AlSymphoGotchard : Kamen Rider Gotchard X Symphogear

by sentobestmatch

A crossover story between Kamen Rider Gotchard X Symphogear with a twist and change that you may have never experienced or read before. A story full of imagination. For now, this would be just a one-shot story or chapter and no guarantee for long longevity but have a fun time reading this pilot chapter if any reader stumbles into this story.

7. S6 EP2 Part 2

MASSIVE DISCLAIMER & SPOILER!

READ THIS FIRST BEFORE PROCCEEDING INTO THE STORY!

This was the second chapter and the continuation of the story last time that I named S6 EP2 which I had informed to be divided into two parts. So, this chapter is the continuation of the story last time. Unfortunately, this chapter still isn't the end of S6 EP2 chapter because there is also the third part of the chapter that I need to separate because of the length of the story. This chapter alone already buckled at 39K words so I won't say too much any longer due to the length of this chapter was already so long. Hope you all enjoy the continuation of the chapter.

---

As Rinne and Mr. Ichinose strolled down the quiet street toward the hospital, the rhythm of their steps was interrupted when Rinne came to an abrupt halt. Hopper1, nestled comfortably in her arms, tilted its head and chirped curiously, its tiny antenna twitching as if to ask why they'd stopped. Mr. Ichinose, walking a few paces ahead, turned back to her with a questioning look.

"Rin-chan? Something wrong?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Rinne's gaze was fixed on a shop window to their right. Displayed prominently was a set of pink bunny-themed hair ribbons, their pastel color catching the sunlight and sparkling faintly. Her thoughts drifted unbidden to Shirabe, specifically to the moment Shirabe had shielded her from Gigist's devastating attack.

She could still vividly remember the sight of Shirabe's hair ribbons—her signature pink twintails—reduced to ashes in the aftermath. The memory was a sharp reminder of the selfish jealousy that had contributed to the tragedy that left Shirabe comatose.

"I…" Rinne hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's nothing."

But Mr. Ichinose wasn't convinced. Following her gaze, he quickly pieced together her thoughts. "Thinking of a gift for Tsu-chan, aren't you?" he asked with a knowing smile.

Rinne stiffened. "No! I mean… it's not like that," she protested, but her reddening cheeks betrayed her.

Mr. Ichinose chuckled warmly, his tone reassuring. "It's alright, Rin-chan. If you want to get something for her, go for it. A thoughtful gift might be just what she needs when she wakes up."

At his words, a pang of guilt twisted in Rinne's chest. She couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth—that Shirabe's condition was far worse than he could imagine, with no certainty she'd ever wake up. "I don't think… I mean, it might not matter," she said hesitantly.

"Of course it matters," Mr. Ichinose said firmly, his kind eyes meeting hers. "Sometimes, a little gesture can go a long way. Besides, it's not just for Tsu-chan, is it? It's for you too."

Rinne blinked, caught off guard by his perceptiveness. She opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself. Instead, she sighed in resignation and nodded. "Alright… I'll take a look."

The two entered the shop, greeted immediately by the faint scent of lavender and the soft chime of the doorbell. A young man wearing a name tag that read Fujitaka Sakuya offered a polite nod from his station near the back, clearly the store's janitor or clerk.

While Rinne made a beeline for the display she had seen earlier, Mr. Ichinose lingered near the entrance, glancing around with mild amusement. "Wow," he mused, taking in the rows of pastel-colored furniture, trinkets, and accessories. "I've never been in a place like this. Do you think Tama-san would've liked this kind of shop?"

Rinne, now standing in front of the display, couldn't help but smile faintly at his musings. "Maybe. She might be the type who'd enjoy shopping for little things like this."

Spotting the pink bunny ribbons up close, Rinne reached out for them—only for her hand to brush against someone else's. Startled, she looked up to find a man about Mr. Ichinose's age standing beside her, his hand also extended toward the ribbon.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the man said quickly, withdrawing his hand. "Were you going to buy this?"

Rinne blinked, still processing the situation. "I… yes, I was," she admitted awkwardly.

The man smiled apologetically. "I see. I was going to get it for my daughter, but if it's important to you, I can look for something else."

Before Rinne could respond, a young girl darted up to the man's side, her pigtails bouncing with each step. "Papa! Did you find it? Is it here?" she asked excitedly, her wide eyes lighting up when she spotted the ribbon. "Oh! That's the one!"

The man hesitated, glancing between Rinne and his daughter. "Sawa, sweetheart, someone else wants this ribbon too. Maybe we should find another shop—"

"Nooo!" Sawa wailed, her voice rising into a tantrum as she clung to her father's arm. "I want this one, Papa! Please!"

The commotion quickly drew the attention of everyone in the shop, including Mr. Ichinose and Fujitaka. Rinne felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment wash over her, but as she watched the girl's tearful pleas, a pang of empathy stirred within her. She could see herself in Sawa—the lonely, crying child she had once been, except Sawa had a father to comfort her.

Without a word, Rinne picked up the ribbon and knelt in front of the little girl. "Here," she said gently, holding it out to her. "You can have it."

Sawa sniffled, her tears momentarily forgotten as she looked at Rinne in surprise. "Really?"

Rinne nodded. "Really. It'll look perfect on you."

The girl's father started to protest. "Miss, you don't have to—"

"It's fine," Rinne interrupted with a small smile. "She wants it more than I do."

Touched by her kindness, the man bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you. That's very generous of you."

Sawa beamed, clutching the ribbon tightly. "Thank you, big sister!" she chirped before tugging her father toward the counter.

As they left, Rinne watched them with a bittersweet smile, her heart aching as she saw the father lovingly tie the ribbon into his daughter's hair. The warmth between them was something she had never experienced herself, and it stirred a deep longing within her.

"You did a good thing," Mr. Ichinose said, his voice soft as he approached her. "That little girl will remember your kindness."

Rinne shrugged, trying to mask her emotions. "I just couldn't stand to see her cry. It reminded me of… me."

Mr. Ichinose placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You've got a big heart, Rin-chan. Don't forget that."

Before they could leave, Mr. Ichinose's eyes caught on another display nearby. "Hey, what about these?" he said, holding up a pair of ribbons—one blue intertwined with white, the other green intertwined with pink. "They're not the same, but I think they'd make a nice gift for Tsu-chan."

Rinne's eyes widened slightly as she took in the ribbons. The colors were uncannily symbolic: blue for Houtaro, white for herself, green for Kirika, and pink for Shirabe. It was as if the ribbons represented their bond. "They're… perfect," she murmured, her voice tinged with awe.

Mr. Ichinose grinned. "Let's see how they look on you first."

"What? No way—"

Not wasting time, Mr. Ichinose gently but insistently guided Rinne to a part of the shop where a tall mirror stood. "Come on, let's give these a test run," he said cheerfully, holding up the ribbons.

Rinne sighed, her protests dying in her throat as she allowed herself to be maneuvered into place. "I don't know about this… It's not like I'm buying them for me."

"Well, we need to make sure they're perfect for Tsu-chan, right?" Mr. Ichinose replied, already starting to gather Rinne's long hair into sections. "Besides, I think you'd look great in twintails."

Rinne's cheeks flushed faintly as she caught Hopper1 chirping in agreement from her arms. "Fine," she muttered, "but don't make it too tight."

With surprising dexterity, Mr. Ichinose tied the blue-and-white ribbon into one side and the green-and-pink one into the other, fashioning her hair into a style that mirrored Shirabe's usual twintails. Stepping back to admire his work, he grinned broadly. "Perfect! What do you think?"

Rinne turned to face the mirror, and her breath caught. The reflection staring back at her was both familiar and foreign. She had always seen Shirabe as the embodiment of this hairstyle—bright, confident, and unshakably kind. To see herself in the same style felt almost… surreal. Yet, the ribbons didn't feel out of place. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to imagine being as strong and selfless as Shirabe, someone worthy of the bond they shared.

"You look great," Mr. Ichinose said warmly, his tone free of teasing. "Tsu-chan's going to love these. And you look just as cute as she does with that style."

Rinne's lips curved into a small, genuine smile, the weight in her chest lifting ever so slightly. "Thanks… but I think twintails are still more her thing than mine."

"Well, that's true," Mr. Ichinose said with a light-hearted chuckle. "But it's good to try something new every now and then."

With a soft laugh, Rinne reached up to untie the ribbons, carefully smoothing out her hair before handing them back to him. "Alright, let's buy them."

At the counter, they were greeted by a cheerful young woman wearing a name tag that read Tomosato Aoi. She smiled brightly at them as they placed the ribbons on the counter. "Oh, these are adorable! Are you buying them for your daughter?" she asked, glancing at Mr. Ichinose.

Rinne's face turned bright red. "He's not my father!" she blurted, flailing her hands slightly in protest. "He's just—he's Houtaro's dad, and—"

Mr. Ichinose laughed heartily, cutting off her flustered explanation. "While she's not my daughter, she's just as important. Rin-chan here is one of my son's precious friends, and that makes her precious to me too. She's like my own daughter in this regard."

Rinne froze, her embarrassment melting into something warmer and far more profound. "Mr. Ichinose…" she murmured, her voice barely audible.

The cashier grinned knowingly as she wrapped the ribbons into a small gift box. "Well, you two certainly have the vibe of a father and daughter," she said playfully, sliding the neatly wrapped box across the counter.

After paying, they left the shop, the soft chime of the doorbell marking their exit. As they walked, Rinne clutched the box of ribbons tightly, her gaze focused on the pavement. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"For what?" Mr. Ichinose asked, glancing at her.

"For… treating me like family," Rinne admitted, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't deserve it. Not after everything."

Mr. Ichinose stopped, gently placing a hand on her shoulder to make her look at him. "Rin-chan, don't say that. You're a good person, and you mean a lot to Hou-chan and the others. That makes you family in my book. Never doubt that."

"Hoppa, hoppa, ho!"

Hopper1 chirped in agreement, nuzzling against her arm. Rinne couldn't help but smile, the faintest glimmer of tears welling in her eyes. "I'll try to believe that," she said, her voice steadier now.

"Good," Mr. Ichinose replied, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Now, let's go cheer up Hou-chan and the others, okay?"

With renewed determination, Rinne nodded, clutching the box of ribbons and Hopper1 close as they resumed their journey to the hospital.

---

The sky above had turned a muted, dull gray, casting a heavy stillness over the quiet neighborhood alleyways. With sluggish, dragging steps, Houtaro stumbled forward, his breath ragged as if each exhale drained the last bits of strength from his exhausted body. His legs felt like lead, his thoughts heavier still. He didn't know how far he had run after storming out of Café Ichinose, nor did he care. Distance didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.

His vision blurred as he turned a corner, the tight confines of the alleyway wrapping around him like a noose. He staggered to a stop beside a pile of trash bags, slumping against the cold, unforgiving wall of a building. His chest heaved as he clenched his fists tightly at his sides, as if trying to hold the world itself from crushing him entirely.

It was too much. All of it.

Shirabe... still motionless in that hospital bed. Still comatose. Still cold. Still unreachable.

Rinne... gone. Fleeing with guilt, lost in her own spiral of self-blame, leaving them behind.

Kirika... sick, bedridden after pushing herself too hard to find Rinne through the stormy night.

And himself... the so-called "Houtaro Ichinose." But what was he really? A living, breathing corpse, held together by the Philosopher's Egg, kept walking by nothing but borrowed miracles and ancient power.

"This is all my fault…" His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, barely louder than the wind sneaking through the cracks of the alleyway. "All of it… it's because of me…"

With a sudden burst of frustration, Houtaro kicked an empty can down the alleyway, the sharp clatter echoing like mockery. His chest tightened. His heart pounded. His mind spun. Images flashed through his head—Shirabe smiling, Rinne's laughter, Kirika's playful teasing—all of them marred, overrun, and swallowed whole by the memory of Shirabe's broken body and lifeless gaze after Gigist had his way.

And then... that revelation. The Philosopher's Egg. His so-called second chance at life.

"But... am I even... me...?" he murmured, his gaze falling to his trembling hands. He raised them slightly, watching as they quivered like fragile leaves in the wind. "Or am I... just something pretending to be me...?"

A glint of light caught his attention. Just by his foot lay the shattered remains of an old mirror, its jagged pieces strewn carelessly among the garbage. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he crouched and lifted one of the larger shards.

And there he was. Houtaro Ichinose—or at least... the face of someone who claimed to be.

"Who are you…?" he whispered to the reflection, his throat tightening. "Are you really me…? Or... or are you just... something Mom stitched together with that Egg...?"

The thought made his stomach twist. The world he'd known, the friends he'd cherished, the family he'd loved—it all felt like it was slipping through his fingers. If the true Houtaro Ichinose died that day, then what right did this... this thing standing in his place have to still be here? Living. Laughing. Being loved.

And worse—what right did it have to drag others into suffering alongside it?

"Shirabe wouldn't have gotten hurt... Rinne wouldn't have been crushed... Kirika wouldn't be sick... if I just... stayed dead…" His voice trembled. "Why... Why did you save me, Mom…? Why…?"

Tears welled up, blurring the cracked reflection. His grip on the shard tightened.

"What was the point… if it only made everyone miserable?!"

With a cry torn from deep within his chest, Houtaro swung his fist downward, shattering the mirror piece into glittering fragments. The pain hit him instantly, white-hot and searing. Blood trickled from his knuckles, painting his trembling hand a deep crimson.

"Argh! It hurts! It hurts so much… Help me, Mom, Dad…" he cried, clutching the wound. But it wasn't the cut that hurt most. No, that was just physical. The real pain… that burned from within, in places no one could see.

Tears streamed freely down his cheeks as he dropped to his knees, rocking gently on the cold pavement. His arms wrapped around himself like a child seeking comfort from the dark. His voice, choked and hoarse, barely rose above a whisper.

"I'm sorry… Dad… I'm sorry I pushed you… I didn't mean to… I just… I just couldn't tell you… I couldn't tell you I'm not even really your son anymore..."

The confession hung in the air, swallowed by the silence.

"And Mom… Why...?" His voice cracked as he stared blankly ahead. "Why did you bring me back...? If all it meant was this... if all it did was make everyone suffer… Shirabe… Rinne... Kirika... I... I can't..."

A sob tore from his throat as he lowered his head into his arms, his bloodied hand staining his shirt. "Please... someone... tell me why... Why am I even here? Why do I exist like this...?"

He thought of how easy it would be if none of this had happened. If he'd stayed gone. If Shirabe had never needed to sacrifice herself. If Rinne had never been consumed by her own guilt. If Kirika had never collapsed searching for someone who didn't want to be found.

They would all be better off without him. Happier, even. Peaceful.

Maybe, he thought, that's what should've happened.

Maybe… that's still what should happen.

And yet, even as the thought crossed his mind, the weight of it made him feel... hollow. Like disappearing wouldn't solve anything. Like it would just leave another wound behind. Another person left behind to cry on some empty street corner.

But that didn't stop the tears from coming. Or the apologies from spilling out over and over again.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

He didn't know who he was apologizing to anymore. His father. His mother. Shirabe. Rinne. Kirika. Himself. Maybe all of them. Or maybe no one at all.

And so Houtaro sat, curled in on himself in that lonely alleyway, the world moving on without him as he cried into the dirt, waiting for an answer that would never come. Several minutes later, Houtaro stumbled out of the narrow alleyway, the soft clang of his own footsteps echoing on the empty sidewalk.

His arms hung limply at his sides, and his shoulders slumped so low it was as though the weight of the entire world had been strapped to his back. His once bright and lively eyes, the same ones that used to sparkle whenever he'd shout about the "best alchemy ever," were now hollow, empty pools swimming with despair.

He didn't know where his feet were taking him. He didn't care. There was nowhere to go. No place left where he belonged. Step after step, his body moved on instinct alone. His mind remained trapped, spiraling in a never-ending loop of apologies that tumbled from his lips in a weak, hoarse whisper.

"I'm sorry… Dad… I'm sorry, Shirabe… Rinne… Kirika… I'm sorry... for everything…"

The words were barely audible, carried away by the wind almost as quickly as they escaped his throat. And yet, they kept coming, as if repeating them might somehow undo the pain he'd caused, might somehow pull Shirabe back from her endless slumber, might somehow stop the aching guilt gnawing at his heart.

His fingers curled weakly against the dried blood on his knuckles, still sticky from the shattered mirror back in the alleyway. He hadn't even bothered to wrap the wound. What was the point? What was the point of any of this...?

Then, through the fog of his wandering thoughts, a voice rang out—loud and familiar, slicing through the numbness like a distant bell.

"Houtaro! Oi! Houtaro, is that you?!"

Houtaro's feet faltered, and he slowly turned his head. Through the haze of his tears, he saw a figure jogging toward him from down the street, waving an arm high into the air. It was none other than Kajiki, Houtaro's best friend. Someone who should never have been dragged into this cruel mess.

Kajiki beamed as he ran closer, panting slightly as if relieved to finally catch sight of him. "Man, I've been looking all over for you! You just vanished yesterday, and... Rinne said you were feeling awful! You okay now? Wait—no, of course you're not okay… you look like you just crawled out of a nightmare..."

Houtaro stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat. Of all people... why did it have to be Kajiki?

Kajiki, who knew nothing about the Philosopher's Egg. Nothing about Gigist. Nothing about Fine. Nothing about how close Shirabe was to death, how Rinne was drowning in guilt, how Kirika was burning up in fever, and how he—the supposed Houtaro Ichinose—might not even be human anymore.

Kajiki smiled as he approached, clearly eager to share the news. "Hey, you'll wanna hear this! Rinne's been looking for you. She said she wanted to fix things. Sounded pretty desperate, honestly. You should talk to her."

Rinne. For a brief moment, just hearing her name stirred something faint in Houtaro's chest—a small, flickering ember of warmth. But it was smothered just as quickly by the cold, suffocating weight of reality. Rinne didn't need him. None of them did. They deserved peace. Safety. Normalcy. And as long as he was around... none of them would have that.

Houtaro's gaze dropped to the ground. "I… I can't," he muttered under his breath, so quiet even he barely heard it.

"What was that?" Kajiki tilted his head, stepping closer. "Hey, you good, man? You're acting super weird…"

Houtaro clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else. He couldn't face Kajiki. Not now. Not like this. Without thinking, his legs moved on their own. And then... he ran.

"H-Hey?! Houtaro?!" Kajiki shouted in shock as Houtaro bolted past him without warning. "Oi! Where are you going?!"

But Houtaro didn't answer. His feet pounded against the pavement, his chest heaving as he pushed himself harder and faster, ignoring the sting of his scraped hand and the ache in his legs.

Behind him, Kajiki gave chase, his hurried footsteps growing louder with each passing second.

"Stop! Houtaro! What's wrong with you?!" Kajiki pleaded, his voice rising in confusion and concern. "Come on, man! Talk to me! Just stop already!"

But Houtaro refused to slow down. The thought of stopping—of facing Kajiki, of seeing his best friend's worried face and pretending everything was fine—was unbearable. If Kajiki knew the truth… if he knew that his own best friend wasn't even supposed to be alive… then what?

Would he look at Houtaro the same way again? Would he still call him his friend? The thought terrified him. So, he ran.

Through winding streets and narrow lanes, past familiar shops and homes he'd passed every day of his life. But today, it all felt like a blur. Like he was sprinting through a world that had already left him behind.

And still, Kajiki's voice echoed behind him. "Houtaro! Please! Just stop for a second! What's going on?!" But no matter how loud Kajiki called, no matter how desperately he chased, Houtaro couldn't bring himself to stop. Because if he stopped, the truth would catch up with him. And he didn't know if he had the strength to face it.

Not yet. Not when everything inside of him felt so broken. Not when he wasn't even sure if "Ichinose Houtaro" was still real. So, he kept running, as if he could somehow outrun the very thing eating him alive. And Kajiki, bewildered but unwilling to give up on his friend, kept running after him.

On a nearby road in the neighbourhood, Elsa and Vanessa walked side by side down the sidewalk, their steps casual, their conversation trailing off into the air like lingering whispers of an earlier, more serious exchange. They had spent most of the day reflecting on Rinne—her tears, her guilt, her stubbornness. Even after everything they'd once been to each other—enemies, rivals, opposites—they couldn't bring themselves to leave her to drown in her own sorrow.

Seeing her so utterly broken, so thoroughly crushed under the weight of her own heartache, had been unbearable in a way neither of them had expected. It felt strange, almost ridiculous, that the two of them had gone from fighting Rinne to encouraging her, pushing her to stand back up and face the storm she'd been so desperate to run from.

"I still can't believe we did that," Vanessa muttered, glancing up at the sky with a tired exhale.

Elsa shrugged beside her, the corner of her mouth quirking slightly. "Yeah. Weird day."

"Weird week," Vanessa corrected, her tone dry. "But... I hope she actually listens. If she doesn't pull herself together, she's just gonna keep spiraling, and…"

"And they all deserve better than that," Elsa finished for her, her voice quieter now. "Especially Shirabe... and Houtaro."

Vanessa nodded, though her lips pressed into a thin line as her gaze drifted ahead of them. "Yeah. Those two have been through enough already."

But before Elsa could add anything else, a sudden gust of wind blew past them—no, not wind. A blur. A figure sprinted by in a rush of footsteps and ragged breaths, so fast that it took them both a moment to register who it was.

The two just saw Houtaro passed them. They barely caught a glimpse of his disheveled hair and the shadowed, haunted look on his face as he flew past, his body moving as if it were being chased by ghosts only he could see.

"What the hell—?" Vanessa blinked, turning her head to follow his disappearing figure.

Elsa furrowed her brow. "Was that... Houtaro?"

Before either of them could process the strange sight, another figure appeared, panting heavily as he jogged up behind them. Kajiki.

"Houtaro—! Stop—!" Kajiki's voice cracked from exertion, his breath ragged as he skidded to a halt next to the girls. He hunched over, hands on his knees, gulping down air between gasps.

"Kajiki-kun?" Elsa asked, brows raised as she stepped toward him. "What's going on? What was that just now? And... are you chasing him?"

Kajiki looked up, sweat beading on his forehead. "Yeah… yeah, I am! But... I don't know why! He just… ran. I saw him walking and tried talking to him, but the moment I mentioned Rinne, he bolted."

Vanessa and Elsa exchanged a quick glance, their earlier conversation suddenly clicking into place.

"That explains why he looked like that," Vanessa murmured.

Elsa nodded, her expression darkening. "Something's definitely wrong. Really wrong."

Kajiki straightened up, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. "I thought maybe it was just... I don't know, exhaustion or something, but... He's not himself. He's been acting weird. Completely ignoring me. And now he's just running like... like I'm some threat."

Elsa's lips tightened as she processed this, and then she turned sharply, her mind already working. "We have to stop him. Whatever's going on, we're not letting him keep running from us. He needs to talk. He needs to stop."

Vanessa was already nodding, stepping back into pace beside her. "Agreed. Let's corner him. Kajiki, keep chasing him straight. We'll split up and cut him off from the other side."

Kajiki blinked, surprised by their quick resolve, but then nodded. "Yeah. Right. Let's do it."

Without another word, they broke apart—Kajiki surging forward again with everything he had left, his sneakers pounding hard against the concrete, while Vanessa and Elsa ducked down the adjacent streets, weaving through the neighborhood paths with practiced ease.

Houtaro kept running, his breath coming in painful bursts, his chest tight as though iron bands were squeezing the air out of him with every step. He heard Kajiki behind him again, shouting his name, pleading with him to stop, but the words felt distant, like echoes bouncing off the edges of his exhausted mind.

"I can't," Houtaro whispered to himself, his throat raw from both the sprint and the suppressed sobs still caught somewhere deep inside. "I can't stop... I can't... If I stop... I'll drag you all down with me…"

He couldn't look Kajiki in the eye. How could he? How could he explain the impossible? That the boy Kajiki had called his best friend wasn't even supposed to exist anymore. That Houtaro Ichinose had died years ago, and all that was left was this hollow shell, this walking disaster powered by a cursed relic. How could he say that aloud and expect anything other than fear, or worse, pity?

No. Kajiki was better off not knowing. All of them were. And what if Gigist found out? What if Kajiki became the next target? Just like Shirabe... just like Rinne... just like everyone who got too close.

"I won't let that happen. I won't..."

His legs screamed at him to stop. His lungs burned. His vision blurred as the tears stung his eyes again, but he clenched his jaw and forced his body to keep moving, even as the world tilted slightly with dizziness.

"Please," Kajiki called again, his voice echoing from behind, desperate now. "Just stop, man! What are you doing? Why are you running from me? Just talk to me!"

But Houtaro only pushed harder, shaking his head, wiping at his face with the back of his trembling hand. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Kajiki... I can't... I just... can't..."

And still, he ran, the weight of his secrets dragging behind him like chains he couldn't break, as the streets of his neighborhood twisted into a labyrinth he couldn't escape. Houtaro's feet pounded against the pavement in frantic, uneven strides, his breath coming in sharp, ragged bursts, the ache in his chest growing heavier with every desperate step forward.

