Every new journey begins only when the last chapter draws to a close. Though time may press ever onward, a true knight knows that children can always hold on to their hearts.

Knights, along with Maru, eventually received the news.

Leo had gone far away, going on a journey with no clear end in sight.

It all began when Madara encountered Leo walking toward Yumenosaki. Seeing the boy who had once stood at the stage of music and performance now so lost in himself, Madara couldn’t turn a blind eye. He knew of Leo’s struggles—how the Checkmate performance and its aftermath had shattered him, leaving him adrift,  feeling alone with no clear idea of what he should do without his love for music or idols. No much warning, Madara brought Leo away, taking him abroad on an unexpected journey.

Leo opened up to him about leaving his room after being scolded by his father. Though his father’s words were harsh, Leo understood they came from a place of worry. His family cared for him in their own firm way, and that knowledge gave him some comfort.

Madara brought Leo on a world tour, introducing him to a music company and encouraging him to explore freely, then left him all by himself. It was a drastic change for someone who had spent so much time in isolation, trapped in his own expectations of perfection. In the world he’d built for himself, failure meant collapse, and when things didn’t go as the principles he believed, he lost his sense of self-worth.

Traveling with Madara opened Leo’s eyes to a much larger world. He realized there were places where he could belong, and the journey slowly helped him rediscover his value. But guilt began to creep in. The time he spent finding himself felt endless, and as he grew stronger, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being left behind.

Knights had continued to move forward without him, and that thought terrified him. Once again, he felt like he didn’t belong anywhere.

What Leo didn’t realize was that Knights—and Maru—were waiting for him. Though overwhelmed with the fear that he might never return, they held onto hope. Maru, in particular, believed fiercely that Leo would come back. She dedicated herself to helping Knights survive during his absence, determined to keep his dream alive.

I hope you understand.

Knights is not just your dream anymore. It’s become a shared dream, a shared home they’re trying to protect. I hope you know that we’re waiting for you to come home, Tsukinaga Leo. You are part of them.

As she worked, Maru reminded herself that there were still people who loved Leo’s music and accepted him for who he was. She wanted him to know he had a place where he truly belonged.

“May happiness accompany your journey.”

Maru worked hard to support Knights, pouring her heart into her role as their producer, slowly bringing herself into scenographer. She found strength in her growing love for stage design, realizing how much it could enhance their performances and bring their music closer to people’s hearts. This newfound passion helped her rediscover parts of herself she thought she had lost, even as doubt lingered about whether it was enough to fully love and accept herself.

Meanwhile, Leo traveled from city to city, composing music under various pseudonyms. His songs found their way into shops and streets, familiar yet unrecognizable to most. But not to Maru. She could sense his presence in the melodies, as if they carried a piece of him across the distance.

Leo dismissed the importance of names, earning royalties only to donate them, hoping to bring happiness to others. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had lost himself. He felt like a solitary ruler without a kingdom—a person who didn’t belong anywhere, not even within his own heart.

Hesitant to return, Leo feared there might no longer be a place for him with Knights or in the dream he had once cherished. Torn between holding onto his identity as an idol or letting it go entirely, he stood at a crossroads. But deep down, he still longed for the stage.

Finally, as Leo and Madara returned to Japan, Leo performed one last stage with Madara. It was a test—a way to confront his fear of the stage before deciding his next steps. Standing under the lights, Leo resolved to return to Yumenosaki. He needed to see for himself if the remnants of his dream could be rebuilt or if it was time to let it go entirely.

Deep down, though, he hoped there was still a place for him in Knights and that he could be welcomed home.

They may call me naive, perhaps even a fool, for choosing to remain here in a space that feels uncertain, for putting my heart in the hands of something unpromised. But tell me, how could I pledge my devotion elsewhere, when the very rhythm of my heart exists only for you?