"What the—?"
Kanae Kocho stared at her own hands, stunned. Under Shuya's Nen, her body was slowly turning from ghostly and translucent into something solid and real.
Before she could even ask what was happening, Shuya pulled her straight into his arms.
He had never been able to stand seeing a girl cry—especially not one he had already marked as a future contractor and one of his 2D wives. And Shinobu had just poured her heart out to him for the first time.
In that moment, all his careful schemes flew out the window. He simply manifested Kanae Kocho's body on the spot.
"I'm sorry, Shinobu."
Kanae didn't waste time questioning how he had done it. The first thing out of her mouth was a heartfelt apology to her little sister. "I'm the one who put this impossible burden on you. You were never supposed to carry all of this alone. Everything that happened… it's all my fault."
Her eyes were full of genuine regret.
But Shinobu gave no reaction to the apology she had been waiting years to hear.
"Shinobu?"
Shuya looked down at the girl in his arms, confused—only to realize she had fallen fast asleep.
Maybe it was the emotional release of finally saying everything she had kept bottled up. Or maybe it was the familiar presence of her sister that finally let her relax for the first time since Kanae's death. Either way, she was out cold, both hands still clutching his collar like she was afraid he would disappear.
"Shinobu?"
Shuya couldn't help but laugh under his breath. He had planned to give the sharp-tongued girl a real surprise by letting her see her sister again… and she had fallen asleep at the worst possible moment.
He was just about to wake her when Kanae gently shook her head.
"Let her sleep," she said softly, stopping him. "She needs this."
She stepped forward and wrapped both of them in a warm embrace.
"Thank you."
Kanae looked up at him with those soft pink eyes. She still didn't understand how he had made her body solid, but that didn't matter. The kiss Shinobu had given him and the raw honesty she had finally shared were more than enough reason to thank him.
"No need to thank me," Shuya said with a grin. "After all, I'm your ex-boyfriend."
Kanae blinked, clearly not following the joke.
Shuya didn't explain. He simply lifted the sleeping Shinobu and placed her gently into her sister's arms.
"Take care of her for me. I need to step out for a bit."
Without another word, he conjured the glowing Crossing Gate right in the middle of the room and walked through it, leading a slightly dazed Makomo by the hand.
He had promised the girls back in Greed Island that he would return at least once every night, no matter what. And with Shinobu finally at peace, there was no reason to stay and risk complicating things between the sisters.
The moment Shuya and Makomo disappeared, Kanae finally let out a quiet breath.
"This Mr. Shuya really is something else," she murmured.
"Big sister… don't go… don't leave me alone…"
In her sleep, Shinobu stirred, her voice small and frightened. She nuzzled deeper into Kanae's chest like she used to when she was little and scared of thunder.
"I'm right here," Kanae whispered, gently rubbing her little sister's back the same way she had years ago. "I'm not going anywhere."
Shinobu's tense expression slowly softened.
---
On the other side of the gate, Shuya had already arrived in Greed Island with Makomo.
The girl still looked a little out of it—probably from everything that had just happened with Shinobu. Even the candy she had been excited about earlier seemed forgotten.
"Here."
Shuya ruffled her hair and used Greed Island's power to manifest a big tin of White Rabbit milk candy. He handed it to her, then popped one piece out, unwrapped it, and slipped it into her mouth.
"So sweet~"
The burst of sugar finally brought Makomo back to life.
"Meow! Meow!"
Two Snowball Beasts came bouncing in late, letting out their signature cries before launching themselves straight at Shuya.
"Wah! What adorable little puppies~"
Makomo was still chewing her candy as she watched the two fluffy creatures dive into Shuya's arms.
"Meow?! Meow?!"
The Snowball Beasts immediately whipped their heads toward her and let out indignant cries, as if to say, You're the puppy here!
They leapt off Shuya's shoulders and headbutted her right in the forehead.
"Ow—! That hurts~"
Makomo rubbed the spot, looking pitifully at Shuya.
He set the two Snowball Beasts on his shoulders and laughed. "Makomo, you really shouldn't call them puppies. They're Snowball Beasts. And technically, they're your seniors."
"Meow! Meow!"
The two creatures puffed up proudly on his shoulders, clearly pleased.
We were here first. You're the newcomer.
"Seniors?"
Makomo tilted her head, still confused.
"Yeah," Shuya said, patting her head. "They've been my Nen Beasts for two whole years now."
"Makomo!"
Saeko's voice suddenly called out from behind them.
She had just stepped through the Crossing Gate herself, returning to Greed Island at the perfect moment.