The next morning, Haruto woke up to an empty room. The spot where Daisy had slept was neatly folded, and the apartment was silent. His legs felt significantly stronger—the agonizing numbness had faded into a dull, manageable ache—but before he could even attempt to stand, Retro buzzed into the room, hovering right at his eye level.
" Haruto," the machine chirped, his lens flickering.
"My diagnostics suggest you should remain in your wheelchair. You are at 65% recovery; putting weight on your legs now could result in a permanent 15% reduction in mobility. Please, sit."
Haruto sighed, feeling the familiar weight of the wheelchair behind him. "You're a real nag, you know that? Fine, fine."
He settled into the seat, and Retro immediately extended a tray with a nutritious, synthesized breakfast. As Haruto ate, he rolled toward the balcony, looking out at the sprawling, vertical city. It was peaceful, a sharp contrast to the chaos of the last few weeks.
Retro hovered near his shoulder, his voice dropping to a softer, more inquisitive frequency. "Haruto, if you do not mind me asking... about the attack where you summoned the Black Hole. Were you truly that powerful at that moment, or was it a malfunction of your internal resonance?"
Haruto leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I honestly don't know, Retro. It didn't feel like my power. It felt like I wasn't even in control of my own skin. Everything was just... pulling toward a center point. It was like I was a passenger in my own body."
Retro's processor hummed as he processed the data. "I see. While scanning your neural activity, I detected a lingering signature—a presence of a Weapon Spirit. Tell me, do you possess such an artifact?"
Haruto blinked, surprised by the question. He focused on his inner core, feeling the familiar, dark energy he had been suppressing with Daisy's new dampeners. "Yeah... I do. It's a sword made of solidified black aura. I call it the Void Reaper."
Retro whirred, his internal fans spinning faster. "A Void Reaper? That is a high-ranking soul weapon. Is it as powerful as the legends suggest?"
"It is," Haruto admitted, his expression turning somber. "But the problem is, I have absolutely no idea how to actually wield its full potential. It's like owning a star-ship and only knowing how to turn the lights on."
Retro went silent, seemingly downloading the information into his archives before drifting off toward the kitchen to perform maintenance. Haruto turned his attention to the large wall-mounted TV in the living area. He clicked it on, hoping for something to distract him, but all that appeared was a loop of static and a monotonous news feed about sector resource allocation.
After a few minutes of watching the dry reports, the silence of the apartment started to get to him. He looked toward the door where Daisy had left earlier.
"Retro?" Haruto called out, his voice echoing slightly in the vast space. "Daisy... she's been at the Academy all day. How is she? Does she usually handle all this stress alone?"
Retro's internal fans hummed, his blue light pulsating steadily. "Stress is a human construct, Haruto. For Master Daisy, this is simply calculation. She does not see it as burden; she sees it as maintenance."
Haruto leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "Wait, she designed this entire city. She's like a god to the people here. Why does she act like she's trying to hide? Why does she avoid the public eye so much?"
Retro hesitated, his circuits whirring as if he were debating a security protocol. "She is one of the Three Founders of this city. She prefers anonymity to maintain her efficiency."
Haruto's eyes widened. "Three founders? Who are the others?"
"I am sorry, Haruto," Retro said, his voice flat. "Master Daisy has strictly forbidden me from discussing the details of the other founders."
"Come on, Retro," Haruto pleaded, leaning in. "She'll never know you told me. I'm just a guy stuck in a wheelchair for a few days—what am I going to do with that information? Just tell me."
Retro paused, his lens cycling through colors as if analyzing the risk. Finally, he gave in. "Very well. But you must not speak of this to her. Master Daisy's ability to manifest technology is limited by the raw materials and currency she can acquire. Because of that, this city was a joint effort between three Reincarnators."
Haruto listened intently. "A joint effort? Who else is involved?"
"Aside from Master Daisy, there is the Reincarnation of the God of Money and the Reincarnation of the Goddess of Cheat," Retro explained. "They pooled their divine influences to build this sector."
Haruto scratched his chin, his mind racing. "So, you're telling me there are three of us—no, three of them—running this whole place? Are they still here?"
Retro shook his head slightly. "The others have departed. The God of Money's reincarnation still resides somewhere in the city, but the Goddess of Cheat vanished years ago."