His heart—or the imitation of one—throbbed against his ribs, not from exertion, but from the crushing certainty that none of this would end until he was gone, until he put enough distance between himself and the people who refused to let him carry the weight of his own existence alone.

"Please... just stop chasing me," Houtaro thought bitterly as he wiped at his tear-streaked face with the back of his trembling hand. "You don't understand... you shouldn't even be near me. If you knew what I really was... what I've become... you'd be running the other way."

"What are you talking about, Houtaro? I can't understand what you are saying if you keep running away like this, man!" The sound of Kajiki's footsteps behind him never faded, the boy's voice carrying through the air in exhausted pleas that Houtaro refused to answer.

The weight of guilt tightened around Houtaro's throat like an iron collar, but he pushed himself faster, turning blindly down a street, his mind a frantic blur.

Until—

Houtaro's heart lurched in his chest as he spotted a figure ahead of him, standing defiantly in the middle of the road like a final barricade and that figure was Elsa.

She locked eyes with him the moment he rounded the corner, her expression firm, unwavering, as if she had already accepted that she'd throw herself at him if that's what it took to stop his escape. He saw her glance briefly over his shoulder, signaling silently to Kajiki who was gaining ground behind him.

"This ends here!" Elsa called out, bracing her stance as though she were preparing to intercept a wild animal. Her voice was sharper than usual, cutting through the noise of his pounding pulse. "I don't know what happened to you yesterday. Honestly? I probably don't want to know... but I'm not about to let you drag Kajiki-kun into whatever storm you're stuck in. He deserves answers. And so do you!"

And before Houtaro could fully process her words, Elsa lunged toward him, arms outstretched and ready to bring him down.

Panic flashed through Houtaro's mind like lightning. His instincts flared in the split second he needed them, his gaze flicking to the narrow side street to his left. Without hesitation, his feet shifted course, veering sharply just out of Elsa's reach.

She gasped in surprise, her body suspended in mid-air for a heartbeat as her momentum betrayed her, the trajectory of her leap carrying her forward without anything to catch. Straight into Kajiki.

Houtaro heard the distinct, muffled thud behind him just as Elsa collided with the incoming Kajiki, the two of them tumbling in a tangled heap to the ground.

"Ah—! Kajiki-kun!" Elsa blurted out, blinking down at the friend she'd accidentally tackled.

Kajiki coughed, winded but not entirely upset. "It's fine! I'm good! Are you... uh, okay, Elsa?"

Elsa's face flushed as she realized just how close they'd ended up. "I'm fine! I didn't mean to—just focus on Houtaro!" she stammered, though her gaze lingered on Kajiki for a second longer than necessary before shaking herself back into the moment.

But there was no time for anything more. Kajiki, ever resilient, was already pushing himself upright, extending a hand to help Elsa back to her feet. "He's still running. We can't let him get away!"

Elsa nodded sharply, brushing dirt off her clothes as they both set off again, their shoes scraping against the asphalt as they took off in pursuit once more, the sounds of their shared determination echoing in the narrow street.

Ahead of them, Houtaro ran on, his breath uneven as the tightness in his chest only grew worse.

"This is pointless," he thought bitterly. "They won't give up... but they don't understand. They can't."

The ache of knowing they still cared—it hurt worse than anything else. He wasn't worth their worry. He wasn't worth the chase. If they knew the truth, they'd stop. They'd have to. But fate wasn't finished mocking him yet.

As he turned another corner, his already strained heart nearly stopped when he spotted another figure standing in his path and this time it was Vanessa. She stood tall with her arms crossed, a smirk tugging at her lips, though there was a glint of warmth in her eyes that felt more like an older sibling scolding a stubborn little brother.

"Alright, Houtaro," she called out as she stepped into the middle of the road to block him. "Be a good kid and stop. You're not making this easy for anyone." Her smirk widened playfully. "Maybe if you behave, I'll even make you my honorary little brother. How's that sound?"

Houtaro's stomach twisted. That familiar, teasing affection that Vanessa so casually wielded... it felt so painfully out of place against the storm raging inside him.

"I can't..." he whispered to himself. "I can't let them pull me back in... I'm only going to drag them down with me."

Vanessa's gaze sharpened as she prepared herself, clearly ready to lunge just like Elsa had, and Houtaro knew she wouldn't hold back.

As her feet left the ground and her arms stretched wide, aiming to wrap him up in one of her trademark bone-crushing hugs, Houtaro ducked low, slipping just beneath her reach in one smooth motion.

The surprised sound Vanessa let out barely registered before he heard the sound of bodies colliding behind him. Again. He dared a glance back just in time to see Vanessa barreling straight into Kajiki and Elsa as they rounded the corner after him. The three of them tumbled into each other, limbs flailing, voices overlapping as they rolled across the pavement.

Vanessa groaned, pinned awkwardly atop the other two. "Oops... sorry, sorry! Big sister's bad!"

Elsa growled from somewhere beneath the pile. "Vanessa! You reckless idiot!"

Kajiki, somehow beneath both of them, let out a wheezing laugh. "It's... fine... but... he's getting away again."

Vanessa's eyes widened as the realization struck her. "Crap. Right. He's still going!"

Elsa wriggled free, shoving Vanessa off her as she scrambled upright. "Come on! We're not letting him get away this time!"

Kajiki rolled onto his side and accepted Vanessa's hand as she pulled him back to his feet.

The three of them wasted no more time, their earlier fumble forgotten as they took off once more down the road, shouts of "Houtaro! Stop!" chasing after him.

But Houtaro didn't slow. He didn't dare.

"I'm sorry," he thought as his feet pounded against the pavement, his chest burning and his mind spiraling. "I'm sorry... but I can't let you get caught up in this. I can't lose anyone else."

And so, with the sun dipping lower and the shadows stretching longer, he ran on, as if by sheer force of will, he could outrun the truth forever.

Houtaro's breath was ragged, his chest heaving as he tore down the empty street like a man running from his own shadow. His legs felt heavy, but his mind even heavier. The endless loop of apologies whispered from his lips with every stride. "Sorry... Dad... Shirabe... Rinne... Kirika..." Their names repeated like a curse, an unending chain that kept tightening around his heart the further he ran. He couldn't stop. If he stopped, the weight of reality would catch him, and he wasn't sure if he could handle what came next.

But no matter how fast or how far he pushed himself, the sound of Kajiki's voice refused to fade.

"Houtaro! Stop already!" Kajiki shouted from behind, his voice hoarse from the constant chase. "Why the hell are you running away from me?! I'm not a monster, man! I'm not some ghost you gotta fear! Just stop and talk to me!"

The words clawed at Houtaro's heart. He wanted to stop. He wanted so badly to turn around and cling to the comfort of his best friend, let Kajiki pull him back to sanity. But no... he couldn't. Not when he was no longer sure if he was even Houtaro Ichinose. Not when his very existence was the reason everything around him was crumbling. What right did he have to lean on them? To burden them further? Kajiki... Elsa... Vanessa... they didn't deserve that.

So, he pressed on, ignoring the burning in his legs, the ache in his chest, and the tears blurring his vision. But fate wasn't going to let him run forever.

Just as he turned another corner, his gaze snapped ahead—and standing there in the middle of the path, as casual as ever with his hands shoved in his pockets, was Supana Kurogane.

Supana barely spared Houtaro a glance, his expression as unimpressed as always, his golden gaze trailing up and down the boy charging toward him like a runaway freight train. "Hmph," Supana muttered under his breath, nodding slightly as if he'd already pieced the situation together from a mile away. "So this is what you're up to."

Houtaro's eyes widened slightly, his voice coming out sharp and bitter. "Move. Supana."

Supana's gaze lazily met his. "Yeah, yeah."

With an exaggerated sigh, Supana stepped just slightly aside, as if to comply. But just as Houtaro thought he was home free, Supana's foot slid out, casually tripping him in a motion so subtle it almost felt accidental.

Houtaro stumbled forward with a yelp, gravity betraying him as he hit the pavement hard. His palms scraped against the concrete, and he winced, glaring back over his shoulder. "What the hell was that for?!"

Supana shrugged, unbothered. "You were getting on my nerves. That pathetic face of yours? Yeah, I've had enough of it."

Before Houtaro could even push himself up, the sound of running footsteps pounded behind him.

"Houtaro!" Kajiki called, nearly breathless, relief flooding his voice as he and the others finally caught up. "Finally!"

"No, no, no—" Houtaro panicked, scrambling to his knees, trying to bolt again. But this time, they were ready.

In a blur of movement, Elsa slid open her signature rolling case, pulling a cable from within. Without hesitation, she spun it like a practiced lasso, the cord snapping through the air with a sharp whirrr. Before Houtaro could fully rise, the cable whipped around his torso, locking his arms tightly against his sides.

"Gotcha," Elsa huffed, tightening the cord with a tug. "You're not getting away this time."

And before Houtaro could so much as wriggle free, Vanessa launched herself forward with a gleeful grin. "Big sis has you now!" she declared, wrapping her arms around him like an affectionate boa constrictor, further immobilizing him in her vice-like grip.

"Wha—Vanessa-san! Let go!" Houtaro squirmed, but the combined force of Elsa's cable and Vanessa's embrace was overwhelming. He was trapped.

Kajiki crouched down beside them, panting from exertion but grinning with that same easygoing charm he always carried. "Geez... what's gotten into you, huh? Running away like you're being chased by a ghost."

Houtaro averted his gaze, staring at the ground. His heart pounded, not from the chase but from the flood of guilt that weighed heavier than any of them pinning him down.

Kajiki leaned in slightly, his voice softer now. "Talk to me, man. Please. What's going on? Why'd you bolt? You look... awful."

But Houtaro clamped his mouth shut, his lips trembling, his body stiff. The words were there. They were always there. But every time he tried to force them out, they got stuck behind the wall of self-loathing and doubt. How could he tell Kajiki the truth? That his own existence might be the reason Shirabe was comatose, Rinne lost in guilt, and Kirika bedridden? That he might not even be... himself anymore?

Silence stretched on, heavy and tense. Kajiki let out a frustrated sigh. "Man... you're just like Rinne. You know that? All this running, all this sulking, bottling everything up until it explodes. Seriously... it's like you're competing to see who can hold it in longer."

Houtaro flinched at Rinne's name but still didn't speak. His chest ached from the pressure, but he remained stubbornly quiet.

Seeing his refusal, Vanessa adjusted her grip, pulling him closer in a playful yet firm squeeze. "Come on, little guy. You're not getting out of this until you spill. And trust me, I don't mind holding you here all day."

Elsa crossed her arms, glaring down at him. "Seconded. Either you talk or we drag you somewhere until you do."

With nowhere left to run and the people around him refusing to let go, Houtaro let out a long, exhausted sigh. His body slumped in defeat as he stared blankly at the ground, voice barely above a whisper. "...Fine. I'll... I'll talk. But... just a little."

At once, a collective sigh of relief passed through the group. Kajiki's expression softened, and he gave Houtaro a small pat on the shoulder. "Good. That's all we're asking for, man. Just... let us help."

---

After several minutes of relentless pursuit, the chaotic chase finally came to its end in the quiet embrace of a small park tucked between the neighborhood streets. The soft rustling of trees and the gentle chirping of birds created a fragile peace, contrasting heavily with the storm of turmoil swirling inside Houtaro's heart.

He sat slumped over on a wooden bench, his hands resting limply on his knees, his gaze fixed on the ground as if the answers to his misery lay hidden within the cracks of the pavement. His breaths were shallow, his chest tight, like every exhale dragged pieces of his soul out with it.

Vanessa and Elsa stood at his sides, firmly gripping his shoulders as if they feared he might make another desperate dash at any moment. Though the chase had ended, neither of them fully trusted that Houtaro's feet wouldn't betray him once again if given the chance.

Kajiki plopped down beside him on the bench, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Man, you're seriously the worst sprinter I've ever had to chase," he joked, trying to lighten the mood, but his eyes quickly softened. "But... more than that... what's going on with you, Houtaro? This isn't like you."

Leaning casually against a nearby lamppost with his arms folded, Supana merely observed the scene with his usual apathetic air. He hadn't intended to become part of this little mess, but now that he was here, it felt like a decent enough way to pass the time.

Kajiki spared a glance toward Supana, offering a polite nod. "Thanks for the help back there. Sorry if we're keeping you from something important."

Supana shrugged, barely lifting his head. "Relax. I've got time to kill. Might as well stick around. You know, see if the sob story's worth hearing."

Kajiki blinked at his bluntness but decided not to question it. With a nod, he returned his attention to Houtaro. "Alright, man. Spill it. Why'd you bolt like that? And... why do you look like you've been hit by a truck?"

Houtaro inhaled slowly, his body trembling under the weight of expectation. Part of him wanted to keep running, even now. Another part wanted nothing more than to bury his face in his hands and disappear. But trapped between Vanessa's grip and Elsa's sharp gaze, he knew there was no escaping anymore. Still, as he opened his mouth to answer, Vanessa interrupted first.

"Before you start," she said softly, "you should know... Rinne's doing alright."

Houtaro's eyes flickered up at her, his heart pausing mid-beat. "Rinne...?"

Kajiki nodded, his tone gentle. "Yeah. She... she ended up collapsing from a fever last night. Found her in the rain. Took her to Elsa's and Vanessa's place to rest. She woke up this morning and seemed a lot better. Actually said she was going to go find you. Guess you two need to... sort some things out."

For a brief, fleeting moment, warmth flickered in Houtaro's heart. Rinne was okay. He exhaled shakily, some small part of the crushing guilt easing. But it didn't last long. Relief quickly turned to bitterness, the shadows creeping back in as fast as they'd left. She wouldn't have been in that state if it wasn't for me. The thought gnawed at him, twisting his guts.

Still, his voice came out barely louder than a whisper. "That's... good. I'm... glad she's okay." But the words felt empty. Meaningless. After all, everything was still broken.

Kajiki leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he eyed his friend. "She didn't say much. Just that... things happened between you two. And with Shirabe, too. Stuff none of us really get."

Houtaro's head dipped lower. "Yeah... I figured."

Vanessa crossed her arms, her tone turning a bit more serious. "She told us a bit about Shirabe, too. About... how bad things really are."

Elsa nodded, adding in a softer voice, "It's worse than just a fever, huh?"

Their words were carefully chosen, tiptoeing around Kajiki's presence. Clues without confirmations. Enough for Houtaro to know they were aware of the deeper, darker truths, but not enough to shatter Kajiki's innocent perception of their world.

Supana snorted quietly from his spot near the lamppost. "Chris wouldn't shut up about it. The way she told it, Shirabe's as good as gone."

The words hung in the air, heavy and sharp. Kajiki blinked, confused. "Gone? Wait, what...?"

Elsa quickly cut in, raising her hand. "We'll explain later. Let's hear Houtaro's side first."

All eyes fell back to Houtaro. He felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs, the weight of their stares suffocating. Kajiki sat quietly beside his best friend, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, trying to find the right words to begin again after the heavy silence. He decided to fill the air first, his voice gentle but filled with the genuine concern that only a lifelong friend could convey.

"Hey... Houtaro," Kajiki began, his tone careful, "Rinne told me some stuff... yesterday, when I ran into her. About Shirabe. And about you."

Houtaro looked up slightly, just enough to glance at Kajiki from the corner of his eye, his heart tensing at the mention of Rinne's name.

Kajiki continued, looking forward as if recounting the memory. "She said Shirabe got sick. That she caught your fever when she was taking care of you yesterday." He paused to gauge Houtaro's reaction, and upon seeing the subtle flinch, he pressed on. "And... that you tried to help Shirabe after that. Even though you were still recovering yourself. Rinne said she tried to stop you, but you didn't listen. And... well... she got into a fight with you over it."

Kajiki sighed, his hands resting on his knees as he leaned forward. "She said Kirika took your side. I guess that kinda left Rinne on her own. She got pretty upset... and she left. But..." He hesitated, then smiled sadly. "She also said she left right after seeing you collapse. So... you know. She might've stormed off, but she was worried about you. She really was."

Houtaro's lips quivered as the pieces came together. So that's what Rinne had told him. Just enough of the truth to paint the picture but leaving out all the devastating details. She hadn't told Kajiki about Gigist. About the Malgam. About Shirabe's true state.

Good. Houtaro couldn't bear to drag Kajiki into that darkness. He needed to protect him from the weight of that knowledge, even if it meant twisting the story to keep him in the light.

Houtaro took a deep, shaky breath, his voice soft and brittle. "Yeah... what Rinne said was... mostly true."

Kajiki nodded, gesturing for him to go on, and Vanessa and Elsa listened intently, knowing Houtaro was about to tell his side.

"But," Houtaro continued, his voice faltering, "it's worse than that. Shirabe's... not just sick. She's... she's in a coma."

The words hit the group like a stone dropped into still water. Kajiki's face froze in shock, his eyes widening. "W...what? A... a coma?"

Houtaro nodded weakly, his hands clenching tighter as though holding himself together. "Yeah... and... there's no guarantee she'll wake up."

Kajiki looked like he had been slapped, his expression twisted with disbelief. "No way... Shirabe...? How...?"

Houtaro shook his head, his voice breaking as he stared down at his lap. "I don't know. I... I thought it was just my fever. That I'd passed it to her. But it... it's worse than we thought. Way worse."

Vanessa and Elsa shared a glance but stayed silent. They knew the truth, but they allowed Houtaro to craft the version of events that Kajiki could handle. Supana, meanwhile, simply exhaled through his nose, unmoved but still listening with mild interest.

Houtaro swallowed hard, his throat dry and raw. "Because of me... because of my sickness... Shirabe's like that now. And because of that... Rinne left... Kirika pushed herself too hard trying to find her... and now she's sick too."

His voice cracked as he buried his face in his palms. "It's all my fault... everything... I couldn't protect anyone."

The tears came again, heavy and hot, sliding between his fingers as he sobbed quietly into his hands. "Shirabe... she's just... gone. And I don't know what to do. I don't even know if I'm... me anymore..."

Kajiki was stunned, his usual bright and carefree demeanor replaced by visible worry. Slowly, he reached out and rested a hand on Houtaro's back, rubbing it gently in small circles, the same way he used to whenever Houtaro got down about something trivial like failing a drawing or losing a match in a game. But this was no trivial matter, and Kajiki knew it.

"Hey... hey... come on, man," Kajiki said softly. "Don't... don't do this to yourself. You couldn't help it. You're not some miracle worker. You did everything you could."

"No... I didn't," Houtaro whispered hoarsely, his voice muffled by his hands. "If I'd just... if I wasn't me... if I wasn't... this thing... maybe none of this would've happened."

Kajiki frowned, gripping Houtaro's shoulder a bit tighter. "Stop that. You're Houtaro Ichinose. My best friend. You're the guy who always tells me to believe. To imagine the impossible. So why can't you imagine Shirabe getting better, huh?"

The words should have been comforting. They should have lifted him up, ignited that familiar spark. But they didn't. Not this time.

"You don't understand," Houtaro said through clenched teeth, his body trembling. He looked up, his tear-streaked face contorted with grief. "When I say there's no hope, Kajiki... I mean it. I mean... this isn't just some cold or flu. This is... it's something that can't be fixed with optimism."

His gaze fell again. "Shirabe's as good as gone... and I'm the reason why."

The group fell into a heavy silence. Kajiki looked down at the ground, trying to find words that didn't exist, while Vanessa and Elsa exchanged solemn glances. Supana tilted his head back, gazing up at the sky as if the clouds held some sort of answer.

And in the middle of it all, Houtaro sat there trembling, drowning in the overwhelming guilt that no one—not even his friends—could fully pull him from. He slumped forward, his shoulders trembling as he buried his face into his hands, his muffled cries soaking into his palms. His voice quivered with every breath as he muttered over and over, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... It's all my fault..."

Kajiki sat frozen beside him, unable to comprehend how his usually bright, imaginative best friend could unravel into such a broken state. Kajiki's heart clenched with an unfamiliar ache, one that worsened the more he listened. He had been so sure, so certain, that this was just about a bad fever, a rough patch that their usual optimism could pull them through. But now... hearing Houtaro sob, seeing the raw pain in his eyes... it felt like there was something much deeper. Something much worse.

"H-Houtaro..." Kajiki stammered, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned closer. "I mean... Rinne told me Shirabe caught your fever and got sick, but... you're talking like..." His words faltered. "...like she's never coming back. Like... it's way worse than just a fever."

Still hidden behind his hands, Houtaro sniffled, his voice low and hollow. "Because it is worse, Kajiki... way worse..."

Kajiki exchanged a quick glance with Elsa and Vanessa, silently pleading for help. Sensing the growing gravity of the moment, Elsa sighed and crossed her arms. Despite everything—their history, her former life as an enemy—she couldn't just sit back and let Houtaro crumble like this. For all his boundless kindness and open-hearted acceptance of her and Vanessa, he deserved better than to drown in self-blame.

"Listen, Houtaro," Elsa spoke up, her voice firm but not unkind. "We... we know it's worse. Rinne didn't tell Kajiki the whole truth, but she told us enough. We know Shirabe's condition isn't just some simple cold." Her gaze softened. "But... that doesn't mean you get to throw yourself into this pit of self-pity and guilt."

Houtaro slowly looked up from his hands, his eyes red and glassy. "Then what am I supposed to do?" His voice cracked, his expression trembling on the edge of despair. "What else can I do except blame myself? If I hadn't been there... If I wasn't... me... Shirabe wouldn't be like this. Rinne wouldn't have run off. Kirika wouldn't have gotten sick chasing after her. It all comes back to me. Every part of it."

Kajiki frowned deeply, his brows furrowing in frustration and concern. "But sitting here crying and blaming yourself isn't gonna change any of that, man! You're acting like the world's already ended!" He leaned forward, gripping Houtaro's shoulder tightly. "Come on! You're the guy who always tells me to dream bigger, to imagine the impossible! What happened to that Houtaro, huh?"

But Houtaro only shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's gone... He died a long time ago... I'm just... what's left over."

Kajiki blinked, confused by the strange wording, but before he could press on it, Elsa cut in with more heat.

"So what? You think Shirabe would want you sitting here wallowing and giving up on her? You think Rinne, Kirika, or any of us would want that?!" Elsa's words lashed at him like a whip, sharp and biting. "You're acting like the only thing you're good for is dragging people down, but guess what? You're wrong! You're the one who brought us together! You're the one who kept fighting! And now you wanna sit here and say it's better if you just disappear?!"

"I..." Houtaro faltered, his lip trembling. "I just... I just wish I wasn't here. If I wasn't around... none of this would've happened. Shirabe wouldn't be comatose. Rinne wouldn't be blaming herself. Kirika wouldn't be sick. I'm the one bringing all this pain... So maybe... maybe it's better if I just... disappear..."

The words hung in the air like a sharp knife. Hearing them out loud, Kajiki's jaw tightened. His best friend, the very person who'd taught him how to imagine brighter futures and wild dreams, was sitting there wishing himself out of existence.

Kajiki couldn't hold back anymore. "Don't you dare say that!"

Houtaro flinched at the sudden volume, and Kajiki stood up, facing him head-on with his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"You really think we'd all be better off without you? That Shirabe, Rinne, Kirika, your dad—everyone would just be happier if you never existed? That's... that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say, and believe me, you've said a lot of dumb stuff!" Kajiki huffed, his voice shaking from how hard he was trying to hold back tears of his own. "You're not allowed to disappear. You hear me? You're not! You matter way too much to all of us. You matter to all of us, Houtaro!"

Vanessa nodded firmly beside him, resting her hands on her hips. "Kajiki's right. You can't just throw yourself away like that, Houtaro. You think that's what Shirabe would want? You think Rinne, Kirika, or even your father would ever forgive you if you gave up on yourself?"

Elsa scoffed, crossing her arms tighter. "And if you think we're gonna just let you keep talking like that, you're dead wrong. You're stuck with us. So start acting like it."

But Houtaro's eyes shimmered with fresh tears, and he looked down at his knees as his hands trembled. "But... I don't know how to fix this... I don't know how to make anything better... I just... I just want someone to tell me what to do... I don't know what I'm supposed to be anymore..."

Silence followed, but it was Kajiki who broke it first, placing a hand firmly on Houtaro's shoulder.

"You be Houtaro Ichinose. That's it," he said softly. "The same guy who's always believed in people. The same guy who never gave up, no matter how bad things got. You don't need to have all the answers, man. You just gotta keep going... with us."

Houtaro's lip quivered, his heart aching at the warmth of Kajiki's words. A part of him, buried deep under the crushing despair, felt that small, familiar ember flicker again. However, the weight of his predicaments were far out of reach from a simple preach from Kajiki and the others.

Houtaro's cries grew louder as he clenched his fists into the dirt beneath him, his voice trembling through his tears. "You guys don't understand! I just… I just wish I wasn't here... None of this would've happened if I didn't exist... Shirabe... Rinne... Kirika... Dad... They'd all be better off... without me..." His words cracked, the weight of his self-loathing sinking deeper into every syllable. "If only... If only I could just disappear... I wish I was dead…"

Hearing that again—those same words, repeated over and over like a mantra—something snapped inside Supana.

