---
"Price: one secret."
Nanami Kira snapped his eyes open and wrenched his left hand free from the spirit's throat, throwing it up to shield his face.
BOOM—
"When I die, become my god."
—I'm no god.
The impact hit like lightning splitting the earth. He was hurled backward, slamming into the wall so hard the cracks raced outward in branching veins.
A blue tank materialized before him—Sheer Heart Attack—and absorbed the killing blow.
He looked down at the hand in his arms. Blood trickled from the corner of his eye. He was soaked in it now—every inch of him.
There was no more resisting. He could not even dodge.
Nanami Kira detested conflict.
But what he detested equally was giving up. Eat at the scheduled time. Come home at the scheduled time. No matter what happened, a plan once set was a plan you saw through.
A promise once made was a promise you kept. He loved routine. Loved everything arriving on schedule. Loved a life that ran by the book. He was no god—he would only ever be an ordinary office worker.
Ordinary, unremarkable, suppressing his own nature. He had worn shackles his whole life, would never be free, and therefore would never ascend to divinity.
He gritted his teeth and held Sheer Heart Attack before him.
"You like eating meat..."
"I'm going into battle."
"Yummy, yummy..."
The spirits shrieked and gibbered. Crimson eyes, wall to wall. They still ignored the terrified Sorako standing off to the side—they stared only at Nanami Kira and surged toward him in a crushing wave.
Rip. Rip. Rip.
Blood flew. Blood flew. But his eyes stayed calm. He would not lower Sheer Heart Attack. His Cursed Energy was more than sufficient—he could have annihilated every spirit in this warehouse in a heartbeat, or shattered his restraints with a thought. He needed only to pay the secret in his heart.
In the previous timeline, he must have done exactly that. Otherwise Amber Mansion would never have learned the principle behind his "revival from ruin." Otherwise the mansion would never have struck that deal with him.
These spirits were so weak. One wave of his hand and they would all be ash. His life was always the most important thing—and it was only a scrap of a secret. A bargain, really.
His former self had made that trade. It was simple.
But this Nanami Kira held Sheer Heart Attack tighter. Watched the flood of flesh. Watched his own body being torn apart piece by piece.
And he smiled. A smile that could make skin crawl.
---
The reason the spirits ignored Sorako and focused solely on Nanami Kira was simple: Amber Mansion's will was driving them. Concentrate all forces. Destroy Nanami Kira.
But by the rules, Amber Mansion's will could not deliberately target any candidate. It could not attack any guest. It could not interfere in the succession.
There was only one exception.
When the person was no longer a guest.
Nanami Kira had given his invitation to Hoshino Ei.
He was no longer a guest.
"Go on, then. Come and kill me."
One minute passed. Ten minutes passed. He lost track of time. He counted each second in his head. Calm. Calm. Every scrap of flesh had been torn from him. His intestines spilled out. Nearly every bone was broken.
Yet he refused to die. Refused to surrender. Blood flooded his eyes, and through it he smiled—a quiet, even smile.
Nanami Kira had never trusted anyone. He held everyone at arm's length. He had never placed his expectations in another person.
All for his quiet life. All to protect his quiet life.
Doubt everything. Question everything. Deny everything.
But this time, when that girl wept against his chest—when she fought to prove her worth—when she screamed don't throw me away—when he killed her, again and again—
Nanami Kira wanted, for a reason he could not name, to break something. To try something.
He was still a monster. Still doubted everything, questioned everything, denied everything. Still assumed the worst in everyone, would never become a good person—but he was no longer a god.
The blood ran heavier. His pupils lost focus.
Hoshino Ei's Innate Technique was Concealment. Aside from Amber Mansion's will, the spirits could not detect her. And now that she held the invitation, the mansion's will was powerless against her too.
She had entered Amber Mansion's blind spot.
---
And Hoshino Ei—no, Hasegawa Kaede—was an expert in Curtain construction. Even the Curtain that Nanami Kira had built for the Arrow was modeled after hers.
In the art of the Curtain, Hoshino Ei far surpassed him.
In fact, long before nightfall—while Sorako had been struggling to crack the barrier—Hoshino Ei had already used Concealment, invitation in hand, to reach her side unseen.
It was mentioned earlier: before night fell, Sorako had managed to dismantle a small portion of the Curtain.
Nanami Kira himself could not have accomplished that. A Grade 2 sorcerer certainly couldn't have.
It was Hoshino Ei's doing.
And once night came, Nanami Kira stood at the warehouse's center—a lantern in the dark—drawing every spirit to himself.
He had to hold out until Hoshino Ei broke the Curtain.
His mind went heavy. His body turned soft. He was losing sensation, limb by limb.
Those black eyes stared straight ahead. His eyelids sank lower and lower.
For the first time in his life, Nanami Kira chose to place his life in someone else's hands.
Because, as he himself had said:
There was a curse between them.
His hand was severed. Blood arced outward in a smooth, crimson curve. Sheer Heart Attack was knocked away. The writhing tide of flesh closed over Nanami Kira in an instant.
Swallowed him. Slowly.
Through the gaps in the flesh, Nanami Kira gave a self-deprecating smile, and murmured:
"Nanami Kira... what the hell are you doing?"
He closed his eyes.
---
"theloveofmylife."
A soft voice.
Like a summer night—the ground still exhaling the day's warmth, yet the air cool—dusk gathering slowly at the edges, lavender swaying, the stars singing their songs. What a beautiful summer evening.
The sea lay deep and black, flowing gently. Calm. Undisturbed.
A night breeze stirred, lifting a cloud here, brushing the stars there—and when the light fell upon the water, it stretched to the horizon, shimmering green, rippling with ten thousand points of light.
And the sea was not so dark anymore.
It reflected the brilliance of the star field.
"Kira-kun."
Starlight from a summer night pierced through time and space, and fell upon Nanami Kira.
Everything melted in that soft, beautiful glow. The world was radiant beyond measure.
As if he had fallen into a galaxy.
Hoshino Ei pressed her forehead to his. By his ear, she whispered:
"All the starlight will be with you. Always."
"Because you are mine."
"The Love of My Life."