Only for a single flower that she had been waiting for since that day, had yet to bloom gracefully.

Maru clung to those words as her promise to herself. She carried them into spring, hoping to see Leo again now that the new school year had begun. But even as the cherry blossoms bloomed, the guy whose prideful "bloom" on stage she admired was still nowhere to be found.

Maru soon learned from her seniors in Knights, particularly Izumi, who had taken charge of the unit in Leo’s absence, that Leo was still shutting himself away. Though she pressed them for details, Knights remained tight-lipped about what had happened in the past. It was clear they were guarding something painful.

Determined to understand, Maru began gathering information on her own, reaching out to those outside the unit. The pieces were fragmented, but they painted a vague picture: Leo was deeply depressed, and the events surrounding Checkmate had been pivotal in his downward spiral.

Her persistence didn’t go unnoticed. Izumi, initially skeptical of Maru’s intentions, eventually softened. Despite his own uncertainty about Knights’ future, he allowed her to take on the role of producer for their unit. Her stubbornness seemed to stir something in him, and he decided to share bits of his perspective to help her piece together the story of Knights and the turbulent "War Era" that had defined them.

But even with Izumi’s insights, Maru quickly realized that the heart of the matter remained elusive. The story she was assembling was based on secondhand accounts—outsiders’ views of what Leo had been through. The one thing missing was Leo’s own voice, his true feelings.

No one—not even his closest comrades—seemed to fully know what was in his heart. And that, Maru understood, was the real puzzle she needed to solve. Leo’s silence left a void, and until he could open up, the full picture would remain incomplete.

Still, Maru refused to give up. She had promised herself that she would stand strong, just as Leo had once inspired her to do. Now, it was her turn to reach out to him, to find a way to help him bloom again.

Why do people always

Lose their way?

Even if they try to arrange the things they like

It’s hard to smile properly

Why do people always

Measure their strength to live

By the amount of tears they shed?

I don’t understand it even now

—To the People of the Future.