Without a word, without even warning, Supana strode forward. His footsteps were heavy, his expression unreadable as he loomed over the broken boy slumped on the ground. For a brief second, Kajiki tilted his head, watching him curiously, thinking maybe Supana was going to pull Houtaro to his feet with one of his awkward, blunt remarks.

But that... wasn't what happened.

Supana's hands shot down, seizing Houtaro by the collar of his shirt with enough force that it practically yanked the air from Houtaro's lungs. Before anyone could react, Supana dragged the boy up and slammed him against the nearest tree with a harsh thud that echoed through the quiet park.

"What the hell?!" Kajiki shot up, shocked. Vanessa and Elsa flinched, wide-eyed.

But Supana didn't answer. His expression wasn't that of the usual disinterested mechanic or aloof jerk they knew. No. There was fury there—raw, burning anger that crackled behind his narrowed eyes. Without hesitation, he drove his knee hard into Houtaro's gut, forcing a choked gasp from the boy as the air fled his lungs.

"Ah...!" Houtaro winced, his body folding over Supana's knee before slumping further into his grip. But Supana didn't stop. Another knee. Another blow to the stomach. Then his fist came next—once, twice, again, pounding into Houtaro's cheek with enough force to make his head whip to the side.

"Hey, stop it!" Kajiki barked, rushing forward. "What are you doing, man?!"

But when Kajiki tried to intervene, Supana's free hand lashed out, backhanding him across the face with enough force to send him stumbling to the side and crashing to the ground.

"Kajiki-kun!" Elsa gasped, immediately dashing to Kajiki's side as he groaned, clutching his jaw.

Vanessa followed, helping Kajiki up, her gaze fierce as she shot a glare toward Supana. "Kurogane Supana! That's enough! Are you insane?!"

Elsa hissed through her teeth. "What the hell are you thinking?! He's already hurting enough without you turning him into pulp! Not to mention, you dared to hurt Kajiki-kun too?!"

But Supana wasn't listening. Or perhaps... he didn't care. His grip on Houtaro tightened, knuckles white from how hard he clenched the boy's shirt. Houtaro's face was pale, his body limp as Supana delivered another blow, and another, relentless and brutal. Houtaro cried out in agony, his voice cracking between choked sobs as he begged through the pain. "Please... Supana... it hurts... S-stop..."

But Supana didn't stop. Not yet. Every punch, every kick, landed with a force that seemed to carry every ounce of irritation, anger, and frustration he'd bottled up for far too long. "You wanna disappear, huh?!" Supana barked between strikes, his voice venomous. "You think dying's the answer?! You think whining like a coward and wallowing in your pity is all you're good for?!"

Another punch. Houtaro coughed violently, spitting flecks of blood onto the dirt.

"You think it's your fault?!" Supana growled. "Then quit crying about it and do something about it! Or are you really that pathetic?!"

Kajiki, panting as he wiped the blood from his lip, struggled back to his feet. " Enough! You're going to kill him!"

"Let go of him!" Vanessa yelled, dashing toward Supana. "Are you trying to beat him into the grave?!"

Between the three of them, Kajiki, Elsa, and Vanessa lunged, grabbing at Supana's arms, yanking him back. Supana resisted at first, still throwing his weight forward as if he hadn't yet poured out all his rage. But the combined force of the trio finally managed to drag him off of Houtaro, tearing him away from the battered boy and forcing him several steps back.

Supana breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling as his fists trembled at his sides. "Tch..." He scoffed, turning his head to the side, as if disgusted—though whether at himself, Houtaro, or the situation at large wasn't clear. "Pathetic."

As soon as Supana was dragged off, Houtaro collapsed forward, his body folding onto the dirt like a ragdoll. His breath was ragged, his body shaking from the pain. Tears mixed with blood as they dripped onto the ground beneath him. His arms wrapped weakly around his stomach, trying to soothe the agony radiating from the relentless blows.

Kajiki dropped to his knees beside Houtaro, lifting him gently. "Hey, hey... Houtaro... can you hear me?!" His voice was filled with panic and disbelief. " What the hell is wrong with you, man?!"

Elsa glared daggers at Supana. "Beating him to a pulp is your idea of therapy?! You really are out of your damn mind!"

Vanessa clenched her fists, visibly trembling as she crouched beside Houtaro, gently wiping away the streaks of blood from his face with a handkerchief. "We're supposed to be helping him... not tearing him down even more."

But Supana merely scoffed again, crossing his arms. "Help? You call coddling him with empty words help? Look at him. He's drowning in his own self-pity, talking about wanting to die like it's some poetic solution. Sometimes..." His gaze darkened. "...you gotta hit rock bottom hard enough to remember why you wanted to climb out in the first place."

The park air turned suffocatingly heavy as Supana, his voice cool and cutting like a sharpened blade, scoffed toward the trembling Houtaro sprawled on the ground.

"Tch. What's with all this crying?" Supana muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets with that ever-detached glare. "Didn't you say you wanted to disappear? To be dead? I just did you a favor. Thought I'd speed things up for you."

Houtaro's ragged breaths trembled. His fingers, scraped and dirt-stained from the rough ground, clenched weakly. He lifted his head just enough to look at Supana, eyes glassy with tears.

"If that's all you're gonna do... then just finish the job already..." Houtaro whispered brokenly, his voice hoarse from sobbing.

Supana sneered. "Pathetic."

Those words hit harder than any of the punches.

"Guess this is all there is to your precious 'Gotcha' spirit, huh?" Supana continued coldly, his tone heavy with disgust. "Just empty words from someone who collapses the second things get tough."

Supana's mind drifted briefly, bitterly, to Shirabe. To the girl who'd patched him up when no one else could have been bothered. He remembered how she had asked him—pleaded, even—to try and believe in Houtaro. To trust him. To fight alongside him.

And now look where that got her.

"A fool, that girl, Tsukuyomi Shirabe," Supana spat under his breath. "Trusting a weakling like you."

The moment those words left his mouth, they snapped something deep inside Houtaro. Pain and exhaustion were shoved aside like shattered glass. Houtaro's hands pressed into the ground, forcing himself upright with trembling arms. His legs wobbled beneath him, his body aching from every strike Supana had delivered... but the fire in his heart burned hotter than the bruises on his skin.

In a blur of sudden movement, Houtaro surged forward. His hands gripped Supana's collar with a desperate, furious strength, yanking him down to his eye level, eyes blazing with raw anger and grief.

"Take. That. Back," Houtaro hissed through gritted teeth. "You can beat the crap out of me all you want. I deserved that. But don't you dare... Don't you dare insult Shirabe like that!"

Everyone froze. Vanessa, Elsa, and Kajiki could only stand in stunned silence as Houtaro's raw emotion cracked through the park like thunder. Supana didn't flinch. He only met Houtaro's glare with that same tired, unimpressed gaze.

"Why? It's the truth," Supana shrugged. "You're weak. She trusted you and now look where she is. Still comatose. Still broken. And you're here sobbing on the floor wishing to disappear. Maybe she was wrong about you."

"You... you heartless...!" Houtaro's grip tightened. Tears streamed anew down his face, but now they weren't just from despair. They were from rage. "You don't even care! She saved you! Don't you remember that?! You'd be dead if it weren't for Shirabe!"

Supana snorted. "I didn't ask her to save me. That was her mistake, not mine."

Houtaro shook his head violently. "And you think that makes it okay to talk about her like she's nothing?! Like she's not lying there in a hospital bed because she protected all of us?! How can you just—just shrug it off like that?!"

But Supana just pulled away from Houtaro's grip, dusting off his shirt with an apathetic sigh. "Because people die. People leave. That's just how life works." His eyes narrowed as if daring Houtaro to argue further. "What? You think you're special? Think you're the only one who's ever lost someone?"

Supana's lips curled into a bitter smirk as his voice dropped, low and sharp as a knife. "You lost your mom. Big deal. So did I. And my dad. And Carol. And Elfnein. And Cagliostro. You know what that means? It means you get over it."

Houtaro blinked, the wind knocked out of him—not from Supana's fists this time, but from his words. His mouth hung open slightly, like his mind was still trying to catch up.

Supana continued, his tone icy, words slicing into the open wounds in Houtaro's heart. "Every single one of us in Garage Yukine knows what it means to lose people. People who mattered. People who were family. Yukine lost her parents. Stephan lost his sister. You think you're the only one grieving? You think you invented pain? Spare me. It's now your turn to accept that loss happens in life!"

Supana's biting words sliced through the air like shards of broken glass, each syllable digging deeper into Houtaro's fragile heart. The moment Supana suggested he simply accept Shirabe's fate and move on, it was as if the last threads holding Houtaro together snapped all at once.

"That's exactly why!" Houtaro barked back through his tears, voice cracking and raw. His whole body trembled as he clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as if trying to ground himself through the pain. "That's exactly why I wish I'd never been alive in the first place! If I wasn't here... if I didn't exist... Shirabe wouldn't be like this! Rinne wouldn't be hurting! Kirika wouldn't be sick! None of them would've been dragged into this nightmare if it wasn't for me!"

Tears streamed freely down his cheeks. His vision blurred. He couldn't even see Supana anymore, just a haze of colors and shadows around him as the weight of it all crushed his chest. "Everything... all of this... is my fault. I just ruin everything... I'm... I'm just... wrong…"

He collapsed to his knees on the ground, curling into himself as sobs wracked his body. "If I wasn't here... none of this would've happened... They'd all be happier without me... I just want... to disappear..."

For a moment, no one said anything. Only the sound of Houtaro's broken sobbing filled the park, echoing in the cool afternoon air. Vanessa and Elsa exchanged solemn glances, their hearts aching at the sight of him so utterly shattered. Even Kajiki, who had always seen Houtaro as the beacon of boundless positivity, now watched his best friend crumbling into the dirt, utterly lost.

But Supana... Supana's disappointment only deepened. He scoffed sharply and stepped closer, looking down at the pitiful sight before him with a glare as cold as steel.

"What a ridiculous joke," Supana sneered, his voice laced with venom. "Sitting there bawling like a child... talking about throwing away your own life like it's garbage."

Houtaro barely lifted his head, blinking through his tears as Supana loomed over him.

"You think disappearing solves anything? You think you're the only one who's ever lost people? You think you have the right to spit on the life you were given?" Supana's voice rose, harsh and unrelenting. "Let me tell you something, Ichinose Houtaro. There are people out there—people who would give anything for just one more second with the ones they lost."

Supana jabbed a finger into his own chest.

"Chris's parents. Stephan's sister. My own parents. Carol. Elfnein. Cagliostro. Every single one of them—gone. And you don't see us rolling over, begging the world to kill us off too, do you?"

Houtaro's lips trembled as he tried to respond, but Supana wasn't finished.

"You think you're suffering? You think your pain is so unique? Wake up. You're not special. You're just another idiot who thinks sulking and wishing yourself dead is the answer."

Houtaro's hands clenched tighter against the ground. "Shut up..."

"Oh, you know I'm right," Supana snapped. "You know exactly what you sound like—a selfish brat who can't see past his own misery."

"Shut up!" Houtaro barked louder, tears blurring his vision as rage and grief swirled together in his chest. "I know! I know all that! But I can't... I can't just... I can't just accept it! I've lost my Mom before and I can't pretend I'm okay with losing her too! First my mom... now Shirabe... How the hell am I supposed to move on from that?!"

Supana folded his arms, unmoved. "You don't. You carry it. You live with it. Or you don't, and you keep crying until the world leaves you behind."

Those words broke something deeper than Houtaro thought was left to break. He crumbled again, curling into himself with his forehead pressed to the ground as sobs shook his entire frame.

Kajiki couldn't take it anymore. Without hesitation, he rushed to Houtaro's side, dropping to his knees and wrapping an arm around his trembling shoulders.

"Houtaro, please... Enough already..." Kajiki said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "Look, I don't know what's really going on here. Half the stuff you and he is saying is way over my head... but I know you. You're the guy who always finds a way, no matter how impossible it seems. You're the guy who made me believe we could make our dreams real. So don't talk like this... like we'd all be better off without you. We wouldn't."

Elsa and Vanessa quickly followed, kneeling on either side of him.

"Seriously, it's getting painful just listening to you talk like that," Elsa added, her usual sharpness softened with concern. "You're not allowed to give up. Got it?"

"Exactly," Vanessa agreed, patting Houtaro's back gently. "Shirabe's not gone. Not yet. And I know she'd never forgive you if you sat here crying instead of fighting for her."

Kajiki looked up at Supana, frustration still simmering beneath his breath. "You too, man. Lay off. You've made your point."

Supana huffed and turned his gaze away, adjusting his jacket as he muttered, "I said what needed to be said."

With the three of them supporting him, Houtaro slowly sat upright. His face was a blotchy, tear-streaked mess, his breathing ragged, but the overwhelming sobs had quieted, leaving only the ache behind.

Houtaro sat hunched over, his hands gripping his face as if trying to shield himself from the world. His body trembled, his breath shaky, every inch of him collapsing under the sheer weight of his guilt. His voice was barely a whisper, but the pain in it cut through the air like a blade.

"I never should've been brought back in the first place…" His fingers curled against his temples, pressing in as if he could crush the thoughts threatening to consume him whole. "If I had just stayed dead, none of this would've happened. Shirabe wouldn't be like this. Rinne wouldn't have run away. Kirika wouldn't have gotten sick. Everything… everything is my fault."

Kajiki, kneeling beside him, clenched his fists. He had never seen Houtaro like this before—not like this. The boy who always smiled, always believed in others, was now crumbling before his eyes. And worst of all, Houtaro truly believed his own existence was a mistake.

Kajiki's grip tightened on his knees before he finally spoke, his voice carrying a quiet but unwavering strength. "Don't say that." Houtaro barely reacted. His face remained buried in his hands, his shoulders stiff.

Kajiki took a deep breath, pushing down his frustration and choosing his words carefully. "You're Houtaro Ichinose. That hasn't changed. It doesn't change—no matter what you think happened in the past." He placed a firm hand on Houtaro's shoulder, squeezing just enough to ground him. "You're still you, Houtaro. And no matter what… you'll always be your parents' son."

Houtaro flinched, his breath hitching. "I don't… I don't even know if that's true," he choked out, his voice raw. "I don't know what I am anymore."

Kajiki's grip on his shoulder tightened. "Then stop telling yourself lies and listen to the people who do know you."

Elsa, who had been silently watching, finally spoke up, her voice soft but firm. "Kajiki-kun's right. You're still the same person—the same Houtaro who helped me, who helped all of us." Her gaze flickered with emotion, her fingers tightening around the hem of her skirt. "I know you're hurting, but if you keep thinking like this, you're just hurting yourself even more."

Houtaro let out a hollow laugh, his hands slowly lowering from his face. "And what else am I supposed to do?" His voice cracked, eyes still filled with grief. "Just pretend none of this happened? That Shirabe isn't—" His throat closed up, unable to finish the sentence.

"You don't have to pretend." Vanessa stepped in now, her arms crossed, her expression serious but not unkind. "But you do need to get up."

Houtaro blinked up at her, eyes slightly dazed.

Vanessa sighed, kneeling down in front of him. "Moping here isn't going to change anything. You know that. And besides…" She tilted her head, giving him a knowing look. "Shirabe needs you. Right now."

Houtaro's breath hitched.

"She might be in a coma," Kajiki continued, his tone gentler now. "But if she could talk to us, if she could see you like this… do you really think she'd want this? Do you think she'd want you sitting here blaming yourself instead of being there for her?"

Houtaro's hands curled into fists. He knew the answer. He knew what Shirabe would want—she would want him to be there. She would want him to fight, to keep believing, to keep imagining.

Kajiki could see the hesitation in his friend's eyes, so he pushed further. "We don't know how long it'll take for her to wake up. But imagine if the first thing she sees when she does… is you."

Houtaro's breath hitched.

"If you give up on yourself, you're giving up on her too," Kajiki said, his voice unwavering. "And I don't think you want that, do you?"

Silence hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Houtaro's shoulders trembled as his mind warred with itself. And then—finally—his lips parted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"…I should be there."

Kajiki gave him a small but relieved smile. "Yeah."

Vanessa smirked, nudging his shoulder. "Took you long enough."

Elsa wiped at her eyes, sniffling softly. "Then let's go."

Houtaro exhaled, his chest still tight, his heart still heavy. But for the first time since this nightmare had begun, he felt something else. A flicker of resolve. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, unsteady but determined. "…Let's go see Shirabe."

Kajiki clapped him on the back, grinning. "Now that's the Houtaro I know. We'll go with you. Back to the hospital. Together."

Elsa nodded in agreement. "Rinne's probably already there. And if not, she's definitely out there looking for you. You really want her finding you collapsed in a park like this?"

Vanessa chuckled lightly, nudging Houtaro's arm. "Seriously. I'm starting to think you and Rinne are way too alike for your own good."

At the mention of Rinne, Houtaro's heart tightened. He thought of her drenched in the rain, her frail body succumbing to the fever. Of her blaming herself just as much as he blamed himself. Of her running away... just like him. But now... she was facing everything. Head-on.

Why couldn't he?

Kajiki gave his shoulder a final, reassuring squeeze. "Houtaro... Shirabe needs you. Kirika needs you. Rinne needs you. And we... we're not going to let you sit here and waste away while they're all waiting for you to come back."

Houtaro wiped the lingering tears from his cheeks. His hands were still shaking, his heart still heavy. The despair wasn't gone, not completely. But... in that moment, with his friends standing beside him, something stirred inside his chest. Something small. Fragile. But real. A spark of hope.

Slowly, Houtaro nodded. "...Okay. Yeah. Let's... Let's go."

Kajiki grinned. "That's more like it."

Vanessa and Elsa exchanged relieved glances, both glad to see some life returning to the boy who just moments ago looked ready to vanish.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Houtaro allowed himself to breathe—truly breathe—as the weight pressing down on his chest lightened just a fraction. The encouragement from Kajiki, Elsa, and Vanessa had managed to lift him, even if the scars of despair still clawed at the edges of his mind. He wasn't okay. He wouldn't be for a long time. But he could move forward. He had to.

His hands curled into fists as he let out a shaky breath, nodding weakly. "I… I want to go back. To Shirabe. To Kirika." His voice was still fragile, but it held something that wasn't there before—resolve.

Kajiki's lips stretched into a relieved grin, his hand clapping firmly against Houtaro's shoulder. "That's more like it! We'll go together. I want to see Shirabe too—though, man… a coma? I thought she just had a fever…" His voice trailed off, the realization hitting him harder now.

Houtaro tensed but said nothing. He couldn't say anything. Not to Kajiki. Not when he didn't know the whole truth.

Kajiki, sensing the shift in atmosphere, quickly changed the subject. "But hey, just promise me something, alright?" He turned to face Houtaro fully, his expression unusually serious. "No more of that 'I wish I was never born or I was dead' crap. You matter—to me, to your dad, to Rinne, to Shirabe, to Kirika, to everyone—so stop acting like you don't."

Houtaro swallowed hard. He wanted to believe that. He really did. And then— A voice. A chilling, amused, almost singsong voice. "Oh, Houtaro… but is that really true?"

Houtaro froze. His blood turned to ice.

"Wh... what the hell—" Kajiki stammered, his mind scrambling to comprehend what he was even looking at. "Who—what is that?!"

The world around them seemed to distort as the voice slithered through the air, rich with mockery.

"Because from where I stand… all your existence has done is bring despair to those around you."

The moment the words left the unseen figure's lips, the temperature plummeted. And then they saw him. Sitting casually on the bench beside Houtaro, as if he had been there all along, one leg crossed over the other, a delighted smirk stretched across his face, Dark King Gigist.

The world tilted. Houtaro's breath left him in a violent shudder. His stomach lurched. His limbs locked up in terror. No. No, no, no. Not him. Not now.

Kajiki took an instinctive step back, his body rigid. Elsa and Vanessa tensed up beside him, their bodies instinctively moving into defensive stances. Even Supana, who had been leaning against a tree, straightened instantly, his fingers twitching toward his Valvarusher as his teeth clenched in frustration.

Gigist hummed in amusement, resting his chin on his hand as if he were a curious scholar rather than a nightmarish entity. "What a delightful conversation you were all having." His eyes gleamed with sadistic glee. "So much hope, so much determination… I almost didn't want to interrupt."

His smirk widened. "But really, Houtaro, this self-deception of yours… it's adorable."

Houtaro's heart was slamming against his ribs, his breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. His entire body screamed at him to run, to get away, to get everyone else away—

"Kajiki, RUN!" he shouted, eyes wide with sheer terror. He turned to Elsa, Vanessa, and Supana, voice cracking. "All of you—get out of here! NOW!" His voice was raw, panicked, desperate.

He stumbled to his feet, arms outstretched as he tried to push Kajiki and the others away—away from Gigist, away from the suffocating presence that threatened to consume them all.

But before anyone could even register his desperate plea, a simple flick of Gigist's wrist sent a surge of black energy outward, expanding in a violent, concussive wave. The impact hit them like a thunderous explosion, sending Houtaro, Kajiki, and the others flying back, their bodies crashing hard against the park grounds as they were scattered across the area.

Houtaro landed painfully on his side, his head ringing from the force of the blast. His vision swam, the world around him momentarily blurring into a dizzy haze. Groaning, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, barely managing to lift his gaze toward the monster who had just effortlessly overpowered them all.

Gigist, still seated as though nothing had happened, gave an exaggerated sigh. "Really, now. Running away? Pushing your friends aside as if that would keep them safe?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Houtaro, Houtaro… you truly are entertaining."

Houtaro's breath hitched. His hands curled into trembling fists as he forced himself to stand, his legs shaking beneath him.

Supana, despite being knocked a few meters away, recovered the quickest. He spat in irritation, wiping dirt off his cheek as he snapped, "What the hell are you doing here, Gigist?" His tone was filled with venom, a mix of anger and apprehension tangled together, as he gripped his Valvarusher tightly.

Gigist sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Honestly, Supana, must you always be so hostile? I simply wanted to check in on my dear Houtaro here. After all, I've been rather invested in Houtaro's journey into despair." His gaze flickered to Houtaro, filled with feigned sympathy. "And what a beautiful sight it is. The cracks have deepened, haven't they? You've been through quite a bit, haven't you, boy?"

Houtaro shuddered, his fingers digging into the dirt. That was what Gigist thrived on, wasn't it? Despair. And he was drowning in it.

But Gigist wasn't done. His gaze slid back to Supana, something more calculating in his expression now. "And you, my dear Supana. How convenient that we should meet again," he continued, his voice laced with intrigue. "You still refuse to accept my generous offer? I must say, it is quite disheartening."

Supana's entire body went rigid.

"I don't care how many times you ask," Supana growled, voice low and firm. "The answer is the same. My life, my path—it's my own. I'm not interested in your twisted ideology."

Gigist's smirk deepened. "You know, I still believe you'd make an excellent heir. Your potential is wasted on these weaklings. You cling to your so-called comrades, allowing sentimentality to shackle you when you could be so much more." He gestured vaguely toward Houtaro and the others. "Why not leave them behind? Join me. I could shape you into something far greater."

Supana's grip on his weapon tightened until his knuckles turned white. "Like I'd ever listen to you!"

Supana barked, raising the Valvarusher and firing a rapid volley of energy shots at Gigist. The Valvarusher's bullets tore through the air, but before they could so much as touch Gigist, they froze mid-flight. Suspended. Effortlessly halted by the Dark King's will.

Gigist let out a disappointed sigh. "Ah. Still so defiant." With a flick of his fingers, the bullets dissolved into nothing. "A shame, really."

And then, in a single smooth motion, Gigist retaliated. A sphere of black fire materialized in his palm before he casually flicked it toward Supana.

The attack shot forward, crashing into Supana with the force of a cannon. He barely had time to raise his weapon in defense before he was sent flying, rolling violently across the ground before slamming into a tree.

Houtaro barely managed to lift himself up, his voice hoarse. "Supana—!"

Kajiki, who had managed to scramble back to his feet, turned toward Gigist with visible frustration. "Stop this! What the hell do you want, you freak?!"

Gigist exhaled, brushing nonexistent dust off his coat. "Honestly, why must you all resist so much? It's tiresome."

Gigist chuckled, standing up from the bench at last. He reached into his coat, pulling something out—and the sight of it made Houtaro's stomach drop. A Chemy Card. But not just any card. A card glowing with an ominous aura—the X-Wizard card.

"Ah, yes," Gigist mused, holding up the glowing card between his fingers. "I nearly forgot. I acquired a little something earlier today. I've been considering ways to... deepen Houtaro's despair. And what better way than to see him relive his worst nightmare?"

Houtaro's body went rigid, his breath caught in his throat. No. Not again.

Gigist's smirk widened at Houtaro's horrified reaction. "Ah, yes. You understand now, don't you? You remember what happened to poor Shirabe, don't you? How helpless you were as she was twisted into something monstrous before your very eyes?" His tone was dripping with cruel amusement. "It was such a fascinating display of agony. But I wonder... what if I did it again?"

The air around them grew heavier, suffocating.

