After spending an entire day with Toyohama Kazuka, Ryuichi had been mostly observing her from the shadows, quietly noting her reactions.
By the end of the day, he had already figured some things out.
Kazuka was likely in the same situation that Sakurajima Mai had once experienced—her abilities were awakening, but still unstable.
To be honest, these powers were rather useless in a fight. They offered no real combat capability—only confusion and complications.
And to resolve such useless or "half-baked" powers, the key was always the same: change the wielder's way of thinking.
When dismissal came, Ryuichi let out a quiet sigh of relief. The day had dragged on, long and uneventful.
"I wonder how my sister's doing right now…" Kazuka said softly as they walked home together.
"If it's Mai, there won't be any problems," Ryuichi said with confidence. He'd long since learned how capable Mai could be when things got difficult.
"Yeah… I guess if it's her, it'll be fine. She's always been amazing like that."
Kazuka's eyes dimmed slightly as she spoke.
Ryuichi walked beside her at a leisurely pace, listening as she kept repeating "my sister" again and again. Yet earlier, when Mai had been right there, she hadn't called her that even once.
"Can I ask you something?" Ryuichi said suddenly.
"Huh? What?"
"Why don't you call her 'sister' to her face?" he asked casually.
"B-because she's my senior in showbiz," Kazuka stammered, quickly looking away from him.
Ryuichi didn't buy it. "I think the truth's a lot more complicated than that."
"Shut up. What do you even know?"
"A little," Ryuichi said, calm as ever.
"For example—maybe you still like your sister a lot, but things got bad at home, right? I'm guessing that's why you ran away here. Maybe deep down, what you want to tell her now is actually 'I hate you,' isn't it?"
Kazuka froze mid-step, staring at him like he'd just read her mind.
"I—wait! I didn't even say anything! What kind of power is that supposed to be?"
"That's not a power," Ryuichi said flatly. He couldn't be bothered to explain how he'd figured it out. "Mai already noticed too. Actually, it's only because she mentioned it that I understood what was going on."
Kazuka flinched. Her defenses were crumbling.
"You're really annoying! Devil this, magic that—why does my sister even have someone like you around her? Is that why she decided to make a comeback? Because of you!?"
Her voice trembled, frustration and resentment bleeding out in one long explosion.
Ryuichi's eyes narrowed slightly as things clicked into place.
"So that's it. Watching Mai make her comeback messed up your relationship with your mother, huh."
Her silence confirmed it.
Mai had made her return to the spotlight a while ago and was already back to filming commercials and dramas. Her face was on TV almost every day, on posters, on billboards in the city—you couldn't avoid her even if you tried.
For any parent, that kind of constant reminder must've been… overwhelming. Especially one with personal regrets connected to that family.
Ryuichi almost laughed. "Mai's mom really played that card well."
Then again, it wasn't like he couldn't admire her for it—Mai had proven herself through her own hard work.
"Sure, I might've helped push her a little, but Mai started acting again because she wanted to," Ryuichi continued. "Even without me, she would've gone back eventually."
Then his tone shifted slightly, expression unreadable.
"But if all you want is to vent, go ahead and say whatever you need to. I won't stop you."
Kazuka said nothing.
He'd hit the nerve dead-on. The truth was that she was under immense pressure lately. The rehearsals were grueling, yet no matter how much she practiced, she could never reach her sister's level. Her mother's constant expectations only made it worse. That frustration had finally led her here.
Ryuichi thought quietly for a moment.
There might be a way to fix this.
If he could help her regain her self-confidence—and loosen her mother's influence—then maybe everything could fall back into place.
That seemed like the most direct path forward.
His mind was already piecing together a plan.
Neither of them said another word as they made their way back to Mai's home. Shortly after arriving, Ryuichi's phone buzzed.
It was a call from the number that originally belonged to Kazuka's phone—he'd added it earlier that morning.
Mai's name appeared on the screen.
"How did things go today?"
Her breathing sounded faintly heavy—probably calling right after ending dance practice.
"School went fine," Ryuichi said.
"That's good. You stayed with her all day?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"You're being surprisingly responsible."
Her tone was calm, but Ryuichi could hear something hidden beneath it. A faint mix of emotion she was trying to hide.
He smirked. "Mai, are you feeling jealous?"
"This was supposed to be time spent with me," she replied without hesitation.
That was as close to an admission as it got.
"You're not wrong," he said with a soft laugh. "But there's no helping it."
Mai seemed to collect herself, her tone returning to its usual composed rhythm.
"Did you find anything?"
"Probably what you guessed," he said.
"And?"
"So we treat the cause."
He glanced toward Kazuka, sitting quietly in the living room, before continuing into the phone. "But this might take some time."
Mai didn't let her anxiety show. "Understood. Take care of her for me."
"I can't babysit her every day," he said bluntly. "She's not my girlfriend."
To his amusement, that seemed to lift Mai's spirits.
"At least she looks like your girlfriend right now, doesn't she?"
Ryuichi chuckled. "In that case, I'll make some time. But not tomorrow—I need to check in with another contractor. I've got an idea, though. When you start filming those new commercials, that's when I'll act on it."
"Fine then. I'm going back to practice. Talk later," Mai said briskly before hanging up.
She was as decisive as ever, but her tone carried a faint trace of longing.
Ryuichi could tell she missed her real self—missed their quiet time together.
Looking down at the ended call, he raised an eyebrow in amusement. "A jealous Mai, huh. Adorable."
He stood, stretching lazily before turning to Kazuka.
"I'm heading out. Make your own dinner."
"Eh? You're not staying to eat?"
"If I stay, where am I supposed to sleep?" Ryuichi muttered, rolling his eyes. "Originally, I was supposed to sleep with Mai. But now she's walking around in your body. Should I crawl into bed with you instead?"
Kazuka's cheeks turned scarlet. "Go die, why don't you!"
"You're the one talking like you want to die," Ryuichi said calmly, his voice carrying an odd weight. "But if you really mean it, I'd advise against it."
He didn't wait for her response. With that, he vanished through a teleportation spell.
Kazuka stood frozen, staring at the empty spot where he'd been only moments ago.
How had he known?
How had he seen straight through her heart like that?
It was almost terrifying how perceptive he was…
…