As the door clicked shut behind him, Zumi's eyes gleamed. He exhaled softly, then whispered into the silence:
"Celestia… is there some way I can acquire a mass telepathy ability?"
Her familiar voice resonated in his mind, calm and crystalline.
"Yes. Within the shop there exists a section for communication skills. One of them is Telepathy. Would you like to purchase it?"
"Yes," Zumi replied instantly.
"One moment…"
Two seconds passed. Then three.
"Complete. You have acquired the skill Telepathy. Its power is amplified with System Characters—you may speak to them across any distance without limit. For non-System individuals, you are restricted to a 200-meter radius. Simply focus on the person, and the link will form."
Zumi nodded to himself, already feeling the skill awaken. His golden aura stirred faintly, threading into something more ethereal.
He focused. He could feel Sakura's presence somewhere in the mansion. He latched onto it, and in an instant, her mind connected to his.
"Sakura."
She jolted where she stood, nearly dropping the tray she had been carrying.
"Z-Zumi?!"
"It's me," he reassured her, his voice steady and calm in her mind. "I can speak to you telepathically now. Don't be alarmed."
Her heart raced, but she steadied herself, bowing her head instinctively despite being alone. "Of course. This power… it suits you."
"Listen carefully. You will soon feel an immense bloodlust flooding the mansion. Do not act. It's mine. I'm going to test Kaito's resolve as protector. You need only watch."
Understanding dawned in her tone. "…I see. Very well. I will trust you. And you have something for me after?
Zumi's lips curved faintly. "Yes. Once I am done, I will call you down. I need, and it will be yours."
"Then I await your call."
With that, he severed the connection.
He then extended his telepathic web to the three System Characters in the house—Anna, Cathy, and Gia. Their minds opened to his, loyal and unshaken.
"Listen. You will soon feel my bloodlust. Do not panic, and do not interfere. This is a test for Kaito. Stay calm, no matter how heavy it feels."
"Yes, Master," the three voices echoed in unison, unwavering.
Zumi's aura ignited as he summoned his fire teleportation. Flames roared around him, but now lightning crackled within the blaze, sharpening it into pure speed. In a silent flash of fire-lightning, he vanished from the hallway and reappeared in front of the mansion.
The night air rippled violently. Sparks of purple lightning arced around him, twisting through the blaze like serpents. Yet the inferno gave no sound—responding to his will for silence.
And then—he released it.
Bloodlust.
It poured from him like a tidal wave, rolling across the mansion and pressing down on every living soul within its walls. Windows rattled. The air grew suffocating, thick with killing intent. The majority of it he aimed directly at Kaito. But a sliver of that crushing pressure he deliberately let brush against Kasumi, deep enough to awaken old instincts she had buried.
Inside, Anna, Cathy, Gia, and Sakura braced themselves calmly, unmoved—just as Zumi had warned them through telepathy.
But out in the back garden, under the moonlight, Aurora the cat girl lay curled in a hammock. Her ears flicked, and her tail lashed as her entire body jolted awake. The wave of bloodlust slammed into her instincts, setting her heart pounding in wild panic. For a moment, her claws extended, her fur bristling as her golden eyes darted around, searching for the source.
Then she paused. She recognized it. The aura was unmistakable.
"Zumi…" she whispered softly, her ears lowering.
The bloodlust was terrifying, but within its storm, she felt the familiar pulse of him. Her Master.
And just as suddenly as it had come, the wave of bloodlust vanished. The silence of the night returned, the stars above twinkling as if nothing had happened. Aurora's tail twitched once, then settled. Her breathing slowed.
"Mmn… if it's him, then it's okay," she murmured, rolling back into her hammock. Within moments, she was asleep again, the faintest purr leaving her lips as the danger passed.
Kaito, however, faltered.
The moment the bloodlust struck him, he froze in place, a wave of panic breaking across his face. He dropped the dish towel he was holding, his breath sharp and uneven. His instincts screamed danger, but he didn't know from where. The fear made him stumble, clearly unready for sudden combat.
Grabbing a kitchen knife out of reflex, he rushed out of the room, wild-eyed.
And then he saw him.
Zumi stood in the entryway, golden eyes gleaming beneath the blaze of fire and lightning still licking his frame.
"Kaito," Zumi said, his voice cold as steel. "If this had been a real attack… Anna, Cathy, and Gia could already be dead. You panicked. You hesitated. That is unacceptable."