Gigist's eyes gleamed as he let out a low chuckle. "Tell me, Houtaro... how would it feel to watch another precious person be torn away from you?" He raised the X-Wizard card slightly. "Perhaps this time... X-Wizard herself? The sister figure you hold so dearly? Or maybe... someone else?" He tilted his head, feigning curiosity. "After all, you have so many dear friends. So many choices. Who shall I break next, I wonder?"

Houtaro felt like the ground beneath him had vanished. His breathing grew uneven, his vision blurring as panic and fury swirled together inside him. "STOP IT!" Houtaro roared, his voice filled with raw desperation.

Gigist merely smiled, watching with satisfaction as the boy trembled in sheer terror. "Then do try to entertain me, boy. Let's see how much more despair you can endure."

The world around them seemed to slow into a nightmare-like haze. Houtaro's breath hitched, his entire body locking up as Gigist's chilling declaration rang through the air—his next victim had been chosen. "Well, how about I begin with this bestial girl, Elsa, am I correct?

The name echoed in Houtaro's mind like a death sentence.

Elsa, who had been caught entirely off-guard, staggered backward as the Dark King's oppressive aura wrapped around her, suffocating her in a vice of pure terror. Her eyes widened, her hands shaking as she instinctively reached for her rolling case—but she knew. She knew there was no escape. Not from him.

"No… no, no, NO!" Vanessa's voice broke in a panicked shriek, her entire body tensing in sheer horror. "Don't you DARE touch her, Gigist!"

Houtaro scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding violently against his ribs as his panic turned into a frantic, desperate scream. "Elsa, GET AWAY! RUN!" But she couldn't. She couldn't move.

"Be dyed in darkness." Gigist chanted as his hand filled with dark energy started extending toward Elsa.

The moment those words were spoken, time seemed to slow. The shadows twisted, coiling around Elsa like venomous snakes. The creeping, suffocating weight of Gigist's magic clawed at her, and for a moment, all Elsa could do was stare, paralyzed in sheer, consuming fear.

Her legs felt rooted to the ground, frozen in place by the sheer, overwhelming weight of Gigist's presence. A part of her—no, all of her—already knew. There was no outrunning him. Not when the dark hand of the abyss was already reaching toward her.

Her body trembled as she clenched her fists, her mind flooding with regrets. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to become another puppet in Gigist's twisted game. Not like Shirabe. Not like Millaarc. She didn't want Vanessa to lose another sister. And yet… the moment that blackened claw reached her, she knew it would be over.

A tear slipped from her eye as she squeezed them shut. "Vanessa… Houtaro… Kajiki-kun… I'm sorry." She wasn't fast enough. She wasn't strong enough. She knew—this was it. This was the moment where her fate would be sealed, just like Shirabe's.

"I don't want to die!" her mind screamed, but her body refused to move. She braced for the inevitable and then—

"ELSA!"

Her eyes snapped open. A voice tore through the paralysis strangling her. Her eyes snapped open, just in time to see a blur of motion burst into her vision. Kajiki had thrown himself between her and Gigist's outstretched, corrupted hand. His breath hitched, his arms spread wide as a shield, his stance firm despite the tremble in his legs. Elsa's heart stopped.

"K-Kajiki!" Houtaro gasped, his voice breaking as he scrambled forward, horror gripping him like an iron vice.

Kajiki barely had time to turn his head back, his eyes meeting Elsa's for a fraction of a second—a second filled with so many unspoken words, unfulfilled dreams, and regrets.

"No… NO, KAJIKI-KUN, MOVE!" Elsa screamed, lunging forward to pull him away, but it was too late.

Gigist's hand made contact—not with her, but with Kajiki's chest. The moment the X-Wizard card was thrust inside his body, Kajiki let out a pained, guttural cry, his entire frame convulsing as pure black energy surged through him like a tidal wave of corruption. His back arched, his arms twitching violently as a burning sensation clawed at his very soul. Houtaro, Vanessa, and Elsa all screamed his name in horror.

"Kajiki!" Houtaro wailed, launching himself toward his best friend, hands outstretched in desperation.

Kajiki's head jerked up, his eyes flashing with sheer agony as he reached out toward them with trembling fingers—toward Houtaro, toward Elsa, toward the people he loved. His lips parted, trying to say something, anything— But no words came.

The darkness swallowed him whole. A violent shockwave erupted from Kajiki's body, sending Houtaro, Elsa, and Vanessa flying backward, crashing into the park's dirt and grass as the air around them warped from the sheer energy radiating off of him.

"KAJIKI!" Elsa shrieked, her throat raw, her breathing ragged.

The crackling black aura that had consumed him slowly dissipated, revealing a monstrous figure in its place. Houtaro's body went rigid, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked up. A Malgam. Not just any Malgam—The Wizard Malgam.

Where Kajiki once stood, now a grotesque being loomed, exuding an overwhelming presence of corrupted magic. Its form was jagged, erratic, twisting as if reality itself struggled to contain its unnatural existence. The lingering trace of Kajiki's presence flickered within the glowing runes etched across its monstrous frame, but his consciousness—his soul—was gone.

A shiver crawled down Houtaro's spine. His fingers dug into the dirt beneath him, his breath shuddering as denial clawed at his mind. His hands shot up to his hair, clutching at his scalp as his body trembled violently. "This… this isn't happening," he whispered, his voice cracking as the reality of the situation came crashing down on him.

His best friend—Kajiki—His precious sister figure X-Wizard— like Shirabe.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Houtaro screamed, his voice raw, his throat burning as his despair erupted into the heavens. His fingers curled into his hair, yanking, pulling, as if trying to rip himself apart in his grief. "NOT AGAIN! PLEASE, NOT AGAIN!" His chest heaved, his breaths ragged, his vision blurring with tears.

Elsa, still on the ground, was trembling violently. Her entire body felt like it had been shattered into pieces. "Kajiki…-kun…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her mind refused to comprehend the sight before her, refused to accept what had just happened. He had protected her. He had sacrificed himself for her. And now… he was gone.

"This can't be!" Elsa sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently as she buried her face in her hands. "No, no, no, NO!" She slammed her fists into the dirt, her cries escalating into shrieks of grief and guilt. "WHY DID YOU SAVE ME?! WHY?!"

She broke down, sobbing into her hands, her cries filled with unbearable guilt. Vanessa, kneeling beside her, was shaking too, her gaze locked on the monster that was once Kajiki. Her hands clenched into fists, her teeth gritting together as her heart pounded with a mixture of fear, pain, and rage. Her body trembled, her gaze locked onto the creature that once was Kajiki. She had already lost Millaarc. She couldn't—wouldn't want—lose Elsa. But this? This was just as painful.

And then—A laugh. A slow, deep, delighted laugh. Houtaro's eyes snapped toward the source. Gigist, the Dark King stood there, watching them unravel before him, basking in their suffering with absolute satisfaction.

He placed a hand over his chest, grinning wide. "Ah… exquisite. Truly exquisite!" He let out a breathy chuckle. "The raw, unfiltered despair... It's simply divine!" His gaze flicked toward Houtaro, whose body was still trembling uncontrollably. "Tell me, Houtaro, how does it feel?"

Houtaro couldn't respond. His mouth opened, but no words came.

"How does it feel," Gigist continued, stepping forward, "to watch another one of your precious people slip through your fingers? How does it feel, knowing that you failed them again?"

The words stabbed through Houtaro like knives.

Gigist leaned in slightly, his voice turning almost soothing—mockingly gentle. "Shirabe, now Kajiki… how many more will fall before you realize the truth?"

Houtaro's breath was shallow, his nails digging into his palms so hard they threatened to draw blood.

Gigist's smile widened. "This is what you were meant to bring, Houtaro," he whispered. "Not salvation. Not hope. Despair."

Houtaro's heart clenched painfully. He felt himself sinking, drowning in the weight of it vision blurred, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as the weight of the moment crushed down on him. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. All he could do was stare at the monstrous form that had once been his best friend.

Kajiki was gone. Turned into a Malgam. Just like Shirabe. He couldn't save them. He couldn't save anyone. And maybe… Maybe Gigist was right. Maybe he never would.

The words repeated in his head like a cursed mantra, trapping him in an endless spiral of despair. His fingers twitched, curled weakly against the dirt beneath him as his body trembled uncontrollably.

"I couldn't save him."

"I couldn't stop this."

"This is my fault."

Houtaro's knees buckled as he clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp as if trying to physically tear away the overwhelming despair that threatened to consume him. His breaths came in ragged, uneven gasps, his chest tightening with a crushing weight. His best friend—Kajiki—was gone. Not just hurt, not just sick, but twisted into something monstrous. Just like Shirabe.

"No… no, no, no, this can't be happening…" Houtaro's voice was barely a whisper, trembling with denial. His vision blurred with unshed tears as he looked up at the abomination that had once been his friend—the Wizard Malgam. It stood there, its body twitching unnaturally, the dark magical energy radiating from its form like an oppressive storm cloud. Kajiki's presence, his warmth, his laughter… all of it was buried beneath that horrid, corrupted shell.

Beside him, Elsa had collapsed to her knees, her arms wrapped around herself as she trembled uncontrollably. Her pale blue eyes were wide with horror, glazed over as she repeated the same breathless words.

"This… this was supposed to be me… Kajiki-kun, you idiot… why… why did you…"

Her voice broke, and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand, her body wracked with silent sobs. The weight of Kajiki's sacrifice crushed her, suffocating her with unbearable guilt.

Vanessa, who had managed to pull herself up first, quickly scrambled toward the two, her heart hammering as she grabbed Elsa's shoulders, trying to ground her before the panic consumed her completely.

"Elsa! Snap out of it!" Vanessa urged, shaking her slightly. "I know this is hard, but crying about it won't help Kajiki!"

"But—b-but I—I—" Elsa stuttered, her eyes unfocused, still locked on the Wizard Malgam's hulking form.

"He—he saved me. He saved me!" Her voice cracked, and she shook her head violently. "He wouldn't have been turned if it weren't for me! If I had just—if I had just—"

Vanessa tightened her grip on Elsa's shoulders, forcing her to meet her eyes.

"No! This is not your fault, Elsa!" Vanessa barked, her voice laced with desperation. "The only one to blame here is him!" She turned her glare toward the Dark King.

Houtaro, too, felt himself slipping further into despair, his mind spiraling into an abyss of helplessness. "It's over…" he muttered, his voice hollow. "Kajiki… he's already gone… just like Shirabe. There's no saving him now. No way to stop this."

His entire body trembled as he pulled his knees up to his chest, his breath hitching. "It's all my fault…! If I—If I wasn't here, if I didn't exist… then none of this would've happened!"

Gigist's eyes gleamed with wicked delight. "Oh, how I've longed to see you like this, Houtaro," he cooed mockingly. "Utterly broken. Completely helpless. Forced to watch your precious people be taken from you one by one… and yet, you still refuse to acknowledge the truth."

Houtaro's body tensed. His fingers clenched at his sides.

Gigist's voice lowered to a whisper, dark and intoxicating. "Your existence… is a mistake."

A sharp gasp left Houtaro's lips.

"You don't belong in this world," Gigist continued, his tone soft yet venomous, like a snake whispering poison into his ears. "Everything that has happened… everything that will continue to happen… is because of you."

Houtaro's breathing grew erratic. His nails dug into his arms, his entire body wracked with violent tremors. He was losing himself.

Gigist's smirk twisted into a wider, knowing grin as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "And yet," he continued, his voice dripping with amusement, "I must say, I am absolutely delighted by the results. Houtaro's despair is... delicious."

At the mention of his name, Houtaro flinched. His breath hitched. His trembling form curled in on itself even further.

Vanessa's teeth clenched at Houtaro's words. "Damn it…!" Her hands tightened into fists. "I don't have time for this self-pity crap!"

Fury burned in her golden eyes as she whipped around, her gaze locking onto the monster that had orchestrated all of this. Sitting leisurely on the park bench, Gigist chuckled—a low, amused sound that made Vanessa's stomach turn. His golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction, soaking in their anguish like a fine delicacy.

"My, my… such exquisite despair," he mused, resting his chin against his hand. "To witness the light of hope so cruelly snuffed out… ah, truly, there is nothing more beautiful than this moment." His voice dripped with condescension, his words slow and deliberate, savoring every ounce of pain they endured.

Vanessa's nails dug into her palms. "You… you planned this, didn't you?" she hissed.

Gigist tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Planned? My dear, I merely made a choice. Elsa was the intended sacrifice… but fate is such a fascinating thing, isn't it?" He smirked, eyes gleaming with amusement. "That foolish boy threw himself into my hands, willingly offering himself in her place. What kind of monster would I be to refuse such a heartwarming display of selflessness?"

His smirk widened, his voice dropping into a mockingly sympathetic tone. "Truly, Vanessa… I must wonder. Does this tragedy sting even deeper, knowing that a human—one of their kind—sacrificed himself for you?"

Vanessa's breath hitched, her chest tightening with unrelenting rage. Gigist's words were deliberate, driving a dagger straight into the lingering scars of her past. His smirk deepened, knowing exactly which wounds to reopen. "Oh… I see," he purred, watching her reaction. "You care for them. You care for him."

Vanessa's body tensed. Her breath came out shaky.

Gigist's expression twisted into something sinister. "What a pity… a monster like you, grieving over a human." His golden eyes glowed with cruel amusement. "How quaint."

Vanessa's restraint snapped. "SHUT UP!"

She lunged forward, pure rage propelling her, but before she could move an inch—A sharp crack of gunfire cut through the air. The bullet didn't even reach Gigist. It stopped mid-air, mere inches from his face, suspended by his unseen power. He turned his gaze lazily toward the source of the attack.

It was from Supana and he lowered his smoking Valvarusher, his crimson eyes cold and steeled. Unlike Houtaro and Elsa, there was no visible despair in him—only grim determination.

"I don't give a damn about your little monologues," Supana said flatly, reloading his weapon with a sharp, practiced motion. "But I'm done listening to your talk."

Gigist sighed dramatically, waving a hand. "Ah, Supana, my dear would-be successor. Always so defiant." He rose from his seat, the very air around him growing heavier. "And yet, you still fail to understand your true potential."

Supana scoffed, tightening his grip on the Valvarusher. "The only thing I understand is that I need to put you down before you make things even worse." Then, without warning—Supana moved.

In an instant, he stabbed the Valvarusher into the ground and brought out his Valvaradriver before equipping the belt to his waist. He quickly brought out Machwheel and Daiohni cards before slamming them into the belt.

"Machwheel! Ignite! Daiohni! Ignite!"

He adjusted his collar. "You wanted a fight, Gigist?" He pulled the lever on his belt. "Fine. You've got one."

"Gotchanko Burst! Valvarad!"

A mechanical roar erupted as his body was engulfed in flames, his armor materializing around Supana. In an instant, he had transformed into his Kamen Rider Valvarad form, the metallic hum of his armor resonating as he adjusted his suit's collar. Without hesitation, he ripped his weapon from the earth, gripping it tightly.

Gigist chuckled, extending his arms wide. "Come, then. Show me your so-called resolve, my dear successor."

Supana didn't hesitate. With a sharp battle cry, he lunged, his blade flashing as it arced toward the Dark King.

---

Houtaro barely registered the world around him. His breath was uneven, his heart pounding in his chest as the image of Kajiki—the Wizard Malgam—stood before him, an unnatural presence crackling with corrupted magical energy. The air felt heavy, suffocating, pressing down on him like a weight he couldn't shake off.

"Kajiki…" His voice barely came out. His body refused to move. He had lost another friend. Just like Shirabe. "It's over. It's already over."

"MOVE!"

Before he could even process what was happening, a powerful force yanked him back, throwing him onto the ground with a jarring impact. The next second, a barrage of magical energy crashed into the spot where he had just been standing, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.

The sound of heavy, pained breathing filled his ears. Houtaro's eyes widened. Vanessa stood in front of him, her back hunched, one hand pressed tightly against a deep wound on her arm. Blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the dirt below.

"V-Vanessa-san—!"

Elsa scrambled to her side, her hands hovering near the injury, panic flickering in her golden eyes. "You're bleeding…!"

Vanessa let out a sharp exhale, forcing a smirk despite the pain twisting her features. "Tch… I've had worse." That was a lie. The gash on her arm was deep—far deeper than a simple graze. The blast had torn through her skin like a blade, the dark scorch marks around the wound showing just how potent the Wizard Malgam's attacks were.

And yet—Vanessa was still standing. Still fighting. Even though her body was screaming in pain, she had moved—she had protected them. Houtaro felt his stomach twist into knots. He hadn't moved. He hadn't even tried.

Vanessa let out a strained chuckle, shifting her weight to keep herself upright. "You guys gonna sit around crying forever?" She glanced back at Houtaro, her expression sharp but not unkind. "Hate to break it to you, kid, but we don't have time for that."

Houtaro's breath hitched. "But, Kajiki's already gone," his own thoughts snarled back at him. "We can't save him. He's already a Malgam. If we fight, he'll end up just like Shirabe—"

But Vanessa wasn't having any of it. She stepped forward, swaying slightly from the blood loss, but her eyes burned with fierce determination. "Listen to me, Houtaro." Her voice was firm, unwavering. "Kajiki wouldn't want this. You think he wanted to become some mindless monster? You think he'd want us to sit here doing nothing while he's trapped in there?"

Houtaro clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "But… even if we stop him… even if we win…" His voice was barely above a whisper. "He'll never wake up."

Vanessa's gaze darkened. The unspoken truth lingered between them like a curse. They all knew what had happened to Shirabe. If they fought and won—Kajiki would end up the same way. Unmoving. Unresponsive. A body without a voice.

Houtaro felt his chest tighten painfully, his breath becoming shallow. "I can't do this again… I can't lose another person like this…"

A sharp, frustrated exhale snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. "Then what?!" Vanessa barked. "We just let him rampage?! Let him hurt innocent people?! Let him suffer alone in that body?!"

Her words cut into him, striking deeper than any wound. "Damn it, Houtaro!" Her voice cracked, her injured arm trembling. "If you care about him—if you really care—then fight for him! Fight for the Kajiki that's still in there!"

Houtaro flinched. She wasn't wrong. She was never wrong. A rush of air exploded toward them. The Wizard Malgam's hands glowed with swirling, chaotic magic before launching another series of attacks.

"Look out—!"

Vanessa's eyes flashed as she moved, revealing the hidden mechanisms beneath her cybernetic limbs. The plating on her arms shifted open, and in an instant, a volley of missiles fired from her arms, colliding with the incoming elemental blasts.

The resulting explosion sent shockwaves through the air, a thick veil of smoke rising between them and the Malgam. The moment the attack was nullified, Vanessa staggered.

"Vanessa!" Elsa's voice was high with worry as she caught her, supporting her weight.

Vanessa gritted her teeth, her breath labored. "It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing. The bleeding in her arm was worse now. Houtaro's heart clenched painfully at the sight. Even now, she was pushing herself—fighting for them. For him.

"Please," Vanessa rasped, barely able to keep herself upright. "Don't waste this chance."

Elsa tightened her grip on Vanessa's shoulders, her expression twisted in pain. "She's right…" Her voice wavered. "Kajiki-kun… Kajiki-kun protected me. He chose to do that. If I just sit here and cry—I'll never be able to face him again!"

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I'll fight," she declared, her voice stronger this time. "Because if there's even the slightest chance of reaching him… then I have to take it!" She turned to Houtaro, pleading. "Houtaro… please. We have to try!"

Houtaro's throat tightened. A familiar feeling gnawed at his chest—the same feeling he'd had when he saw Shirabe's unconscious body in that hospital room. Helplessness. Fear. But beneath that… a flicker of something else. Something warm.

His friends were still here. Vanessa was still standing, still fighting, despite her pain. Elsa—who had been seconds away from being lost—was standing tall, her voice clear and determined. They weren't giving up on Kajiki.

His hands trembled as he forced himself to stand. It was terrifying. It hurt. But he had to move forward. He had to fight. He swallowed hard, turning toward the monstrous form of his best friend. "We can't defeat him," Houtaro murmured, his voice steadier than before. "Not like this. If we do… we lose him forever."

Elsa and Vanessa nodded. "Then what do we do?" Elsa asked.

Houtaro exhaled, his fingers curling into fists. "We find another way." His voice grew stronger, his eyes sharper. "We restrain him. We break through to the real Kajiki inside—no matter what it takes."

Vanessa let out a weak chuckle. "Sounds easier on paper…"

"Yeah," Houtaro admitted. "But we have to try."

A silence passed between them.

And then—Elsa made a suggestion. "I can restrain him," she said, cracking her knuckles. "My case is perfect for that."

Houtaro's lips curled into the smallest, weakest hint of a smile. He turned back toward the Wizard Malgam, standing tall despite the fear still gripping his heart. "Then let's bring Kajiki back."

The air crackled with tension. The once-familiar warmth of the city night had vanished, replaced by the suffocating presence of the Wizard Malgam looming before them. The corrupted aura radiating from it twisted the space around them, dark tendrils of energy curling in the air like smoke, distorting reality itself.

Houtaro stood frozen for a moment, gripping the Gotchardriver at his waist. His breath came in uneven bursts, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.

"Let's go, Hopper…" He reached for his cards—his instincts screaming at him to transform, to fight, to do something—but his fingers hesitated. Where was Hopper1?

The realization hit like a gut punch. His most trusted Chemy, the one who had always been by his side, the one who had never given up on him, was gone. Houtaro had left him behind—abandoned him—just like he had abandoned hope and all of his friends.

Damn it… His fingers curled into a trembling fist. His own negativity had led him here. His fear, his despair, had made him push away everything that mattered, and now… now he was paying the price. However, Houtaro knew he can't stop now. Not again.

Shoving down the regret clawing at his chest, Houtaro quickly pulled out two cards from his Gotchardraw Holder—Golddash and Mechanichani. A memory flickered through his mind about their school trip to Kyoto.

Kajiki had been by his side back then. Together, they had saved Hijiri from becoming a Malgam. Back then, Houtaro had believed in his strength, in their ability to change fate. If there was even the smallest chance that something could reach Kajiki inside that thing—he had to take it.

"Golddash! Mechanichani!"

Slamming the cards into the Gotchardriver, he pulled the lever with a decisive motion.

"Gotchanko! Goldmechanichor!"

Golden light erupted around him, metal plating assembling over his body in a flash of alchemic energy. His bulky, armored frame gleamed in the dim light, the mechanical components humming as the transformation settled. Houtaro as Gotchard exhaled sharply, bracing himself.

And then the Malgam attacked. With a flick of its clawed hand, a flurry of elemental alchemic energy shot toward them, streaks of fire, ice, and crackling lightning tearing through the air.

"Move!" Vanessa's voice rang out, sharp with urgency.

Gotchard barely had time to react before she lunged forward, her cybernetic arms shifting open as missile pods emerged from her forearms. With a forceful hiss, she launched a barrage of explosives, the missiles intercepting the Malgam's magic mid-air. The resulting explosion shook the ground, sending embers and smoke curling through the park.

Even as her attack met its mark, Vanessa stumbled back, her breathing uneven. The wound on her arm is still bleeding and darkened her sleeve, fresh red seeping through the torn fabric.

"Vanessa!" Elsa was at her side in an instant, panic tightening her expression.

But Vanessa waved her off, gritting her teeth against the pain. "Forget about me—focus on the fight!" she snapped, shaking Elsa off. Her gaze flicked to Gotchard, fierce and unwavering. "We need to hold him down—that's our chance!"

Gotchard barely had time to nod before Elsa sprang into ripped her suitcase from her back, her tail already flicking up to connect to its socket. In an instant, the case shifted, expanded, and transformed, mechanical limbs extending like metal vines.

With a powerful heave, Elsa launched the suitcase forward. The case twisted into a maw-like contraption, its steel jaws clamping down on the Malgam's limbs, ensnaring it in place. Elsa didn't stop there—she dug her heels into the ground, her tail coiling around the Malgam like a constricting serpent, tightening the grip.

"Kajiki-kun!" Elsa's voice cracked as she called out, desperation thick in her tone. "Please—I know you're in there!"

The Malgam twitched.

Elsa's grip trembled, but she held firm. "You still owe me! You said we'd read more occult stories together—you promised, remember?!" Her voice wavered. "I was waiting for your next story to get published—you can't just disappear!"

For a split second, something flickered within the Malgam's glowing eyes. A tremor ran through its monstrous frame—hesitation. But then—a pulse of dark energy surged outward. Lightning crackled from the Malgam's body, arcing through the metal cables wrapped around it. Elsa barely had time to react before electricity coursed through her.

"A-AAAHHHH!" Pain exploded through her body, a violent shock tearing through every nerve. Her grip faltered—her limbs spasming against the unbearable current.

"Elsa-chan!" Vanessa lurched forward, horror twisting her expression.

The Malgam's clawed hand twitched—a sign of another attack incoming. Gotchard moved. With sheer force, he grabbed the Malgam from behind, locking his arms around its torso. A burst of electricity shot through him, searing pain ripping through his armor. He gritted his teeth, absorbing the voltage into his metal-plated suit. His Goldmechanichor form was built to handle electric surges—but it still hurt like hell.

