The window does not let sunlight in, not because the window is tinted, but because outside it is cloudy. He was slowly getting used to the environment, but the situation had him uneasy. His step by step made him swallow saliva. The whispering voices around him—people he did not even know the status of—made him somewhat afraid just by looking at them. But he had to implant at least a little confidence. Still, he couldn't avoid putting his hands into the pockets of his black pants, his gaze slightly lowered, watching the stride of the person in front of him, which was calmer than his own, as if walking through these hallways were something normal, even though there were cameras everywhere, something that felt strange to him.
But the dark-blue-haired woman slightly ahead of him kept greeting some people from time to time, thoughts he ignored, simply sighing.
"Yes, I know, thank you."
Shiro faintly heard the conversations Kaede was having as she walked. He didn't pay attention, since she talked more than she probably should.
"My head hurts from thinking so much… she only woke me up because today is the day, but I don't even have time to think about how I'll do it, not even about yesterday…"
Shiro spoke in his mind while his pace remained steady. If Kaede were to stop, he wouldn't even notice. Today his hair was more disordered than usual, possibly because here he takes less care of it than in his world—or so he thought.
In the middle of his thoughts, he was interrupted by a snap in front of him. His heart gave a sharp jolt and his gaze lifted on its own. He was so focused on himself that he had momentarily forgotten what he was even doing. When he looked ahead, the only thing he saw was Kaede. The background was irrelevant, probably because there was only a white wall and a door.
"Are you okay, Shiro? Or should I say Mimosa?"
Kaede spoke calmly, but her tone revealed she was holding back laughter from afar. Shiro sighed and lightly touched the natural fringe formed by his hair, avoiding looking at Kaede slightly.
"Don't tease me with my last name…"
"That wasn't my intention, heh…"
Kaede was about to open the door while speaking, however, a voice caught both of them by surprise.
"Hey, number 3."
Kaede was the first to turn toward the male voice. Shiro couldn't help but glance sideways. Touka was speaking.
"I need you to lend me your host. It will only be a moment. You have the right to reject my request."
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Kaede smiled nervously upon seeing Touka.
"Ah, it's been a while… I'll lend him to you, but remember he's mine… hehe…"
Kaede slightly raised her right hand to the back of her neck, her glove touching her skin. Shiro looked faintly down again, observing the situation from the corner of his eye.
"I don't know whether to feel flattered or scared. I need time to think, but…"
Touka's voice overshadowed Shiro's thoughts.
"Good… you can't reject me. If your card wielder says so, it is the host's obligation. Come."
Kaede gave Shiro a slight smile, as if trying to apologize. Shiro sighed and stepped away from her, beginning to walk, following Touka down the adjacent hallway, since the door she was about to enter marked a logical boundary.
Although it was uncomfortable, separating from Kaede in this place felt like separating from his mother in a shopping mall at a young age. Even if it was uncomfortable, it felt like that.
"What kind of person is this guy for Kaede to get nervous…"
Shiro was slightly shorter than Touka, despite being somewhat tall himself. Although day by day Shiro tried to gain more confidence speaking with them, he couldn't lie—speaking with his school classmates had already been difficult for him back then.
"It's not the same… my classmates were people who didn't fit my logic. Here… here they're better, I think…"
Between his thoughts, he simply gathered the courage to speak, looking at the opposite side of Touka.
"Do you know Kaede?"
"Wait, what kind of question is that? I didn't even introduce myself. What a mess…"
The question came out naturally and his thoughts invaded him. It was almost strange how in his mind he wandered nonstop, and on the outside he only showed distrust. Touka glanced at him while walking, as if understanding the question in a simple way. He stopped looking sideways and looked forward.
"Distant relatives. I don't know exactly what she is to me."
"R-relatives?"
Shiro couldn't help but stutter, having to slightly move his foot to avoid tripping over the leg of a table—or at least that was probably the excuse.
"Ah, how rude… I forgot to introduce myself. Touka Alhena. Nice to meet you, although we've already seen each other."
Touka's slight smile gave Shiro the chance to breathe more calmly.
"Nice to meet you, Touka…"
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[Meeting Room Number 16, Floor Number 33]
The room was mostly empty, but it had a circular table. Given its size, it seemed like the decoration was nonexistent—or perhaps it was due to the lack of light. Among the empty black chairs, Mizuki was seated in the central chair, looking forward with a serious expression, trying to appear as calm as possible.
