The night air clung to the streets, heavy and silent. Takami walked under the moon's dull glow, finally reaching home. Shadows stretched across the yard as he stepped around to the side of the house. His bedroom window was still open.
He glanced around once, then climbed onto an old trash can. With a fluid motion, he slipped inside the room, landing with barely a sound. He shut the window behind him, locking it.
His footsteps padded quietly to the bathroom, but before entering, he paused and looked over to the side of his study desk.
Velis lay curled up, chest rising and falling in slow sleep. Takami smiled faintly. "Still lazy, huh?" he whispered.
He headed into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. The water was soothing, washing off not just the grime and sweat but the weight of the battle. Every cut, every strain echoed as he stood there under the stream. When he stepped out, towel draped over his neck, his body was still sore.
He tugged on a light blue shirt and some plain shorts. Looking in the mirror, he muttered, "These fights are eating into my wardrobe faster than I expected."
With a tired sigh, he summoned a healing potion from his system inventory. He drank it in a single go. It wasn't enough, so he added two more. Warmth spread through his body almost instantly, wounds knitting, fatigue fading, tension slipping from his shoulders.
He stumbled over to his bed and collapsed onto it. Pulling the blanket over himself, he closed his eyes, letting the world fade into darkness.
Mount Osore – Kyoto
The wind up here was cold and merciless.
Jin stepped out of a dorm, his breathing heavy. Blood stained his shoulder and streaked down his temple, his black shirt torn a little on the shoulder. The dorm behind him creaked, then shattered with a low boom, the little pieces curling up into the moonlight like ghost smoke.
"That makes four," he muttered, wiping a smear of blood from his chin.
His muscles ached. His lungs burned.
He checked his watch. 2:03 AM.
"These infestations are growing fast," he muttered. "We need to eliminate all dorms as fast as possible before they evolve into something even High Grant users can't manage."
He looked back at the mountain path, already mentally preparing for the next purge.
Later That Morning – 8:00 AM
Takami slept like a bag of cement dropped from a rooftop. Immovable, face-down, and absolutely nowhere close to waking up.
His bedroom door creaked as his mother knocked thrice, then slowly entered. She peeked inside, blinking at the sight of her son still deeply asleep.
"Whatever mission he went on two days ago must've really drained him," she whispered, shaking her head softly.
She turned to leave… but paused.
She turned back, stared at his outfit. The shorts and the shirt.
"These… aren't the clothes he slept in last night."
She blinked again, rubbing her forehead.
"Did he wake up in the middle of the night to change? Or… am I losing it again?"
She let out a tired sigh. "I need to refill my prescriptions. I'm getting worse with each passing day."
With that, she stepped out quietly, the door clicking shut behind her.
Elsewhere – Yona's Apartment
Yona lay flat on her bed, arms spread, green eyes staring at the ceiling in pure boredom. Her sigh could've powered a wind turbine.
"Everything's boring."
Nyx's voice echoed in her head, a voice that was always sharp, always slightly amused. "What do you mean? This is peace."
"Exactly why you're no fun." Yona groaned.
Nyx chuckled. "Okay, then. Want to go kill some humans again? That always wakes you up."
Yona sat up slowly. "I told you… we're not doing that again."
Her tone was firmer now.
"Ooh, someone's growing a conscience." Nyx teased. "Fine, then. Why not call your boyfriend? What's his name again… Jimin?"
"Huh?! H-He's not… my boyfriend!" Yona flailed, cheeks instantly going red. "We're just… friends! Really close friends!"
"Sure, sure," Nyx drawled.
Suddenly, Yona's phone rang.
She squeaked in panic, scrambling to grab it. But when she saw who was calling, her heart nearly stopped.
Jimin.
"Uh…uh…"
"You want me to answer?" Nyx offered smugly.
"O-Okay," Yona stammered, clearly not thinking straight.
Her eyes turned a smoky grey as Nyx took over.
Nyx answered with the smoothness of someone born with zero shame. "Hello?"
Jimin's voice came through, cheerful. "Uh hey. Good morning."
Nyx answered, "Same to you too."
There was a brief silence.
