The next day, Mio opened her eyes—and the familiar embrace was gone.
She froze for a second, then didn't think too much of it. It was already late enough; Shichen was probably in the kitchen cooking.
Still… if he'd left before she woke up, he deserved to lose a few "boyfriend points."
At a time like this, she'd much rather open her eyes and see him than see food.
Even though she really was a little hungry—she'd already felt it before going to sleep.
But romance and companionship mattered more than filling her stomach. Being hungry for a while wouldn't kill her.
…Although it wasn't just "a while." After last night's overexertion, she'd been hungry for a long time.
Thinking back on Shichen's intensity, Mio felt satisfied all over again, her heart sweet and warm.
His desire for her proved how much he liked her, and that made her happy—she had captivated him; she had charm.
He'd just wanted her a little too much… like he didn't know the meaning of tired.
Mio felt last night had gone on for a long time. She was so sore she felt like she'd come apart, and even now she still felt it.
She tried to sit up, frowned, and forced herself to move slowly.
The bed was messy—there were even signs left behind.
Her face heated up.
This kind of thing was embarrassing… and addictive.
She had finally become one with Shichen. From now on, no one would be closer to him than she was.
Her love for him deepened, and the urge to see him right now became overwhelming.
Carefully, Mio climbed out of bed. Moving awkwardly, she inched her way out of the room.
"Shichen."
She called his name as soon as she stepped out, but there was no answer. So she raised her hoarse voice.
"Shichen!"
Still nothing.
A sudden panic grabbed her heart.
She'd been supporting herself against the wall, but she stopped caring—she limped toward the kitchen.
The closer she got, the more afraid she became.
The kitchen was silent. There was no trace of Shichen's presence.
At the doorway, just as she feared… he wasn't there.
"Shichen? Where did you go?" Mio's voice shook.
From what she knew of him, if he left the house, he would never leave without telling her—especially not without leaving any message.
Which meant—
He was gone.
But they were supposed to be starting an even happier life together. How could he leave?
Were all his promises lies?
Were these past two weeks all fake?
Impossible.
Mio refused to believe it. She didn't believe his affection was fake, or his tenderness was fake.
She had felt it—felt how real it was.
So then… something happened to him?
Someone took him?
Was his strength not enough to resist?
It was her fault.
She'd been enjoying peace, enjoying being cared for, doing nothing—never learning her own power.
Shichen had told her before: if she wanted, her power could easily destroy the world.
She was the strongest existence in this world.
And yet the strongest person in this world couldn't even protect the one she loved.
It was her fault.
If she could give her power to Shichen, he wouldn't be taken… right?
He could stay with her forever… right?
They could be together forever… right?
Last night, she had felt it—Shichen drank her blood, and his body gained a trace of her power.
Couldn't he obtain all of it?
If she split her power apart and let him absorb it bit by bit…
Whether it would work or not, she had to try.
And she had to find him.
She was the god of this world. She could bring him back.
This was not Shichen abandoning her—never that.
Mio's eyes hardened. Her expression turned cold and distant. A terrifying pressure rose around her, inhuman and untouchable.
Power overflowed from her body, wrapping around her and flaring into light.
That light shaped itself into a radiant "garment"—an aurora-like, unreal brilliance that clung to her like living cloth.
It looked like a solemn, majestic, sacred dress—like a divine maiden.
No: she was a divine maiden.
Behind her, a warped halo-like wheel appeared, embedded with ten stars, floating quietly.
Each star shone a different color—dazzling and mesmerizing.
Her spirit armor—absolute armor—unlike the flashy elegance of the others, Mio's form evoked the gods of myth.
Holy. Untouchable. Impossible to look at directly.
A god beyond mortals.
"Mi— and Shichen! I'm here to mooch breakfast again~"
At that moment, Haruko pushed open the door and walked in. The sight of Mio in the living room instantly caught her attention.
"Mio… are you cosplaying? Does Shichen have that kind of hobby?"
Haruko tried to walk closer, but for some reason she couldn't—like there was an invisible boundary she wasn't allowed to cross.
"Mio." Mio turned to look at her. Calm. Cold.
"Mio? That's you, right?"
"Thank you for keeping me company during this time," Mio said flatly. "But from today on… we may never meet again."
"What do you mean? You're leaving? Where's Shichen?"
"He's not here anymore."
"Huh?"
"And I'm leaving too."
"Huh?!"
…
[Hurry up and merge the power!] "She" urged, her tone colder than before.
[Why the rush? Can't you let me sleep for once?] Shichen replied helplessly.
The moment it ended, "she" had dragged him into a blank, empty void—without even letting him dress.
No one could really understand what that felt like.
He didn't even know how to describe it. Just… uncomfortable.
And the fact she had pulled him away at that exact moment meant she might have been watching the whole time.
Shichen wasn't unfamiliar with complicated situations, but at least the people involved were participants.
"Her" watching felt closer to surveillance.
It was deeply awkward.
He knew she could see the intimate moments he shared with others, but typically she didn't actively watch—that was their unspoken agreement.
Or maybe he'd just been willfully ignoring the possibility.
Why would she even watch something like that?
So realizing it now made his skin crawl.
[You don't even need sleep!]
[Still—]
[What, you can't bear to leave Mio?] "She" snapped, jealousy dripping from her words.
[…Yeah. I can't.] Shichen admitted.
[Then don't think about it. I already sent you back to "the present."]
[What?] Shichen froze.
[You're back to the time with Tohka and the others. Happy now?]
[You're serious?]
[Do you think I need to lie to you?]
[Why would you do this? Mio is alone in the past—]
[You forced my hand.]
[What?]
[I said merging power was more important. You insisted on following your impulses. So I did this.]
[You didn't have to go that far.]
[Maybe not. But you need to understand how serious this is. You can't drown in comfort and ignore what matters.]
[It was just merging power. A little later—]
[Unless you want to watch everyone die.]
[What do you mean?]
[Exactly what it sounds like.]
[Are you going to keep speaking in riddles?]
[If you understand, it only gets worse.]
[…Sigh.]
[Are you still angry?]
[I am. But I also know I can't blame you.]
[I won't stop you from doing what you want. But some priorities come first—for you, for us, for everyone.] "She" said heavily.
[Then what about Mio?]
[This is the wrong I did—and your fault too. But it was necessary.]
[So it is because of me… I owe her.] Guilt flooded Shichen.
If he'd listened and done it earlier—endured the "cost" for a moment—maybe she wouldn't have been left behind.
But if he had… what would happen to history?
Could he even return to the past again to change things?
[There will be time to make it up later. Apologize properly. Right now, something else matters more!] "She" insisted.
[Fine. What do I do?]
[Simple. Merge the power in Mio's blood. Merge the familiars' power. Your mana will evolve naturally. Your body was prepared for this long ago.]
That "divine body" had been shaped for this exact moment.
[So that's it… then I—]
[Wait. We're still missing something.]
[What?]
[We still need Tohka's sister's power.]
A flash of violet light—and a striking, severe-looking woman appeared before Shichen.
She wore a purple-black armored dress with an extremely revealing design—half "formal," half "battle," undeniably provocative.
Black hair spilled down her back, and violet-black crystal ornaments decorated her head.
She had the same face as Tohka, but her expression was colder, more imposing.
Tohka's sister: Tenka.
"What—?" Tenka frowned the moment she appeared.
Just a second ago, she'd been in Shichen's body, with no warning—now she was here.
"Tenka. Long time no see." Shichen waved.
"Was this your doing—? And put some clothes on!" Tenka snapped at him.
"Sorry, I'll—"
[No need. You'll just take them off anyway.]
"?"