Itogami Island is a man-made island floating in the Pacific, a special administrative zone under Japan's jurisdiction, also known as the Far East's Demon Special District.
It was established to focus on research projects involving nonhuman beings—collectively called "demonkind"—such as beastkin, elves, half-demons, artificial life-forms, and vampires.
The world is divided into three major spheres: the Warlord's Empire's Domain of the Eastern European, the Fallen Dynasty Dominion in the Middle East, and the Chaos Zone Dominion in Central America.
Itogami Island belongs to none of them. Although the island has no formal "master," it is currently considered the territory of the "Witch of the Void," Minamiya Natsuki.
In an apartment, a petite girl with exquisite features sat primly at a table, dressed in a Gothic lolita dress and sipping black tea. The aroma was rich, filling the room, yet her face stayed expressionless. On the table sat a tiny, brown-skinned little person—not a figurine, but moving like a real human.
"Natsuki, how's the tea I brewed?" the little one asked, staring at the girl.
"It's fine," the girl replied evenly.
"And compared to our master's?"
"Don't mention him to me." The petite girl's expression suddenly grew cold.
"My, my~ how is the master still not back after so long?" The little one plopped down on the table with a sigh.
"Hmph! Maybe he's been lying—"
"Lying about what?"
A man's voice appeared out of thin air, and with it a male figure you couldn't look away from.
"Ah! Master, you finally came back!"
At the sight of him, the little one shot into the air and dove straight into his arms.
"Nina, long time no see." Shichen smiled and raised a hand to catch her.
Perched in his palm, Nina puffed out her cheeks and complained, "Master, where did you go? Why are you only back now?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting this late," Shichen said apologetically.
"Hmph~ I thought you didn't want me anymore."
"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" Shichen teased.
Nina had been an alchemist 270 years ago. Shichen met her when he obtained the Wiseman's Blood, then took her in as a slave and used a tiny bit of spirit blood to rebuild her body—not because she was a woman, but because she wasn't a bad person.
"Nonsense. I can't live without you now, Master!" Nina clung to his thumb, pledging her loyalty. Without Shichen's mana she couldn't survive, and given the chance to live, who would choose death? Besides, her master wasn't half bad—and he was strong.
"Heh." Shichen chuckled, letting her words pass without comment. He turned to the petite girl who had clearly noticed him but kept pretending not to. "Natsuki, I'm back," he said softly, tamping down the urge to pull her into a hug.
"Who are you?" Minamiya Natsuki finally turned, giving him a cool look. After so long, he had changed a lot. He didn't seem taller, but his aura was more mysterious, and his power had grown.
"Still mad at me, Natsuki-nee?" Shichen blinked, set Nina down, and walked toward her.
Nina tactfully flew back into her own little house.
"Hmph~ So you still remember I'm your big sister? I thought you'd completely forgotten," Minamiya Natsuki sniffed. Just hearing him call her "Natsuki-nee" improved her mood.
"How could I forget? I've missed you terribly."
"Doesn't look that way to me. You were gone for two and a half years—maybe you wiped me from your mind."
"No way. I've been thinking of you all this time. If you don't believe me, feel it for yourself."
"How am I supposed to 'feel' that?"
"Like this." Shichen suddenly spread his arms and pulled Minamiya Natsuki's small body into a hug.
"Wait— you!" She froze, then panicked and tried to struggle. But Shichen held her tight, leaned to her ear, and whispered, "Natsuki-nee, I really missed you."
His warm breath on her ear made her neck reflexively shrink, and those words—so full of feeling—stilled her resistance. The room fell quiet. Shichen held her, the corners of his mouth lifting. He'd hugged her before he left, and he knew she couldn't handle this kind of talk. She'd been alone for so long; that brief time they'd spent together had made it impossible for her to go back to solitude.
Of course, he was at fault too—coming back this late was going too far. But after this, he wouldn't leave her alone again.
After a long moment, Minamiya Natsuki asked in a small voice, "How long are you planning to keep holding me?"
"Forever—can I?"
"In your dreams!" A lace-edged fan snapped into her hand and swatted at his head.
Shichen let go and vanished with a blink.
When he reappeared, he was already in the kitchen. The cookware was new to an absurd degree—clearly no one had used the place since he left.
"Oh? Want to compete with me in space-manipulation arts?" Minamiya Natsuki glanced toward the kitchen, smiled slightly, and blinked after him.
They used to "chase each other around" with space-manipulation like this.
"You can't catch me, Natsuki-nee," Shichen said as he blinked away just as she appeared behind him.
"Is that so?" Feeling the ripple of space, she chased him again. For a moment she felt like she was back to teaching Shichen space-manipulation, and her mood lifted. Still, she couldn't forgive him that easily after so long away. Once she caught him, she'd have to properly teach him a lesson.
The two of them darted around the room like children playing tag. In the past, Shichen wouldn't have escaped Natsuki's pursuit, but now it was different. Not only could he slip away at will, he could tease her like a kid. Every time she popped up beside him, he'd sneak in a head-pat before blinking off again.
Minamiya Natsuki fumed. She was the older one; where was her dignity with Shichen teasing her like this? Yet she couldn't catch him. So he really had gotten stronger, just like he'd said he would.
Shichen, oblivious to her mounting annoyance, was having a great time. Even if this wasn't Natsuki's main body, she felt the same—and the satisfaction of giving her playful head-pats was hard to put into words.
"Not chasing anymore." Suddenly, Minamiya Natsuki stopped and went back to her seat to drink her tea, displeasure plain on her face.
"Natsuki?" Shichen blinked to her side, studying her. Maybe he'd overdone it.
"What did you just call me?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Natsuki," he answered as if it were obvious. Once they made up, there was no way he was going back to calling her "nee-san."
"You were calling me something else just now. Switching already?"
"What's the big deal~"
"Got cocky, did you? Think I'm just going to let you off?"
"Eh? That wasn't what you were thinking a minute ago."
"That was then, this is now. As punishment, you're cooking me a feast tonight," she said sternly.
"Natsuki… don't tell me you're just mad because you couldn't catch me?"
"Mm?" Her brow creased as she fixed him with a chilly stare. "You think I'd get angry over that? Keep dreaming. Go buy groceries. And report to the school tomorrow."
"Seriously? I just got back and I have to work?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"Nope. I'm going to the store now, okay? What do you want for dinner?"
"Anything."
"Got it—guaranteed to your taste." With that, Shichen slipped away.
Left in the suddenly quiet room, Minamiya Natsuki drifted for a second, then the corners of her mouth lifted.
Dinner was peaceful. There were only three of them, and Minamiya Natsuki wasn't talkative, but it was still warm and cozy. Shichen's room hadn't changed at all—spotless, not a speck of dust. Clearly, Natsuki had been cleaning it for him; it couldn't have been Nina, who was glued to the internet and would never do housekeeping day after day.
That night Shichen slept alone and drifted off quickly.
The next morning he got up early, made breakfast, and brewed black tea for Minamiya Natsuki—just as she was getting up. "Morning, Natsuki," he greeted her with a smile. It had been a long time since she'd felt someone greet her in the morning; she froze for a heartbeat, then recovered and allowed the faintest smile.
"Mm."
They ate quietly. Afterward, Shichen did the dishes while Natsuki drank her tea. Once everything was set, the two of them walked to school together.
In this world, Shichen is a P.E. teacher.