Gotchard's grip tightened. "Kajiki—stop!" His voice was hoarse, raw with urgency. "You're hurting Elsa—this isn't you!" His body trembled, still absorbing the Malgam's deadly current, but he held on. He wouldn't let go. Not again.

"Listen to me!" Gotchard shouted, his voice cracking. "You don't want this! You would never want to hurt the people you care about!"

The Malgam stiffened. Houtaro saw it—the flicker, the tiny fracture in the darkness consuming Kajiki's soul. Now was the time to reach him.

"I ran away," Gotchard admitted, his voice strained but steady. "I left you behind—I was scared. Scared that Gigist would take you, just like he took Shirabe." His breath hitched. "She's still asleep. She's not waking up, Kajiki. She might never wake up…"

The truth hurt. But he had to say it. "I didn't want to lose you too!" Gotchard's voice cracked. "I was too afraid—and because of that, I couldn't protect you."

The Malgam trembled. Elsa, still weakened but desperate, threw her arms around the Malgam's chest, holding it tighter. "Please," she sobbed, her tears soaking into the monster's corrupted skin. "Come back to us, Kajiki-kun!"

The Wizard Malgam continued to thrash violently against them, its corrupted aura radiating with volatile energy. Elsa tightened her grip despite the searing pain in her muscles, her tail coiled around its frame like an unbreakable chain. Houtaro, still in his Goldmechanichor form, held firm from behind, bracing against the sheer force of Kajiki's transformation.

Yet, despite all their desperate cries—Kajiki was still unflinching.

Gotchard gritted his teeth. His pleas weren't reaching him. No matter how hard he called out, how much he begged, the Kajiki they knew and cared for was still buried beneath the suffocating influence of the Malgam. Was it even possible to reach him? His heart clenched at the thought—no, he couldn't afford to think like that.

Desperate for another way, Gotchard shifted his focus. Not just to Kajiki—but to X-Wizard. The Chemy who had once been like an older sister to him and Shirabe. The one who had always looked after them when they were children. The one who had told him the truth about himself—about how he had died and been revived by the Philosopher's Egg.

His breath hitched at the memory of his own anger. The words he had thrown at her. The doubt. The rejection. His voice wavered as he called out to her now, his grip still locked around the Malgam.

"X-Wizard… I—I'm sorry!" His voice cracked under the weight of his guilt. "I said horrible things to you. I questioned you—questioned my own mother. I didn't believe in you… when all you ever did was try to protect me." His chest ached as he spoke. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but please—please listen!"

For the briefest second, the erratic magic surrounding the Malgam stuttered. Gotchard clung to that moment of hesitation and pressed forward.

"You were the one who helped me unlock X-Gotchalibur! You gave me the strength to fight Carol!" His voice was raw, desperate. "And for Shirabe—if it weren't for you, I never would have remembered her! I would never have the courage to save her!"

His grip on the Malgam tightened. "You're my big sister, X-Wizard! You always have been! I need you! We all do!"

The Malgam let out a low, guttural growl, its body twitching unnaturally. The darkness around it shuddered—as if something within was struggling against its grasp.

Elsa, still holding on with everything she had, let out a choked sob. "Kajiki-kun… please! Come back!" Her tears fell freely now, slipping onto the Malgam's cold metallic surface. Her voice was no longer just a plea—it was a confession—.

"I… I never told you how I felt," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I never had the courage to say it."

Gotchard's eyes widened slightly, but he stayed silent—this was her moment. Elsa's grip on the Malgam tightened, her tail trembling as she forced herself to keep speaking, even as her own heart felt like it might break.

"Since the first time I saw you… when you came into the convenience store to buy your occult magazines…" She let out a weak, broken laugh. "You were the first person besides Vanessa and Millaarc who ever treated me like a normal girl. You never looked at me like I was a monster."

Her hands clenched around the Malgam's plating, fingers digging in as if trying to physically pull Kajiki out of the darkness. "I've always liked you, Kajiki. From the very start."

A shudder ran through the Malgam's body. The static surrounding it crackled, unstable.

"But I was afraid," Elsa admitted, her voice barely above a whisper now. "Afraid that… because I'm not human, because I'm not normal, that I didn't deserve to tell you." She squeezed her eyes shut, her breath ragged. "And then, in Kyoto… I saw how close you were to Hijiri."

Houtaro's breath caught as he remembered their trip to Kyoto. The moment that had once been considered Kajiki's fateful encounter.

Elsa let out a shaking breath, her voice raw with guilt. "I knew. I knew she was better for you. More normal. More human. More everything that I'm not." Her voice cracked. "But I couldn't take it. I—" She sucked in a breath. "I was selfish. I… I turned her into a Malgam because of that. Because I was jealous."

Gotchard felt his chest tighten. He had never known. Neither had Kajiki. Elsa's voice trembled as she pushed forward, spilling everything she had bottled up inside.

"I stole that moment from you. From both of you. You and Hijiri were supposed to have a future together, and I ruined it!" Her sobs wracked her body. "Even though you don't remember it… I do. I remember everything."

Her nails dug into the Malgam's surface. "I told Rinne about it. She understood because she… she did the same thing to Houtaro."

Gotchard's breath hitched at that. Rinne… She had never told him, but deep down, he had always felt it.

Elsa shook her head, her tears falling freely now. "I saw how she wanted to fix her mistakes. And if she could face hers—then I should face mine too!" She held the Malgam tighter, her voice breaking. "I want to make things right, Kajiki-kun! I want to fix what I did—to help you and Hijiri get back what I stole from you!"

The Malgam trembled violently. A pulse of unstable energy rippled from its body—one moment darkness, the next a flicker of light. Elsa pressed her forehead against the Malgam's plating, her voice hoarse.

"I need you, Kajiki-kun." She swallowed back her sobs, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "Hijiri needs you. Houtaro needs you. We all do!"

She pulled back just enough to look into the Malgam's glowing eyes—searching, pleading, begging. "So please… Come back to us, Kajiki-kun" Her grip on him never wavered.

The Wizard Malgam's form pulsed violently, a surge of chaotic energy crackling through the air as it forcefully erupted a burst of elemental power from its core. The sheer pressure of the blast sent a shockwave through the battlefield, its intensity like a bomb detonating at point-blank range.

Gotchard barely had time to register what was happening before the energy crashed into him, ripping him and Elsa from their grip on the Malgam's body. He felt the impact rattle through his bones, his vision blurring as he tumbled across the ground, sparks dancing across his armor. A strangled gasp escaped him as he skidded to a halt, his back slamming against the rough earth.

Elsa was sent flying as well, her body twisting midair before she hit the ground with a pained yelp. She rolled, her limbs scraping against the dirt until she came to an abrupt stop.

"Elsa-chan!" Vanessa's voice rang with panic as she rushed to her side, kneeling beside her fallen sister. The younger girl groaned weakly, trying to push herself up, but her arms trembled under the weight of her injuries.

The Wizard Malgam loomed over them, its body crackling with dark magical energy, preparing to strike again. Gotchard clenched his fists, heart hammering in his chest as he forced himself upright. He had to stop this. But the Malgam was already moving, its hands weaving deadly sigils in the air before unleashing another volley of elemental projectiles straight at Elsa and Vanessa.

"NO!" Houtaro surged forward, but he wasn't fast enough.

Elsa, despite the pain wracking her body, reacted on instinct. With a flick of her tail, her suitcase snapped back to her, morphing into its spherical defense form. It expanded around her and Vanessa just in time, forming a shimmering barrier against the Malgam's relentless onslaught. Explosions erupted upon impact, the sheer force pushing Elsa's defensive casing to its absolute limit.

Her body shook from the strain. The connection between her and the case—anchored through the socket in her tail—was already at its breaking point. She gritted her teeth, sweat beading at her temple as she struggled to hold it together.

Then, the Wizard Malgam shifted. Instead of throwing individual attacks, it gathered all its power into a single devastating blast, combining the elements of fire, water, wind, and electricity into a singular mass of destruction. The sphere wouldn't hold this time. Elsa knew it. Vanessa knew it.

But neither of them had time to react as the Malgam fired the condensed elemental blast toward the sphere. The attack collided with the sphere. A blinding explosion erupted on impact, swallowing the battlefield in an earth-shattering blastwave. The pressure inside the sphere imploded, and with a horrified scream, Elsa and Vanessa were sent flying.

Gotchard watched in horror as their bodies crashed onto the ground—motionless. For a moment, everything froze. His pulse roared in his ears. The edges of his vision blurred.

"Elsa… Vanessa…"

They weren't moving. His chest tightened. The breath caught in his throat. He turned toward the Wizard Malgam, his entire body shaking with rage and frustration. "You're hurting them, Kajiki!" he screamed, his voice raw. "Do you even realize what you're doing?!"

The Malgam showed no sign of stopping. It simply raised its hands again, its body flickering with pure destruction, preparing to end it.

"STOP!"

But there was no hesitation. No moment of clarity. Kajiki wasn't listening. He wasn't there. The realization hit Gotchard like a punch to the gut. His body tensed as the Wizard Malgam prepared to unleash another concentrated blast at Elsa and Vanessa—this time to finish them off.

A cold dread settled in his stomach. He had to act.

Gotchard gritted his teeth, his fingers wrapping tightly around his Gotcharigniter. His mind raced. He needed speed. He needed strength. He needed to protect them—now.

In a single fluid motion, he ripped Golddash and Mechanichani from his driver, replacing them with Vanfenrir and Grandsaturn. His body moved on instinct, his voice sharp as he called out to them. "Vanfenrir! Grandsaturn! I need your help!"

The two Chemies responded instantly.

"Vanfenrir! Ignite! Grandsaturn! Ignite"

He slammed the cards into the Gotchardriver, the mechanism roaring to life as he yanked the lever.

"G-G-G-Gotchanko Fire! Saturnfenrir!"

The transformation ignited around him, his form shifting into the mighty, cosmic-fueled Gotchard Saturnfenrir.

The moment the transformation completed, Gotchard quickly charged the Fire Dokkan booster in his back. Then, his body launched forward—blazing across the battlefield with meteoric speed. He saw it—the blast. Rushing toward Vanessa and Elsa's fallen forms. Gotchard pushed forward, adrenaline flooding his veins as he threw himself in the way. The attack collided into him.

A thunderous impact. His arms caught the full force, his body reeling back from the sheer intensity. The ground cracked beneath him, and for a moment—he thought it might break him.

But the chains from his Fire Dokkan booster snapped out, anchoring him in place. Saturnfenrir's immense bulk and durability held strong, absorbing the blast, though the force still tore at his armor, sending sparks flying as he dropped to one knee.

His breath was ragged. "Are you okay, Vanessa-san, Elsa?!" He turned his head, his voice desperate.

Vanessa coughed, pushing herself up with a pained grunt. "Barely," she managed, her voice strained. "But Elsa-chan—"

Houtaro's gaze snapped toward her. Elsa was still. His heart stopped for a fraction of a second before she let out a weak, pained whimper. She was conscious, but barely hanging on.

Relief flooded his chest—but it was short-lived. Because the Wizard Malgam was already moving again. Houtaro turned his attention back toward it, his grip tightening, his resolve hardening. He was alone now. Vanessa and Elsa were too injured to keep fighting.

Just like last night. Just like when he fought Shirabe. Why? Why was it always like this? Why was he always forced to fight the people he loved?! His head shook violently, his vision blurring.

He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to fight Kajiki! But if he didn't… Elsa and Vanessa would die. The Malgam lifted its hands again, sigils forming, preparing another attack. Houtaro clenched his fists. His body tensed.

Inside his helmet—he screamed.

"KAJIKI! STOP THIS!"

But the Malgam didn't listen. And so—with a frustrated, heartbroken cry, Houtaro charged forward. Straight toward the monster that was once his best friend.

---

On the other side of the battlefield, Valvarad's grip on his Valvarusher tightened as he lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air with lethal precision. But no matter how fast or forceful his strikes, none of them landed.

Dark King Gigist barely moved—his form shifting just enough to evade each attack with infuriating ease. It was as if he wasn't even trying, his body effortlessly slipping between Valvarad's slashes like a shadow.

Then, with nothing more than a flick of his wrist, Gigist caught the Valvarusher mid-swing. Valvarad's entire body jerked to a halt, his momentum abruptly stolen as the weight of the Dark King's presence crashed down on him.

"Hm," Gigist mused, his voice laced with mild disappointment. His golden eyes gleamed with amusement as he applied the smallest amount of force—just enough to send Supana staggering back. "Is this truly all you have to offer, Supana?"

Valvarad grit his teeth, his boots scraping against the dirt as he forced himself upright. "Shut up," he spat, launching forward again. This time, he attacked even faster.

His blade cut through the air in rapid succession—strike, after strike, after strike. He refused to give Gigist a chance to mock him again, refused to let him look down on him like he was some weak, pitiful fool. He wouldn't lose to him.

And yet, Gigist dodged every single attack without breaking a sweat. And then—The Dark King stopped Valvarusher's slash again, this time with a single finger. Valvarad's breath hitched. Impossible.

"Come now," Gigist sighed, sounding genuinely bored. "Is this the limit of your power? Without your black flames, you are nothing more than an infant waving around a dull toy." His words cut deeper than any blade.

Valvarad felt his entire body tense, his muscles locking up as rage coursed through his veins. He wanted to prove him wrong. Wanted to shove his blade through that smug expression and make him eat every word.

But before he could move, Gigist's other hands rose. Black flames roared to life around him—a suffocating, searing force of destruction. Without warning, the Dark King unleashed a barrage of flame-imbued fireballs, each one glowing with a deep, malevolent intensity.

Valvarad barely managed to block the first few, his Valvarusher cutting through the incoming attacks—but there were too many. One slipped past his defenses, crashing into his chest. Then another. And another.

The impact sent him flying backward, heat scorching through his armor as his body collided with the ground. Pain flared. His limbs screamed in protest, his vision swimming as he forced himself back up, gasping for air.

But Gigist wasn't finished. The Dark King extended both sets of his arms, conjuring an arc of black fire before launching it straight at Valvarad. The moment it made contact—it erupted. A chain reaction of blistering explosions tore through the battlefield, consuming Valvarad in an inferno of darkness.

His screams were drowned out by the sheer force of the blast as he was hurled across the ground, rolling violently before finally skidding to a halt. Smoke curled from his battered armor. His breath came out ragged. His limbs barely responded.

And then—Gigist's voice, calm and condescending. "This—" the Dark King spread his arms wide, as if showcasing his own power, "—is the black flame's true potential. With it, you could wield a strength beyond any mortal. Why do you refuse it?"

Valvarad barely had the strength to glare up at him, his fingers trembling as he dug them into the dirt. "I don't need your disgusting power," he growled, spitting blood to the side. His body ached, but he forced himself onto one knee. "I can beat you without it."

Gigist chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, Supana," he sighed, as if speaking to a disobedient child. "You are as stubborn as ever."

His gaze drifted toward the battlefield beyond them—toward where Gotchard Saturnfenrir was still desperately struggling against the Wizard Malgam. Valvarad followed his eyes, watching as Gotchard threw himself in front of Elsa and Vanessa, his entire body shielding them from Wizard Malgam's relentless elemental magic.

Gigist exhaled in amusement. "Ah, how fascinating. He truly believes there is still hope," the Dark King mused, almost fondly. "But tell me, Supana, how long do you think it will take for him to realize the truth? There is no saving Kajiki. No saving X-Wizard. No saving Shirabe. The moment they became Malgams, they were already lost."

Supana said nothing. Because, deep down, he knew that Gigist wasn't lying. If they defeated Kajiki now—he would end up just like Shirabe. Houtaro's efforts were meaningless. Pointless. But even then—he still fought. Valvarad clicked his tongue, looking away.

Gigist caught the movement. He smiled. "Ah… I see," the Dark King hummed. "It seems my words are finally sinking in."

Supana clenched his fists.

"Tell me," Gigist continued, his voice smooth as silk. "Why waste your time with them?"

Valvarad stilled. Gigist took a slow, deliberate step forward.

"I heard you, you know," he murmured. "Your little… disagreement with Houtaro earlier."

Supana's body tensed.

"You don't care about Shirabe, do you?" Gigist pressed. "You said it yourself. You didn't even flinch when you heard she had fallen into a coma."

Gigist tilted his head, watching him carefully. "And yet, here you are," the Dark King continued, his tone almost sympathetic. "Fighting for a group of people you couldn't care less about. How exhausting it must be, Supana. To be surrounded by fools who cry and break the moment one of them falls."

His words were like poison.

"You are not like them," Gigist whispered. "You do not need them."

Valvarad's hands trembled slightly at his sides.

"You have potential far greater than this," Gigist continued, his voice smooth, persuasive. "Why chain yourself to their weakness? Come with me, Supana. I will help you reach your true strength."

The battlefield felt quiet.

Supana did not speak. And, for the first time, Gigist saw something in his expression shift. Something uncertain. A crack in his resolve. Gigist smiled as he was getting closer. Valvarad could still feel Gigist's presence, oppressive and all-consuming, his words latching onto the deepest corners of his mind like a parasite.

"You don't care about them."

"You don't need them."

"They will only drag you down."

Gigist's voice slithered through his thoughts like a whispering shadow, tempting, insidious. And for a moment—just a moment—Supana felt something deep inside him falter.

But then, something else stirred. A distant memory.

---

The garage smelled of oil, metal, and burnt circuitry—a scent that clung stubbornly to the air no matter how many times the place was aired out. Tools lay scattered across the workbench, half-assembled gadgets sitting next to discarded blueprints, as if the one who had been working on them had been forced to stop midway. The overhead light flickered once before steadying, casting a dim, almost melancholic glow over the small, cluttered space.

Supana sat slouched in a rusted folding chair, arms crossed, face shadowed beneath damp, unruly bangs. His entire body ached—a dull, throbbing pain from bruises that had yet to fade, from wounds hastily bandaged after his humiliating loss to Glion. He hadn't meant to let himself collapse after dragging his battered body back here, but fatigue had won in the end.

And now—now he was stuck here, being tended to like some helpless fool.

The sound of clinking porcelain pulled his gaze upward. A plate was placed in front of him, the faint steam rising from its surface carrying the unmistakable scent of rice, miso, and something else—something warm, something familiar.

"You need to eat. I made it, so stop complaining and just eat already." Shirabe said as she laid several foods in front of Supana.

Supana didn't move at first. He merely glanced at the plate before letting out a sharp exhale, shifting in his chair like a restless animal. "I don't need you to play nursemaid," he muttered, eyeing her from the corner of his vision. "I'm fine."

But Shirabe had been insistent. Shirabe, sitting across from him, didn't react to his usual sharpness. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, arms crossed over her chest. "You can't just keep running on fumes, Supana-san."

And so, begrudgingly, he had taken a bite. The moment the taste hit his tongue, he had almost cursed under his breath—because it was good. Really good. And worse, he could feel it rejuvenating him, giving him back the strength that his failure had drained from him.

Still, he had been too stubborn to admit it. "Hmph. It's… passable." He had muttered, glancing away.

Shirabe had only smiled knowingly. "See? I told you."

He remembered how Shirabe had held his injured arm that night, her grip firm but gentle, her eyes filled with something real.

"You're reckless, you know that. You might think you don't need anyone," she had told him, her voice steadfast in the face of his cynicism. "But there are people who need you, Supana-san. People who care about you. Chris-senpai. Stephan-kun. Houtaro. They worry about you. Even if you don't believe in them—can't you at least try, especially to Houtaro?"

At the time, he had scoffed. "Tch. You want me to put my trust in that idiot? The guy whose brain is stuffed with nothing but ridiculous 'Gotcha' nonsense and childish imagination?"

Shirabe had simply smiled again, shaking her head. "He may be an idiot," she admitted, "but he's an idiot we all believe in."

"He never gives up. That's why we're all here right now—why I got to reunite with my childhood friend, why me and Rin-chan were able to convince Kiri-chan to here with us instead of fighting against us, why we've all come this far."

"Not only them, Daiki-san, Chris-senpai, Tsubasa-san, Maria, Kanade, and so many other people they knew wouldn't be able to move forward if not for Houtaro's optimism and boundless imagination for the future rubbing into them. It's because of his ridiculous, boundless imagination that he keeps pulling people forward—even people like you, Supana-san."

"So just this once… trust him a little, okay?"

Back then, he had rolled his eyes. "You're persistent, aren't you?" he had muttered.

Supana's throat felt tight. He wanted to say something—anything—to push back against the things she was saying. He wanted to remind her that he wasn't someone worth worrying about, that he was just a mechanic, just a fighter, just someone who worked alone.

But he couldn't. Because the way Shirabe looked at him—like she wasn't just asking him to believe in Houtaro, but also believing in him—it made something in his chest clench. For the first time in a long while, he felt seen.

"…Tch," he muttered, turning his gaze away, breaking the contact between them. "Fine. If it'll stop you from nagging me."

Shirabe didn't say anything. She just smiled. She let go of his hand and nudged the plate closer to him.

"Now, continue eating," she said again, softer now. "And don't even think about leaving the table until you finish every bite."

A moment of silence passed before Supana reluctantly picked up the chopsticks. He took a bite—begrudgingly at first—but the moment the taste hit his tongue, he stopped. It was… good. Better than good.

"…Didn't know you could cook," he muttered.

Shirabe just huffed, arms crossing as she sat back. "I had to learn. I can't just let Kiri-chan and handle all the meals, or we'd be eating sugar-loaded abominations every day."

Supana smirked, just slightly. He took another bite. For once, he didn't complain.

Later, when he and Houtaro stood side by side against Glion's army, Houtaro had looked at him with that same unshakable optimism. Supana exhaled sharply, gripping his Valvarusher as he surveyed the devastation left in Glion's wake. The Golden Malgam's forces had been relentless, their numbers seemingly endless, and now the weight of exhaustion settled deep into his bones. His muscles ached, his body still bearing the bruises of his last confrontation.

And yet, the real headache stood right next to him.

"Supana," Houtaro's voice cut through the heavy silence, urgent yet hesitant. "We need to work together if we want to reach Shirabe and Chris-san in time."

Supana's jaw tightened, his grip flexing around the handle of his weapon. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he cast a glance at Houtaro—at the hopeful, unwavering determination in the guy's eyes. It was irritating. Infuriatingly naive.

"Tch." Supana clicked his tongue, looking away. "And why the hell should I trust you with my back?"

Houtaro didn't waver. If anything, his expression hardened with resolve. "Because Shirabe asked me to trust you."

The words struck something in Supana's chest, a dull pang that he didn't want to acknowledge. For a moment, the sounds of battle—the distant clashes, the echoing roars of Malgams—faded into the background. His mind drifted back to that night, when Shirabe's words had forced their way into his walls of indifference.

Supana inhaled deeply, the memory fresh in his mind, as if Shirabe's warmth still lingered on his skin. With a quiet exhale, he lifted his Valvarusher, resting it against his shoulder in resigned acceptance. "Tch. Damn it…"

Houtaro blinked. "Supana—?"

"I don't need your help," Supana said, his tone still carrying its usual sharp edge, but this time, it wasn't dismissive. There was something else there—something almost… reluctant.

Houtaro's expression faltered slightly, but before he could say anything, Supana glanced at him, just briefly.

"…But I trust that you won't screw this up. So, don't get too much in my way."

It took Houtaro a second to process it. Then, his entire face lit up. "You—wait—was that a compliment?"

"Shut up," Supana muttered, already regretting his words.

Houtaro, however, was grinning like an idiot. "You totally trust me now!"

"I said shut up."

Houtaro practically bounced toward him, looking far too pleased with himself. Supana held out a hand, pushing Houtaro's face away before he could get any closer.

"The hell are you so happy about?"

"You just admitted I'm reliable!"

"Tch. Don't get used to it."

Houtaro finally stepped back, still grinning as he adjusted his Gotchardriver. "Alright then!" He pumped his fists. "Let's clean up Glion's mess and meet up with Chris-san and Shirabe!"

Supana exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah… whatever."

Before they charged forward, Supana gave one final glance toward the battlefield, his expression softening just slightly. Shirabe's voice echoed in his mind again. "Just try trusting him. Even if it's just this once."

A quiet smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "…Guess you were right after all."

Then, just as Houtaro was about to lunge forward—

"Hey. I also want you to relay something," Supana muttered, his tone gruff but oddly genuine.

Houtaro turned back, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"…Tell Shirabe thanks."

"For?"

"For patching me up. And for the food. It was… decent."

Houtaro blinked before grinning knowingly. "Oh? Decent? That's not what I remember. I recall you scarfing it down like it was the best thing you ever—"

Supana smacked the back of his head. "Shut. Up."

Houtaro yelped, rubbing his head with a pout. "Sheesh, fine, fine! I'll tell her."

Satisfied, Supana turned back toward the battlefield. But just as he was about to charge forward—

"Oh, and one more thing?" Supana called over his shoulder.

"Hm?"

A slow, mischievous smirk crept onto Supana's lips. "You should be grateful that you're so lucky, you know."

Houtaro raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Feasting on food that good on daily basis." Supana's smirk widened. "If Tsukuyomi Shirabe ever becomes your life partner, you'll be eating like a king every day."

