The rain was gone.
Morning sunlight stretched across the city, washing away the darkness of the previous night as if it had never existed. Cars moved. People hurried to work. Students laughed on their way to school.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
But for Aika Hoshino, nothing felt normal anymore.
She sat quietly on a bench outside a small clinic, her hands resting on her lap, fingers still slightly trembling.
"…Idiot," she muttered under her breath.
Inside, Kuroshin Rei was unconscious.
After last night's fight, she had carried him here herself—ignoring the curious looks, ignoring the questions. Somehow, no one had noticed the destroyed street, the broken lights, or the unnatural darkness.
Like always…
The world erased what it couldn't understand.
The clinic door opened with a soft click.
A nurse stepped out.
"You can go in now," she said with a polite smile.
Aika nodded.
"…Thank you."
Rei lay on the bed, silent as ever.
White sheets. Plain room. A faint smell of antiseptic in the air.
He looked… normal.
Too normal.
Aika walked closer, stopping beside the bed. For a moment, she just stared at him.
"…You almost lost yourself," she said quietly.
No response.
Of course.
She sighed and pulled a chair closer, sitting down.
"You know," she continued, leaning back slightly, "most people would at least say 'thank you' after being saved."
Still nothing.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"…Guess you're not most people."
Silence filled the room.
But it wasn't uncomfortable.
Not really.
After a few moments, Rei's fingers twitched.
Aika leaned forward instantly.
"…Rei?"
His eyes slowly opened.
Dark.
Calm.
Back to normal.
For a second, he just stared at the ceiling, as if trying to remember where he was.
Then—
"…Hospital?" he muttered.
"Clinic," Aika corrected. "You collapsed."
Rei blinked once.
"…I see."
He tried to sit up.
Aika immediately pushed him back down.
"Don't," she said firmly. "You're not in condition to move."
Rei frowned slightly but didn't argue.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward her.
"…You're still here."
Aika raised an eyebrow.
"Wow. Such emotion."
"…I thought you'd leave."
Her expression softened, just a little.
"…Not happening."
A brief silence followed.
Rei looked away.
"…You should have."
Aika's eyes narrowed.
"And let you get swallowed by your own shadows?" she shot back. "Yeah, great idea."
Rei didn't respond.
His silence said enough.
A few minutes passed.
Then Aika leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
"Alright," she said. "We're talking."
"…About what?"
She gave him a look.
"Don't play dumb."
Rei sighed quietly.
"…I don't have answers."
"Then start with questions," she replied. "Like—why did that Yokai call you 'Void'?"
Rei's expression stiffened.
"…I don't know."
"Liar."
He looked at her.
This time, there was a faint edge in his voice.
"…I said I don't know."
Aika didn't back down.
"Then why did your power react like that?" she pressed. "That wasn't normal. Even for a Spirit user."
Rei stayed silent.
Because he knew.
She was right.
"…Since I was a kid," he said slowly, "I could see things others couldn't."
Aika listened carefully.
"They followed me. Watched me. Sometimes… they talked."
His hand clenched slightly over the bedsheet.
"…And sometimes… they listened."
Aika's eyes widened a fraction.
"Listened?"
Rei nodded faintly.
"…When I was scared… they stayed away."
"…When I was angry…"
He stopped.
Aika didn't interrupt.
"…They disappeared," he finished.
The room fell silent.
Aika leaned back, processing.
"…So your emotions affect them," she said. "Or… control them."
Rei didn't deny it.
"…That's not normal," she added.
"…I know."
Another pause.
Then—
Aika stood up.
Rei glanced at her.
"…Where are you going?"
She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"To fix this."
He frowned.
"…Fix what?"
She turned back, her expression serious now.
"You."
Rei blinked.
"…No."
"Yes."
"I didn't ask for help."
"Too bad," she shot back instantly. "You're getting it anyway."
Rei sat up this time, ignoring the slight dizziness.
"…I can handle it."
Aika walked closer.
Then stopped right in front of him.
"You couldn't last night."
That hit.
Rei didn't respond.
Because he couldn't.
Aika's voice softened slightly.
"…Look," she said, "whatever you are… whatever that power is… it's dangerous."
"…I know."
"And if you lose control again," she continued, "it won't just hurt you."
Her eyes met his.
"It'll hurt others."
Rei's gaze darkened.
That was the one thing he couldn't ignore.
"…So what do you want?" he asked quietly.
Aika smiled.
Not her usual playful smile.
This one was confident.
Determined.
"You're coming with me."
"…Where?"
"To someone who can explain everything."
Rei frowned.
"…I don't trust people like that."
"You don't have to," she replied. "You just have to come."
Silence.
Rei looked away.
Thinking.
Weighing options.
He hated this.
Depending on someone.
Getting involved.
But…
Last night flashed through his mind.
The loss of control.
The way the shadows turned on Aika.
…
"…Fine," he said.
Aika blinked.
"…That was fast."
"Don't misunderstand," Rei added. "I'm not doing this for you."
She smirked.
"Of course you're not."
A few hours later—
The two of them stood at the edge of a quiet district far from the city center.
No neon lights.
No crowds.
Just narrow streets and old buildings.
Rei looked around.
"…This place feels strange."
Aika nodded.
"Because it is."
She stepped forward.
"Welcome to the boundary."
"…Boundary?"
"The place where the human world and the Yoru Realm overlap the most."
Rei's eyes narrowed slightly.
He could feel it.
The air was different.
Heavier.
Alive.
Aika stopped in front of a traditional-looking building.
Wooden doors.
Old walls.
Paper charms placed along the entrance.
She turned to him.
"…This is where your answers begin."
Rei stared at the door.
For a moment…
He hesitated.
Then—
He stepped forward.
And pushed it open.
The door creaked.
Darkness waited inside.
And somewhere deep within that darkness…
Something stirred.
As if it had been waiting.
For him.