"Well, Mizuki… you're here because of your new member's test. I'm surprised you want someone else, honestly, so it's inevitable to ask questions."
Mizuki nodded, simply looking forward. Knowing that all the light came from the front, she was probably just looking at a screen. That somewhat loud but worn voice resonated from a monitor, confirming the call.
"Alright, I'll go directly to the question that interests me the most. In the mandatory section where the card should be stated, it says null. I wouldn't like him to fail the test because of that. After all, he is the vessel of your first officer. But my question is… how do you plan for him to receive the energy of a card without another card where he can store ether?"
Seconds passed and the silence was constant. She let out a sigh and looked forward, directly at the call. She forced herself to keep a serious tone in her steady speech.
"Cards are not vital to siphon or consume the ether that the other card minimally needs. In current cases, the energy of the card and that of the host's soul are combined. So… that is how it works."
"Then I suppose I worried for nothing. Normally I would say I apologize for wasting your time, but today I wish that subject luck."
Mizuki swallowed and stood up in the middle of the dark room, walking toward the exit. On her face she couldn't hide a slight urgency.
"Although… one moment, Mizuki."
She unconsciously sighed, somewhat nervous—something never seen from her until now. Through the microphone it could be heard how the man flipped through pages and pages, searching for something.
"Now that I think about it more deeply, there are no records of him. When he was investigated and nothing was found, I let it pass thinking you would fix it with his report, but…"
Mizuki looked forward again. She was about to grind her teeth, but that would only expose her more, so she avoided it.
"It's not to disrespect one of the Ten Sages, but you'll stay a little longer…"
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[Elevator, moving for 7 minutes]
Shiro, during all that time, couldn't avoid his waiting posture from time to time, eventually using his classic one—leaning against the wall opposite the other person in the elevator and placing his hands in his pockets.
"Why are we taking so long?"
Shiro couldn't help but ask Touka, who stood too still. Touka glanced sideways at him but didn't respond, as at that exact moment the elevator opened.
"Here the elevators don't make that little sound…"
Shiro thought vaguely while stepping out. The place was dark and didn't seem to have furniture or anything important inside. Shiro couldn't stop looking around at all times.
"Um… can I know what this place is…?"
He was already somewhat nervous, not knowing what would happen. Suddenly, a glow near Touka began to emanate. Before Shiro could turn to look at him, the glow became much stronger. The empty room filled with ethereal yellow waves, all moving in unison toward the left side of the room.
Touka turned to look at Shiro, more serious.
"You don't have to explain yourself, and neither do I. This portal will take you to your world. As I said, I won't give explanations. It's your opportunity to return, Shiro…"
He remained silent, simply staring forward emptily. He seemed to try aligning his thoughts, but the words came out reflexively.
"The best I can think is that I won't regret my decision in the future…"
Without saying another word, Shiro clenched his teeth and stepped backward toward the elevator again without looking at Touka. That was the hardest moment for him—thinking about his parents, wondering if they miss him…
"If all of this has to cost me… why doesn't my chest even hurt…"
Shiro gave himself one last thought before entering the elevator. Touka watched him calmly. With a snap, his card appeared and absorbed all those crumbs from the Sea of Souls. He didn't say anything either. He thought Shiro struggled with the decision, and he respected that.
Returning to the faint light transmitted from the heights of the gray building—
Kaede waited outside the room, stuttering softly to herself, snapping her fingers from time to time as if trying to create a rhythm. Beside her, Shiro appeared. At first he didn't speak. He was still thinking about that decision.
Kaede turned to look directly at him and gave him a slight smile, leaning slightly toward him.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm curious about what you talked about with him. He didn't do anything to you, right?"
Shiro shook his head. He opened the door and gave it a slight push as he passed, doing all this so that Kaede could enter, only lightly holding the door. The two entered, and silence remained.
Outside, Touka walked away on another level, passing between people who came and went through the hallway. He stopped and looked for a moment at the clouds that covered the brightness of the day through a wide window.
"I did what you asked of me that day, Soul of Rigel… now I can only be a mere pawn in your game. Thank you for giving me a role despite being equally sinful…"
He said in a low, thoughtful voice, his gaze lost, looking at the city through the window.