Haruto frowned, feeling the weight of the mystery. "Why did they leave? If they were partners, why wouldn't they stick together?"
Retro's response was blunt. "Because, Haruto, the three of them could no longer stand each other. Their philosophies—and their divine powers—clashed too violently. The partnership fractured, and they went their separate ways."
Retro suddenly went rigid, his internal sensors flashing a warning red. "I have provided too much information. My protocols are flagging a violation. I can no longer discuss the Founders."
Haruto leaned back, his mind spinning. The God of Money is understandable—he handles the resources. But the Goddess of Cheat? What does that even mean in a world built on system levels and rules?
He spent the rest of the day restless, pacing the apartment in his wheelchair and trying to organize the fragments of information. When evening finally settled over the city, the apartment door slid open. Daisy stepped inside, still wearing her crisp, professional Academy uniform.
Haruto looked up, genuinely surprised. "Wow, you actually look... human. That uniform really changes the vibe."
Daisy's expression didn't soften. Her eyes flickered toward Retro, and a sharp, cold glint appeared. "Watch your mouth, Haruto."
Retro immediately dipped his frame in a submissive gesture. "Master, I apologize. I inadvertently disclosed information regarding the Three Founders to Haruto."
Haruto's heart skipped a beat. Damn it.
Daisy turned her gaze toward Haruto, her eyes burning with an intense, mechanical scrutiny. She didn't shout; she just looked at him as if he were a malfunctioning piece of hardware.
"If you are thinking why he just told me then listen , I designed Retro to be an extension of my own logic. Machines that lie are nothing more than scrap metal to me but leave that aside you really have a talent for poking your nose where it doesn't belong, don't you?"
"I was just curious," Haruto defended himself, though he felt a chill. "I didn't mean to—"
"I don't care what you meant," Daisy interrupted, her voice sharp as glass.
"You need to understand something: the 'Founders' aren't just names in a history book. They are power structures. You have no idea what you're dealing with. From here on out, keep your focus on your own survival. I've done everything I could for you—I saved your life, I stabilized your power, and I gave you the dampeners—but that's the limit of my patience."
She turned on her heel and strode toward her room. "Once those few days are up, you're on your own. Don't look for help here."
The door to her room slammed shut with a heavy, final thud. Retro floated quietly over to the corner, his light dimming.
Haruto sighed, staring at the closed door, feeling a strange mix of annoyance and confusion. "She's so on edge," he muttered to himself. "Is it just the stress of the Founders, or is there something else she's hiding?"
Haruto sat in the dim light of the living area, his mind replaying Daisy's cold dismissal. When the clock struck midnight, the door to her room creaked open. Daisy stepped out, not in her combat gear or her uniform, but in the same simple casual attire she'd worn during their first tour.
She walked toward him, and before he could say a word, she sighed. "I'm sorry, Haruto."
Haruto was stunned. "You're... apologizing?"
"My mind," she said, tapping her temple, "is wired differently. It's cluttered with protocols, memories, and architectures that aren't meant to be poked at. When I get defensive, it's not just personality—it's a system response. I shouldn't have snapped."
"It's okay," Haruto replied softly. "We're both reincarnations. I know the pressure you're under. But don't shut me out. Just... give me a chance to understand."
Daisy looked at him for a long time, her expression softening. "Fine. You want to see the real stakes of this city? You want to know why I'm so paranoid?" She walked to the window, watching the neon pulse of the city. "Tomorrow, you're coming to school with me."
Haruto blinked, confused. "School? Why? I don't have an admission, and I'm definitely not a student there. How is that supposed to work?"
Daisy let out a small, rare smirk. "You're asking me? I designed this city's infrastructure. Retro has already forged your digital identity and bypassed protocols. Consider yourself enrolled."
She turned back to him, her eyes serious once more. "You need to see the Academy, Haruto. It's where the power in this city is actually concentrated. If you understand the history and the machinery behind this place, you might be able to stay. If you don't? Then we have to part ways forever, for your own safety."
Haruto felt a shiver of anticipation. "What's going to happen tomorrow?"
Daisy leaned against the wall, her shadow stretching across the floor.
"Tomorrow, you're going to witness something that will change how you see your own power. Just be ready—it's going to be unforgettable. But remember what you will see tomorrow can either connect or completely disconnect you from me and the city's past"