His expression darkened.
"H–How do you even know that?!"
Eliza only smirked. Then, with a light, almost musical laugh, she said, "Oh, Matsunaga-Kun… I know more than you'd dare imagine."
With a flick of her wrist, a glowing, ancient tome appeared in her hand. Its pages fluttered open on their own, shimmering with impossible light.
"You remember my little… power to rewrite anyone's fate?"
She glanced at a page, her smile widening.
"One month ago, you had a hopeless crush on some village girl you saved—"
Kasumi's eyes flared. In a blink, his blade was a breath away from her neck. "Shut. Up."
She stepped back smoothly, like the air itself carried her away from danger.
"Sadly for you," she teased, "that girl was secretly pining for Ren Hajime."
Kasumi sighed in resignation. "Yeah, I know. Hajime-san's like a magnet that pulls everything in. But—don't you dare read further—"
She ignored him, flipping pages. Then her brows lifted, and her voice took on a playful, scandalized tone.
"Oh my… I never thought you were capable of that. You really are human after all—just more disciplined… and tragically boring."
His shout came like a whipcrack. "Stop it! Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to have your personal history narrated out loud?!" He jabbed a finger at her. "How about I read yours for a change? Let's see what you don't want the world to know."
Her composure cracked in an instant; her cheeks flamed pink. "I–I… understand…"
The book evaporated into the air, leaving only the faint sound of her anklets chiming in the silence.
Kasumi steadies his breath, eyes narrowing. "I just have to hold her off… until Hajime-San gets here."
Then, louder—voice like a blade. "Fair enough. Let's finish this!"
Eliza blinks, tilts her head. "…Huh?"
Kasumi's tone is cold, deliberate. "Stop playing dumb. Show me your full power."
A faint smirk tugs at her lips. "Either you're an idiot… or you think I am. You know you can't die. That curse on you? You'll keep breathing until you're eighteen."
Kasumi's grip tightens on his katana. "So what?"
Her smile fades into something sharper. "So what? You're poking at the wrong person, boy. I can erase that curse and kill you… right now."
A shiver runs up his arms. "What do you—"
The world blinks.
His sword is gone. The trees—gone. No cover. No escape.
Kasumi's breath catches, chest pounding.
Eliza lifts her hand lazily, and his feet leave the ground. Invisible force locks him in the air like a pinned insect.
"I'll admit… you're stronger than the Hashira I've killed lately. But you're still not on our level."
Kasumi strains, muscles screaming. He can't move a finger.
"You're lucky I don't kill kids," she says evenly. "So you'll live until eighteen. But stay away from him. He kills everything—humans, demons, animals, insects, even the wind and stone if they cross him. He's not just a monster, he's the force of nature."
Kasumi bares his teeth. "I don't care. Even if I die, I'll kill him. Jigen shouldn't exist, and I'll make sure he doesn't."
Her eyes darken. "I could summon him right here… Want me to?"
For just a second, fear flashes across Kasumi's face.
"You say you don't care about dying," she continues softly, "but you do. You fear him. And until you stop lying to yourself, you'll never reach your goal."
Kasumi's jaw locks, words dying in his throat.
"Where are you, Hajime-San…?"
Then she strolls forward, grabs his ear between two fingers, and twists.
"Thinking about Ren Hajime? He's still a kilometre away. I can see him, clear as day."
His eyes widen—hope shattering like glass.
Then—
Her hand sweeps through the air.
Kasumi becomes a ragdoll, hurled into the forest at breakneck speed.
Wood splinters. Trees shatter. Blood sprays as his skull smashes against a trunk.
He hits the ground, motionless.
She exhales softly, a faint, almost amused sigh.
"Phew… he's out of my way."
From her back, wings unfurl — vast and radiant, their feathers shimmering like fragments of heaven itself. Yet, beneath their angelic glow lingers something unsettling, as if divinity itself had been tainted.
Without warning, she launches upward.