The words slammed into Houtaro like a truck. His face erupted in red, eyes wide as he stumbled over his own feet. "W-what the hell are you saying?! That's not—! I mean—! She and I—!"

Supana chuckled, enjoying every second of his reaction. Houtaro groaned, furiously rubbing his temples before forcing himself to focus. "You are the worst."

"Yeah, yeah." Supana waved him off. "Now shut up and fight."

Still muttering under his breath, Houtaro shook off his embarrassment, and together, the two charged toward Glion's forces—fighting side by side, for the first time not as reluctant allies, but as true comrades.

---

Back to the present, a quiet chuckle escaped Valvarad's lips, the sound low and almost amused—yet carrying a sharp edge that made Gigist pause.

The Dark King's predatory grin widened slightly, intrigued by the reaction. "Oh?" he mused, his voice dripping with curiosity. "Finally realizing the truth, are we? That they're nothing but foolish, naïve children clinging to a hopeless cause?"

Valvarad exhaled through his nose, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off an invisible burden. His grip on the Valvarusher tightened. "Yeah… Houtaro and the others are a bunch of naïve idiots." His voice was casual, almost indifferent, but something in his tone was off—too deliberate, too sharp.

Gigist's expression flickered with satisfaction. "Now that's more like it—"

"But," Valvarad cut in, raising his weapon, "they're still a hell of a lot more trustworthy than you'll ever be."

In one swift motion, his blade slashed through the air, aiming straight for Gigist's throat. It was a clean, lethal arc—one that would have landed if not for the Dark King's preternatural reflexes. With a subtle shift, Gigist evaded the attack at the last possible moment, the blade missing him by mere inches.

The air between them tensed, thick with a suffocating weight. Gigist let out a long, disappointed sigh, as if scolding a disobedient child. "Tsk. And here I thought you were finally starting to see reason."

Without warning, he moved. His form blurred, his extra arms twisting unnaturally before lashing out in a serpentine motion. Before Valvarad could react, Gigist's limbs coiled around him like living shadows, locking his arms and torso in a crushing grip. Supana grit his teeth, struggling against the iron-clad hold. Damn it. Too fast.

Gigist leaned in, his voice dropping into a whisper, almost intimate in its malice. "I wonder… will you listen better now that we're in close quarters?"

Valvarad didn't respond, only thrashing against the hold. But Gigist wasn't deterred. His voice slithered into his ears like poisoned silk.

"Houtaro isn't the only thing holding you back," Gigist murmured. "There are others, aren't there? Chris… Stephan…"

Valvarad's struggles stilled for a fraction of a second.

That was all Gigist needed. "Ah," the Dark King purred, feeling the shift in the air. "So I was right."

His grip tightened, and a cruel chuckle escaped his lips. "Chris and Stephan… such sentimental chains. That foolish girl had the audacity to reject my generosity—to turn away from the chance to bring back her dearly departed parents. And Stephan? He could have had his beloved sister again." Gigist tilted his head, his tone almost playful. "It's a shame, really. They clung to their pain, just like you do."

Valvarad's jaw clenched. He knew where this was going.

"Don't tell me you're planning to follow in their footsteps?" Gigist mused. "How disappointing that would be."

"Shut up," Valvarad growled, but Gigist ignored him, his voice growing even more saccharine, sickly sweet with feigned sympathy.

"You don't have to suffer like this, Supana." The name rolled off Gigist's tongue like a curse. "I can help you. Free you. These attachments of yours—Chris, Stephan—are nothing but shackles, keeping you from reaching your true potential."

Valvarad's breathing grew heavier.

"And if it's too difficult to sever them yourself," Gigist continued, his voice turning almost giddy, "I'd be more than happy to do it for you."

A slow, delighted hum left the Dark King's lips as he mused aloud. "Perhaps I should turn them into Malgams? Just like Shirabe. Just like Kajiki. Then you wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. Wouldn't that be so much easier?"

Valvarad froze. A slow, creeping heat built up in Valvarad's chest, bubbling and seething until it felt like molten fire surging through his veins. At first, he didn't register it fully—he was too caught up in keeping his head straight, in resisting Gigist's poisonous words. But then—

"Perhaps I should turn them into Malgams? Just like Shirabe. Just like Kajiki. Then you wouldn't have to worry about them anymore."

The words struck like a dagger to his spine. Something inside him snapped. A roaring surge of anger overtook his senses, his vision tinged red as the weight of Gigist's suggestion crushed down on him. His patience—already wearing thin—shattered completely.

Chris. Stephan. Their names burned in his mind like a brand, memories of them flashing before him in rapid succession.

Chris, standing before him with that same sharp, unrelenting gaze, her arms crossed as she scowled at him. "If it were me, if I were in Shirabe's place... would you still act like this?"

Stephan, in his usual calm yet knowing way, "He cares, Chris. Aniki just doesn't know how to show it."

And then—his own past. His own curse. He knew exactly what it meant to be turned into a Malgam. The unnatural way the mind and body twisted under its influence. The suffocating sensation of losing control. The sheer helplessness.

He had been the Wheel Malgam once. He knew. And he sure as hell wouldn't let Chris or Stephan suffer that same fate. The rage burst out of him in a raw, guttural shout. "You can talk all you want, but dragging them into this—that's where I draw the damn line!"

In one swift motion, he forced his arms free from Gigist's grasp, pushing back with sheer brute force. His fingers shot toward his Valvaradriver, instinct taking over. He ripped out the Daiohni and Machwheel cards with a sharp flick of his wrist, replacing them with two new cards in one fluid motion. Those cards being Gutsshovel and Jyamatanoorochi.

"Gutsshovel! Ignite! Jyamatanoorochi! Ignite!"

He slammed the cards into furthe driver, gripping the lever with white-knuckled fury before pulling it down.

"Gotchanko Burst! Custom Up! Orochishovel!"

The transformation ignited in a violent burst of energy, the sheer force of it blowing Gigist back. For the first time, the Dark King stumbled, his eyes narrowing slightly in mild surprise. The dust settled just enough to reveal Valvarad in his Orochishovel Custom Form.

The air thickened as a new weight pressed onto the battlefield. The form's serpentine armor gleamed under the flickering firelight, the massive Jyamatano Digger gauntlets crackling with latent power. Supana exhaled, slow and deliberate, before launching himself forward.

His movements were different now—sharper. Faster. The ground cracked beneath him as he closed the distance in a blink, his gauntlet-clad fist swinging straight for Gigist's smug face. For the first time, the Dark King actually had to move.

He evaded, but just barely. Valvarad didn't give him time to recover, didn't let up for even a second. A relentless onslaught followed. Punch after punch, strike after strike, each one carrying the weight of his fury.

"You think I don't know what I did!?" Valvarad's voice was raw, filled with something deeper than rage—pain. "I was responsible for what happened to them in Valverde! I was the reason Chris lost her parents! The reason Stephan lost his sister!"

Another strike. Another near miss. "But that's exactly why I won't let you drag them into this!"

Gigist's expression shifted slightly. The amusement hadn't vanished completely, but a new glint flickered in his golden eyes—calculation. "Interesting," he mused, twisting his body around Valvarad's next strike with inhuman grace. "So, you do feel guilt after all. And yet, rather than face it, you bury it under that stubborn pride of yours."

He sidestepped another blow with infuriating ease, his voice taking on a knowing, taunting lilt. "Tell me, Supana—what makes you think they even want you around after what you've done?"

Valvarad's breath hitched. That slight pause was all Gigist needed. With a flick of his wrist, black flames surged from his fingertips, arcing through the air toward Valvarad like coiling serpents. The moment of hesitation cost him. The flames struck true, wrapping around his limbs, searing through armor and skin alike.

A sharp cry of pain tore from his throat as he staggered back, the black fire coiling tighter around him like living chains.

Gigist exhaled, shaking his head. "You're so easy to break, my dear successor," he sighed, his voice filled with mock disappointment. "Still bound by attachments, by your past, by the weight of sins you refuse to let go of."

The flames burned hotter.

"Chris and Stephan—what are they to you, really?" Gigist mused. "Friends? Family? Or just ghosts haunting your every step?"

Valvarad's fists clenched, even as the flames scorched his armor.

Gigist tilted his head slightly, his expression turning almost sympathetic. "You keep running from it, don't you? The truth." His voice dropped, a whisper just above the crackling fire.

Valvarad's breath hitched. A violent shudder ran through him. Because deep down— Gigist was right.

There had always been a part of him that feared it—that dreaded the day when Chris and Stephan would finally realize he wasn't worth it. That they would wake up one day and see him for what he was: A liability. An outsider. A mistake.

The pain of the flames almost felt secondary to the ache in his chest. Gigist leaned in, his voice a low, silken whisper. "I can take it away, you know. That fear. That doubt. Just let go, and I can show you—"

A burst of pure, unfiltered rage exploded from Valvarad's body. The flames that had wrapped around him were shattered apart by sheer force of will. With a furious snarl, Valvarad lunged forward, his gauntlets crackling with surging power.

"Shut the hell up!" he roared. In a single, earth-shaking blow, he drove his fist straight into Gigist's stomach. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the battlefield, the force so great that Gigist was actually blasted backward, skidding across the ground before catching himself.

Valvarad stood there, breathing hard, fists clenched at his sides. His entire body trembled—not with fear, but with defiance.

He met Gigist's gaze, his eyes burning with unshakable resolve. "You don't get to decide who I am," Valvarad growled, his voice steadier than ever. "Not you. Not my past. Not my sins."

He raised his gauntlets, shifting back into a battle stance.

"And you sure as hell aren't laying a single damn finger on them."

---

Pain pulsed through Houtaro's body, sharp and relentless. His breaths came ragged, his vision slightly blurred as he steadied himself, his knees threatening to give out beneath the weight of exhaustion. The Wizard Malgam loomed before him, its jagged form crackling with chaotic elemental energy, twisting and writhing as if the very air around it was rejecting its existence.

And inside that monstrous body—Kajiki. His heart hammered violently against his ribs, but not from fear. No—what coursed through him now was pure, gut-wrenching desperation.

"Kajiki—please! You have to wake up!"

The words left him in a frantic, pleading cry, but the only response he received was another incoming blast of raw alchemic energy.

With barely a second to react, Houtaro braced himself, crossing his arms in front of him as the explosion struck him head-on. The sheer force sent him skidding back, his feet digging trenches into the earth as he barely managed to stay upright. Sparks flickered off his Saturnfenrir armor, small cracks forming along his plating. He could feel the weight of each impact, the draining pull on his energy reserves.

Still—he refused to retaliate.

"I can't fight him. I can't hurt him."

If he attacked too forcefully, if he pushed too hard—he already knew what would happen.

Shirabe. The memory burned in his mind like a fresh wound. The sight of her lifeless body, cold and unmoving in that hospital bed. The crushing realization that his own hands had sent her there. He couldn't do that to Kajiki, too. Another attack came roaring toward him. Before he could react, Vanessa's voice cut through the battlefield.

"Move, you idiot!"

A sharp impact struck his side as she lunged at him, forcing both of them to hit the dirt just in time for a burst of elemental energy to scorch the ground where he had stood. Houtaro gasped, rolling onto his side as he stared at the still-smoldering crater. Had that hit him directly…

"Are you trying to die?!" Vanessa spat, her face twisted in both anger and concern as she pushed herself up.

Elsa scrambled toward them, her body trembling from both exhaustion and the sheer hopelessness of the situation. Tears welled in her eyes as she clutched her rolling case, her voice barely above a whisper. "Kajiki-kun… please, stop… you're hurting Houtaro!"

But there was no response. The Wizard Malgam simply tilted its head, its glowing runes flickering wildly as its body surged with more power.

Vanessa clenched her teeth, dragging herself upright despite the pain lacing her movements. "Damn it… this isn't working!" She turned to Houtaro, her breath unsteady. "You have the UFO-X Chemy, right? We can use it to separate Kajiki from the Malgam!"

Houtaro's eyes widened slightly at her words. UFO-X… His gaze lowered, his hand instinctively reaching for his Gotchadraw Holder. Yes—he did have UFO-X. But— His fingers hesitated.

"It won't work. It didn't work on Shirabe."

The cold memory gripped him, choking the air from his lungs. He had tried—he had tried so desperately to save Shirabe the same way, to pull her free without having to hurt her. But the Malgam had been too deeply fused with her. In the end, there was no other way.

He had been forced to defeat her. And now—she would never wake up again. If he tried UFO-X again and failed, then nothing would change. And if he fought too hard, if he pushed Kajiki to his limits— Kajiki would end up just like her.

Vanessa grabbed his wrist. "Houtaro!" Her voice was sharp, but not unkind. "We don't have time to hesitate! You have to at least try!"

Elsa nodded frantically, her hands clenched into trembling fists. "If we do nothing, Kajiki-kun will keep hurting you! Please… please, Houtaro, try again!"

Houtaro's chest tightened. He wanted to believe them. But the fear of failing was like a vice around his heart.

"What if I can't save him?"

"What if he—"

A shrieking explosion tore through the battlefield as the Wizard Malgam charged forward. There was no time left. A deep, shaking breath escaped him.

"I have to try." His fingers tightened around the handle of his X-Gotchalibur as he brandished it, his movements sharp and determined.

With a swift motion, he pulled UFO-X's card from his holder and slammed it into the blade. The sword hummed with energy, its circuits glowing as the power of UFO-X activated. Houtaro clenched his jaw, his voice carrying through the battlefield.

"UFO-X… please—help me save Kajiki!"

"UFO-X Xtrash!"

Gotchard gritted his teeth, desperation clawing at his chest as he swung the X-Gotchalibur, its blade pulsing with the energy of UFO-X. The neon streak of light carved through the air, aimed directly at the heart of the Wizard Malgam.

"Please work—please, just this once!"

The blade passed straight through. No resistance. No reaction. Nothing. Gotchard's breath hitched. His grip on the hilt trembled as he swung again. And again. Each strike as futile as the last, slicing through the Malgam's twisted form like it was nothing but mist. The glowing energy of UFO-X flickered weakly, unable to grasp onto anything solid.

It wasn't working. Just like before. His mind screamed for another way, any other way—but deep down, he had already known. From the moment he first swung his sword at Shirabe, trying to free her from the Moon Cerberus Malgam, he had felt it in his bones. This trick—the one method that should have saved them—was useless.

Behind him, he heard Elsa's sharp intake of breath, followed by a choked sob. He didn't need to turn around to see the way she was trembling, hands clasped over her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks. Vanessa stood rigid beside her, fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Gotchard let the X-Gotchalibur lower, his arms heavy, his stomach twisting in frustration. "…It's not working," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Vanessa exhaled sharply, biting her lip before forcing herself to speak. "Then… does that mean…?"

"We have to beat him the hard way," Gotchard finished bitterly, his throat tightening around the words.

Vanessa's jaw tightened, but before she could say anything else—

"No!"

Elsa's voice cracked as she whipped around to face them, shaking her head violently. Her tail lashed behind her, a physical manifestation of her distress. "We can't! If we do that—if we defeat him—" Her breathing came in ragged gasps, her eyes wide with panic. "That means Kajiki-kun—he'll be just like Shirabe! He'll—he'll never wake up again—!"

Her voice broke completely, and she collapsed to her knees, clutching at her chest as if trying to hold herself together. Gotchard swallowed hard, his own heart hammering in his chest. "…I know," he admitted hoarsely, kneeling beside her. "I know, Elsa."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I don't want that to happen either. I don't want Kajiki to end up like Shirabe." His grip tightened, his own hands trembling now. "But I don't know what else to do."

Elsa shook her head weakly, her hands fisting into her sleeves. "There has to be another way. There has to—there has to be—!"

Gotchard clenched his teeth. He wanted to tell her she was right. That there was another way. That he would find it, somehow. But he had already scoured every possibility in his mind. And there was nothing.

Vanessa took a deep breath, stepping forward. "Houtaro." There was something in her tone that made him look up, meeting her sharp, unwavering gaze.

"You always figure something out. You always find a way," she pressed. "Back in Kyoto, when Hijiri was turned into a Malgam, you managed to save her. When you fought Glion, you unlocked Platina Gotchard. Even when everything seemed hopeless, you never stopped trying. So why are you giving up now?"

Her words hit him harder than any of the Malgam's attacks.

"I'm not—" he started to say, but the words caught in his throat.

He was giving up, wasn't he? Because deep down, he was terrified. Because he had already failed once. Because he had watched Shirabe collapse in his arms, her breath slowing, her warmth fading, her voice slipping away into silence. Because no matter how hard he had tried, she was still lying in that hospital bed, unmoving, unresponsive, lost in a sleep she might never wake from.

Gotchard looked down, his hands curling into fists. "If I had a way to save him," he muttered, his voice trembling, "I would've already done it. If I had another solution, then Shirabe—" His breath shuddered. "Shirabe would still be—"

A sharp sound cut through the air. Not from the Malgam. But from Elsa. She had slammed her hands against the ground, her shoulders shaking violently as fresh tears streamed down her face. "Then find one, Houtaro!" she cried, her voice raw with desperation. "I don't care how impossible it is—just find a way!"

Gotchard's chest tightened painfully. He wanted to. More than anything. But before he could say anything, before he could try to promise anything—

A low hum filled the air. His blood ran cold. The Wizard Malgam had raised its hands again, and an unnatural glow surrounded its fingertips, swirling with alchemic energy. It was preparing another attack.

Gotchard barely had time to react before a massive surge of magic blasted toward them, streaks of crackling energy warping the very air around them. There was no time to dodge. His body moved instinctively.

Gotchard lunged forward, throwing himself in front of Elsa and Vanessa just as the attack struck. Pain exploded through his body. He barely registered the sensation of being lifted off his feet, the force of the explosion tearing through his armor, sending shockwaves rattling through his bones. He hit the ground hard, skidding across the dirt before coming to a gasping stop.

His vision swam. His ears rang. His entire body screamed in protest. Somewhere in the distance, he heard Vanessa and Elsa's painful scream.

But his focus remained locked on the looming shadow before him. The Wizard Malgam stood tall, its dark form crackling with volatile energy, completely unfazed. And in that moment, as Gotchard struggled to push himself up, the crushing weight of reality settled over him. They were running out of time. They were running out of options and Kajiki would be lost forever.

Back to other fight, Valvarad's grip on the Jyamatano Digger tightened, his knuckles turning white beneath his armored gauntlets. Gigist's voice slithered into his mind like an unwelcome whisper, laced with the same venomous charm the Dark King always wielded so effortlessly.

"Why struggle, Supana?" Gigist mused, dodging a sharp swing from Valvarad with a lazy tilt of his head. His tone was that of a patient teacher, scolding a stubborn student. "You should know better than anyone… you don't belong with them."

His smirk widened, his extra set of arms spreading theatrically as he evaded another strike. "How much longer will you keep pretending? Chris and Stephan—do you truly believe they'd accept you if they knew the full weight of your sins?"

Valvarad's breath hitched for half a second. Gigist saw it. And he pounced.

"Oh, you do know it, don't you?" The Dark King's voice turned almost soothing, his words weaving a net meant to ensnare. "You, the architect of their suffering. Their parents, their siblings—gone, because of you." He leaned in slightly, as if offering a secret. "How long until they realize that, Supana? How long until their kindness rots away, and all that remains is disgust?"

Valvarad clenched his jaw, his entire body coiled with tension. He hated how easily Gigist could tear into his thoughts, unraveling the very doubts he buried deep inside. Because there was truth in those words.

He had seen it, in the way Chris's fingers would tremble ever so slightly when speaking of her past. In the weight behind Stephan's silence whenever Sonya's name was mentioned. He had seen the grief in their eyes—the wounds that would never truly heal. And he had been the cause of it.

Gigist let the silence stretch between them, letting the seeds of doubt fester before speaking again. This time, his voice was almost gentle.

"Why not walk away?" he murmured. "Join me. I understand you, Supana. You and I—we are not so different." His crimson eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "Wouldn't it be easier to let go?"

For a moment, Valvarad was still. Then, without warning, he let out a scoff. Gigist blinked. Valvarad exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You know what, Gigist?" His tone was laced with something cold. Unyielding. "You're right."

Gigist tilted his head in amusement, intrigued.

"I don't belong with them," Valvarad continued, his voice low. "I probably never will." He tightened his grip on his weapon, his stance steady. "But that doesn't mean I'm letting you lay a single damn finger on them."

In an instant, Valvarad lunged forward, his gauntlets carving a sharp arc toward Gigist's throat. The Dark King barely dodged in time, the blade grazing the fabric of his coat as he stepped back with a low chuckle. "Tsk, tsk," he chided, shaking his head. "Still clinging to your foolish attachments."

Valvarad didn't respond. He didn't need to. His actions spoke louder. With a sharp burst of speed, he followed up with a barrage of relentless strikes, his Jyamatano Digger gauntlets glowing with an eerie, venomous light. He wasn't holding back anymore. He wasn't listening anymore.

Gigist, for the first time, furrowed his brows as he was forced to evade, his fluid movements turning sharper, less leisurely. "So stubborn," he muttered. "So pathetic."

"You talk too much," Valvarad shot back, slamming his foot into the ground as he twisted his body, aiming a devastating punch.

Gigist barely managed to deflect it with one of his extra hands, the impact still forcing him back a step. But just as Valvarad prepared to press forward—A scream tore through the battlefield. His head snapped toward the source, his breath catching in his throat.

Across the field, Gotchard, Vanessa, and Elsa were being hurled through the air, their bodies crashing against the dirt with brutal force. Smoke and flickering embers clung to their forms, remnants of the devastating explosion that had sent them flying.

And standing at the center of it all—

The Wizard Malgam. Its monstrous frame loomed over them, crackling with unstable, chaotic energy. Valvarad's chest tightened as he saw Gotchard struggling to push himself up, his armor scorched, his breathing ragged.

A massive magical circle flickered to life above him, its intricate patterns humming with volatile energy. Valvarad's blood ran cold. The next attack was coming. And Houtaro wouldn't be able to withstand it.

The Wizard Malgam raised its arms, its power surging. A deafening roar filled the air as a torrential storm of alchemic energy rained down in a relentless onslaught. Gotchard barely had time to brace himself before the magic slammed into him like an unrelenting tidal wave.

The blast consumed everything in its path, engulfing both of them in a violent detonation of magic and dust. While Gotchard was able to protect both Vanessa and Elsa from the Malgam's attacks, he took the full brunt of it. Once the dust cleared, Gotchard's transformation was undone as he returned back to Houtaro as he fell on the ground with a painful thud.

"Kajiki… Please, stop…" Houtaro gasped, his body heavy, his limbs trembling as he struggled to push himself off the ground. Pain lanced through his chest, his vision spinning from the impact of the blast that had shattered his transformation.

His Gotchardriver and X-Gotchalibur lay discarded a few feet away, glinting weakly under the battlefield's eerie glow. He tried to crawl toward them, but his body refused to move. His fingers clawed at the dirt, his breath ragged.

Vanessa's strained voice broke through the ringing in his ears. "Houtaro! Stay with me!"

He barely managed to lift his head, his blurred vision catching glimpses of her and Elsa, both struggling to get up, their bodies battered from the relentless onslaught. But before he could even think of responding, a looming shadow stretched over him. The Wizard Malgam.

Houtaro's breath hitched. His fingers dug into the ground as he forced his battered body to rise, but the weight of exhaustion kept him down. The Malgam towered over him, its monstrous form flickering with chaotic alchemic energy, eyes hollow and devoid of the warmth that once belonged to Kajiki.

"Kajiki… please…" Houtaro's voice cracked, his plea raw with desperation. "Stop this…"

Elsa sobbed behind him, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. "Please, Kajiki-kun, you're hurting us! You're hurting yourself!"

But the Malgam did not respond. It did not hesitate. Instead, it raised its hand. A new surge of energy condensed into a crackling sphere, dark and violent, aimed directly at Houtaro and them. He braced himself, closing his eyes, every muscle tensing as he waited for the inevitable.

Then, a blur of motion. A flash of silver and black. A metallic clash rang out as a figure intercepted the attack. It was from Valvarad. His Jyamatano Digger gauntlets absorbed the full force of the blast, the impact sending a violent shockwave through the battlefield.

The sheer pressure forced him backward, his boots digging trenches into the dirt as he fought to hold his ground. Smoke curled from his armor, his arms trembling from the force of the impact, but he did not fall.

Houtaro's eyes widened. "S-Supana…?"

Valvarad didn't spare him a glance. Instead, he let out a sharp exhale, rolling his shoulders as his gauntlets smoked from the residual energy. "You're a real piece of work, Ichinose." His voice was sharp, tinged with frustration. "Crying your eyes out in the middle of a battlefield? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Houtaro flinched at the words, guilt tightening his chest.

"You do realize we're fighting a Level X Malgam here, right?" Valvarad continued, his voice rising. "You can't afford to be weak, especially now. If you keep hesitating like this, you're gonna get yourself killed. Or worse, you're gonna get all of us killed."

Houtaro bit his lip, his throat constricting. "I… I don't want to fight him." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Kajiki… he's my friend."

