Yuzu sat on the cold, cracked steps of an old shrine, watching as a group of robed figures gathered in the temple courtyard below. Their faces were obscured by hoods, their voices rising in eerie unison as they chanted in a nguage she didn’t recognize. The once-abandoned shrine had been transformed into a sanctuary for one of the many new apocalyptic cults springing up across the country. Banners of crude symbols hung from the eaves, their meanings ambiguous but clearly meant to instill a sense of order amidst the chaos of a dying world.

  She had seen a dozen groups like this in the past three months—each ciming they had the answer, the path to salvation. Some demanded devotion, others required sacrifice. One particurly aggressive cult had gone around Tokyo marking people’s doors with strange symbols, ciming they were choosing who would be ‘saved’ when the time came. Yuzu had rolled her eyes at that one. Even in the end times, people found a way to scam each other.

  A robed figure stepped forward onto a raised ptform, their voice amplified by a makeshift speaker system. “The end is not a punishment,” they decred. “It is a rebirth! Those who surrender themselves to the divine will be chosen to ascend beyond this world!”

  Yuzu scoffed, stretching out her legs. “Cssic,” she muttered. “Doomsday, but make it marketable.”

  The girl sitting beside her, a former cssmate named Rina nudged her. “Maybe they’re onto something,” she said, not quite joking. “At this point, I wouldn’t mind an ‘ascension’ package if it came with hot food and a real bed.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re actually buying this.” Yuzu turned to give her a skeptical look. “You, the same girl who nearly failed our physics final because you refused to believe in quantum mechanics?”

  Rina rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m just saying… what if they’re right? What if there’s something after all this? Science sure as hell isn’t saving us.”

  That was the part Yuzu struggled with the most. She had always believed in facts, logic, things that could be measured and proven. But what good was science when the world was ending and no one had any answers? She had spent countless nights refreshing her phone, searching for news, for an expnation, for something that could fix this. Every expert interview, every desperate press release, every scientific theory, they all ended the same way. Uncertainty. Powerlessness.

  So maybe people turned to faith because it was the only thing left, because logic had no answers, science had given up, and the silence of the universe was just too terrifying to face alone.

  Down below, the cult leader raised their arms toward the sky, their voice growing more fervent. “Those who doubt will be lost! But those who believe will be saved! Come forth, and take your first step toward true enlightenment!”

  A few hesitant figures stepped forward, their faces a mix of fear and hope. Yuzu recognized that expression. It was the same one she had seen in the mirror every morning. The desperate need to believe in something, anything, when all else had failed.

  She exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered, but there was no real bite in her words. Just exhaustion. Just uncertainty.

  Rina nudged her again. “If you had to pick a side—science or faith—which would it be?”

  Yuzu didn’t answer right away. She watched as more people joined the congregation below, their voices blending into the rhythmic chant. The sky overhead was a deep, burning orange, as if the universe itself was caught between day and night, life and death.

  Finally, she said, “I don’t know.”

  And for the first time in her life, she wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing or if it was just easier to stop looking for answers.

  Rina pulled her hoodie tighter around herself, her breath curling into the crisp evening air like smoke. The two of them sat hunched together, shoulders brushing, their postures mirroring each other as if drawing warmth from their proximity. Their feet tapped lightly against the worn stone steps, the cold seeping up through the soles of their shoes. Below, the scent of burning incense curled upward, mingling with the underlying staleness of decay that clung to the world like an unshakable ghost. The flickering glow of candles cast restless shadows across the courtyard, distorting the movements of the robed figures who swayed in rhythmic devotion. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked—a sharp, lonely sound swallowed quickly by the stillness of the night.

  Rina pulled her hoodie tighter around her, her dark, wavy hair peeking out from beneath the fabric. Her face was drawn with exhaustion, the faint shadow of sleepless nights evident beneath her eyes, but there was still something sharp in her gaze, something restless. She pulled her knees up to her chest, exhaling into the cold air. "You ever think about it?" she asked, her voice quiet but insistent. "Like... what comes after?"

  Yuzu kept her gaze locked on the gathering below, watching as a woman in tattered clothes clutched a robed figure’s hands, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "You mean after we all die?" She scoffed, shifting her weight. "Not exactly high on my list of fun topics."

  Rina rested her chin on her knees. "I just keep wondering if all this is just... leading to something bigger. Like, maybe they aren’t completely wrong. Maybe there is a pn. A reason."

  Yuzu turned to look at her, studying the faint furrow in Rina’s brow, the way her fingers toyed with the frayed hem of her sleeve. "Do you believe that?"

  Rina exhaled, tilting her head back to stare at the darkening sky. "I don’t know. But sometimes, it feels better than believing in nothing."

  Yuzu was quiet for a moment, listening to the rhythmic chanting below, the soft hum of voices blending into something almost hypnotic. The cold pressed in around them, seeping through the worn fabric of her hoodie, making her limbs feel leaden. She exhaled, watching her breath cloud in the frigid air, the scent of burning incense mixing with the lingering staleness of unwashed stone. Somewhere in the distance, a stray dog barked, the only interruption to the eerie harmony of devotion below. She shifted slightly, the rough surface of the cracked steps biting into her palms, but still, she didn't look away.

