Morning settled quietly over the Luminary Kingdom, soft light stretching across the stone paths and buildings as if nothing in the world had changed. The air felt calm, almost too calm, the kind that made everything seem normal even when it wasn't. Outside the scientist residential, Raizen stood near the entrance, gently patting a small girl's head as she smiled up at him while eating her food. His expression was soft, natural, like someone who didn't belong in a place filled with cold machines and dangerous ideas.
"Eat slowly," he said, his tone light but genuine, watching her carefully as if that small moment mattered more than anything else.
She nodded happily, and for a second, the world felt simple.
Footsteps approached from behind, followed by a long yawn that broke the quiet.
"Man… you're already awake again?" Kiyo stretched his arms lazily, his eyes barely open as he walked toward Raizen. "You always do this. Don't tell me you didn't sleep again."
Raizen chuckled softly, not even trying to deny it this time. "You're right."
Kiyo shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh. "That's insane. Even I need sleep, and I barely do anything."
Raizen leaned slightly against the railing, his gaze drifting toward the building behind them as if it was just another routine day. "I just wanted to guard the place."
Kiyo smirked, stepping closer before casually patting his shoulder. "You take that way too seriously, you know that? But yeah… you're great."
Raizen blinked slightly. "Great?"
"Yeah," Kiyo replied, grinning. "Calm, reliable… and loyal. Especially to Reiju."
Raizen smiled again, the same calm expression that never seemed to break. "Of course."
"Since birth?" Kiyo asked, half teasing.
Raizen nodded once. "Since birth."
They both laughed, the sound light and easy, blending into the peaceful morning as if nothing could interrupt it. The girl finished her food and ran off, waving goodbye, and Raizen watched her leave with that same quiet smile.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Until....
The door behind them slammed open.
"Raizen. Kiyo."
Reiju's voice cut through the air sharply, not loud, but filled with something different. Not anger exactly, but urgency that didn't belong in someone who was always so controlled.
Kiyo blinked, immediately straightening a little. "Uh… what happened?"
Reiju stepped forward, his movements quicker than usual, his masked face turning toward them. "I need both of you. Now."
Raizen's smile didn't fade, but his eyes shifted slightly. "Understood."
The three of them moved inside, the calm from outside disappearing the moment they entered the facility. The air inside felt heavier, filled with the low hum of machines and something slightly off, like a system that wasn't running the way it should.
They reached the data room.
Reiju stopped in front of the computer, staring at the screen.
Empty.
No files.
No records.
Nothing.
Kiyo frowned, stepping closer. "Wait… where's all the data?"
Reiju didn't answer immediately. His hand slowly moved toward the keyboard, pressing a few keys as if expecting something to appear.
Nothing did.
The silence stretched for a few seconds longer than it should have.
Then-
"…Restore it," Reiju said calmly.
Kiyo blinked. "Restore? From where? There's nothing here."
Raizen stepped forward quietly, his gaze resting on the screen before shifting slightly.
"…I deleted it."
The room froze.
Kiyo turned his head so fast it almost looked painful. "What?"
Reiju didn't move.
Not even a little.
His hand stopped on the keyboard.
Then slowly
He turned his head toward Raizen.
No anger.
No surprise.
Just silence.
"…Why."
Raizen didn't look away. His expression stayed the same, calm, unreadable. "It was unnecessary data."
Kiyo stared between them, confused. "Unnecessary? That was all the research"
Reiju raised his hand slightly.
Kiyo stopped talking immediately.
Another pause followed.
Then Reiju turned back to the computer.
"…Restore it."
That was all he said.
No questions.
No reaction.
Just an order.
Raizen nodded once, stepping forward without hesitation as he sat down in front of the system. His fingers moved across the keyboard smoothly, like he had already expected this moment. Lines of code began appearing on the screen, systems reconnecting, hidden backups being accessed from places no normal member would even know existed.
Kiyo watched quietly now, his earlier confusion fading into silence as he realized this wasn't something simple.
"…You had backups?" he muttered.
Raizen didn't answer.
The system processed.
Files began to reappear.
Slowly.
Then faster.
Data rebuilt itself line by line, like nothing had ever been erased in the first place. Names returned, records reformed, entire histories reconstructing themselves as if time itself had been reversed.
Reiju stood behind him, watching.
Not saying a word.
After a few minutes, Raizen leaned back slightly. "Done."
The screen was full again.
Everything restored.
Perfect.
Kiyo let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "…That was fast…"
Reiju stepped forward, his eyes scanning the screen carefully. Every detail, every file, every line of data exactly where it should be.
No missing pieces.
No corruption.
Complete.
"…Good."
That was all he said.
Raizen stood up, stepping aside calmly as if nothing unusual had happened. His expression returned to that same quiet smile, like this was just another task completed.
Kiyo scratched his head slightly, still trying to process everything. "You two are… weird."
Neither of them responded.
The machines continued to hum.
The system continued to run.
And just like that
Everything was back to normal.
At least on the surface.