Kaede walked calmly through gray-tinted streets, glancing around. A few cars and vehicles with somewhat vague structures passed by. A meter behind her walked Shiro, who couldn't stop looking around out of the corner of his eye.
Tall buildings stood everywhere he looked. Back in his world, he only saw structures like these occasionally. The buildings' exteriors were dull in color. The same could be said about the pavement, traffic lights, benches, and store entrances.
When Shiro passed by a window that revealed the inside of a shop, he noticed it was more colorful inside. However… one color was missing everywhere.
Blue.
Any shade of it.
As he continued walking, he realized that, one way or another, Kaede stood out more.
Maybe because of that white fabric…
"Hey, Kaede," Shiro said, stepping closer to her side.
She kept walking, hands tucked into her pockets, her gaze calm and forward-facing—as if she saved her energy for when she chose to use it freely. Without stopping, she glanced slightly at him and gave a small smile.
"Yes?" she replied simply, trying to sound pleasant.
Shiro sighed and kept pace with her. As he observed, no one crossed their path, though there were plenty of people—just like in his world. But again, no one wore blue. Not even anything close to it.
"Just out of curiosity… why doesn't anyone wear blue?"
Kaede let out a small, proud laugh. She pulled her left hand from her pocket and rubbed the back of her neck as they continued walking.
"It's a way to differentiate Abyssal Card wielders from ordinary people. Clever, right?"
They turned from one street to another, getting closer to the distant buildings.
"Abyssal Card wielders…?" Shiro muttered under his breath.
Kaede heard him clearly and seemed to perk up a little.
"An Abyssal Card wielder is someone with an Abyssal Card. Those with normal cards are just regular card wielders."
Shiro listened and then looked ahead again. More people passed by them now.
As if she had been holding the comment back, Kaede suddenly added:
"And you're my host. That's how it works."
Shiro sighed, not fully understanding.
"You'll explain more later…"
They arrived at the entrance of Apartment 9. The area around it was more empty. The only people visible wore suits—different types, though even from a distance Shiro could tell they were protective gear.
They look like protective suits… but for what? This place seems peaceful… he thought.
Kaede approached the glass entrance normally. Beside the door was a hand scanner. She placed her right hand on it and looked at Shiro with a smile.
"We'll need to register your fingerprints, but one step at a time."
Wasn't it 'one thing at a time'? Shiro thought as the door slowly opened.
Kaede entered first, confident that Shiro would follow. He did.
Inside, despite being fully furnished, the place felt empty. The air was calm. Shiro recognized the familiar scent of air conditioning that would likely accompany him through the night.
To the left were multiple green sofas. To the right, a few chairs and little else. Ahead was what appeared to be an empty reception desk. On either side of it stood two tobacco-colored wooden doors.
Kaede walked forward, glancing at Shiro. He followed.
"What do you think? We did what we could decorating the so-called reception," she said indifferently.
"Wait… then what are the other floors like?" Shiro asked. He had expected something more—like suited people working busily without giving him a second thought.
"Empty. The other apartments belong to other people. We don't need to use every floor in this building, you know?" Kaede replied with a slight smile.
I didn't expect them to be the laid-back type… Shiro thought, confused.
A familiar sound interrupted him—the sound of an elevator opening. Shiro turned toward it. Kaede was already waiting for him inside. He hurried slightly and stepped in. The elevator doors closed, and it began ascending to the 30th floor out of 50.
"What's up there?" Shiro asked calmly, careful not to say anything inappropriate.
Kaede tilted her head slightly toward the wall.
"Almost everything… a kitchen, bedrooms, stuff like that. A messy living room. Things like that," she replied casually, not concerned with details she didn't even fully remember.
Shiro let out a sigh as the elevator reached the floor.
"Come on, Shiro," Kaede said lightly.
The doors opened to reveal a hallway with six doors. Kaede placed a hand on Shiro's back, urging him to walk faster. At the end of the hallway, the space opened into a large living area.
To the left was a small sitting area—without what Shiro would normally expect to be a television. He turned to look further right, but before he could continue observing, a familiar voice echoed from ahead.