  She finally sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Yeah. Maybe," she admitted, though her voice held the weight of hesitation. Her fingers traced an absent pattern on the worn stone step, as if grounding herself in something tangible could make the uncertainty feel less daunting.

  "Did you miss high school?" Rina asked, nudging Yuzu with her elbow, a smirk pying on her lips. Her dark, wavy hair peeked out from beneath her hoodie, and her sharp eyes, despite the exhaustion evident beneath them, still held a familiar mischievous glint. She stretched out her legs, scuffing her worn-out sneakers against the stone steps as if trying to shake off the cold.

  Yuzu snorted, leaning back against the step, her long, tousled bck hair shifting slightly in the breeze. She tugged at the sleeves of her oversized hoodie, the fabric worn and fraying at the cuffs. "Not really. Unless you count missing the part where I could pretend the world wasn’t falling apart." She exhaled, watching the breath curl in the crisp air, then shot Rina a sideways gnce. "Actually, maybe I miss gym css. Nothing like running ps to make me wish for the apocalypse a little sooner."

  "Really? I thought you spent all of high school acting like the world was already ending."

  The conversation stretched on as the night deepened, the cold settling into their bones. They wrapped their arms around themselves, huddling for warmth as they spoke in hushed tones. Yuzu absently fiddled with the end of her ponytail, her long bck hair tied high but still slightly disheveled from the day.

  At one point, Rina let out an exaggerated sigh, stretching her legs out with an air of theatrical exhaustion. “You know, maybe we should start our own cult.”

  Yuzu raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what’s our doctrine?”

  “We worship hot food and functioning plumbing.”

  Yuzu snorted. “Honestly, that might be the most reasonable religion I’ve heard all week.”

  Rina pressed her palms together, rubbing them vigorously before bringing them to her mouth, exhaling warm air into the cold space between her fingers. "If I keep this up, maybe I can manifest central heating," she muttered.

  Yuzu gnced at Rina, pulling her hoodie tighter against the chill. "So, where are you crashing tonight? Or are we upgrading from 'freezing on shrine steps' to 'freezing under a different questionable roof'?"

  Rina stretched her arms above her head, suppressing a shiver. "Want to crash at my apartment?" she asked, gncing at Yuzu with a lopsided grin. "I can offer you half a bnket and a very judgmental goldfish."

  "Wow, am I your girlfriend or something?" Yuzu asked, smirking as she elbowed Rina pyfully. "Because if so, I expect snacks and a mandatory hoodie-sharing policy."

  Rina opened her mouth, then closed it, blinking. "..."

  Yuzu raised an eyebrow. "...Why are you silent? This is usually where you tell me to shut up."

  Rina cleared her throat, looking away. "No reason. Just contempting my life choices."

  "Ah, so dating me would be a mistake?" Yuzu teased, leaning in with a mischievous grin. "That’s funny, because I distinctly remember you offering me half a bnket. Pretty intimate if you ask me."

  Rina groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I regret everything."

  "Too te. We're already spiritually married by the power of shared suffering and mutual food scavenging." Yuzu stretched dramatically. "I expect anniversary gifts."

  "I expect you to shut up."

  Yuzu grinned. "See? That's more like it."

  The two of them finally decided to leave the shrine, their steps sluggish from the cold settling into their limbs. The streets were eerily quiet, save for the occasional flicker of candlelight from broken windows where people had holed up for the night. Stray cats darted through alleys, scavenging for whatever scraps remained. The air smelled of damp earth and burnt incense, remnants of the cult gathering still lingering in Yuzu’s nostrils.

  "Welcome to my luxurious estate," Rina deadpanned as they arrived at her apartment building—a once-modern complex now covered in graffiti and grime. The entrance door hung slightly off its hinges, and someone had spray-painted ‘WE’RE ALL SCREWED’ in bright red across the wall. Yuzu raised an eyebrow. "Nice curb appeal. Very inviting."

  Rina snorted as she fished out her keys. "Don’t let the ambiance fool you. We’ve got all the amenities—lukewarm tap water, half a roll of toilet paper, and a goldfish who judges my life choices more than you do."

  "Impossible," Yuzu said, stepping inside. "Judging you is my full-time job."

  They climbed the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the dimly lit corridor. The elevator had long since stopped working, forcing them to navigate the darkened stairwell where the faint scent of mildew and old food lingered. By the time they reached Rina’s door, Yuzu was already rubbing warmth back into her arms.

  Rina unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing a small but surprisingly tidy space—bnkets stacked in a corner, empty instant ramen cups on the table, and a small tank where a goldfish zily floated, staring at them with dead, unblinking eyes. "See? Judgment incarnate," Rina muttered, pointing at the fish.

  Yuzu dropped onto the couch, stretching out her legs. "Your pce is honestly cozier than I expected. I was half-prepared for a rat infestation."

  "Oh, don’t worry, the rats pay rent." Rina tossed her a bnket before flopping down beside her. "Now, do you want the good news or the bad news?"

  Yuzu peeked at her from beneath the bnket. "Good news?"

  "I found a pack of expired instant noodles."

  "And the bad news?"

  "I found a pack of expired instant noodles."