Megumi let out a long sigh, recalling Yuuji's words before he left. "Don't get too close to her."
His eyes flickered toward Reika, who was still standing there, unmoving since the decision was announced. Her eyes were dark, deep, and empty—like a bottomless void.
Megumi wasn't the type to scare easily, but there was something about this girl… something that unsettled him in the back of his mind.
He needed to confirm something. So, he stepped forward. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Until the distance between them was nearly nonexistent.
Megumi wasn't careless. He understood the unspoken rules between people—about personal space. But now, he deliberately violated them.
Reika's gaze remained steady, only slightly lifting to meet his. A reaction? None. At all. Megumi moved even closer. Still nothing.
He could feel his own breath bouncing off the thin air between them, Reika Silence. As if her existence in this world was nothing more than a shadow.
"She should step back," Megumi thought.
"She should react." But she didn't. From a distance, Himari was watching. And her jaw dropped. "What the hell?!" she muttered, eyes wide in shock.
Tetsuya, standing beside her, glanced over. "Huh?" Himari pointed at them. "Megumi-sensei. Reika." Tetsuya frowned, trying to process what he was seeing.
From their perspective? Megumi looked like he was flirting with Reika. Tetsuya shrugged. "Maybe he's just talking?"
Himari glared. "TALKING?! That's not talking—that's almost a KISS!" Tetsuya stifled a laugh. "Himari, you're exaggerating."
"NO!" Himari clenched her fists. "This… this isn't fair!"
Megumi stared at her intensely, trying to read something in her eyes—fear? Deception? Anything that could explain why she was so mysterious?
But there was nothing. And before he could think further—Reika finally spoke. A soft, deep voice. "…Do you want to kiss me?"
Megumi froze.
For a moment, it felt like his blood stopped flowing. "…WHAT?" Reika's expression didn't change. "You got that close, so I thought you were going to ki—"
"NO."
Megumi immediately took two full steps back. His eyes widened, his expression shifting drastically. He did not expect that.
That.
That was not the answer he was waiting for. Not at all. Reika only tilted her head slightly, like a child confused about why someone was overreacting to something so simple.
Megumi looked at her in disbelief. His heart was still beating faster than it should.
He raised a hand, pointing at her with an expression that screamed, What is wrong with you?
"…Are you serious?" Reika nodded slowly. "Yes."
"…You thought I came close to—" Reika nodded again.
"…ARE YOU INSANE?"
Reika blinked. "No." Megumi covered his face with one hand. This was wrong. All of this was wrong. After a few seconds of silence, Megumi finally took a deep breath.
He looked at Reika again, this time with sharper analysis. Not… not because she was teasing. Not because she was joking. Not because she was playing around.
But because she genuinely didn't understand what was happening. She truly believed that was why he had gotten so close.
"She has no sense of personal space."
"She doesn't react like a normal human."
"She… is too different."
For the first time, Megumi felt that something was seriously off about this girl. Finally, Megumi exhaled heavily, regaining his composure.
He looked at Reika with analyzing eyes. "…We start training tomorrow," he finally said. Reika gave a single nod, expressionless. "Understood."
Megumi glanced to the side, where Himari was still glaring at him murderously. He didn't care. Because now, he had a bigger problem. Understanding his new student, who… made absolutely no sense.
The training field was starting to feel emptier. The remnants of the previous fight still lingered in the air, but now, only two people remained—Megumi and Reika.
Megumi stood with his hands in his pockets, his sharp gaze still fixed on Reika, calculating. From the very beginning, something about this girl felt off. It wasn't just her absurd technique or the way her presence was almost too quiet.
"So," he finally broke the silence, "your curse technique. What's the system behind it?"
Reika, who had been standing calmly all this time, turned her head slightly. For a moment, her expression seemed almost... pleased. As if she was enjoying this conversation.
"I consume."
Silence.
Megumi waited for more, but nothing came. Just those two words. As if that was enough explanation. "Details?" he pressed, his tone flat but sharp.
Reika let out a small breath, reluctant yet still answering. "It's simple. I absorb energy—whether from an opponent or the environment."
Megumi narrowed his eyes. "How much can you absorb?"
Reika shrugged. "It depends. If the energy is too strong, I have to focus more. If not, it's just a small… bite."
A small bite.
Megumi processed those words. What she had done earlier was far from just a bite. "When you fought me, how much of your strength did you use?"
Reika gave a small smile. There was no deception in her expression. No nervousness. Just an almost unnerving calmness.
"All of it," she said. "I didn't hold back. I pushed my limits, but you were too strong. That's why I lost."
A perfectly crafted lie.
And Megumi knew it.
His dark eyes studied Reika's face, searching for a crack, something he could latch onto. But Reika wasn't like his usual opponents. There was no hesitation, no inconsistencies.
If he hadn't felt something being drained from him during their fight, he might have believed her.
Still, he decided to play along. "Your schedule?" he asked, shifting the conversation smoothly.
"Training with Yuji, a few theory classes, then usually missions or additional training."
"When are you free?" Reika paused, as if considering. "Depends. But for you, I can adjust." ...That sentence made Megumi frown.
