Yuuto reached for the handle of his apartment door.
"Good evening, Shii—"
But before he could finish, his body swayed.
Yuuto almost collapsed right in front of the door.
Mahiru panicked and immediately grabbed his arm.
"Kido-san!"
She held Yuuto's body as best as she could, even though her own hands were trembling from shock.
"I… I can't leave you like this," Mahiru said, her voice firm but full of worry.
"I'll help you."
Yuuto slightly furrowed his brows.
'This girl…'
Yuuto shook his head weakly.
"No need… just call my cou—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Mahiru cut him off quickly:
"No. If I let you go now, you'll fall to the floor."
She looked at Yuuto.
"I'll help you inside."
Yuuto stared at her for several seconds.
There was a mix of surprise and… confusion.
"You…"
Suddenly, a feeling he knew too well began to rise — a feeling that once drove him close to becoming a killer.
Mahiru looked back at him — those light-brown eyes filled with determination.
Yuuto snapped back to his senses.
'What was I thinking just now…?' he thought, shaking his head.
Yuuto let out a slow breath.
"…Fine. Do whatever you want."
Mahiru pushed the apartment door open with her shoulder while holding Yuuto up.
She grabbed the handle, pushed it slowly — then helped Yuuto inside, supporting most of his weight.
Once they passed the entrance, Mahiru froze for a moment.
The room… was clean and tidy.
Not like a typical teenage boy's room.
"…You're… neater than I expected," she muttered softly, but Yuuto was too dizzy to respond.
They walked further inside.
And just as they neared the living room—
Yuuto stopped.
His body stiffened.
His eyes locked onto the corner of the room.
There, Ren — the Touko Doll — sat in non-active mode, without clothes, in its original puppet form.
A form no normal human should ever see.
Yuuto held his breath.
Mahiru took half a step forward.
"…Why are you stopping?"
Her tone confused.
She began to lift her head, about to look toward the corner Yuuto was staring at—
"Shiina-san!"
With the last scrap of strength he had, Yuuto pushed Mahiru sideways, away from the doll's line of sight.
Thud!
Both of them fell to the floor — they ended up falling right into Yuuto's room.
"Ow… why did you suddenly—"
Mahiru stopped.
When she opened her eyes—
Yuuto was on top of her.
Their bodies were pressed together.
Yuuto's face was only a few centimeters from hers.
His breath — hot and heavy — brushed against her cheek.
"Y-you…"
Mahiru's face turned red instantly. Her voice stuck, her eyes wide.
Yuuto tried to steady himself, preventing his weight from falling completely on her.
"Sorry… Shiina-san…"
His voice was weak.
"…I… can't hold on anymore…"
He shut his eyes briefly, enduring the dizziness.
"Please… help me to the bed."
Mahiru froze for a second.
Her face turned even redder — very red.
"O-okay… a-alright!"
She quickly turned her face away, trying to calm her embarrassment.
With clumsy but sincere effort, Mahiru placed Yuuto's arm over her shoulder and slowly helped him stand.
Yuuto was half-dragged, half-walking, his body almost completely leaning on Mahiru as she guided him toward the bed.
Finally, Mahiru managed to get Yuuto onto the mattress.
She helped him sit… then gently laid him down.
"Please rest… Kido-san," Mahiru said softly — softer than she had ever spoken to anyone.
Mahiru had just helped Yuuto lie down.
She straightened her back, turned around — and began to walk away.
A weak voice came from the bed.
"W-wait… Shiina-san…"
Mahiru turned quickly.
Yuuto looked like he was trying to sit up a little.
"What is it, Kido-san?" she asked gently.
Yuuto shook his head slightly.
"It's nothing…"
He smiled.
"Thank you… Shiina-san."
Mahiru froze for a moment.
Her cheeks warmed slightly, but she quickly bowed her head.
"…Alright. Then, good night, Kido-san."
"Good night… Shiina-san."
