Yuuto stepped out of the warehouse.
He stood in front of the warehouse door… then stretched both arms high above his head.
"Uhhhhhh—"
He took a deep breath, letting the night air fill his lungs.
"…uh."
His breath came out as a thin mist.
His face relaxed. His shoulders slowly dropped.
"Alright… time to go home."
He raised his right hand.
Click.
The first finger snap.
The air around him immediately vibrated.
Sky-Affinity spread like a thin radar—
Yuuto sensed the direction of the wind, tiny turbulence between buildings, even the movement of birds perched on power lines far away.
Then—
A pulse from the earth spread up through his legs, like a gentle ripple.
Earth-Affinity activated.
He sensed
people walking two blocks to the left, the faint rumble of the subway, even the soft vibration of tree roots near the warehouse fence.
All of it entered Yuuto's awareness—
a living three-dimensional map.
Click.
The second snap.
Illusion magic activated.
Click.
The third snap.
Wind wrapped around his body like gentle hands.
His feet lifted slightly, his jacket fluttered, his hood was pushed by the breeze but he fixed it right away.
Yuuto lowered his body, taking a slight crouch like a sprinter ready to start.
"…Alright."
His face lifted slightly.
A small smile appeared.
Then—
BOOM.
The ground beneath him was pushed away by concentrated wind pressure.
In an instant—
Yuuto vanished from where he stood, shooting into the night sky like a golden blur carried by a miniature storm.
Leaves spiraled upward.
Dust was blown toward the warehouse door.
A long whoosh echoed across the industrial area.
Yuuto was no longer there.
---
The smell of night air filled the small apartment courtyard.
In front of Yuuto Kido's room door, a girl stood holding an umbrella.
Mahiru Shiina took a quiet breath—slightly nervous, slightly… something else.
Ding dong.
She pressed the doorbell.
A few seconds of silence.
Then—faint but clear—footsteps approached from inside.
Click.
The door opened.
Mahiru immediately smiled politely.
"Good evening, Kido-san. I came to return—"
Her words froze.
Because the person standing in front of her…
was not Yuuto Kido.
Mahiru froze.
"…W-Who… are you?"
The young man stood straight, his posture formal. His face unfamiliar, his hair slightly darker, and the strangest thing—his expression was neutral and empty, like someone turning off their personality.
The young man replied in a calm, polite, but uncanny voice.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ren Kido."
Mahiru blinked.
"Ren… Kido?"
"Yes," the young man continued calmly, still without emotion.
"I am a distant relative of Yuuto Kido."
Mahiru tilted her head slightly, confused.
"A distant relative… of Kido-san?"
Ren nodded slowly—his movements smooth, controlled, almost like a robot trained to act human.
"Correct. We are only distant cousins. Is there something wrong, Shiina-san?"
Mahiru quickly shook her head, cheeks reddening with embarrassment for being suspicious.
"Ah! No, nothing… sorry. I was just… surprised."
Ren didn't respond to her awkwardness.
He only looked at her politely, expressionless.
"Well then, how may I assist you?"
Mahiru lifted the umbrella she held.
"This… I wanted to return the umbrella I borrowed from Yuuto-san yesterday. He lent it to me when I—um… when I was caught in the rain."
Ren accepted the umbrella with a gentle, precise movement, as if trained hundreds of times.
"Oh. Thank you for returning it."
Mahiru nodded slightly.
But before she turned around…
She glanced into the room.
Dark.
No sign of Yuuto.
"Excuse me… is Yuuto-san not home?" she asked softly.
Ren answered quickly, still calm and polite.
"He stepped out for a while. If you have a message, I can pass it on."
Mahiru slowly shook her head.
"…No. No message."
She bowed lightly and turned to leave.
'Wait—how does he know my name?' Mahiru thought.
But before she could ask, footsteps came from the far end of the hallway.
Tap… tap… tap…
Mahiru turned reflexively.
And there was Yuuto—walking unsteadily toward them.
His right hand pressed his temple, face pale, cold sweat dripping from his chin. His breathing was heavy and irregular, like someone barely holding on.
'Damn… activating Sky and Earth at the same time while running… took too much energy…'
'My body isn't ready. This… is bad.'
Yuuto stopped in front of his apartment door, squeezing his eyes shut as dizziness hit him hard.
When he opened them again—
two figures stood in front of him.
Mahiru.
And Ren (Touko's doll).
Yuuto's expression changed instantly.
"Shiina-san? Why are you here…?"
His voice shook, but he tried to sound normal.
His eyes immediately shifted to the Touko doll.
A hint of panic appeared.
"D-did you… need something from my cousin?" Yuuto asked quickly, trying to hide his panic.
The doll answered calmly.
"Shiina-san returned the umbrella she borrowed yesterday, Brother."
Mahiru stared at Yuuto.
She saw the flushed face, heavy breaths, trembling hands.
Yuuto looked—sick.
"Oh… thank you.
You didn't have to go out of your way," Yuuto said, forcing his body to stand straight.
"Ren, go inside and rest."
The doll obeyed, bowing politely to Mahiru, then stepped into the apartment—closing the door and leaving Yuuto alone with Mahiru.
The hallway fell silent.
Yuuto exhaled and looked at Mahiru, who was still frozen in place.
"Um… Shiina-san?"
Yuuto's voice was soft, a bit hoarse.
Mahiru jolted as if waking from a trance.
"E-eh—w-what… what did you say?"
"I said… thank you for returning the umbrella.
You didn't have to."
Mahiru took a quick breath, calming herself.
"Of course I have to return what I borrow," she replied normally.
But her eyes moved again toward Yuuto's face—reddened, sweating, breathing hard.
"Um… Kido-san… I think you have a fever."
Her voice was worried.
No reply.
Yuuto turned his face slightly away, not wanting to look weak.
"N-no. This isn't a fever.
You… don't have to worry."
Mahiru shook her head sharply, frowning.
'This is because I overused magic,' Yuuto thought.
"No. You're clearly sick."
She bit her lower lip before adding:
"This is my fault.
Because you lent me the umbrella."
Yuuto stared—shocked.
There was pure honesty in her voice… a warmth that made him forget the dizziness for a moment.
"You didn't ask," Yuuto replied with a small, gentle smile.
"I chose to lend it to you.
So… this isn't your fault."
But Mahiru only bit her lip harder and raised her voice.
"No! Of course it's my fault!"
Yuuto froze.
Mahiru turned to him, her expression filled with guilt and sincerity she rarely showed to anyone.
"You stood in the rain without an umbrella because I was sitting there."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You… you got sick because of me."
Yuuto's eyes widened.
A person like this exists…
He exhaled and looked away.
"Forget it.
You don't need to worry about me."
Without giving Mahiru a chance to reply, Yuuto walked past her toward his apartment door—unsteady, but still trying to look composed.