"Uh, hope you slept well?" Jimin asked.
Nyx muttered "Did you want it bad—"
Before the sentence could be finished, Yona snatched control back, slamming her own hand into her face in embarrassment.
Jimin sounded confused. "Huh? What was that?"
"I-I was… talking to a cat. Yes! A neighbor's cat. Crazy thing. It just jumped in through the window. Anyway, I slept well!"
Jimin still sounded confusing, "…Okay? You sure you're good?"
"D-Definitely!" she replied, forcing a cheerful laugh. She briefly lowered the phone, did a silent scream into her pillow, then composed herself again. "I'm fine, really."
"Alright," Jimin said, sounding suspicious. "So, I was wondering if you'd be free this afternoon. Maybe we could hang out or something?"
Yona froze, phone in hand. Then, slowly, a smile crept onto her face.
"I mean… sure, yes, of course. I'm free! Totally free."
"Nice. Same place as last time?" Jimin sounded more cheerful.
"Yeah, that sounds perfect."
"Pick a time?"
"Um… 2 PM?" Yona said, making circles with dark sigils in the air
"Cool. See you then."
"Bye!"
As the call ended, Yona screamed into her pillow again. This time from excitement. She clutched it to her chest and flopped back onto the bed.
"That's the last time I let you talk to him, Nyx!"
"I don't get why humans ask such dumb questions anyway," Nyx scoffed inside her head.
Yona groaned.
Then a voice rang out from the open window, an elderly voice, raspy and irritated. "We're tryna sleep over here!"
Yona shot up and yelled back, "It's 8 AM in the morning, old hag!"
Then she pouted and slumped back onto the bed, muttering under her breath.
"I hate this neighborhood."
That Same Morning
[10:37 AM]
Takami's eyes blinked open to sunlight slipping through his curtains. His hair was a mess, his body stiff. He sat up slowly, yawning as he reached for his phone on the nightstand.
The screen lit up.
10:37 AM.
His eyes widened. "Crap. I missed my gym session."
He groaned, dragging himself out of bed like a zombie. After a quick stretch, he headed to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth half-asleep, staring blankly into the mirror like it owed him answers. "What're you looking at?"
A few minutes later, he stepped into the living room. It was quiet, Tomoe and Yosuke were clearly already off to school. The house felt calmer without their usual chaos.
His mom, Akane, sat on the sofa in her reading glasses, flipping through the pages of a thick book with precise focus.
"Good morning, Mom," Takami greeted, voice a little groggy.
Akane looked up and smiled. "Ohh, you're finally awake."
"Yeah, well—" he started to say, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Was it that mission the other day that left you this exhausted?" she cut in, lowering her book slightly.
Takami hesitated. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, that's probably it. Super stressful."
Akane nodded knowingly. "You even slept with your window wide open."
Takami's heart skipped a beat.
"I had to come in and close it," she added, flipping another page casually. "You were out cold, like a little kid. When I opened the blanket, you didn't even flinch."
He froze.
"Close it? Blanket?" he muttered to himself.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Akane asked, glancing up again.
He forced a smile. "Oh, no. I just said… poor me. So pitiful, sleeping like that. Heh."
She didn't press further and returned to her book.
"I'm gonna do some… stuff in my room," he added quickly, already backing away.
"Alright," she replied without looking up.
Once inside his room, he shut the door gently and paced back and forth.
"Closed the window... while I was asleep? But when I got back last night, the window was open... and the blanket was folded."
He stopped, brows furrowed.
"I didn't even use a blanket before leaving for the mission."
He ran a hand through his hair, anxiety blooming in his chest.
"What's Mom even talking about?"
He stood still trying to figure it out, then there was a knock at the door.
"Yes?" he called out.
"I'm heading out!" Akane's voice came through. "Make sure to lock the house if you leave too, alright? I'm taking the spare key."
"Got it! Thanks, Mom."
"Oh, and your breakfast is on the dining table. Don't skip it."
"Alright. Bye!"
He waited until the front door closed and the quiet settled in again. Then, he slumped into the chair at his study desk.
Eyes narrowing, he whispered to himself.
"I need to figure out what the hell is going on."