"What could I possibly know?"
Zane spread his hands. Honestly, he didn't know much about the sword in Hoshimi Miyabi's hand—nor about Miyabi herself.
The time they had spent together wasn't long, and their so-called "colleague" relationship hadn't lasted very far either.
"It's fine. Zane, just take a look and you'll understand."
Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head, then lifted the long sword in her hand and offered it to him. The spirit floating in the air also tilted its head curiously, watching Zane.
Zane raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what Miyabi was planning, but he still reached out and accepted the blade.
The moment his hand closed around it, however, the spirit froze mid-air. Even the flowing "flames" on its body solidified, as though time and space around it had come to a standstill.
Zane's eyes fell on the spirit. He adjusted his grip, holding the sword with both hands—one on the hilt, the other on the sheath.
Beside him, Hoshimi Miyabi also looked at the spirit, her pupils widening slightly in surprise.
But soon the spirit stirred again, resuming its movement. Miyabi's expression calmed. Zane, noticing the lock on the sheath, tested it with a light pull.
"Your sword doesn't seem to open for me."
He applied some strength, but the blade didn't budge. Miyabi didn't step in to help—she simply sat quietly, watching him.
"Try it yourself," she said softly.
Zane shifted his grip forward. Before forcing it, he gave a warning.
"If it breaks, don't blame me."
He knew the Hoshimi family's demon blade wasn't that fragile, but it was best to set expectations.
Suddenly, a gust of wind stirred in the room. Zane's hair lifted, and the blade in his hands trembled faintly, as though uncertain whether to resist or yield.
The wind intensified. Papers scattered from the nearby table. Belle's hair flew wildly, yet Zane remained calm, his gaze steady on the sword.
A flash of dazzling white burst forth—the blade, revealed only two fingers wide, gleamed brilliantly as it emerged.
Hoshimi Miyabi, standing closest, saw it clearly. Her eyes lit up, though she suppressed the urge to rise.
"Tsk..."
Looking at the blade, Zane's expression finally shifted. He gave a small sigh, but his eyes glowed faintly.
Clang—
A sharp sound rang out as he drew the sword nearly halfway. A vast aura surged instantly, throwing objects in disarray around the room.
Zane's hair whipped in the turbulence. Pale blue flames bloomed along the sword. In the corner, Belle had to shield her eyes, while Miyabi remained unaffected.
"A fine blade."
"Shame it doesn't suit me."
Even gripping it, Zane could feel the resistance. He had forced it open, and the demon blade remained unyielding, but he suppressed its defiance.
With a click, the blade slid back into its sheath. Zane released one hand and shifted his gaze from the sword to the spirit hovering nearby.
"What do you mean it doesn't suit you?"
"If it did, would you have taken it?"
Miyabi's lips curved with a faint smile. Her tone carried a teasing edge as she reached out and accepted the blade back.
Zane glanced at her. Strange... why did it feel like her attitude had just shifted?
Without pause, he picked up the spirit floating beside him.
"The blade holds considerable power. And this little one... its importance isn't small either. The weakness you mentioned—it must be referring to this thing."
He narrowed his eyes at the spirit.
"This existence is unusual. It channels the blade's power for your use. It almost feels... like a hollow."
Zane sank onto the sofa. Just as Miyabi had said, after grasping the demon blade and gaining some insight into it, he now knew what needed to be done.
Miyabi, tidying up the mess Belle had made, froze when she heard his words.
Like a hollow?
Zane lifted his palm. The spirit floated obediently on it, looking almost docile. He studied it for a moment, then drew threads of Ether energy and probed inside.
Then—
"Hm?"
His brow furrowed. A trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.
Not only did the spirit function like a hollow... its very structure resembled one.
A living, conscious micro-hollow?
"This spirit of yours is quite special."
Zane waved his other hand. A small black sphere slipped from the void into the room. Strands of light streamed from it, flowing into the spirit.
At once, the spirit's color shifted wildly under the influence of various energies before settling back into its original pale blue.
Light spilled across the room. Belle, watching from the side, put her hands on her hips and let out a small sigh.
She blinked.
None of this makes any sense to me.
Not even as a spectator.
Unlike Belle, who understood nothing, Miyabi clearly felt the faint tremor in the sword in her hands and the swelling vitality radiating from the spirit.
The sensation only grew stronger as Zane worked.
But Miyabi's gaze wasn't fixed on the spirit—it was on Zane himself, her eyes shining, lost in some unspoken thought.
Moments later, Zane lowered his hand. The spirit hovered calmly before him. The black sphere vanished back into the void.
"Done. I don't know how it was before, but at least it's stronger now than it was just a moment ago."
He gestured, and the spirit drifted back toward Miyabi, floating steadily at her side.
Feeling the surge of energy from it, Miyabi nodded.
"Thank you. Truly."
She dipped her head lightly. Zane returned the gesture. Without another word, Miyabi turned and left the video store.
Watching her retreating figure, Belle quickly lost interest. She turned back, intending to discuss the mobile hollow with Zane.
"Brother's still upstairs sorting through the data, I think..."
...
As calm returned to the video store, on Sixth Street, Hoshimi Miyabi stopped briefly at the roadside after leaving.
"Are you certain?"
She looked at the spirit beside her, her tone serious.
The spirit gave no answer. It only floated steadily forward, urging her to move on.