Kaito's grip trembled, shame burning in his chest. "I… I failed. Forgive me, Zumi."
Zumi stepped forward, each word a hammer. "I understand you want to spend time with Kasumi. She is your girlfriend, and you care for her. But when you are inside this house, your first and only duty is protection. The girls come first. Their safety comes before everything—even your own life."
Kaito bowed his head deeply, guilt flooding him.
"And as for Kasumi," Zumi continued, his tone sharpening, "her job is to cook, clean, and serve this household as its maid. But do not mistake her role—if push comes to shove, she will fight. She once laid down the sword, but she will take it up again. I will see to it myself. She will become a battle maid worthy of this family."
Kaito swallowed hard, nodding quickly. "Yes… I understand. I won't fail again."
Zumi's glare softened just slightly. "See that you don't. Especially with me gone for two to four years. Gia and Cathy are strong, but Anna is still learning martial arts. She is precious to me—extremely important. You must do everything in your power to protect her… and this mansion."
Kaito straightened, his shame burning into resolve. "I swear it, Zumi. I won't fail you again."
"Good." Zumi leaned closer, his voice lowering into something only Kaito could hear. "There is one more thing. I'm about to test Kasumi—softly. A sword fight. She cannot know my intent. And you—no matter what you see—must not interfere. Do you understand?"
Kaito's breath hitched, but he forced himself to nod. "…Understood."
The mansion still quivered with the aftertaste of Zumi's bloodlust when he stepped forward, the flames and lightning still licking faintly at his frame. His golden eyes burned, his voice booming across the property like the voice of judgment itself:
"Kasumi! Come outside."
The command reverberated through the walls, undeniable.
In the kitchen, Kasumi froze. Her hands trembled against her apron, the memory of that crushing pressure still on her chest. She looked at Kaito, who stared back wide-eyed, but said nothing. Slowly, she untied her apron and laid it on the counter. Her steps were heavy as she walked out the front door, into the cool night air.
There he was. Zumi stood before the mansion, coat swaying in the night wind, a blade in his hand — a sleek katana purchased from the System's shop, its edge gleaming like molten starlight.
He tossed another sword into the air with casual precision, the weapon flipping end over end until it landed point-first into the earth at Kasumi's feet. The steel quivered in the ground, humming faintly, as if urging her to draw it.
Her breath caught. Her body stiffened. She hadn't touched a sword in years. And now, under the same aura that had once driven her to catastrophe, she was being challenged.
Zumi's voice cracked through the silence like thunder.
"Pick it up."
Kasumi's eyes widened. "Z-Zumi… I can't. I swore I would never—"
His golden gaze sharpened like a blade drawn from its sheath.
"Kasumi, you were once one of the greatest swordswomen in the underworld. You mastered the ten forms of the Konoe family's Resonant Silence. But you let your guilt chain you. You abandoned your sword."
He raised his katana, leveling its edge toward her, the lightning along its blade hissing softly.
"I don't want excuses. I want your blade. Fight me. Show me if the Konoe heir still breathes beneath that fear."
Kasumi's hands trembled violently. She stared down at the blade at her feet. Memories clawed at her — her brother's bleeding ears, his small hands reaching out in silence. The devastation of Silent Cataclysm. The endless nights of shame.
But then… she felt Zumi's presence. His aura did not condemn her. It demanded her strength.
Her hand shot out, gripping the hilt. With a sharp pull, the sword slid free from the earth. The metal sang, a long-forgotten voice that vibrated in her bones.
Zumi smirked faintly, satisfied.
"Good," he said. Then, without warning, he lunged.
Steel clashed against steel with a shriek that shook the night. Sparks danced between them as Zumi pressed forward, his blade heavy and unyielding, his strikes filled with both precision and brutal intent. Kasumi staggered at first, her arms unsteady from years of disuse.
"Too slow!" Zumi barked, his strikes raining down like thunder. "Where is the Whispering Step? Where is the Konoe precision that once terrified the underworld?"
Kasumi gritted her teeth, parrying desperately. Each strike jarred her arms, each impact forcing her deeper into old instincts. She tried to retreat, but Zumi's blade followed like a shadow.
"Pick up your stance, Kasumi!" His golden eyes flared. "You're not a maid when you hold that sword. You are Konoe Kasumi — heir of Resonant Silence!"
Something in her snapped. She ducked under a cut, her body moving without thought, and in a sudden blur her feet carried her in a noiseless dash — Form 1: Whispering Step. The night swallowed her sound, and for the first time in years, she felt the silence of the Konoe art wrap around her like an old cloak.
