, as if warming my entire body, lay the phone with that coveted number.

  "Yanu," I whispered, looking at the display windows drifting by. "Tell me... that wasn't a dream, right? I didn't hallucinate her in a sleep-deprived delirium?"

  "No, Arkgrim," Yanu replied in the earbud, and it seemed to me that a barely noticeable smirk slipped into her electronic voice. "All sensors recorded your presence in the movie theater and the cafe. And no, hallucinations do not leave entries in contact lists. You really did spend the night with a girl. Although your heart rate at certain moments made me prepare the emergency resuscitation protocol."

  "Shut up," I said without malice.

  In that moment, I was probably the happiest person in this whole damn Yokohama.

  Arriving at class, I flopped into my seat and looked happily at Leon. I expected to see his usual focused expression, but instead I saw... a shadow of a person. Leon sat hunched over, his face pale, heavy shadows lying under his eyes.

  "Whoa, Leon..." I raised an eyebrow. "Why so sad? You look like you were chewed on all night and then spit out for being too sour."

  Leon slowly turned his head. His gaze was dull.

  "It's just... it's just hard," he exhaled. "Training with Rabuki... I'm tired. Truly tired."

  I looked at him and suddenly felt a twinge of conscience. While I was running through the snow and eating pizza with a beautiful girl, my only friend was literally killing himself for a dream.

  "Yeah..." I cast my eyes around the classroom. "The world is full of monsters, and we sit here discussing everyday high school problems. Strange, don't you think?"

  Leon stayed silent, staring into his blank notebook. But a minute later, he suddenly straightened up and looked at me with some strange determination.

  "Listen, Arkgrim... maybe you could train with us today?"

  I froze, not believing my ears.

  "What? Since when do we invite our 'best friend' to spend time together? I thought I was officially fired from your priority list."

  Leon didn't answer. He just looked at me—seriously and somewhat pleadingly. It seemed he really was having a hard time, and he just wanted someone from his "past," normal life to be around.

  "Alright," I waved my hand. "Fine. I'll come to your torture session. I'll watch Nihoro turn you into mincemeat."

  And in that moment, a faint, barely noticeable, but very genuine smile appeared on his exhausted face.

  "Thanks, Arkgrim."

  "Don't mention it," I said, pulling out a textbook. "But if she decides to hit me too, I can't vouch for my actions."

  I have a phone number worth living for now, so I don't plan on dying, I thought to myself.