"I’m glad we were able to get Mary home without any incidents."
"Yeah. But as they say, the way back is always more treacherous than the way there. Let’s stay sharp."
A short while after safely delivering Mary to her house, the group of four—Yugo, Ryuga, Sakura, and Raiha—were making their way back to the academy.
The sun had dipped low, on the verge of vanishing completely.
Realizing the streets would be pitch black by the time they reached the dorms, Yugo noticed the somber expression on Ryuga’s face as they walked side by side. He decided to speak up.
"Ryuga, is something on your mind? You look pretty gloomy."
"No... I just found myself thinking about my father for a moment. Please, don't mind me."
Ryuga offered a faint, lonely smile.
Yugo gave a silent nod and didn't press the issue further.
When they had dropped Mary off, they had briefly met and spoken with her father, Gaut. He had seemed like a perfectly ordinary, kind man—the sort of father who would be consumed with worry for his daughter.
Yugo wasn't the only one praying for the two of them to reconcile and start over as a family; Ryuga surely felt the same. Hearing Mary's story had likely caused Ryuga to see reflections of his own mother in Gaut, while simultaneously dredging up memories of his late father. Yugo suspected those feelings ran far deeper than anything he could imagine.
"...I hope things work out for them."
"Yes, I hope so too..."
Ryuga’s response was vague, yet his voice carried a weight of genuine emotion.
As Yugo wondered if Ryuga was still shackled by the past of his father’s death, Sakura quickened her pace to walk beside him.
"Yugo-dono, might I ask you a question?"
"Huh? Oh, sure. Go ahead, Amamiya-san."
"There is no need for formal speech. You do not use it with Setsuna, do you? I would prefer it if you treated me as you do her."
"Uh... alright. Got it. So, what’s the question?"
Yugo felt a twinge of nerves at being addressed by Sakura. Of the three Warrior Shrine Maidens, she was the one he’d interacted with the least.
He did his best to keep his composure as he faced her. Sakura met his gaze and asked a pointed, heavy question.
"Yugo-dono, what is your opinion of Kurotobari? Do you believe his existence represents justice?"
Yugo caught his breath. She was looking him straight in the eye, her gaze as direct as the question itself.
Sakura exhaled slowly, then began to describe her honest state of mind.
"To be perfectly candid, I find myself unable to completely condemn Kurotobari’s philosophy. After speaking with the members of the Society of Friends of the Night and hearing their perspectives, I have begun to feel this way."
"...I think I understand what you’re trying to say. Yeah, I get it."
"Kurotobari acts on behalf of the powerless to judge the villains they despise. There are so many people in this world who have committed terrible crimes yet never faced a fitting punishment... Is it truly an evil act to execute justice upon those whom the law cannot reach?"
Yugo felt he could grasp a sliver of Sakura's internal conflict.
There were plenty of people who couldn't stand the thought of a murderer—someone who had stolen a future—living their life in peace. Mary was one of those people. And the Society of Friends of the Night was a gathering of such individuals, who worshipped Kurotobari from the depths of their hearts because he took the revenge they could not.
Was it truly evil to shoulder those people's burdens and mete out justice to the wicked? Having stood among the cult's members, Sakura seemed lost in the moral ambiguity of it all.
"Yugo-dono... your perspective differs from those of us Yamato People. Moreover, you are someone who has earned the interest of even Setsuna. I would very much like to hear your personal view on Kurotobari."
As she watched him expectantly, Yugo scratched his cheek, looking troubled.
He took a small breath and met her eyes, delivering his answer with straightforward honesty.
"Maybe what Kurotobari is doing is a form of justice. But even so, I think he's wrong."
"Justice, yet wrong...? What do you mean?"
Sakura looked bewildered by his contradictory response.
Yugo continued, holding her gaze.
"Everyone has their own version of justice. That’s exactly why you can never believe your own justice is absolute... and you must never, ever try to force it onto others."