Kaito gently pushed the door of the hospital room, his movements so soft that he seemed afraid of disturbing a sleeping butterfly.
The room was exceptionally quiet, so quiet that he could hear the beating of his own heart. The heavy curtains were drawn tight, leaving only a small gap through which a narrow, pale column of light was projected, illuminating countless tiny specks of dust dancing silently within.
The girl was sitting on the edge of this column of light.
She wore a simple hospital gown and held a cup of coffee that seemed to have been cold for a long time; she stared fixedly toward the curtains, as if she could see a world only visible to her through the thick fabric.
She was Manhattan Cafe, a beautiful, lifeless statue.
"Miss Manhattan Cafe?"
Kaito called out tentatively, using his softest voice.
There was no answer
He walked slowly toward her, crouching down to try to look her in the eyes.
Her face was still impeccably delicate, and her long eyelashes rested serene like butterfly wings. But those beautiful eyes, which should have reflected the world, were terrifyingly empty.
His reflection was clearly visible in her pupils, but it seemed he had not entered her world at all.
He was nothing more than a meaningless wisp of air.
Kaito sighed internally and decided to deploy his trump card.
"System, activate Advanced Male Pheromones" he ordered mentally.
[Command confirmed. Advanced Male Pheromones LV1 activated]
A special aroma, more concentrated and richer than ever, powerful enough to instantly influence even the fiercest and firmest Umas, silently emanated from Kaito and filled the entire room.
This was his strongest skill, the source of his confidence.
However... one second.
Ten seconds.
One minute.
Manhattan Cafe showed no reaction.
Her expression did not change in the slightest; her breathing rhythm was as steady as that of a precise instrument, and even her butterfly-wing eyelashes did not flutter once.
Kaito was completely dumbfounded.
Previously, this move would have provoked a clear physiological response even in targets with extremely high psychological defenses, like TM Opera O. But the girl in front of him seemed to exist in another dimension, completely immune to his ace skill.
His ability had failed completely for the first time.
"How can this be..."
Kaito felt a sense of unprecedented defeat.
He frowned and decided to take a risk and try his final method: physical contact.
He extended his hand, moving extremely slowly, planning to start with her cold-looking wrist that held the coffee cup, just as he had done when conquering Gold City.
However, just an instant before his fingertips were about to touch her skin...
"!"
The girl, who looked like a statue, suddenly moved!
Like a cat burned by fire or startled by an extreme fright, she withdrew her hand with incredible speed, swift as lightning.
Clutching the now-cold coffee cup, she hunched her body and retreated to the darkest corner of the room, pressing her back tightly against the cold wall.
She remained silent, but in her empty eyes, for the first time, a clear emotion emerged.
It was... an emotion mixed with rejection, vigilance, and deep fear.
Kaito's extended hand hung awkwardly in the air.
He understood.
Any active and intentional approach would provoke her most intense resistance. And his proudest pheromones were completely ineffective against her.
It was a dead end, a situation he could not handle.
This was the first time he had faced an "enemy" and felt that all his weapons had been "nullified."
That feeling of helplessness was more desperate than facing a shura field with his three wives involved.
Should he give up?
No.
Kaito looked at the trembling and lonely figure in the corner, who seemed abandoned by the world, and a strange and intense desire for a challenge welled up in his heart.
He withdrew his hand slowly, avoiding any further approach.
He looked around the room, pulled a chair to the opposite side (the furthest point from her) and, mimicking her posture, sat down in silence.
He did not speak or look at her again; he simply directed his gaze toward the same direction: the tightly closed curtains.
It was as if he too wanted to see what kind of world she saw.
Time passed, minute by minute, in this strange silence.
One hour.
Three hours.
An entire afternoon.
The two remained sitting in silence like two isolated islands with no relation to each other.
When the last light of dusk broke through the gap between the curtains, Kaito knew his visit for the day had to end.
He stood up, preparing to leave.
Just as he turned around, a light breeze entered through a broken crack in the window, rustling a sketchbook placed on a small table in the corner.
"Whoosh!"
The wind blew open several pages of the sketchbook and stopped on a particular drawing.
Kaito's steps stopped abruptly.
He had unintentionally seen a drawing.
The drawing depicted a lonely, gaunt Uma.
Its body was wrapped tightly, roll after roll, by countless thorny vines.
Its head was bowed and its expression was confused, but it exhuded a heartbreaking and silent pain.