Valvarad let out a frustrated growl, rubbing the back of his helmeted head. "Of course he is! You think I don't get that?" His crimson visor flickered as he turned to face the Wizard Malgam, watching as it began charging another attack. "But standing there doing nothing isn't gonna bring him back!"

Elsa clutched her hands to her chest, her voice trembling. "Then what do we do?" she begged. "We can't just—just hurt him! There has to be another way!"

Valvarad scoffed. "Another way? Like what? Talking him down? You all tried that and it didn't work."

Vanessa, despite her injuries, forced herself to sit up. "Then… then maybe we immobilize him. Just long enough to figure something out!"

Valvarad exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Great idea, genius. And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

Elsa hesitated, biting her lip. Houtaro clenched his fists, his gaze dropping to the ground. "There has to be something…" His mind raced, but it kept hitting the same wall. UFO-X had failed. Every attempt to reach Kajiki had failed.

The only thing left was—No. His stomach twisted. He knew the answer. The only surefire way to stop Kajiki was to defeat the Malgam. But that would mean… His hands trembled. Houtaro swallowed, his vision blurring. Houtaro sucked in a shaky breath.

Valvarad clicked his tongue, watching Houtaro's expression shift. His voice lowered slightly, not as harsh, but still firm. "You keep hesitating, and we're all dead."

Elsa wiped her tears, forcing herself to stand. "Then let's do what Vanessa said," she insisted, desperation laced in her voice. "We restrain him! There has to be a way!"

Valvarad barely had time to breathe before the Wizard Malgam retaliated, unleashing another cascade of elemental devastation. Blazing torrents of fire spiraled alongside freezing shards of ice, streaks of violet lightning crackling between them as the earth itself trembled beneath the sheer force of the attack. The air warped from the heat and then chilled instantly, shifting between extremes with every blast hurled in his direction.

Supana gritted his teeth, his arms straining under the impact as he raised his Jyamatano Digger gauntlets to block the onslaught. Even with his reinforced armor, he could feel the pressure weighing down on him—this was what a Level X Malgam was capable of. And yet, Houtaro and the others were hesitating, frozen by their own sentimentality.

"This is insane," Valvarad muttered under his breath, his mind racing through his options. They needed a strategy. They needed something other than standing there, waiting to be wiped out.

His gaze flickered downward—there, lying in the dirt, was the X-Gotchalibur. His fingers twitched. He could waste his time yelling at Houtaro to get back on his feet, or he could take action himself. "I'll borrowing this!" Clicking his tongue in frustration, he grabbed the sword without hesitation.

Behind him, Houtaro sucked in a breath. "Wait, Supana—what are you doing?!"

Valvarad didn't answer. His focus was locked onto the battle ahead, already working through his next move. With swift efficiency, he reached into his Valvaradriver, swapping out his current Chemies for UFO-X from the X-Gotchalibur and his own ExceedFighter card.

"UFO-X! Ignite! ExceedFighter! Ignite!"

The moment he slammed the lever down, a surge of power erupted around him.

"Gotchanko Burst! Custom Up! UFOFighter!"

Jagged arcs of violet light crackled across his form as the air shimmered, distorting under the sheer force of his transformation. His armor shifted, gaining an aerodynamic edge—sleek yet reinforced, built for speed and aerial combat. His visor glowed brighter as twin thrusters ignited along his back, a ghostly afterimage flickering behind him from the sheer speed of his UFOFighter Custom form.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he launched himself forward. A burst of propulsion shot him through the air, his body cutting through the battlefield like a streak of silver lightning. The Wizard Malgam barely had time to react before Valvarad closed in, both the Valvarusher and X-Gotchalibur gripped tightly in each hand. The first strike hit home—a sharp, clean cut across the Malgam's side.

The Wizard Malgam staggered but recovered instantly, summoning another wave of fire and wind to counterattack. But Valvarad was already gone, zipping through the sky with UFO-X's enhanced mobility. His form flickered in and out of sight as he maneuvered with unnatural speed, twisting through the air as if gravity itself had loosened its hold on him.

Another slash. Then another. Each strike was delivered with cold precision, chipping away at the Malgam's defenses bit by bit. He wasn't hesitating. He wasn't holding back. He was treating this as a battle. Because that's what it was.

The Wizard Malgam wasn't Kajiki right now. It was a monster standing in their way, and it needed to be stopped. But not everyone saw it that way.

"STOP IT!"

A raw, desperate scream pierced through the battlefield. Valvarad barely had time to block another counterattack before his attention snapped toward the source—

Elsa's tears streamed down her face as she clutched at the hem of her clothes, shaking violently. "Please," she sobbed, her voice cracking. "You're hurting him!"

Valvarad's grip on the X-Gotchalibur tightened. Houtaro, still struggling to stand, forced out a hoarse plea. "Supana… I know you think this is the only way, but it's not—it can't be!"

Valvarad's heart pounded. They didn't get it. They still didn't get it.

He wanted to snap at them, to tell them to wake up, to stop acting like they had all the time in the world to come up with a "peaceful" solution. They were seconds away from dying, and they were begging him to pull his punches?

They didn't understand what it meant to fight like this. To have blood on your hands and keep going anyway. To win at all costs. But he exhaled sharply through his nose. It wasn't their fault. They weren't like him. They weren't people who had already lost everything.

His hands trembled slightly as he turned back to the Malgam. The creature was already recovering, its wounds regenerating at a terrifying speed. No hesitation, no mercy. There was no time.

"Listen to me." His voice came out steady, but laced with an edge of exhaustion. "I don't want to kill him either. But if we don't stop this thing now, none of us are walking away from this."

Houtaro clenched his fists, his eyes burning with frustration. "Then we have to find another way!"

Valvarad scoffed bitterly. "Another way? Like what? Wishing on a damn star?"

Elsa's voice was barely above a whisper. "There has to be something…"

Valvarad inhaled deeply, forcing himself to calm down. He looked at them—really looked at them. Their faces were pale with exhaustion. Their bodies were trembling. Their eyes still held onto some fragile hope. Despite this, Valvarad continued his onslaught on the Malgam, not heeding to their words.

Valvarad struck fast, his dual blades flashing as they carved through the space between him and the Malgam. Each slash was sharp, precise, and unrelenting. Sparks erupted as metal met unnatural flesh, the Wizard Malgam jerking from the force of impact. But no matter how many times he cut it down, it kept coming back—its body twitching, regenerating, fueled by the dark alchemic forces twisting inside it.

But Valvarad wasn't stopping. Not when he had an opening. Not when hesitation could cost them their lives. He moved like a storm, dashing between bursts of elemental magic, his thrusters burning hot as he maneuvered through the sky.

A streak of silver and violet tore through the battlefield, dodging, striking, and countering in an endless flurry of motion. He felt the weight of the X-Gotchalibur in his other hand—he wasn't used to wielding two blades, but he forced himself to adapt. For Supana, battle was instinct. Battle was survival. He knew how this worked. And he knew what needed to be done.

"SUPANA, STOP!" Houtaro's voice cut through the chaos, raw with desperation.

Valvarad barely spared him a glance, his focus locked onto the Malgam. But the moment he found another opportunity to strike, Elsa's cry rang out too. "Please! You're hurting him!"

Valvarad's grip faltered. It was a fraction of a second—just long enough for doubt to creep in, just long enough for hesitation to loosen his ironclad resolve. The Malgam took advantage of that. A sudden blast of ice and lightning shot toward him. He barely managed to react in time, crossing his blades in front of him to absorb the impact. The force sent him skidding backward midair, his body rattling inside his armor.

His jet thrusters flared as he fought to stabilize himself, but before he could fully recover, another blast headed toward him. This time, he wasn't fast enough. The alchemic surge slammed into him with crushing force, searing through his armor and sending him spiraling downward. His HUD flickered with warning signs as his body crashed into the ground, kicking up dirt and debris.

Pain rippled through his frame, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push through it. A voice inside his head snarled at his own stupidity. You let your guard down. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard footsteps—rushed, frantic. Then—

"SUPANA!"

The next thing he knew, Houtaro was beside him, reaching out. His hands trembled, whether from exhaustion or something else, Supana couldn't tell. His golden eyes, usually filled with determination, now flickered with barely-contained desperation.

"What the hell are you doing?" Valvarad rasped, brushing off Houtaro's attempt to help him up. His pride burned hotter than his wounds.

But Houtaro didn't back off. "What are YOU doing?!" Houtaro snapped, his voice cracking. "You're going to kill him, Supana! That's Kajiki!"

Valvarad's patience snapped. He pushed himself up, his stance unshaken despite the pain, and turned on Houtaro with a glare sharp enough to cut. "You think I don't know that?!" His voice was rough, edged with frustration. "Do you think I like doing this?"

Houtaro flinched, but he stood his ground. "If you know, then why—"

"Because we don't have a choice!" The words erupted from Valvarad's mouth, his voice laced with something raw—something bitter.

"If we just stand around crying and begging for him to come back, we're all dead." His breaths were ragged, his fingers curling into fists. "We don't have time for miracles, Ichinose. If you're not willing to do what needs to be done, then step aside and let me handle it."

Houtaro's expression twisted. His jaw clenched, his whole body shaking with conflicting emotions. "But if you keep fighting like this…" His voice was quieter now, but no less desperate. "If you push too hard—if you cut too deep—Kajiki might never come back."

For a moment, Valvarad didn't answer. Because deep down—he knew Houtaro was right. If he kept going at this pace… if he landed just one fatal blow… It would be over.

He hated that. He hated the uncertainty of it all. He hated every second of this but if Houtaro and the others didn't take any action, they would be all doomed. And that was what Gigist wanted out of all of this.

Valvarad groaned, pushing himself up from the scorched ground, his limbs aching from the last attack. His vision swayed for a moment, his HUD flickering before stabilizing. Before he could fully regain his footing, his eyes widened at the sight ahead.

The Wizard Malgam already prepared another attack as it condensed another powerful magical blast in its two palms. Valvarad clicked his tongue as he was still barely able to get up as the Malgam prepared to launch another attack.

Seeing how the Wizard Malgam was unwilling to stop in its track, both Houtaro and Elsa quickly took an action that baffled Valvarad to the core. The two had thrown themselves at the Wizard Malgam, grabbing onto its arms, their faces contorted with desperation.

"Kajiki, please!" Houtaro's voice cracked, his grip trembling as he clung onto the Malgam's forearm, his own battered body barely holding on. "You have to stop! We don't want to fight you!"

Tears welled in Elsa's eyes as she latched onto the Malgam's other arm, her fingers digging into the monstrous flesh. "Kajiki-kun, please stop… I don't want to lose you! I don't want to never see your smile again!"

Their voices—thick with raw emotion—shook in the cold battlefield, but the Malgam's glowing eyes remained unfazed. Instead, it jerked its arms violently, sending both of them tumbling to the ground like discarded dolls.

Valvarad grit his teeth, fists clenching in frustration. "You idiots! What the hell do you think you're doing?" His voice came out sharp, cutting through the air like steel. "Get away from it! You're gonna get yourselves killed!"

But they didn't listen. And in the next moment, the Wizard Malgam's patience snapped. The air grew heavy with suffocating energy as the Malgam's hands pulsed with crackling magical force. A vibrant, swirling storm of elements—fire, ice, lightning, wind—coalesced between its palms, the sheer pressure of it distorting the very space around them. Its intent was clear.

It was going to erase them.

"No—Houtaro! Elsa-chan!" Vanessa's voice broke as she tried to force herself up, only to collapse, her injuries betraying her. She could only watch in horror as the Malgam raised its hands, a catastrophic force mere seconds away from being unleashed. "Kajiki, stop! You're going to kill them!"

But the Malgam didn't stop. Houtaro instinctively moved, his battered body acting before his mind could process it. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Elsa, shielding her with his own body. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the pain, the impact, and the end.

"Please stop, Kajiki…" Houtaro murmured as he shielded Elsa from the incoming attack from the Wizard Malgam using his own body.

Valvarad moved. His mind emptied of hesitation. His body acted on instinct. With a sharp pull of his Valvaradriver's lever, a rush of power surged through him. His fingers tightened around the Valvarusher. In one swift motion, he grabbed the X-Gotchalibur from the dirt and fed his personal two cards into both swords. Daiohni card into the Valvarusher and Machwheel into the X-Gotchalibur.

"Damn it all." His voice was laced with a rare emotion—regret. He pressed the triggers of the two weapons in his hands.

"Occult! Valvara Burst!" "Machwheel Strash!"

Valvarad's grip tightened around the Valvarusher and X-Gotchalibur, the weight of his decision pressing down on him like an iron vice. He had no other choice. With a sharp breath, he shoved the lever on his Valvaradriver forward, the mechanisms within roaring to life as energy surged through his body.

"Valvarad Crash!"

Power coiled in his limbs, a mixture of Exceedfighter's raw strength and UFO-X's erratic momentum, his entire frame crackling with charged energy. He locked his gaze onto the Wizard Malgam, its towering form looming over Houtaro and Elsa, elemental magic spiraling between its palms, ready to wipe them out.

Houtaro, battered and exhausted, clung to Elsa, shielding her with his body. His voice was hoarse, raw with desperation. "Kajiki, please!"

Elsa trembled in his embrace, eyes brimming with tears as she reached toward the Malgam. "Kajiki-kun, don't do this…!"

But the Malgam did not hesitate. Its magic condensed into a devastating, swirling storm of destruction. Valvarad moved. The moment the Malgam thrust its arms down, the battlefield exploded with movement.

A metallic whirl of energy tore through the air as Valvarad jettisoned forward, his boosters igniting in an instant. The force behind his movement sent cracks splintering through the ground, a shockwave of wind kicking up dust and debris. In the blink of an eye, he was there.

His boot slammed into the Malgam's gut. The impact rang out like thunder. The Wizard Malgam staggered, its magic scattering before it could fire. But Valvarad wasn't finished.

With Exceedfighter's boosters accelerating his every movement, he twisted midair, corkscrewing into a devastating drilling kick. His leg, reinforced with spiraling energy, dug into the Malgam's core, sending tremors through its body as the force sent it hurtling backward. Sparks erupted on impact, UFO-X's rotational energy amplifying the momentum, sending the Malgam skidding across the battlefield.

But even as it reeled, the Malgam retaliated. With a monstrous snarl, it conjured a counterattack— a sweeping arc of crackling energy lashing out like a blade. However, Valvarad was faster.

Before the attack could reach him, he slashed downward with the X-Gotchalibur, its burning edge carving through the air in a searing golden arc. The Malgam's energy attack shattered against the strike, dispersing in a brilliant explosion of sparks. And then, with a final, decisive motion, Valvarad swung both of his weapons.

The Valvarusher's kanabo-like mass crashed into the Malgam's side, the sheer force sending shockwaves rippling through its monstrous frame. Almost simultaneously, the blazing X-Gotchalibur sliced through its torso, a burning golden trail searing the night. The Wizard Malgam let out a distorted, agonized cry. The moment hung, frozen in time. The Malgam erupted into a blinding explosion.

Houtaro's breath hitched, his pupils shrinking as the firelight reflected in his wide eyes. "KAJIKI—!"

The instant the explosion burst outward, Houtaro scrambled toward the flames, his body screaming in protest. He didn't care. His heart was hammering against his ribs, fear clawing at his throat. He didn't stop.

Elsa, despite her injuries, staggered after him. "No… no, please…!" Her voice cracked, hands clutched to her chest as if she could hold in the ache splitting her apart.

Vanessa pushed herself up, every muscle trembling, her face pale with horror. As the flames began to subside, Houtaro's hands trembled violently. His breath was ragged, his mind racing between hope and dread.

Valvarad, standing a short distance away, could only watch. He didn't move. His hands were still clenched around his weapons, his breathing steady despite the weight settling in his chest. There was nothing else he could do.

From a shadowed distance, Gigist began clapping. A slow, mocking rhythm that echoed through the battlefield like a funeral bell. "Well done, well done," Gigist mused, his tone laced with amusement. "You finally made the right choice, Supana."

Valvarad said nothing.

Gigist smirked, taking a casual step forward. "You see? This is what I've been telling you. You took action. You did what Houtaro was too weak to do." His golden eyes glinted with something sinister. "And now, I can't wait to see how deep his despair will become."

Valvarad's grip tightened. His knuckles turned white beneath his armored gloves. His body was already moving, ready to strike the Dark King down. But Gigist merely chuckled.

"As much as I'd love to entertain you," he sighed, stretching as if utterly at ease, "I've done my part for now." His figure began to distort, fading into the shadows. "I'll let you all enjoy the aftermath." And then, the Dark King was gone.

Valvarad exhaled sharply, the tension in his body refusing to fade. His entire mood had soured beyond repair, his mind a storm of conflicting emotions. His hand hovered over his driver as he took out the cards from his driver. His transformation dispersed. The weight of reality settled heavily onto Supana's shoulders. He didn't turn to face Houtaro and the others.

The thick, acrid smoke clung to the battlefield like an omen, curling in restless tendrils as Houtaro, Elsa, and Vanessa stumbled through the haze, their voices hoarse from calling out a name that refused to answer.

"Kajiki!"

Houtaro's breath came in ragged gasps as he pushed forward, his body aching with every movement. His vision blurred from a mixture of exhaustion and sheer desperation, but he refused to stop—refused to accept what had just happened.

His best friend had been there just moments ago, fighting against them, trapped within that monstrous form. And now? He couldn't bear to think of the alternative.

Elsa's voice cracked as she called out again, "Kajiki-kun, where are you?!" Her normally confident and teasing tone was gone, replaced by raw panic. Her hands trembled as she reached into the fog, as if willing him to be within her grasp.

Vanessa limped beside them, wincing at the pain that still lingered from the battle. Despite her own injuries, she scanned the surroundings with sharp determination. "Keep looking! He has to be here somewhere!"

Then, through the swirling smoke—a flicker. A faint, wavering light.

Houtaro's heart nearly stopped. His eyes locked onto the small, ethereal glow pulsing within the fog. Without hesitation, he lunged toward it, shoving aside debris as he reached for what he already knew deep in his chest.

As his fingers brushed against it, the light dimmed, curling into a small, fragile orb. His hands shook as he lifted it toward his face, and his breath hitched when he recognized what it was, a Chemy Orb. His throat felt tight, his fingers curling protectively around it as he fumbled for his Blank Chemy Card.

He moved purely on instinct, knowing before he even completed the action what would happen. With a flicker of alchemic energy, the Chemy was absorbed into the card. Houtaro barely had the courage to look. But as the image solidified on the surface of the card, his worst fear was confirmed.

X-Wizard was left lifeless and colourless inside the. card His breath left him in a hollow exhale. The one he had always considered his older sister. The one who had guided him, protected him, and supported him even when he had doubted himself. And now—just like Shirabe before her—she was gone.

"X-Wizard… Please, say something…"

The card was silent. It was nothing more than an empty, still image, unresponsive to his touch. Just like Neminemoon. Just like Yoacerberus. Just like Shirabe. He couldn't even hear her voice anymore.

"No… This can't be… X-Wizard…" A strangled sob rose in his throat, but before he could process it—he saw him.

Lying just beneath the spot where the Chemy Orb had been, a motionless figure sprawled across the ground. There, Kajiki was lying unconscious on the ground. Houtaro's body reacted before his mind could catch up. He dropped to his knees beside him, shaking him violently.

"Kajiki! Wake up!" But there was no response. "Come on, open your eyes! You're okay now, right?!"

Houtaro's fingers curled around his friend's shoulders, gripping onto the fabric of his tattered uniform. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out everything else. No, no, no. Not this. Not again.

Both Elsa and Vanessa managed to find Houtaro who was cradling Kajiki's limp body. Elsa gasped as she reached his side, her legs nearly giving out beneath her as she collapsed beside Kajiki's still form. Her fingers hovered over his cheek, eyes darting across his features—his pale skin, the unsettling stillness of his expression. Then—she noticed his hair.

Her breath hitched. The dark locks she had seen so many times before—now drained of all color. Pale. Lifeless. Just like what she heard about Shirabe.

A sharp, choked sound left her lips as she gripped onto his hand. "Kajiki-kun… no, no, please…!" She squeezed desperately, as if trying to force warmth back into his fingers. "You're okay, right? Right?!" However, there was nothing but dead silence.

Vanessa, now beside them, clenched her jaw. This what Houtaro had warned to them. The moment the Malgam was defeated, this was the result. Kajiki wasn't waking up. The realization hit like a hammer to the chest.

Houtaro's breathing grew uneven as he frantically shook Kajiki again. "Wake up, damn it!" His voice cracked, raw with grief. "You can hear me, right?! It's me—Houtaro! Your friend! The guy who reads your ridiculous mystery stories and listens to you talk about ghosts and conspiracies—don't act like you don't remember that!" His voice wavered, his grip tightening.

Elsa was openly sobbing now, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't even get to tell you—!" She bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood, her words caught between a confession and a regret.

But Kajiki didn't respond. He just lay there. The weight of it crushed Houtaro's chest, his stomach twisting into painful knots. His body trembled violently as he clutched at his hair, fingers digging into his scalp as a guttural cry tore from his throat.

It had happened again. Just like Shirabe. His best friend. His irreplaceable friend. Gone. And no matter how hard he screamed, no matter how hard he pleaded— There was no answer. The world around them felt unbearably silent.

Houtaro's chest heaved, his breaths coming in short, uneven gasps as he clutched at his hair, his fingers tangling into the strands, pulling—pulling as if the pain would wake him from this nightmare. But it wasn't a nightmare.

Kajiki wasn't moving. X-Wizard wasn't responding. They were gone.

The realization hit like a blade to the gut, twisting deeper with every second that passed. His mind screamed at him to keep trying, to keep calling out, to shake Kajiki until he woke up, until he groaned and complained about being dizzy, until he gave that awkward little laugh and said he was fine.

But no matter how much Houtaro pleaded, Kajiki didn't stir. A choked sob tore from his throat as he pounded the ground beside his best friend, his body trembling violently. "Damn it… why?!" His voice cracked, raw and desperate. "Why does this keep happening?!"

The weight of it crushed him. Shirabe. And now—Kajiki. Two people he loved, both lost to this relentless, merciless fate. He could hear Elsa crying beside him, her own hands gripping Kajiki's unmoving shoulders.

Her fingers curled against the fabric of his uniform, as if clinging to the hope that if she held on tight enough, he wouldn't slip away from them completely. "Kajiki-kun… please," she whispered, her voice barely audible through the tremor of her sobs. "I need you to wake up…"

She shook him gently, her hands trembling against his skin. "You still have stories to write, remember? You still have so many mysteries to solve—so many conspiracies to uncover!" Her lips quivered as she forced a smile, trying, begging, to bring back the boy who had once lit up at the mere mention of the occult.

"You promised me you'd tell me the next big story you were working on! You still have to make up with Hijiri! You have so much left to do, Kajiki-kun!"Her voice cracked. "You have to come back!"

However, there was nothing. The silence that followed was a knife to the heart.

Elsa's shoulders shook violently as she leaned down, pressing her forehead against his chest. Her sobs grew heavier, her voice breaking apart as she whispered, "I need you… I need you so much…" Her grip tightened. "I already lost Millaarc. I can't—" A sharp inhale. "I can't lose you too…"

The agony in her voice was unbearable. Houtaro's vision blurred, tears streaming freely down his face. He had no words left. No clever ideas, no miracles, no solutions—just helplessness. His fist slammed into the ground, his shoulders shaking with anger, grief, frustration—all of it crashing into him at once.

"Why?! Why does it have to be like this?!" He gasped for air, his entire body trembling from the force of his emotions.

He had sworn—sworn—that he would protect his friends. That he wouldn't let anyone else suffer the same fate as Shirabe. That he would find another way. And yet here they were. Kajiki. Gone. Another friend lost to Gigist's twisted game.

Behind them, Vanessa stood still, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her jaw was tight, her eyes dark with grief. But she didn't speak. Because there was nothing left to say.

What could she possibly say to ease the pain clawing at Houtaro's chest? What words existed that could stop Elsa's sobs from breaking apart? She exhaled sharply, swallowing down her own sorrow, forcing herself to stand strong—but the tightness in her throat refused to fade.

Her fingers twitched at her sides. She wanted to tell them it wasn't over. That there was still a way. That there had to be something they could do. But as she stared at Kajiki's motionless body, at the ashen white of his hair, at the utter stillness in his face—

She knew. This was the reality of their fight. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. As the minutes dragged on, the battlefield grew eerily quiet. Only the sound of Elsa's muffled sobs and Houtaro's ragged breathing filled the air. And in that silence, the weight of loss settled in.

Houtaro sat frozen, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails bit into his palms. His breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps as he stared down at Kajiki's lifeless body, Elsa's sobs filling the silence like a knife scraping against glass. His heart pounded in his chest, an erratic rhythm of rage and helplessness.

Then—footsteps. Slow, deliberate, unhurried. A presence entered the suffocating grief like a cold gust of wind and it was coming from Supana. Houtaro's head snapped up. Across from him, Elsa's tear-streaked face twisted in rage the moment she saw him approaching, his expression unreadable, his movements calm—too calm.