Reika spoke as if she was offering something. As if she was willingly placing herself in this game. From a distance, someone was watching.
Himari.
She hadn't left. She was hiding behind the crumbling walls of the training ground, brow furrowed, lips pressed tightly together. There was something about this that she hated.
Megumi—who rarely spoke more than necessary—was talking to Reika. With interest.
Reika—who was usually just a shadow among them—was talking to Megumi. With complete control.
Himari bit her lip. "No way."
The training field was beginning to empty. The sun slowly dipped lower, casting a golden light that stretched long shadows across the ground. The evening breeze drifted through, rustling Reika's pitch-black hair and brushing against Megumi's sweat-dampened skin after training.
Megumi studied the girl before him with a thoughtful gaze.
"So, your technique… how does it work?"
Reika didn't answer immediately. She shifted her weight to one side, letting a few seconds pass as if deciding whether Megumi was worthy of knowing or not. Finally, she spoke—her voice was light, but there was something beneath it, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.
"I just take. That's all."
Megumi frowned. "Take how?"
Reika lifted her hand slightly, just enough to draw his attention.
"Usually with this."
Megumi observed her hand—or rather, her wrist. Reika's movements were always efficient, never wasted. That meant there was something there. Unable to resist his curiosity, Megumi reached for her wrist and pressed his thumb against it.
He wasn't sure what he expected, but her skin was colder than it should be. There was something off about it—something foreign yet oddly familiar.
Reika didn't move. Her eyes simply followed his actions, like she was watching an interesting experiment.
"Your technique is centered in your hands?" Megumi asked, pressing slightly harder. "…Maybe," Reika replied casually.
Megumi's gaze shifted to the dull bracelet wrapped around her left wrist. It looked ancient, like something that belonged in a museum, yet in Reika's possession, it seemed more… functional.
"What is this?" He examined it more closely, running his fingers over its rough surface.
Reika remained silent. Their eyes met, but there was no emotion in hers—only a void, like an abyss with no end. From a distance, someone watched with wide eyes and a held breath.
Megumi's fingers on Reika's wrist.
The way they were standing too close.
His focused gaze on the bracelet—on her hand. Reika, who just stood there, letting herself be touched as if it was nothing.
It wasn't fair.
Himari's fists clenched. Her eyes burned. For some reason, her chest felt hot, and it wasn't from the training earlier.
Why her?
Megumi had never looked at her like that. And now, he was standing this close to Reika, touching her, as if searching for something hidden.
Meanwhile, Megumi was still studying the bracelet. "Is this important?" he asked. Reika finally spoke again. "If I take it off, you'll find out for yourself."
That sentence, that tone—it wasn't a threat.
But why did it feel like a warning?
Megumi stared at the bracelet for a few more seconds before finally releasing his grip and stepping back. Reika lowered her hand to her side again as if nothing had happened.
But from afar, someone was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Himari was about to explode. The sky turned purple, and the evening breeze carried the scent of freshly disturbed earth.
In the middle of the now-emptying training field, Megumi still watched Reika with a calculating expression, while Reika remained silent, her face unreadable. But the quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by the sound of fast, determined footsteps.
"Enough!"
Himari stepped out from her hiding spot, standing between them with confidence, her eyes blazing with a fire that refused to be extinguished.
Megumi immediately knew this was going to be a headache. He let out a long sigh, shifting his weight to one side, already too exhausted for this kind of drama. Reika, however, didn't move—just tilted her head slightly, like a child discovering something interesting.
"What were you two doing?" Himari asked, her tone demanding. "Or more specifically, why you?"—her sharp gaze landed on Reika—"Why do you get special attention?"
Megumi frowned. "Himari—"
"I deserve it more," she cut him off. Megumi nearly ran a hand down his face in frustration.
Reika, on the other hand, was still watching with her usual blank expression, as if waiting to see where this would go.
Himari crossed her arms, lifting her chin slightly, her confidence unwavering. "I'm not surprised you're interested in Reika. She's pretty, isn't she?" She cast Megumi a glance, her expression almost teasing. "But you know, Megumi, when it comes to beauty… I'm superior, aren't I?"
Megumi didn't react. At all.
Himari's expression faltered slightly, but she quickly masked it.
"I'm just saying," she continued, keeping her voice light, "if you're really looking for someone more… captivating, you should be looking in the right direction."
Reika blinked once.
That statement… was interesting. Megumi finally spoke. "Himari, you're misunderstanding."
"Oh? Am I?" Himari smirked, but there was something burning behind her eyes. "Yes," Megumi replied flatly, his tone heavy with exhaustion. "This isn't about that."
But Himari didn't care. She only saw one thing: Megumi standing too close to Reika, touching her hand, looking at her with an intensity she had never witnessed before.
No. This wasn't right.
Himari flipped her blonde hair back with a deliberate motion, letting the remaining sunlight catch its shine. "Besides, Megumi, you need students who can improve, right? Someone who learns quickly?" She smiled, tilting her body slightly. "I'm the better choice."
Megumi stared at her for a long moment before finally saying, "I don't need students who talk too much."
Reika smiled.
It was barely there, just the smallest curve at the corner of her lips. But Himari saw it. And it only made the fire inside her burn even stronger.