The ground cracks beneath her feet. In the next heartbeat — she's gone, a streak of light tearing through the sky.
The forest blurs beneath her, swallowed in an instant. Her gaze sharpens downward, locking onto two figures walking along a narrow path.
Ren's head lifts, as if drawn by instinct.
Their eyes meet.
In that single moment, there's no mistaking it — recognition, challenge, inevitability.
Then—
BOOM!
The sky splits with the force of her passage. Wind roars in her wake, flattening trees, rattling the earth itself.
Miyuki stumbles, throwing her arms out to brace herself. "What… what was that?!"
Ren's voice is calm, but there's a flicker of steel beneath it.
"Nothing. Just means we've found Matsunaga-kun."
————————
After some time.
The wind whispered across the mountain's edge, carrying with it the scent of pine and cold stone.
Eliza sat upon the bare cliff, the hem of her black gown spilling over the rock like liquid shadow. Far below, the world lay bathed in moonlight, tiny villages scattered like faint embers across the darkness.
Above her, the night sky stretched endlessly—stars glimmering low, as if the heavens themselves were leaning closer to listen.
It was a beautiful view.
And a lonely one.
A soft sound disturbed the quiet.
Whisper.
Her gaze shifted. Out from the folds of darkness, a silhouette emerged—tall, unhurried, carrying with it a presence that pressed against the air itself.
Two crimson eyes glowed faintly, cutting through the shadows. Behind him, a thin trail of blood shimmered in the moonlight.
Jigen.
The form dissolved in an instant, replaced by his true, human shape. The blood vanished with the darkness, leaving only him—long obsidian hair spilling over broad shoulders, skin pale as winter's moonlight, irises the color of a dying star. The black folds of his robe seemed to drink in what little light the cliff offered.
Eliza's lips curved. "Oh my… Jigen-sama comes to me of his own accord. How rare."
His voice was calm, almost detached, yet undeniably focused.
"I'm here for another mission. This one… is important."
She rose slowly, her tone playful. "Every mission is important to you. What makes this one special?"
He stays silent, the thought brushing his mind. "She wouldn't understand—not now. I'll wait."
She lifted the skirt of her gothic Victorian ball gown and spun slightly, letting the layers breathe in the cold air. "Tell me… how do I look?"
"You are still the most beautiful girl in the world."
"Mm, you always say that." She leaned in, eyes glinting. "But I mean my new style. I chose it for you."
He studied her, tilting his chin. "In this… you're a queen of shadows. A dark angel. But still—heavenly."
Her smile deepened. She stepped forward, the sound of her heels crisp against stone, until she stood before him. Carefully, she removed the celestial crown from her own head and placed it upon his.
"You deserve this, my king."
He lifted it off without ceremony and returned it. "It belongs to you."
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it aside; the crown dissolved into nothingness before it ever touched the ground. "Anyway…"
She lowered herself back onto the cliff's edge, her gown fanning out like night given form. She patted the empty space beside her. "Sit with me."
He came, seating himself at her side.
The distance between them shrank until her shoulder brushed his arm. Her fingers, cool and delicate, traced the sharp line of his jaw, the bridge of his nose, the soft fall of his hair.
When her gaze dipped, she glimpsed the marks carved across his back—crimson trails, clawed in deep. Hers.
Her voice softened to a near whisper. "What mission is it, Jigen-sama?"
"It's a long one. Might take… a year."
Her eyes lit with an entirely different meaning. "A whole year? Then we'll be together that long?"
She drew him in, pressing her face into his hair, inhaling its faint, cold scent.
He thought, still and unfazed. She's not listening… not to the part that matters.
Her tone shifted, lower now, threaded with suggestion. "So you're not busy tonight… are you?"
Their eyes met, and the intent was unmistakable.
Her hands moved to her gown, gathering fabric as if to let it fall—
"No." His voice cut gently, but firmly. "We have to finish the mission first. There isn't enough time."
