Mai quietly stepped into the house, gently closing the front door behind her.
The warmth she had felt only moments ago vanished instantly.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Then—
Clink.
The unmistakable sound of a glass bottle meeting another echoed from deeper inside the house.
Mai lowered her head.
"...I'm home."
No answer came.
Instead...
Loud laughter.
A man's laughter.
Followed by another bottle clinking against a table.
Mai tightened her grip on her school bag.
Without another word she quietly walked past the living room.
As she reached the doorway, her eyes instinctively drifted inside.
An unfamiliar middle-aged man lounged comfortably on the sofa, a bottle dangling lazily from one hand.
Across from him sat Mai's mother.
Her cheeks were flushed from alcohol as she laughed at something the man had just said.
Neither of them even noticed Mai standing there.
"..."
She quietly looked away.
Just as she was about to continue upstairs—
"Oh."
Her mother finally noticed her.
"You're back."
"Yes."
The woman lazily waved her bottle.
"The man's leaving anyway."
The stranger stood and stretched before walking toward the door.
As he passed Mai, he barely spared her a glance.
"See you around."
The front door closed behind him.
Silence returned.
Mai stared at the floor for a few moments before finally speaking.
"...Mom."
"What?"
"That's the third man this week."
"Lay off me, kid. Oh, and I already finished what you gave me before, so I'll need more. Three bags this time."
Mai closed her eyes.
"...Wait."
"What now?"
She looked up.
For the first time all evening...
There was desperation in her eyes.
"...Could we..."
"...eat dinner together tonight?"
Her mother frowned.
"...Where did that come from?"
"I just..."
Mai forced a smile.
"...miss eating with you."
"Like we used to."
Her mother clicked her tongue.
"Just eat in your room."
"Please."
"I'll give you five bags."
"No."
"Ten bags of cash. Just for tonight, I want my mother back."
Her mother's expression softened ever so slightly.
"Hm..."
"Fifteen."
Mai nodded immediately.
"I'll give you twenty."
The woman shrugged.
"Fine. I want sushi."
"...Okay."
"Whatever you want."
Mai hurried to her room before her mother could change her mind.
---
She placed her bag on the bed before taking out a blank sheet of paper.
Her pen hesitated for only a moment.
Then...
She wrote.
I wish for twenty bags of money.
The words glowed a brilliant emerald green.
A gentle wind stirred inside the room despite every window being closed.
The paper dissolved into countless particles of light.
An instant later—
Twenty heavy bags landed neatly beside her bed.
As though they had always existed.
Mai quietly carried them downstairs.
Her mother stared for a second.
Then smiled.
"Good girl."
"...Thanks, Mom."
---
For the first time in what felt like forever...
They sat at the same table.
Steam rose from fresh plates of sushi.
The room remained mostly silent.
Her mother focused on eating.
Mai...
Simply watched her.
Every now and then...
She smiled.
Burning the moment into her memory.
Eventually...
Dinner ended.
"...Thanks."
Her mother looked confused.
"...For what?"
"...For eating with me."
Without waiting for an answer...
Mai quietly returned upstairs.
She closed her bedroom door behind her.
Then...
Collapsed onto her bed.
Only then did she finally allow herself to cry.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just quiet tears slipping down her cheeks.
After several minutes...
She wiped them away.
"No more crying."
She whispered the words to herself.
Her eyes drifted toward the strange envelope resting on her desk.
Slowly...
She opened it.
Inside was only a single sheet of paper.
Written upon it were simple words.
You have been deemed eligible for Ascension.
Remaining time until Ascension:
00:07:00:00
"...Seven hours."
Mai smiled sadly.
"So... it's finally time."
She leaned back against the wall.
The ticking clock beside her bed suddenly sounded unbearably loud.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Every passing second brought the countdown closer to zero.
She didn't sleep.
She couldn't.
Instead...
She spent the night rereading Haru's favorite novel.
The very one she had secretly written.
Every so often she'd pause...
Smile...
Then continue reading.
The hours disappeared one by one.
Eventually...
The clock struck midnight.
00:00:00:00
Silence.
Then—
A brilliant crimson magic circle bloomed beneath her feet.
Its eerie light filled the room.
From within it...
A lone figure slowly emerged.
Long dark hair. Regal black attire.
Crimson eyes that seemed capable of swallowing the world itself.
The Demon Lord.
She looked at Mai with surprising gentleness.
"...Time's up."
Mai stood.
"...I'm ready."
The Demon Lord's gaze wandered toward the twenty bags of money stacked neatly against the wall.
"...Humans truly are strange."
Mai smiled faintly.
"My mother will need that money. For the rest of her life."
The Demon Lord sighed.
"She discovered your ability... and immediately started using you as a source of endless wealth. She barely acknowledges your existence. If not for those papers... she probably would've thrown you out long ago."
She looked back at Mai.
"...Yet you still love her."
Mai answered without hesitation.
"...She's my mother."
For a brief moment...
Even the Demon Lord was speechless.
Then she quietly looked away.
"...How ironic."
"I ruled over demons for centuries."
"And even I... was never this greedy."
She extended a hand.
"Come. Your abilities have begun to awaken. It is time for your Ascension."
Mai looked toward the window.
Toward the distant city lights.
"...See you soon, Haru."
A warm smile spread across her face.
"It was only for a second... but when you punched that man today..."
"I saw it. A strange power wrapped around your hand."
