"Tsk. I can sense that something's missing, but what exactly it is… I have no idea."
Zane floated in the hollow, lost in thought as two butterflies drifted lazily around him. To them, this world held no meaning at all.
"Sigh… I just can't figure it out."
After a moment, Zane exhaled in mild frustration and shook his head. His gaze swept across the hollow's interior, but no new insight came.
He lifted his hand, and the two butterflies drifted over, landing gently on his palm. With them in tow, Zane turned and exited the hollow.
This visit hadn't taken long. Night still cloaked the city when he returned to the softly lit Tanuki House. The little black cat lay sprawled lazily on the sofa; most of the other cats were asleep, though a few were still playfully tumbling about.
A tiny kitten toddled toward Zane's feet, looking up at him with curious eyes. He crouched down and lifted it into his hand.
The kitten didn't struggle—it only blinked up at him with clear, trusting eyes. Though it hadn't been at the Tanuki House for long, it was already quite used to him.
It let out a soft meow by his ear. Zane chuckled, then placed the kitten in his palm, cradling it carefully.
He sank into the sofa. Beside him, the black cat glanced at him once, then lowered its head again, continuing its lazy rest.
"Life… what a fascinating thing."
Zane reached out and scratched under the kitten's chin, causing it to tilt its head. After a few playful flicks, the kitten nipped gently at his finger—its tiny teeth barely pressing down.
Watching the little creature's mock bite, Zane smiled.
"Quite the temper you've got."
"But that's fine—you've grown a lot since the beginning. A bit of temper suits you. Maybe someday you'll even hit a rebellious phase."
He set the kitten on his lap and lightly tapped its forehead. The kitten blinked at the "attack," then rolled over, lying flat across his thighs.
It stretched its paws—soft pink pads exposed—and its small belly rose and fell with each breath. It was completely relaxed around him.
"You really do grow fast."
Comparing its size now to when it was born, Zane had to admit—feline growth was impressive.
Just then, a thought struck him.
Life… and time.
Anything frozen, unmoving, could hardly be called alive.
His mind flashed back to earlier that day at the video store—to the spirit that floated beside Hoshimi Miyabi, a being with its own consciousness.
That thing resembled a hollow in many ways, yet the differences were just as apparent. Perhaps… he could use it as a reference.
"To make the Hollow truly 'transparent,' the Ether energy still needs further refinement," he murmured. "To turn chaos into clarity—it's like creating a new world within the void itself. Life, time… all of it follows the same principle."
His thoughts drifted further—to another place that might offer inspiration.
The place where that woman resided. Wasn't it a small, self-contained world? Maybe not entirely real, but close enough.
And she had once told him… to feel it for himself.
"That world… is real."
Zane's eyes brightened faintly.
"Looks like I really do need some sleep."
He rose from the sofa, stretched his arms, and walked toward the bedroom. A few seconds later, the lights inside the Tanuki House went dark. The black cat on the sofa opened its eyes, watching the closed door.
In the dimness, its pupils glimmered faintly like twin blue flames. Then it blinked once—and went back to sleep.
Cats, after all, didn't think too deeply about such things.
To it, Zane tonight was no different than he had been any other night.
...
"You're here."
A soft, clear voice echoed through the space.
He looked relaxed as his gaze fell upon the woman beneath the distant tree. But soon, his attention shifted to the grass beneath his feet.
"This meadow… it looks taller than last time."
He wasn't imagining it—the grass really was taller than before. The little world around him was changing. The tree near the woman looked fuller, its leaves more vibrant than before.
The woman didn't seem to notice what Zane was thinking. She could sense his thoughts faintly, but she wasn't reaching for them now.
"The chessboard we left unfinished last time remains as it was. Shall we continue where we stopped?"
She sat cross-legged beside the board, one hand hovering over the pieces as she glanced up at him.
"I can't quite recall my strategy from before, but continuing sounds like a fine choice."
Zane nodded and approached her. "By the way," he asked, "how much time has passed here since I last left?"
"Hmm? What brings that question up so suddenly?"
Her eyes shimmered slightly as she replied in a gentle tone.
"Just answer me," Zane said. He didn't explain further, simply stood across from her, remaining on his feet.
"Only an instant," she said at last.
"To say the board has stayed unchanged isn't quite right—it's more that I hadn't yet decided how to play my next move."
Her tone was calm as she held a white stone, still contemplating where to place it.
"An instant?" Zane glanced at the grass beside the chessboard—the spot where he had sat last time.
But now the grass there had grown upright again, showing no trace of being pressed down. If only an instant had truly passed, it wouldn't look like this.
Not to mention, there were other subtle changes as well.
"Heh… an instant only from my perspective," the woman said with a faint laugh. "For this world, it's naturally different. As for how much time has passed here—I don't know."
Her voice was gentle as she continued to study the chessboard, still searching for the right move.
"I haven't deceived you. To me, your last departure really was only an instant ago."
"Time—for me, and for this world—isn't the same. It flows neither constant nor still."
Zane listened silently, his eyes narrowing in quiet thought. Then he lifted his gaze back to her.
"You sound like you're trying to enlighten me."
The woman smiled faintly but said nothing to confirm it. After a moment, she replied,
"I don't know what doubts you're trying to resolve."