Her blade lashed out, fast and precise, striking toward Zumi's chest. He caught it mid-swing, steel grinding against steel. His smirk widened.
"There it is," he growled. "The song of your family's blade. Do you hear it, Kasumi?"
Her heart thundered. She moved again, her blade humming at supersonic speed — Form 2: Echo Sever. The first slash struck Zumi's guard, but a delayed echo-shockwave followed, threatening to cut him again. He twisted his katana, absorbing the blow, sparks spraying into the night.
Kasumi's eyes widened, her body remembering, her spirit igniting. Every strike she made carried both fear and exhilaration — the ghost of what she was and the promise of what she could be.
Zumi pushed back, his voice a roar.
"This family does not need a maid afraid of her past. It needs a swordswoman who can carve destiny with steel! You are that woman, Kasumi. Fight for the Kogane Dragons. Fight for me!"
Her blade vibrated in her hands, resonating with his words, her pulse syncing with the rhythm of her family's lost song.
Kasumi screamed, slashing with a force that shook the air. Her sword sang louder, the vibrations rippling outward, rattling the windows of the mansion.
The heir of the Konoe had awakened.
Kasumi's blade sang louder and louder with each exchange. The Resonant Silence flowed back into her veins like it had never left. Whispering Step, Echo Sever, even the beginnings of Reverb Guard — her movements sharpened, refined by muscle memory and raw instinct.
But Zumi didn't relent. He struck her with ferocity, his katana crashing down again and again like rolling thunder. Each blow forced her deeper, dragging the warrior out of the shell of guilt she'd built for herself.
"Faster, Kasumi!" he barked, their swords sparking in the dark. "Your heart wavers, your stance falters! Do you think guilt absolves you? It only makes you weaker!"
"I…" Her teeth clenched as her strikes grew heavier, her aura vibrating. "I can't—"
"You can!" Zumi roared, his eyes glowing gold, his presence pressing down on her like a mountain. "You are not just a maid hiding behind apron strings. You are Konoe Kasumi, master of ten forms! Show me!"
Her blade screamed as she slashed, her aura pulsing violently, the air itself trembling with vibrations. Her chest heaved, eyes wide with fury, fear, and desperation. The resonance in her strikes thickened, pulling at the air like a gathering storm.
Zumi's lips curved into a dangerous smile. He could feel it. She was on the brink.
And then it happened.
Kasumi's sword suddenly stilled. The world went quiet. The hum of insects, the whisper of wind, even the pounding of her own heartbeat seemed to vanish. A suffocating dome of silence pressed down over the mansion grounds.
Her voice cracked, barely audible in the void. "Form 8… Silent Cataclysm."
The ground beneath her feet quivered, vibrations condensing into the earth itself. The air tightened, compressed until it felt ready to rupture. The silence was absolute, unbearable — the calm before a disaster that could swallow everything.
Kasumi's hands shook violently, tears streaming from her eyes as she tried to fight it back. "No! Not again—!"
The silence deepened, threatening to collapse into the cataclysm that had once destroyed her family's village.
And then—
A golden blaze split the void.
Zumi's katana vanished. In his grip materialized the Staff of the Monkey King, lengthening instantly to meet the pressure in the air. His aura erupted, gold fire and storming lightning colliding, swirling around him like a divine tempest. The sheer weight of it negated the resonance field, canceling out the vibrations before they could collapse.
The silence cracked apart like glass.
Kasumi gasped, falling to her knees, her sword clattering against the ground. Trembling, she looked up, tears streaming down her face. "I… I almost… I would've destroyed everything again…"
Zumi planted the staff into the earth with a resounding boom, the vibrations dissipating in a wave of golden energy. He stepped forward, tilting her chin up with the edge of the staff, his golden eyes burning with absolute certainty.
"No," he said firmly. "You would not have. Not while I stand here. You are not alone anymore, Kasumi."
She trembled, her voice breaking. "But I… I lost control—"
Zumi shook his head, his aura wrapping around her like a shield. "You have control. You only need to believe it. Silent Cataclysm is not your curse—it is your weapon. And when the time comes, I will stand with you to direct it."
Her breathing slowed, the panic easing as his presence steadied her. She reached for her sword again, this time with less fear, more purpose.
The Konoe blade hummed softly in her hands.
And for the first time since that tragic day, she didn't flinch at its song.