Kenji:
"What?"
Sora suddenly turned toward Kenji, staring at him in surprise as if she had just noticed a bug on the wall. Then she leaned slightly toward Haruto and whispered into his ear, completely ignoring Kenji's presence.
Sora:
"When did Kenji get so far away from us? Seriously, you can't even tell the guy is there."
Kenji's eyes twitched. A second later, he snapped his head toward them, clearly offended.
Kenji:
"Hey! I heard that!" (whispering angrily) "You evil queen…"
Sora puffed her cheeks slightly and turned her head away.
Sora:
"I heard you too, Kenji." (gritting her teeth)
Kenji clicked his tongue but didn't push further. The room, already filled with tension from the unknown child, somehow became even more chaotic in atmosphere.
Kaito, completely ignoring the argument behind him, kept his focus on the child sitting on the sofa. His eyes were sharp, analytical.
Kaito:
"So… do you remember anything else? Is being called a 'demon' all you remember?"
He paused, then shifted his gaze toward Haruto.
Kaito:
"Haruto, this kid was definitely a sacrifice. He can't remember properly."
He looked back at the child.
Kaito:
"Ninety percent of victims go through this kind of memory loss during or right after the ritual. The ones who don't make it are many. Most of them can't survive the psychological collapse afterward."
Haruto rolled his eyes slightly.
Haruto:
"You say that like it's just another field report."
Kenji also sighed.
Kenji:
"You always sound like you're dissecting a corpse."
Kaito didn't react. He was used to it.
Doctor Mitsuni, however, leaned forward with shining eyes like a child watching a new experiment.
The child swallowed nervously.
Doctor Mitsuni slowly approached the child, placing a hand on his shoulder with unusual gentleness. With the other hand, he picked up the untouched cup of warm milk and pushed it slightly closer.
Dr. Mitsuni:
"You haven't drunk your milk, test subject."
The child flinched slightly at the word "test subject," then slowly relaxed when he saw the doctor's harmless smile. A faint, awkward grin appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Haruto exhaled and rubbed his forehead.
Haruto:
"This is going nowhere…"
Doctor Mitsuni turned his head toward Haruto with sudden seriousness.
Dr. Mitsuni:
"Haruto, there's no point dragging this out. Just like Kaito said—and from everything we've observed—we won't get more answers right now."
He gently tapped the cup.
Dr. Mitsuni:
"We should give it time… and raise him here."
Sora immediately brightened up and crouched slightly to the child's level.
Sora:
"Yes! This place is fun!"
She pointed casually around the room.
Sora:
"Except for Kaito."
Kaito, who had been silently observing, let out a long sigh.
Kaito:
"Of course…"
The child giggled softly at their behavior. The tension in his shoulders seemed to loosen slightly.
Haruto suddenly laughed out loud.
Haruto:
"Hahaha! Welcome to the family! Eeeey!"
Then he froze mid-laugh as a realization hit him.
Kaito spoke again from the side, calm and sharp.
Kaito:
"Yuki. His name is Yuki, Haruto."
Haruto blinked once, then smiled.
Haruto:
"Welcome to the family, Yuki."
The child looked surprised for a moment, as if hearing the name properly for the first time. Then a soft, genuine smile spread across his face.
Child:
"Thank you, but I—"
Kaito cut him off immediately.
Kaito:
"What, you don't like your name?"
Sora shot Kaito a sharp look again, like she was seconds away from kicking him.
Child:
"No! Not at all—I really like it!"
At that exact moment—
The door suddenly slid open.
Lady Akira entered, accompanied by her aide Yona, Tatsuya, and Ren.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Even Kenji stopped joking. Mitsuni's grin softened into curiosity.
Kaito leaned slightly toward Haruto and whispered.
Kaito:
"Well… you're done for now, aren't you, Haruto? Let's see what you'll do. Anyway—adios."
He casually turned away, hands in his pockets, and walked toward the training corridor like nothing had happened.
Haruto froze in place.
Haruto:
"…That traitor…"
Lady Akira's gaze briefly moved to the child, but she said nothing. Her expression remained unreadable.
Tatsuya, however, immediately rushed forward like a storm.
Tatsuya:
"Aww! What a cute kid! Hey there! What's your name? Oh my gosh, you're adorable!"
He practically sparkled with energy.
Doctor Mitsuni stepped forward proudly, adjusting his glasses.
Dr. Mitsuni:
"Mr. Tatsuya, welcome. This is Yuki—the newest member of the family unit."
Lady Akira stopped walking.
The entire room changed.
Her eyes slowly shifted.
And locked directly onto Haruto.
Haruto felt it immediately.
A cold pressure.
Like standing under judgment.
He straightened up instantly.
Haruto:
"A-Ahaha… welcome, Lady Akira—"
Before he could finish—
Lady Akira's voice cut through the room like steel.
Lady Akira:
"Hunter Number 380… HARUTO AKATSUKI. MY OFFICE. NOW."