A heavy hand dropped onto Leo's shoulder.
Leo flinched, spinning around in panic before relaxing slightly. It was just Null, watching him with a quiet, concerned gaze.
"Is everything fine?" Null asked softly. "You've been so silent today."
Leo forced a shaky smile, quickly rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah... it's nothing. Really."
Meanwhile, a short distance back in the crowded market square, the mysterious trio gathered together.
The muscular man, **Eleven**, pulled back his fist after punching **Michi** squarely on the top of his head. "Do you have any idea how much time has passed?!" Eleven growled.
Michi rubbed his head, pouting childishly. "Eleven, why do you have to come here just to ruin my aura?"
The man with glasses, **Twelve**, adjusted his frames with a weary sigh. "Ahem. We don't use 'aura.' We are magical energy users."
"Not *that* kind of aura!" Michi huffed, turning his gaze toward Twelve. "And if you're so stressed about time, Twelve, why didn't you just use *Heavenly Blessings*?"
Twelve scoffed. "Like I'd waste that on you."
Michi glanced past them at the woman, who was standing a few feet away with a dreamy, distracted look on her face. "Hey... what's up with her?"
"She's just too happy about the payment," Eleven grunted. "She's off in her own world imagining how happy she and James are going to be with that kind of money."
Michi winced. "Yeah, my bad. Why did I expect anything else?"
*POW!*
Eleven brought his fist down on Michi's head a second time.
"Ouch! Why are you hitting me again?!" Michi whined, holding his head.
"Because you still haven't answered us!" Eleven snapped. "Instead of telling us why you suddenly disappeared, you're trying to change the subject!"
Michi let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Oh, you figured it out... Fine, it's better if I tell you before you two start jumping me. I found my new target—and he's actually our mission victim."
Twelve narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, entirely skeptical. "Like we'd believe that. You've pulled that line a million times."
"We haven't even been together for twenty missions!" Michi protested. "Look, I'm serious this time! If I'm lying, I'm ready to do *that*."
Both Eleven and Twelve froze. Their eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Really?" all three of them blurted out in unison.
Back on the main road, the sun was rising high into the sky, casting short shadows beneath Null, Lana, and Leo as they trudged along.
Lana dragged her feet, groaning in exhaustion. "Why are we walking for so long? I'm so tired!"
Null kept his eyes peeled on the surrounding buildings, completely unbothered. "Because I'm looking for a pocket-friendly place to stay. This district is way too expensive."
Trailing behind them, Leo was trapped in another endless spiral of anxiety.
*Should I just tell them? Should I tell them I'm a Heart Replicant and that I'm actively being hunted? If I tell them, how will they react? But... I look so much like a human.*
Leo paused in his thoughts, frowning to himself. *Wait, what do I mean 'look like a human'? I AM a human!*
"Hey, what are you thinking about so hard?" Lana's voice cut through his internal chaos.
Leo snapped back to reality. "Ahm... nothing."
Lana narrowed her eyes, peering closely at his face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
Lana let out a frustrated huff, crossing her arms as she turned back to Null's back. "Fine! But seriously, why have we been walking since the morning? The sun is right above our heads now! I don't know what happened to my brother, but his face says he isn't happy either."
Leo offered a mild, innocent attempt at encouragement. "Don't say that, Lana. Walking is actually good for your health."
Lana spun around, looking utterly betrayed. "'Good for your health'?! Then what do you want me to do, cover the entire world barefoot?!" She let out a dramatic sigh. "Hmph. I thought you'd take my side for once and ask my brother to stop for rest!"
"Lana..." Leo stopped in his tracks, his tone suddenly dropping into something remarkably serious. "There's... something I have to tell you."
Lana waved a dismissive hand, turning her head away. "No! I am not in the mood to listen to a five-paragraph speech about how walking is good for my health!"
"No, it's not that," Leo said softly.
Lana paused, blinking at his deadpan expression. "Then what is it?"
Leo swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked her straight in the eyes.
"I'm not a human."
A sudden, absolute silence fell over the two of them.
Inside Leo's head, his thoughts were screaming. *I don't care what happens next. If they can't accept what I am, it's still so much better than living a lie. I'm not going to let a repeat of my past happen again.*
Lana stared at him for three long seconds. Then, a warm, casual smile broke across her face.
"I knew that," she said lightly.
Leo's jaw dropped. "Really?! How?!"
Lana puffed out her chest, placing her hands on her hips. "Because no normal human falls straight out of the sky like a shooting star!"
Leo's serious expression shattered into total disbelief. "Wait... tch. I thought you weren't going to take it seriously!"
"Hey! I believe everything my brother tells me!" Lana said, stepping closer with her eyes sparkling with sudden curiosity. "So if you're really not human, then what *are* you? Tell me! Now I'm super curious. I've never met a different species before!"
Leo stared at her, caught completely off guard by her innocent excitement. A faint, helpless smile tugged at his lips. "Fine... if you really want to know, I am a—"
Meanwhile, back at the market square, Twelve stepped away from Michi and Eleven.
He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together in a solemn prayer, and looked up toward the sky.
"My Majesty Lord..." Twelve whispered, his voice dark and devout. "Please help your chosen one."