Something inside them snapped. The two of them lunged.

Vanessa barely had time to react before the two shot toward Supana like wild animals cornered in grief. Houtaro's fist connected first. A clean, brutal punch to Supana's face. The impact was sharp, sickeningly satisfying—Supana's head snapped to the side before he staggered backward, crashing onto the ground with a loud thud.

But it wasn't enough. Houtaro dropped onto him, gripping his collar with trembling hands, his voice raw with fury. "Why—why did you do it?!"

Elsa was right there beside him, grabbing at Supana's uniform, her fingers digging into the fabric as she shook him violently. "You knew what would happen!" she screamed, her voice breaking with the force of her anguish. "You knew Kajiki-kun would end up just like Shirabe! Why—why did you still do it?!"

Supana didn't fight back. He just lay there, unmoving, his expression unreadable, his face turned away. That made it worse.

Houtaro's grip tightened, his nails pressing into Supana's jacket. "Say something!" he roared, his throat raw, his chest aching from the weight of too many losses in too little time. "Kajiki is gone because of you! He—he's never waking up again! Do you even care?!"

Elsa's voice was quieter, but no less broken. "You killed him!" Her shoulders shook violently, her breath hitching between sobs. "You took away our last chance to save him!"

Vanessa finally reached them, grabbing Houtaro's arm, trying to pull him back. "Guys, stop! This isn't—"

But neither of them could stop. Their grief was too raw, too unbearable—and Supana's silence only fanned the flames. Houtaro's chest heaved, his vision blurred with tears and exhaustion and rage. "Say something, damn it!"

Still—nothing. Just that cold, infuriating silence. Then—Supana moved. His hands shot out like steel clamps, gripping both Houtaro and Elsa's wrists with bruising force. In a swift, powerful motion, he shoved them back, breaking free from their grasp.

The two stumbled, wide-eyed, as Supana rose to his feet, his head tilted down, the shadows veiling his expression. Then—he spoke. "If you want answers—fine. But I won't sugarcoat it." His voice was low, sharp, cutting like a blade against stone.

"You two were about to die," he spat, his eyes burning with something unreadable—anger? Frustration? Or something deeper? "The Malgam was about to rip you apart, and you were just—what? Standing there? Crying? Begging for a miracle? Hoping that he'd wake up? That's not how the world works."

Elsa flinched, her lip quivering, but Supana didn't stop.

"You think Kajiki Ryo would've wanted that?" His voice rose, sharp and biting. "You think he would've been okay knowing that he killed you two with his own hands?!"

Houtaro opened his mouth, but no words came out. Supana took a step closer, his eyes dark with something Houtaro couldn't place.

"If I hadn't stopped him," he said, voice cold and firm, "Kajiki Ryo would've had your blood on his hands. He would've killed us all. And then what? Would you still be blaming me then? Would you rather be dead than face reality?"

The words hit like a hammer to the chest. Houtaro's breaths were uneven, his chest heaving as he glared at Supana through tear-filled eyes. Elsa knelt beside Kajiki's lifeless form, her fingers trembling as she clutched at his hand, her face contorted in grief. Vanessa stood a short distance away, silent, her fists clenched, her normally composed expression fractured by sorrow and frustration.

But Supana stood his ground, his arms crossed, his gaze cold and unwavering. He had long since learned to silence his emotions, to weigh logic over sentimentality, and yet, standing here now, faced with the raw anguish in Houtaro and Elsa's eyes, something deep inside him twisted. Still, he refused to back down.

"You think I wanted this?" Supana's voice cut through the tense air, sharp and unwavering. "You think I enjoyed cutting down your friend?" His eyes bore into Houtaro's, daring him to challenge him further.

"But what else was I supposed to do? Wait for some miracle that wasn't coming? Watch as you stood there, crying, begging Kajiki Ryo to wake up, while he burned the world around him? You were going to die, Ichinose! Both of you!" His hand snapped toward Elsa, whose body flinched at the sheer force of his words. "And then what? Vanessa would have been next? Then some random bystander? How many more people were you willing to let suffer just because you couldn't make a choice?!"

Houtaro's hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms as he fought back sobs of frustration. "We could have—there had to be another way, Supana! You didn't have to—" His voice cracked, his words failing him as his throat tightened. He knew. Deep down, he knew there had been no other way.

"No, Ichinose." Supana's voice was firm, but not without weight. "We tried. You tried. Again and again, you reached out, you pleaded, and nothing changed. You weren't getting through to him." His gaze darkened. "You have no idea how much I wanted to believe you would. That maybe, just maybe, your stubborn, idiotic idealism would work. But it didn't. And if I hadn't stepped in, we'd be mourning more than just your friend right now!"

Elsa's body shook as she clutched Kajiki's hand even tighter, her tears spilling onto his unmoving fingers. "You don't understand," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I was supposed to save him. I promised I wouldn't let him be alone. And now—" Her breath hitched as she buried her face into Kajiki's chest, her sobs muffled. "I've lost him. He's gone, just like Millaarc…"

Supana's eyes softened for the briefest moment, but only for a second before he inhaled sharply, composing himself. "You think I don't understand?" His voice was quieter now, but there was an unmistakable edge of bitterness beneath it. "You think I don't know what it's like to lose someone?" His gaze shifted to Vanessa for a fleeting moment, then back to Elsa. "I know exactly what it means to lose people who matter. And that's why I won't let my emotions dictate my actions."

Houtaro's lip trembled as he shook his head. His body felt unbearably heavy, as though the weight of the world had been dumped onto his shoulders. "I… I just… I didn't want to lose anyone else." His voice was barely a whisper. "Not Kajiki. Not Shirabe. Not like this."

Supana exhaled, rubbing his temple in frustration before finally stepping forward. He crouched down in front of Houtaro, forcing the younger boy to meet his gaze. There was no anger in his eyes anymore—just exhaustion, weariness, and something else. Something almost… understanding.

"You have to accept it, Ichinose." His voice was lower now, almost subdued. "We don't always get to save everyone. Sometimes, we have to make the hard choices. And sometimes, those choices break us." His fingers curled into his palm. "That's what it means to be a Kamen Rider."

Houtaro's breath hitched. His vision blurred as he stared at Supana, trying to find something—anything—to refute him. But he couldn't. Because deep down, he knew that Supana was right.

And that realization crushed him. His vision blurred, tears falling freely as he clutched Kajiki's limp body, his fingers digging into the fabric of his friend's clothes as if trying to anchor him back to reality. His other hand trembled as it clenched the X-Wizard Chemy Card, its once radiant energy now cold and lifeless in his grasp. His sobs wracked his entire frame, his body rocking back and forth as he whispered broken apologies into the silent night.

"I just… I can't…" Houtaro's voice cracked as he choked on his own despair. "I already lost my mom… I lost Shirabe… and now—" His fingers curled tighter around Kajiki's form. "Now I've lost you too…" His breath shuddered. "Why does everyone I love keep leaving me?"

Elsa was still beside him, frozen in place, her own face streaked with tears. Her grip on Kajiki's hand never wavered, her touch desperate, pleading for something—anything—to prove that this wasn't the end. But no miracle came. No sudden gasp for air, no fluttering of eyelids. Just the stillness of the boy she had once laughed with, the boy who shared her love for the occult, who listened to her stories with fascination, who—despite her origins—never once treated her as anything less than human. And now, he was gone.

Elsa bit her lip so hard it almost bled. Her chest tightened with an agony she didn't know how to bear. Across from them, Supana remained unmoved. He observed Houtaro's despair with an expression that was neither cold nor kind, his crimson eyes dull with something deeper—something he would never let surface.

Eventually, he exhaled. "You have two choices." His voice was flat, practical, devoid of sympathy. "You can stay here, crying over what you've lost. Or you can stand up and face the reality in front of you."

The words hit like a slap to the face. Houtaro's sobbing quieted, replaced by a hollow silence. He didn't lift his head, but his grip on Kajiki tightened, his knuckles white.

Elsa, however, snapped. "You heartless bastard!" Her voice ripped through the air, raw with fury. She surged to her feet, her body trembling with rage as she stormed toward Supana, seizing him by the collar before shoving him back.

"How the hell can you just say that?! How can you act like—like none of these matters?!" Her claws dug into the fabric of his jacket, her entire body shaking with barely restrained violence. "Kajiki-kun was our friend! He was Houtaro's best friend! And you—" Her voice wavered, thick with grief. "You didn't even hesitate! You just—just—"

Her words failed her, collapsing under the sheer weight of what she had lost. Supana didn't flinch. He didn't recoil or push her away. He simply let her scream, let her vent her rage and grief in whatever way she needed to. But when he finally spoke, his tone was like steel.

"You think I wanted this?" He tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze with unwavering intensity. "You think I enjoyed it? Killing that Level X Malgam was already hard. Watching the people you care about turn into them? That's even harder."

Elsa's breathing was ragged, her claws trembling as they pressed against his chest, as if debating whether to strike.

Supana leaned in slightly, voice low. "If you think I'm the scummiest person in your little group, fine. If you think I don't care, go ahead and believe that. But I'll tell you one thing." His expression darkened. "I did what had to be done. And if you had the strength to do the same, you wouldn't be standing here, screaming at me like a child throwing a tantrum."

That was the final straw. With a guttural snarl, Elsa lunged, her claws swiping at him with every intent to tear into his skin. But before she could, Vanessa was there, grabbing her from behind, her arms locking around Elsa's waist as she pulled her back.

"Let me go, Vanessa!" Elsa thrashed violently, her fangs bared, her grief spilling over into sheer wrath. "He doesn't deserve to stand here! He doesn't deserve to live after what he did—after what he took from us!"

Supana's expression remained unreadable as he simply watched her struggle, his arms relaxed at his sides, making no effort to defend himself.

Vanessa held firm, her own strength barely enough to keep Elsa contained. "Enough, Elsa-chan!" Her voice was strained but commanding. "I know you're hurting, but this isn't the way—this won't bring Kajiki back!"

Elsa clenched her teeth so hard it hurt, her chest heaving with every ragged breath. But even as she tried to break free, Vanessa's grip never wavered. "Please," Vanessa's voice softened, just barely above a whisper. "Don't make me lose you too…"

Vanessa tightened her grip around Elsa, her arms a steady anchor against the storm of emotions raging within the younger girl. Elsa trembled in her hold, fists clenched against Vanessa's jacket, her breath coming in uneven, ragged gasps between her sobs. The rawness of her grief cut through the night like a blade—loud, unrestrained, utterly broken.

"Why…?" Elsa's voice cracked, her sobs shaking her frame as she buried her face into Vanessa's shoulder. "Why did it have to be him? Why did we have to lose him like this?"

Vanessa stroked her head gently, fingers threading through Elsa's hair as she tried to soothe her. "I know," she murmured, her own voice tight with grief. "I know how much he meant to you… how much you wanted to be with him, to make things right."

Elsa let out a strangled cry, gripping the fabric of Vanessa's coat even tighter. "I wanted to read more books with him… to listen to him ramble about his weird occult stories… to see him get all excited over the dumbest things…!" Her voice broke entirely. "I wanted to help him remember Hijiri… I wanted to see him smile again—just one more time! But now—"

Her words collapsed into incoherent sobs, the weight of reality crushing her completely.

Vanessa held her, pressing Elsa's head gently against her chest, shielding her from the world if only for a moment. "I know, Elsa-chan… I know." She swallowed the lump in her throat, fighting the sting behind her own eyes. "If Kajiki were here… he'd tell you not to cry like this. You know that, right?"

Elsa shook her head violently, refusing to accept it. "I don't care!" she screamed, her voice raw. "I don't care what he would've wanted—I don't want to live in a world where he isn't here!"

Vanessa exhaled shakily, her own hands trembling as she held onto Elsa. She had no words that could erase this pain. No magic spell that could undo what had happened. She could only hold her, shielding her from a reality too cruel to face alone.

A few steps away, Houtaro remained hunched over Kajiki's limp body, his hands trembling as they rested on his friend's chest. His entire body shook with quiet, breathless sobs, his lips parted as if still trying—desperately—to call Kajiki back. But there was nothing. No response. No sign of life. And that silence was the most painful thing of all.

Supana stood apart from them, his arms crossed tightly as he watched the scene unfold. His jaw clenched, his fingers digging into his own arms as a storm of emotions swirled inside him—anger, frustration, regret. He had told himself over and over again that this was necessary. That there was no other way. That Houtaro and Elsa were foolish to believe they could save Kajiki when they had no means to do so. Seeing them like this. Hearing their voices crack under the weight of grief.

Watching them shatter completely. Supana exhaled sharply through his nose, turning his face away as his teeth ground together in frustration. His nails bit into his palms, but he said nothing. He wouldn't apologize. He had done what had to be done. That much, he was sure of. But that certainty did nothing to silence the gnawing, hollow ache inside him. Because no matter how justified his actions were, watching them grieve… It almost felt like Gigist had won.

For a long moment, no one spoke. The only thing that remained was grief. And in that silence, Houtaro's broken whisper finally came. "…I don't know how to do this." His voice was weak, barely audible. "I don't know how to keep moving forward."

His tears dripped onto Kajiki's jacket as his body curled inward, as if trying to shield himself from the unbearable weight of reality. Supana exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Then figure it out." His voice was softer this time, but still resolute. "Because this isn't the last time you're going to feel this way. And if you don't learn how to stand up now, the next time you fall… you won't get back up at all."

Houtaro didn't answer. He wasn't sure if he could.

Vanessa's grip on Elsa remained firm, her warmth the only thing keeping the younger girl from collapsing entirely. Her gaze flickered to Houtaro, who sat motionless, his arms still wrapped protectively around Kajiki's limp body. His fingers trembled as they clutched the fabric of his friend's jacket, knuckles white with the sheer force of his grief. The silence between them was suffocating—only broken by Elsa's quiet sobs and the distant hum of the night.

Still, Vanessa knew they couldn't stay here. Not like this. She took a breath, steadying herself before speaking, her voice gentle yet firm. "We need to get Kajiki out of here," she said, keeping her tone calm despite the situation. "He needs to be somewhere safe. Somewhere he can be taken care of, even if we… don't have any way to wake him up right now."

Her words slowly registered in Houtaro's mind, his glazed-over eyes flickering with the barest hint of recognition. Elsa, still holding onto Kajiki's hand as if afraid he'd slip away completely, lifted her tear-streaked face. "Then let's take him to where Shirabe is," she said almost immediately, her voice raw but insistent. "At least there… at least there are people we can trust to look after him."

For a moment, Houtaro didn't respond. His body remained rigid, shoulders curled inward as though bracing himself for an unseen weight crushing him down. Then, slowly, he shook his head. "I… I can't," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Elsa's breath hitched. "What?"

"I can't go back," Houtaro repeated, this time louder, his voice quivering. "I—I left them behind. I walked away from them this morning—after what happened to Shirabe, after I fought Gigist, after what I learnt about my own self… I—I was too weak, too scared. And now… now I have to walk back in there, carrying Kajiki like this? After everything that happened?" His grip on Kajiki tightened, his entire body shaking. "How the hell am I supposed to face them?"

Elsa's lip trembled. "Houtaro…"

"They're all counting on me, but I—" His breath hitched, frustration and helplessness twisting his expression. "I couldn't even save Kajiki. I couldn't save Shirabe. I couldn't save X-Wizard. I'm just standing here, watching everything fall apart, knowing Gigist is going to keep coming after us. I'm just waiting for him to take someone else—" His voice broke entirely. "How am I supposed to face Suzu-nii? Tsuba-nee? Chris-san? Kirika? How am I supposed to stand next to Shirabe again, knowing I let her down?"

Vanessa sighed quietly, kneeling beside him. "Houtaro." He tensed but didn't look at her.

She didn't press him immediately. Instead, she placed a hand over his—steady, grounding. "I know you're scared," she said softly, her voice free of judgment. "I know you don't want to see them—because seeing them means facing what happened. It means accepting this pain, and that's terrifying."

Houtaro swallowed hard, his breathing uneven.

"But you're not the only one who's hurting," she continued. "And you're not the only one who needs them. Kajiki needs them. Shirabe needs you. And I know you might not believe this right now, but they still need you too, Houtaro."

Houtaro squeezed his eyes shut, his lips pressing together tightly.

"You ran away before," Vanessa admitted. "But you have a choice now—to keep running, or to turn back and fight for the people who are still here."

Houtaro's shoulders shook, his emotions warring inside him.

"I know it's hard," she murmured. "But if you really want to protect them… then go back. Even if you're scared, even if it hurts—go back."

For a long moment, there was only silence. Vanessa, standing beside him, watched him carefully. She could see it—the weight pressing down on him, the silent war raging behind his eyes. She had seen it before in countless others, the crushing guilt that made people hesitate when they needed to move forward.

So, she spoke, her voice calm but resolute. "Houtaro… we need to take Kajiki to the hospital."

Houtaro remained silent, his fingers tightening unconsciously against Kajiki's sleeve.

"If you keep running away like this," Vanessa continued, her words steady but gentle, "it's only going to get worse. You know that, don't you?"

Houtaro swallowed hard, but still, he didn't speak.

Vanessa took a slow breath before pressing on. "Kajiki wouldn't want you to be like this. You know that better than anyone."

Elsa, still wiping the lingering tears from her face, stepped forward. Her voice was raw, but filled with a desperate kind of conviction. "Please, Houtaro. You're the only one who can help him now." She looked down at Kajiki's pale face, her fingers trembling as she reached out and touched his hand. "We can't just leave him like this… we have to try."

Houtaro exhaled shakily, his chest tight with conflict. He knew they were right. He knew running away wouldn't change anything. And yet… He closed his eyes, forcing himself to push past the crushing doubts, the fear, the guilt. After a long, agonizing pause, he finally let out a heavy sigh.

"…Fine," he muttered, his voice hoarse from all the crying. "I'll take him to the hospital."

Elsa's expression softened with relief, but Houtaro quickly cut in before she could say anything else. "But I don't think I should stay." He hesitated before forcing himself to continue, each word more painful than the last. "I'll make sure Kajiki gets there… but I don't know if it's safe for me to be around them right now."

Vanessa's heart sank slightly, but she didn't argue. She had pushed him as far as she could for now. At the very least, he was willing to take this step, and that was more than she could have asked for just moments ago. "…Alright," she said quietly, nodding. "Then let's go."

She carefully helped Houtaro to his feet, the exhaustion evident in his movements. Together, they adjusted Kajiki's weight between them, ensuring his unconscious body was properly supported. Vanessa then turned toward Supana, who had been standing silently in the background, his expression unreadable.

"You're going to help," Vanessa told him firmly.

Supana exhaled through his nose, his posture stiff. "Tch. I figured as much."

"You're the one who did this," Vanessa added, her tone sharp but not cruel. "So, you're going to help fix it."

Supana narrowed his eyes at her but didn't argue. He knew better than anyone that this was partially on him. Letting out a weary sigh, he reached into his belt and pulled out his Chemy Riser. With practiced ease, he slotted in the Machwheel card and pressed the activation button.

"Chemy Rise! Machwheel!"

In an instant, the Chemy materialized before them, its mechanical frame humming with energy.

"Wheel…" Machwheel let out a low, worried rumble as it glanced at Supana, sensing the turmoil in its master's heart.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Supana muttered, shaking his head. "Just get us there."

He climbed into the driver's seat, nodding for the others to follow. Houtaro, Vanessa, and Elsa carefully maneuvered Kajiki into the back, ensuring he was as comfortable as possible despite the circumstances. The air inside the vehicle was thick with unspoken emotions—grief, anger, exhaustion—but there was no time to dwell on any of it now.

As Supana started the engine, the group sped off toward the hospital, the city lights stretching out before them like distant, unreachable stars.

---

The evening air carried a gentle warmth, the kind that lingered just before the night fully settled in. Streetlights flickered to life one by one, casting a soft glow over the quiet road as Rinne and Mr. Ichinose continued their walk toward the hospital. In her arms, Hopper1 squirmed slightly, chirping in contentment as it nestled closer against her. The little mechanical hopper had been particularly giddy ever since they had left the store, its antennae twitching excitedly at the hair ribbon Rinne had bought for Shirabe.

Mr. Ichinose chuckled, stealing a glance at the young girl beside him. "I think that ribbon will suit Tsu-chan well," he mused, his voice warm. "She'll be happy when she wakes up to see you brought her something."

Rinne's grip on the small gift tightened slightly, her fingers tracing the delicate fabric. She forced a smile, nodding. "Yeah… I hope so."

She wished she could say it with confidence. That she truly believed Shirabe would open her eyes and smile again, as if none of this had ever happened. But uncertainty gnawed at her heart, and she knew—deep down—there was no guarantee. Even so, she played along with Mr. Ichinose's optimism, if only to maintain the fragile hope he carried.

"Hoppa! Hoppa, hoppa!"

Then, out of nowhere, Hopper1 let out an excited chirp, wriggling free from Rinne's hold. The little Chemy hopped onto the sidewalk before bouncing toward a nearby garden. Startled, Rinne and Mr. Ichinose turned toward where it had landed, following its enthusiastic leaps.

"What is it, Hopper1?" Rinne called, stepping closer.

The answer came in the form of vibrant yellow petals swaying gently in the night breeze—an array of sunflowers, standing tall within a small cultivated garden.

"Hoppa, ho!" Hopper1 jumped eagerly between them, chirping in excitement, nudging the stems as if urging them to take notice.

Rinne tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "Sunflowers?"

Mr. Ichinose's eyes softened with recognition, a nostalgic chuckle escaping his lips. "Ah… I see. It makes sense now."

Rinne turned toward him. "What do you mean?"

He crossed his arms, glancing fondly at the golden flowers. "Hou-chan used to love sunflowers when he was little," he said. "Whenever Tama-san—his mother—was sick, he'd go out of his way to pick some for her, saying they had the power to 'give her energy' and make her feel better." A wistful smile played at his lips. "Of course, he was just a kid back then, but he truly believed it. And, honestly? It did make her happy. She'd always smile whenever he brought them to her."

Rinne blinked, taken aback by the simple yet touching story. The image of a young Houtaro, proudly carrying an armful of sunflowers for his mother, brought an unexpected warmth to her chest.

Mr. Ichinose continued, his voice tinged with affection. "And whenever Hou-chan got sick, Tama-san would do the same for him—she'd place sunflowers beside his bed, right along with his favorite meal, like this tamagoyaki, saying it was her way of returning the favor." He let out a soft laugh. "Maybe it was just a little family tradition, but to Hou-chan, it meant everything."

Rinne's fingers curled slightly around the hair ribbon in her hands. That was just like him. That boundless optimism, that belief in even the smallest things carrying meaning… it was what made him who he was. And yet, she had been part of what shattered that hope.

Her chest tightened with guilt, the memories of her own mistakes flashing through her mind—the way she had driven a wedge between Houtaro and Shirabe, the way she had left when they needed her most. She had watched Houtaro's light flicker under the weight of despair, and she had done nothing to stop it.

But before those thoughts could consume her, Mr. Ichinose's voice pulled her back.

"How about we do the same for them?" he suggested, reaching down to pluck two stems of sunflowers from the garden. "One for Tsu-chan, and one for Hou-chan. If nothing else, maybe it'll bring them a little comfort."

Rinne hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "...Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

She reached out and gently took one of the flowers from him, feeling the delicate weight of the stem in her palm. She imagined placing it by Shirabe's bedside, imagined telling Houtaro about the story his father had just shared. Maybe… maybe it would be enough to remind him of the light he had always carried.

"Hoppa, ho, hoppa!"

Hopper1, thrilled by the idea, chirped excitedly as Mr. Ichinose placed the remaining sunflower atop its little head. "There you go! You can give this sunflower for my son later, little one!"

The sight was enough to draw out a small, genuine chuckle from Rinne, the first in what felt like ages. The two grew happier as they petted Hopper1's head and the little creature purred in happiness too. Seeing how kind Mr. Ichinose was toward Hopper1, Rinne couldn't help but thinking how similar Houtaro was to his father in a lot of ways.

"You really are just like him, Mr. Ichinose" she murmured, watching as Hopper1 bounced happily with its new 'gift' for its master.

Mr. Ichinose grinned. "Well, he is my son, after all."

Rinne smiled faintly, allowing herself to hold onto that moment of warmth, even as the weight of everything still loomed over them. Maybe this was something small. Maybe it wouldn't change anything.

But for now, it was something they could do.

As Hopper1 settled back into her arms, clutching its sunflower prize, the three of them continued their walk toward the hospital, carrying the quiet hope that—even in the smallest ways—they could still reach the ones they loved.

---

Well, that's the end of this part of the chapter for now. Again, the story was already too long so I won't waste too much space for now. The next part of the chapter was already done and just needed some curating before I published it so you can look forward for that. The one thing that I won't guarantee is the S6 EP3 because that story is still under development so don't expect for fast updates anytime soon. That aside, I hope you all have a fun time reading the story in spite of its gigantic length. Don't forget to leave a review or like later if you enjoy it. With that, hope to see you all next time whenever that might be.