"By the way, what exactly did you lose?" Once they left the alley, Shichen asked Satella.
In the end, Satella couldn't refuse Puck's suggestion and accepted Shichen's help—after all, they clearly knew more about the thief than she did.
"A badge."
"A badge? Is it important?"
"Mm. Very important," Satella nodded.
"I see. Then let's search in the direction she ran. I know what she looks like—we can ask around."
"Then… please," Satella wavered a moment, then accepted his offer.
"Mm~ something feels off," Subaru muttered from behind, stroking his chin as he eyed Shichen—hand in hand with Est—and Satella ahead.
"What's off?" Puck asked, bobbing along in front of him.
"I don't know why, but they just look like a good match."
"Do they? I'd like to say so too—but my daughter isn't someone I'll hand over lightly."
"Your daughter? Satella? Seriously?"
"Not by blood—but close enough."
"I get it—father's feelings," Subaru nodded knowingly.
"You do get it."
"Haha, I've felt that way myself."
"I see, I see."
Boy and spirit hit it off surprisingly well.
Walking ahead, Shichen and Satella could clearly hear them. Shichen didn't mind Subaru getting chummy with Puck. He himself wasn't interested in Puck. Aside from a tiny bit of cuteness, he was useless—he limited Emilia… Satella's growth, always punching inward; to the outside, he was no help at all. And crucially: he was male.
He didn't ask Est about her focus on Satella—not the time. He already had a guess. Not just because She had told him to bring Est, but because Est already knew Artoria and the others; knowing Satella too made sense.
"Shichen, wait a moment."
After only a few steps, Satella stopped.
"What is it?"
"Let me check something first."
"?" Shichen watched, not understanding.
Without explaining, Satella leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Her small lips began to move—as if whispering a chant.
"What's she doing?" Subaru came up to ask.
"No idea," Shichen said, then glanced at Puck.
"Well, simply put, she's talking to micro-spirits," Puck said.
"Micro-spirits? What's that—like a rank below spirits?"
"You know of them?" Puck asked Shichen.
"Sorry, I don't," he said bluntly with a shrug. He truly didn't. From the wording he could guess, but he didn't know the specifics. What he remembered most about this world were witches, authorities, and blessings—and the color blue. He couldn't wait to see her again.
"Is that so? No matter."
Puck explained: "Micro-spirits are pre-spirit beings—entities that have just begun to think. Given time, they awaken power and self-awareness and become spirits like me."
"I see… Whoa—!"
Subaru stared at Satella in surprise. Around the girl, a faint hazy glow rose—dots and clusters like fireflies. Dreamlike points of light gathered around the silver-haired girl—micro-spirits answering her. It was a scene so enchanting it left one speechless.
"So those are micro-spirits?" Shichen lifted his hand without thinking—and reached into the lights.
Something incredible happened: the lights left Satella and flocked to Shichen. In the blink of an eye they surrounded him, leaving not a single point near Satella.
"Eh—!" Satella opened her eyes, stunned.
"Oh~ such high affinity for spirits?" Puck nodded, impressed.
"Shichen! You're amazing! Are all these floaty things micro-spirits?"
"Wa—wait!"
Subaru, copying Shichen, stuck out a hand to touch them. But to the lights, he was an intruder; the dreamlike tableau shattered. The glow around Shichen panicked, as if uneasy—or offended—and scattered.
"Haha, panic mode," Puck laughed.
"You've got to be kidding me," Subaru groaned. Because of him, the lights dissipated like mist in an instant—gone.
"They disappeared! Now what?"
Satella looked around, anxious; the micro-spirits didn't return. "Wah—! I'm sorry! It's my first time seeing them, I got excited and couldn't help touching—sorry!"
"Micro-spirits are dangerous. It was safe earlier because I was controlling them. If you did that around an unseasoned spirit-user, the result could be dire—in the worst case, the spirits could go out of control and explode," Satella warned.
"For real? Isn't that too much? They look so pretty and sparkly—are they really that dangerous?"
"Haha. Look at me—adorable as I am, I could turn you to dust in two seconds," Puck said calmly, words chilling.
"Spirits are scary!"
"Be more careful next time," Shichen said, patting Subaru's shoulder.
"Mm! I will!" Subaru nodded vigorously.
"Um… I've lost contact with the micro-spirits. What should we do? Could you…?" Satella looked to Shichen with a hopeful gaze.
"Sorry. I don't even know why they flocked to me. I can't call them back," Shichen said, shaking his head.
"I see…" Satella drooped.
"It's all my fault!" Subaru bowed at a full ninety degrees.
"It's fine, a small setback. There's always another way. What were you going to do just now?" Shichen asked.
"I wanted to ask if they'd seen any traces of what I'm looking for… but I didn't get the chance."
"I'm so sorry!" Subaru bent even lower.
"It—it's okay," Satella said, waving her hands—unable to stand his theatrics. "It's been a while anyway. Micro-spirits don't have clear minds like fully formed spirits, so I wasn't expecting much…"
"Isn't that exactly expecting something?! I'm sorry!"
Subaru had just lifted his head when he saw Satella's downcast expression; his guilt deepened.
"N-no, I'm the one who should apologize…" Satella's face tightened in frustration. She'd meant to ease his guilt—but had failed to hide her true feelings.
"Why are you apologizing now?"
Shichen sighed, then reached out to ruffle this straightforward girl's hair. Her silver hair was soft and cool to the touch—so pleasant he couldn't help stroking a few extra times.
"Um…" Satella blinked up at him, dazed.
"Ah—sorry. Habit. I always do that to Est," Shichen said casually, withdrawing his hand.
"N-no, it's fine…" Satella flushed, shaking her head.
"Alright, enough apologizing—you're making her feel worse," Shichen said, patting Subaru's back.
"Ah—oh. Okay…" Subaru straightened, still keeping his head bowed in shame.
"You two, honestly…"
Shichen shook his head and sighed. "We don't need micro-spirits. Finding that kid is still easy."
"Eh? Really?" Satella looked at him, delighted.
"Aniki!" Subaru grabbed his arm in excitement. Shichen naturally shook him off.
"This is the royal capital, right? In a big city like this, a girl who lives by stealing—and from her clothes, obviously not living well—where would she live?"
He paused—Satella and Subaru both stared blankly at him. He continued, "There's probably a bad neighborhood—a slum, right?"
"Aniki, you mean…?" Subaru began to get it.
"Mm. That little girl will head back to a place like that. If we find her, whether she's fenced the goods or not, we'll have a lead."
"Whoa—no wonder you're Aniki!" Subaru cheered, practically dancing.
"You're a clever lad," Puck added.
"Still panicking?" Shichen asked Satella with a smile.
"N-no… Thank you," the girl said, looking embarrassed but relieved.