Her hands stilled. The fabric slipped back into place.
She tilts her head, a glimmer of suspicion in her crystal-blue eyes. "What kind of mission are you talking about?"
Jigen explains it in the same calm, deliberate tone he always uses.
Her expression freezes mid-listen… then changes like a storm cloud rolling over a moonlit sky.
"What?! Are you serious right now?!"
"Yes," he replies as if she had asked him about the weather.
"Do you even know the consequences?" Her voice rises, hands flaring in disbelief.
"It's a great plan to hold the power of this world," he says evenly.
She points at him. "Your 'great plan' is to eradicate the entire military from this planet! That's not 'holding power,' that's triggering global instability and an economic implosion!"
His eyes don't even flicker. "We will rule all of them, making sure other countries won't try to conquer any in our presence."
"Oh, really?" She crosses her arms, narrowing her gaze. "And what about the inevitable rise of warlords, terrorist factions, rebel armies, corrupt warlords with shiny mustaches—"
"They can't," he cuts in, perfectly flat. "Because my curse will kill all of them."
She blinks at him. "…You say that like you can just sprinkle your curse on everyone like salt."
"I can," he says, because of course he can.
She lets out a sharp scoff. "Not possible for now, genius. You're not even free yet. Muzan's still out there. And let's not forget Ren Hajime."
His tone doesn't change. "I still have plans for all of them. Don't worry."
Her hands fly up. "It's not about stacking backup plans like some obsessive chess master! It's about timing! You do this too quickly and the world collapses faster than your social life—oh wait, that's impossible because you don't have one!"
And so it goes—for an hour. She argues with wild hand gestures and sharp wit; he responds with unshakable, steady logic like an immovable wall.
Finally, he stands, straightening his robe. "…I knew you wouldn't accept it. I shall go for my next mission, if not this one."
She throws her arms in the air. "Oh, yes, just walk away! Classic Jigen. One day I'm going to put a leash on you."
"That would be ineffective," he says without turning.
She glares at his back, but there's a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I hate you."
He keeps walking. "...Noted."
His mind is reeling with thoughts. I know… I was partially wrong.
Eliza's breath catches as she realizes she's pushed him too far. Her hand shoots out, fingers curling tightly around his arm. "Wait— I didn't mean to upset you." Her voice trembles between frustration and regret.
He stops mid-step but doesn't turn. "I only came here to refine my ideas," he says, voice calm yet distant. "You're the only one who can challenge them. The only one who can correct me... That's it, whether you'll help me or not."
She steps in front of him, her hands sliding up to his shoulders, forcing him to meet her gaze. The faint scent of her hair brushes against him as her crystal-blue eyes lock onto his.
"What do you mean? I never said I wouldn't help you." Her tone sharpens, almost desperate. "You can use me however you wish—whether I approve it or not. I belong to you — body, mind, and soul."
His face remains unreadable. "Your approval matters. Without it, my plans lack a second sight. You are the judge of my actions… my only honest critic."
She exhales, tension draining. "It's an insult for me to deny you anything. I only… correct you when you're about to burn too much, too fast. And you—" she almost smiles "—are usually right."
He speaks evenly, almost like stating an equation. "Muzan assigned me this mission… but I'll change it. Seventy percent of the military—vanished from every nation. Not all of it. Not yet."
Her lips twitch with a knowing smirk. "Kick Muzan aside. You're using his name to veil your own goals." Then softer: "And I don't care. I trust your process… as long as it doesn't consume you."
Finally, he turns to her, and in that motion alone, she feels his focus settle on her completely. He explains his mission in brief, cold detail. She listens without interrupting.
"I understand," she says at last, voice low, almost a whisper. "You could've told me earlier. I'd have stood with you from the start."
They rise together, side by side, gazing at the vast, empty sky above.
His voice breaks the silence, calm but final.
"The world shifts only when the heavens demand blood.
One life… to birth a better world."