"So... you're awakening too."
"I just hope..."
"...you don't keep me waiting."
She placed her hand into the Demon Lord's.
The crimson light swallowed them both.
The room fell silent.
---
Meanwhile...
Haru's house...
Was anything but quiet.
"I've told you already!"
Haru threw his hands into the air.
"You can wear the uniform tomorrow! But you are not sleeping in it!"
Standing proudly before him...
Still dressed from head to toe in her pristine academy uniform...
Elara crossed her arms.
"I refuse."
"These garments are magnificent. I shall not remove them."
"At least take off the shoes!"
"By the authority that governs both kings and commoners..."
"My answer remains steadfast."
"...Nay."
Haru blinked.
"...You know... you could've just said no."
"A thousand times nay!"
"..."
He sighed.
"I give up."
A triumphant smile spread across Elara's face.
"Excellent. You shall witness tomorrow that my decision was correct."
"I somehow doubt that."
---
Morning arrived.
A terrified scream echoed throughout the house.
"HARUUUUUU!!"
Haru burst into the room.
"...What happened?!"
Elara stood frozen before a mirror.
Tiny tears shimmered in her crimson eyes.
She pointed accusingly at her reflection.
"The beautiful garments you gifted me... have been ruined!"
Haru followed her finger.
Wrinkles.
Wrinkles everywhere.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...This. This is exactly why I told you not to sleep in your uniform."
Elara lowered her head.
"...A thousand apologies. I should have listened."
Haru chuckled.
"It's okay. Come here. I'll iron them."
Her eyes sparkled. "...Truly?"
"Yep. They'll look as good as new."
While he prepared the iron...
Elara calmly began unbuttoning her blouse.
Haru looked up.
"...Wait. You're taking it off now?"
"Naturally. You cannot iron it whilst I am wearing it."
"...Fair point."
Moments later...
The bedroom door burst open.
"Morning, fellas!"
Mika froze.
Her eyes slowly drifted toward Elara...
Standing there in nothing but her undershirt.
Then toward Haru.
Holding an iron.
Silence.
"..."
"..."
Haru slowly raised both hands.
"It's not what it looks like."
"You shameless pervert!"
SLAP!!
"...Ow."
The red handprint blooming across Haru's cheek was almost impressive.
---
A few minutes later, after apologies and laughter, Haru picked up the novel Mai had given him.
A folded piece of paper slipped free.
"...Hm?"
He unfolded it.
His smile slowly disappeared.
Written in neat handwriting...
Were seven simple words.
I wish you'll never forget me.
"...What?"
Mika leaned over his shoulder. "What is it?"
Haru didn't answer.
A strange unease gripped his heart.
"...Take Elara to school."
"I need to check on something."
Without waiting for a reply...
He sprinted from the house.
---
Minutes later...
He stood before Mai's front door.
He knocked once.
Twice.
Again.
Finally...
The door creaked open.
A tired-looking woman frowned at him.
"What do you want?"
"I'm looking for Mai."
"...Who's Mai?"
Haru blinked.
"...What?"
"I asked..." The woman frowned. "...Who's Mai?"
Something inside Haru cracked.
A name.
A face.
A smile.
A kiss on his cheek.
They slipped away...
Like grains of sand between his fingers.
He reached desperately after them.
Nothing remained.
No.
No, no, no—
"Mai," he said again, his voice rising. "Your daughter. She's about this tall, she has long hair, she's quiet, she writes—"
"I don't have a daughter."
"You do. She's—"
The woman's expression didn't change.
"I live alone."
Haru stared at her.
His hands were shaking.
Think. Think. What did she look like?
He could remember the weight of her head on his shoulder.
He could remember the cookies and cream ice cream.
He could remember "I love you."
But when he tried to picture her face—
Nothing.
From the neck up.
Nothing.
His breath caught.
"No," he whispered. "No, that's not—she was right there. Yesterday. I walked her home. She kissed my cheek. She gave me a book—"
He looked down at the novel in his hands.
The cover was blank.
The pages were blank.
Every single one.
"No..."
He flipped through faster and faster, panic rising in his chest.
"No, no, no—"
"Are you alright?" the woman asked, in the tone of someone who very much wanted him to leave.
"I will ask you one final time," Haru whispered.
"Who is Mai?"
"...I-I don't know."
The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.
And the moment he said them—
Something inside him went quiet.
The panic faded.
The grief faded.
Even the name faded.
He stood there on the doorstep, holding a blank book, and couldn't remember why he had come.
"...Sorry to bother you," he mumbled.
He turned and walked away.
Behind him, the door closed.
---
Elara and Mika reached the academy gates.
The two chatted happily as they stepped inside.
"Hey, where's Haru?" Mika asked, looking around.
"He said he needed to check on something," Elara replied.
"That boy's always running off somewhere."
"I'm sure he'll catch up."
The two laughed and stepped through the gate together.
The instant Elara crossed the threshold...
The world shifted.
Mika vanished.
The voices disappeared.
The crowd, the gardens, the statue of the founder—
Gone.
She now stood alone within an enormous hallway.
Golden light poured through the tall windows, painting long shadows across the polished floor.
At its center...
A single man waited with his hands clasped behind his back.
He smiled warmly.
"Good morning, Elara."
"I am Todd."
He gave a respectful bow.
"And allow me to officially welcome you..."
"...to Apex Academy."
— END OF CHAPTER —