"So… you're not from this world…" Mio murmured, hugging Shichen tightly as if afraid he'd vanish again.
Shichen told Mio everything—where he came from, what he was, what had happened. There was nothing to hide from her. Besides, plenty of people already knew parts of it.
Shichen held her close and soothed her. "Don't worry. You remember how I could take Tohka and the others away before, right? I can take you with me too."
"Really?" Mio looked up at him.
"Of course. We'll be together forever."
"Mm!"
Shichen chuckled, brushing his fingers through her soft hair. "You're a grown woman already, but you're still getting scared like a little girl."
"I'm not grown!" Mio pouted, pushing back like a spoiled child.
"Not grown, huh?" Shichen teased, and Mio immediately buried her face against his chest, embarrassed.
He didn't pull away, just stayed close, feeling her steady heartbeat. His thoughts drifted.
He hadn't really needed to "comfort" Mio—she didn't demand it. Her tolerance for him was too great. Just seeing him again, just knowing there was a reason, and she acted like nothing else mattered.
Thirty years of loneliness and grief, and she didn't say a word about it—like it had never happened.
But she did have feelings. Especially toward him. She depended on him like a girl in first love—intense, clinging, wholehearted.
So how could those thirty years have been "nothing"? She must have cried alone. She must have broken down at night when no one was there. Reine Murasame's sleeplessness was proof enough.
Even if Reine was the "human" side split from Mio, they shared everything.
Yet Mio still refused to complain—either because she didn't want to say it, or because she didn't want him to carry it.
Probably both.
So Shichen decided: respect her choice. Make it up to her from here on out. His presence, his care—those were what she wanted most. And they had time.
If she endured thirty years of pain, then he'd spend even longer giving her something better.
"…Huh?"
His thoughts broke off. The person behind him seemed to be waking. An arm slipped around him, tentative at first, then bolder.
"Reine?" Shichen turned.
Reine Murasame didn't answer. Her eyes stayed closed. She held him as if she didn't want to let go.
Shichen paused, expression tightening.
"Mio… are you sure you're okay with this?" he started, then winced as Reine's half-awake clinginess escalated.
Mio lifted her head and smiled faintly. "It's fine. Reine and I can still stay with you."
"I don't think 'it's fine' applies here," Shichen said seriously.
"Why?"
"Because it's getting late. Tohka and the others will be out of school soon."
"So what? Are they going to starve without you?"
"…No, but I haven't explained things yet. I need to tell them—about you. About everything."
"It can wait."
Shichen hesitated. "If this drags on all night, they'll worry—"
Mio tilted her head, unbothered. "Then we just finish faster."
"Mio… you've really learned some bad habits."
"And whose fault is that?" she shot back, smug.
Shichen had no retort.
Mio's eyes sparkled. "Hurry up. And once isn't enough either—what if it doesn't work?"
Shichen didn't buy her innocence for a second. With her power, she could make outcomes… very likely. Still, he understood what she was doing: pushing his guilt, making him feel responsible for "following through."
He exhaled. "Fine. Then we'll end this quickly. But don't complain afterward."
Mio looked delighted. Reine, half-awake, only hummed in agreement.
Shichen's tone turned firm. "This time, I'm not letting you two run the show."
"What do you mean?"
"It means you don't get to doubt me—and you don't get to take control. You're going to learn exactly what 'scared' means."
Mio blinked, clearly unconvinced. "Really?"
"Try not to cry."
Shichen rose, pulled Mio close, and drew Reine into the moment as well—
And soon the room filled with soft, breathy sounds—two voices blending together like a duet.
…
Night had fallen. The moon was hidden behind clouds. In the silent, empty campus, three figures appeared.
"I could barely walk earlier," Mio said cheerfully, clinging to Shichen's arm. "Good thing you helped."
Reine leaned on his other side, equally close. Her usual exhaustion seemed lighter—her dark circles gone, her face faintly flushed, her posture drowsy but content as she rested her head on him.
Shichen spoke calmly, with a straight face. "I told you I'm capable. Now you know."
"But we didn't cry," Mio teased.
Shichen went quiet.
"They're not kids anymore," he admitted to himself.
Mio looked up at him, eyes playful. "Maybe you're not that capable."
"I'm only holding back because it's late," Shichen replied, clearly unimpressed. "Otherwise it wouldn't have ended so fast."
Mio's smile turned mischievous. "Then should we go back and keep going?"
"No," Shichen said, firm but gentle. "Tohka and the others are waiting."
Mio pouted. "Hmph. Shichen, do you like Tohka that much?"
"I like you all the same," Shichen said immediately.
"But I met you first…" Mio muttered, the jealousy obvious.
"I met Tohka first," Shichen countered without thinking.
Mio fell silent, then exhaled. "...Fine. You're right. We'll be together forever anyway."
"That's right." Shichen squeezed her hand. "Now let's go explain everything to them."
He was about to move them—
"Wait." Mio grabbed him again.
"What is it?"
Mio hesitated, then whispered, guilt creeping into her voice. "They… won't hate me, will they?"
"Hate you?"
"I turned them into Spirits. I trapped them in the Neighboring World. I… I made it so they couldn't live normally here…" Mio's voice got smaller and smaller.
She wasn't suddenly "kind" toward strangers—she never cared much about strangers. But Tohka and the others weren't strangers anymore. They were family now.
More importantly… they were people Shichen cared about.
And Mio cared about Shichen's feelings more than anything.
Shichen's tone softened. "It'll be okay."
He added carefully, "They were already hurt by terrible circumstances. Even if your choices weren't perfect, you also gave them a chance to survive."
Mio shook her head. "I didn't 'help.' Not really."
"Then we apologize," Shichen said simply.
"Apologize…?"
"They're good kids," Shichen said. "If you're sincere, if you're willing to make amends, they'll forgive you."
"Really?" Mio asked, unsure.
"Look at how they are. You know them." Shichen nodded. "They're good girls."
Mio nodded too. "They are."
"So we make it right, together," Shichen said. "I'll be with you. Because… you did all of this for me."
Mio's tension finally eased. "Okay. If you're with me, I'm not scared."
"Good." Shichen started to move again.
"Wait—one more thing," Mio said quickly.
"You still don't trust me?"
"That's not it. I'm ready. I'll face them." Mio shook her head, then hesitated. "I just…"
"And?"
Mio looked up, eyes serious. "Shichen… have you and Tohka ever…?"
"…?"
Mio's voice dropped even quieter, half-jealous and half-awkward. "Tohka is… kind of like my daughter, isn't she?"
"…"
~~~
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