Mahiru turned and walked slowly toward the door.
But just as she was about to leave the room—
Click.
A finger snap — very soft… but enough to make Mahiru stop in her tracks.
Her head turned back instantly.
"Hm? What was that…?"
She narrowed her eyes, trying to locate the sound.
Yuuto, still lying down, pretended to look puzzled and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What's wrong, Shiina-san?"
"I… thought I heard something."
Mahiru glanced toward the corner of the room with mild suspicion.
"It was probably just water," Yuuto replied quickly, calm, as if nothing had happened.
Mahiru hesitated for a moment.
Then nodded slowly.
"Maybe… yeah."
She closed Yuuto's bedroom door gently.
---
Mahiru stepped into the living room.
When she saw the room fully, she frowned.
"Hm… that's strange…"
She walked slowly, looking left and right.
"It feels… different from before."
She looked at the sofa, the table, then the corner of the room.
There was nothing.
Mahiru let out a small sigh.
"…Ah, never mind. Maybe it's just me."
She walked toward the front door, unlocked it, and stepped out.
Click—
The door closed.
Silence returned to the apartment.
---
Inside the bedroom, Yuuto finally exhaled deeply.
"Whew… good thing I made it in time," he muttered.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"Damn… I forgot that 'rest' counts as a deactivation command for the doll."
His tone was frustrated, but also relieved.
"Good thing she didn't notice."
"And that feeling earlier… just because she touched me… Why did I almost think about hitting Shiina…?" Yuuto murmured.
"I need to talk to Sensei and the others about this later," Yuuto said.
Yuuto felt exhaustion digging into his bones.
His mana drained — Sky and Earth running at the same time for too long for his current condition.
His eyelids felt heavy.
"Whatever… I'll rest for a bit…"
He pulled the thin blanket over his chest and closed his eyes fully.
Within seconds — his breathing slowed, his body relaxed.
Yuuto fell asleep.
---
Days passed since Yuuto succeeded in forming the perfect Bounded Field in the warehouse — a room that now truly became his personal magic workshop.
During those days, Yuuto's routine changed drastically but remained stable:
Morning — sending the Touko doll to school, then heading to the warehouse to train magic under Merlin's guidance until the afternoon. Night — checking the doll's memories and learning to cook using the Emiya Cookbook. Then resting.
And every day, the trip to the warehouse was always the same:
Yuuto unable to resist "playing" with his Sky and Earth magic.
Meanwhile, Merlin's training became more varied:
Attack spells, light illusions, basic hypnosis, internal and external mana control, purification of spatial nodes to strengthen the Bounded Field.
Yuuto absorbed all of it like a sponge.
And in between practice, he also started cooking:
"Emiya's Miso Soup Recipe."
"Emiya's Nikujaga Recipe."
"The Simple but Deadly Onigiri Recipe."
Yuuto grumbled every time Merlin reminded him:
"My student, cooking is the foundation of life… and with Emiya's recipes, you can even tame lionesses later!"
Yuuto wondered what she meant by lionesses.
---
But training wasn't the only thing that changed.
Mahiru Shiina began visiting Yuuto's apartment more often.
And each time she saw Yuuto healthy, she let out a relieved breath… but always left with a face that was difficult to read.
---
On the other hand, Yuuto's daily login rewards for several days straight were truly annoying.
[Ding]
Login Reward: Mapo Tofu
[Ding]
Login Reward: Mapo Tofu
[Ding]
Login Reward: …Mapo Tofu
Every day.
Yuuto almost slammed his phone.
"Mapo tofu again…? I'm sick of this…"
He stared at the plate of spicy food with a blank expression.
"At least give me some variation… mapo tofu with a different flavor, or a different color… something…"
---
Days passed peacefully.
Without issues.
As if the world was letting Yuuto and the group prepare for something—
But when the Mission Countdown for the One Piece world on their phones finally reached 10 days…
Something happened to the login reward.