The crisp October air carried the scent of fallen leaves and distant woodsmoke, but inside the cozy warmth of the *“Café Starlight,”* all Lyra Vega could smell was sugar and bliss. She sat alone at a small table tucked into a corner, the world outside a gentle blur through the steamed-up window. A delicate fork hovered over her prize: a slice of strawberry shortcake, piled high with whipped cream and crowned with a glistening, perfect berry. She closed her golden-brown eyes, savoring a moment of pure, unadulterated peace. It was a rare commodity in her life, and she treasured it.

  A tiny, almost imperceptible crackle of static electricity danced at the tip of one of her honey-blonde hairs. Her brow furrowed slightly. It was a familiar disturbance in the local electromagnetic field, a chaotic signature she could sense as easily as breathing. She didn't need to open her eyes to know.

  *He’s here.*

  A deep sigh escaped her lips, the sound lost in the café's gentle hum. “Of course,” she muttered to the slice of cake. “I can’t even have one moment of peace.”

  A gust of wind, impossible within the sealed café, rustled the paper napkins on her table. When she finally opened her eyes, Katsuki was sitting directly across from her, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and his chin propped in his hands. A wide, boyish grin stretched across his face, which was… painted. Inexplicably, his face was adorned with crudely drawn whiskers and a pink nose.

  “Hey baaaaaabe,” he chirped, dragging the word out with infuriating cheer. “Whatcha doin’? Eating cake all by yourself? You know it’s Halloween! We should be out there, strategizing our candy route!”

  Lyra elegantly took another bite of her cake, the sweet flavor a stark contrast to her rising irritation. A visible electric blue spark jumped between two strands of her hair. “Really, Katsuki? You’re a sixteen-year-old, dimension-hopping Yokai hybrid, and you want to go *trick-or-treating*?” She finally lowered her fork, her gaze fixing on his face. “And what… what is *that*?”

  Katsuki’s grin widened, if that were even possible. He scrunched up his nose. “It’s face paint, obviously. I’m a cat. Meow~”

  Lyra’s eye twitched. The sheer, unadulterated shamelessness of it was almost a superpower in itself. Before she could formulate a sufficiently sarcastic retort, the bell above the café door jingled merrily.

  “Oh! Lyra, Katsuki~!” a bright, musical voice called out. Lila Kurata, a vibrant explosion of bubblegum-pink hair and cheerful energy, bounced toward their table, her azure eyes sparkling. Following her at a more restrained pace was Hikari Sato, her medium-length brown hair framing a face that was a study in practiced indifference.

  “Didn’t expect to find you two here~” Lila beamed, sliding into the booth next to Lyra.

  “You didn’t?” Katsuki shot back, leaning back with an air of supreme confidence. “This is basically our official meeting spot now~”

  “Is it, though?” Hikari deadpanned, her cyan eyes scanning the scene as she took a seat beside Katsuki. Her gaze lingered for a second on Lila’s excited expression, and a faint, almost imperceptible blush dusted her cheeks before she hardened her features again.

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  “Yes, it is, Ari,” Katsuki insisted. “We practically always meet here.”

  Hikari just shrugged, a silent dismissal. “Whatever you say.”

  Lila clapped her hands together, her energy infectious. “So! Does anyone have anything fun planned for Halloween!?” she asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

  Hikari’s tough facade softened as she looked at Lila. “Uhhh, no. Not really. What do you guys usually do for Halloween? You know, in the supernatural world and what not.”

  “I usually have to drag Lyra out to go trick-or-treating with me~” Katsuki announced, puffing out his chest with pride.

  Hikari’s head snapped toward him, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. “You’re kidding. You still go trick-or-treating?”

  Katsuki nodded, completely unfazed by her judgment. “That’s right. Free candy is free candy, and I have a bit of a sweet tooth. It’s the principle of the thing.”

  Hikari turned her incredulous gaze to Lyra. “Is this true?”

  Lyra let out a long, suffering breath of air, picking up her fork again as if it were her only shield. “Unfortunately so. He drags me from house to house with him. Uses his hyper-acceleration to cover more distance. Last year we hit three neighborhoods in under an hour. It was mortifying.”

  Hikari had to admit, that was a disturbingly efficient strategy. “Well, I guess for the sake of everyone’s dignity, we’ll just have to settle for buying candy from the store.”

  “Absolutely fucking not!” Katsuki slammed his hand on the table, making the silverware jump. “I refuse to spend any money on Halloween candy! That defeats the entire purpose! It’s about the hunt! The acquisition!”

  “You’re not the one paying, dickhead,” Hikari retorted, her voice sharp.

  “It’s indirect spending!” Katsuki shot back, his logic as chaotic as his energy. “Buying candy devalues the victory! It’s like finding a legendary sword in a treasure chest versus buying it from a shopkeeper! One is a triumph, the other is just a transaction!”

  Lila giggled, finding the entire argument hilarious. Lyra simply closed her eyes again, taking another bite of cake and retreating to her momentary happy place. This was her life.

  The four of them remained at the café as the afternoon sun bled into a fiery sunset, the sky turning a brilliant shade of orange and purple. The argument raged on, with Katsuki defending the honor of trick-or-treating with the fervor of a warlord, Hikari dismantling his points with sharp-tongued logic, and Lila offering cheerful, if unhelpful, suggestions. Lyra, for her part, finished her cake and ordered a second slice.

  In the end, worn down by Katsuki’s relentless energy and swayed by Lila’s genuine, infectious desire for a fun, traditional Halloween, they found themselves on a quiet suburban street shrouded in twilight. Jack-o'-lanterns grinned from porches, and fake spiderwebs clung to bushes.

  And there was Katsuki.

  He stood in the middle of the road, a whirlwind of kinetic devastation contained in a teenage body. His jacket of deep purple and black seemed to drink the last of the daylight, while the streaks in his hair pulsed with a violet glow. His entire form crackled with a barely-contained Yokai energy, his “costume” being nothing less than the initial stages of his turbo form. The air around him warped and shimmered.

  “See?” he said, a phantom-like jaw mask flickering around his mouth. “Best costume ever. It’s authentic.”

  Hikari stared, then a slow, tired smile touched her lips. “You are an absolute idiot.”

  Lila just laughed, her joy echoing in the quiet street. “Come on! I bet we can get more candy than him!”

  Lyra stood beside Hikari, watching the chaotic energy that was her boyfriend. A small, almost imperceptible smile graced her lips before she immediately stamped it out. "Let's just get this over with," she said, but her golden-brown eyes held a flicker of warmth that betrayed her words. As Katsuki zipped away in a blur of purple light, a flash of static disrupting a nearby streetlamp, she found herself walking alongside her friends into the Halloween night, a strange and familiar sense of belonging settling over her.

  HAPPY HALLOWEEN.