"Kaede, what the hell is he doing here?!"
Yuzuki was sitting on a chair near the counter, which was part of a spacious kitchen that seemed to be the center of the area.
Kaede lightly patted Shiro's back.
"What's the problem, Yuzuki? Didn't Mizuki tell you?"
She sounded slightly nervous for a moment.
"She did, but I didn't think it would be immediate. I didn't think he'd agree so quickly…!"
Yuzuki stood up and walked toward them, placing a hand on her hip before sighing to calm herself.
"Shiro… don't tell me you came here without even suspecting anything…"
Before he could speak, Shiro felt a knot in his throat.
It's true… why didn't I suspect any of this…? What's wrong with me?! he thought.
But Kaede spoke first.
"It's because Shiro's very cooperative!"
Yuzuki frowned, clearly more irritated, but she didn't seem angry at either of them. She walked back toward the kitchen and gestured slightly for them to follow.
She sat at a small dining table with five chairs around it. Shiro sat nearby, and Kaede quickly took the seat beside him.
"Tell me, Shiro. You didn't have many friends, did you? Trusting that Kaede and Mizuki wouldn't do anything bad to you must come from not knowing what bad people are like. The issue wouldn't be not knowing the definition—it would be having no experience with that type of person."
As she spoke, four purple-flamed cards appeared around her. Threads extended from each one. Without even looking, Yuzuki moved the fingers of her left hand to reach toward the kitchen counter. A cup of coffee—one she had apparently been drinking before they arrived—was lifted by the threads and brought to the table. The threads and cards turned to dust the moment she clenched her fist. She took a small sip.
"So… at least Kaede explained everything to you, right?" Yuzuki asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
Kaede laughed nervously.
"Well… I skipped the details…"
Yuzuki sighed and looked directly at Shiro.
"Shiro, are you just too innocent or what?!" she said, irritated—but not truly angry.
She took another sip of coffee before continuing.
"I'll spare you part of the explanation for now."
She pulled out a phone with a black case and checked it. Shiro stared at the device.
How different is this world from mine…? he wondered, before Yuzuki interrupted his thoughts.
"Well, we're off to a rough start. Mizuki is doing what she can at the meeting, but they don't fully accept us taking in members without that boring admission test. They're also upset that we rejected Touka from our apartment without even trying her. It didn't take them long to investigate your background, Shiro…"
Kaede rested her elbows on the table and spoke calmly.
"Shiro has a background? I'm interested…"
Yuzuki took another sip, still looking at her device.
"His entire history was erased when he became a soulless wanderer. So… aside from the people here, plus Touka and Mizuki, no one knows what happened to you before you arrived. At least, not completely."
Shiro swallowed, remembering everything—but for some reason, those memories felt blurry.
Yuzuki noticed and spoke immediately.
"I won't force you to give details. The past is the past. Besides… you're our new member."
Shiro felt Kaede tug lightly at his green jacket.
"Shiro, do you ever wash this? You should take out all your clothes. We have an automatic laundry system."
Yuzuki sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead.
"For the last time, Kaede, it's not automatic. People from another building manage the instant cleaning."
Kaede sighed as if remembering.
Yuzuki stood and addressed both of them, not noticing that Kaede had moved slightly closer to Shiro.
"Well, Kaede, night's coming. Where will your host sleep?"
Kaede stood proudly.
"As a proper card wielder, he'll sleep with me!"
"No," Yuzuki replied instantly.
Shiro didn't stand, but he spoke.
"There's a sofa there, right? I can sleep there."
Yuzuki snapped her fingers.
"The best idea I've heard all day. You'll sleep there until Mizuki and I figure out where to place you."
She walked deeper into the kitchen. Kaede sighed in defeat.
"A shame. I had a theory that if you slept with me, my soul would connect more with your vortex…"
"Does that even make sense?" Shiro asked calmly.
"Absolutely!" Kaede replied energetically.
Before they could continue, a door opened at the end of the hallway. Mizuki appeared at the entrance.
"I have news regarding Shiro's acceptance," she said calmly.