Haruto lay naked on the bed, one arm draped over his eyes. Beside him, Ronóva rested with her legs entwined with his, her face nestled against his side.
"Haruto…" Her voice was soft, hesitant — almost trembling.
He tilted his head slightly toward her.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I know you don't like talking about it, but I can't help being curious."
Her fingers traced slow circles over his chest, pausing at the rhythm of his heartbeat. "This is my first time actually feeling like this… being in a real relationship."
"About what?" Haruto asked quietly.
Ronóva hesitated, searching for the right words.
"Why did you end things with your ex-girlfriend? I don't want to make the same mistakes… you know?"
Haruto's gaze shifted to the ceiling, eyes unfocused.
"How we broke up…" he murmured. "Let me think."
Memories surfaced — Velmaria's face, her eyes filled with pain.
Then the moment she said it.
I was… preg—
(Wait…) His pulse quickened. Was she trying to say she was pregnant?
No… that can't be right… there are other words that start with 'preg—'
"Right, Seraphina?" he asked inwardly.
Golden symbols shimmered faintly across his vision as Seraphina's calm voice resonated in his mind:
> 『No, Haruto. She was pregnant. When you returned to your original world, she had already given birth to your child.』
Haruto's breath caught. "No…" The word came out barely above a whisper.
Ronóva looked up at him, confusion flickering across her features.
"You don't want to tell me?" she asked softly.
Haruto rose, sitting at the bed's edge. A white light swirled around him, clothing him within moments.
"Sorry, Ronóva," he said, his tone controlled but strained. "Something came up."
"Huh?" She pushed herself upright, startled. The blanket slipped from her shoulders, but she didn't notice — her attention was locked on his expression. "Every time we talk about this, you start acting weird."
Haruto exhaled, climbing back onto the bed. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her lips — slow, deliberate, like a plea for calm.
"Sorry," he murmured against her mouth. "But I have to go."
Ronóva's voice trembled. "Okay…" Her tone was uncertain, her eyes clouded.
Haruto noticed the shift instantly — that fragile look in her gaze. He gave a faint smile.
"Hey. Don't look like that. How about we go on a date tomorrow? In the city."
She blinked, then nodded, her lips forming a quiet smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
(What am I even going to do… I left that world for good.) The thought pressed like a weight against his chest.
Without thinking, Haruto leaned forward again. He pushed Ronóva gently back down. Light shimmered around him as his clothes dissolved.
"Forget what I said," he murmured. "Let's just… pick up where we left off."
(Maybe this will keep my mind off it. Emotion is the crust on the blade of will.)
Their fingers locked. Ronóva's breath hitched, her eyes fluttering closed as a shiver ran through her. Her fingers curled into the sheets.
Haruto's breath brushed her neck.
"Someone's coming in… twenty minutes," he whispered.
Ronóva's hands slid around his neck, pulling him closer. Her brows knitted, and her breath came faster.
"I know… this is the only time we can," she said between breaths.
"Oh, right. You've got your duties too," Haruto murmured, voice low.
Her eyes opened for a fleeting moment, meeting his — a silent, unguarded exchange. Her lips trembled; her cheeks flushed. For an instant, the world outside ceased to exist.
Moments later, silence filled the room — just the sound of their steady, shared breathing.
Ronóva turned toward him, a soft smile gracing her face.
"Who would've thought we'd end up together, huh?"
Haruto blinked, then smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
---
When They First Met
Wind whispered across a lonely mountain peak where only grass swayed. A single table stood in the center, two chairs facing each other.
Haruto sat in one, appearing as he once had — short black hair, golden eyes glowing faintly beneath the fading light. His expression was calm but cold.
"You're saying you need my help to kill your father — the king?" Haruto's voice was sharp, measured.
Ronóva sat opposite him, her own gaze steady. "I hate him. He killed my real father, then my mother — just to claim the throne. He's corrupted as a ruler. This isn't just for me… it's for the people I care about."
Haruto's eyes narrowed. (Kill her father… for the people she cares about. Someone just like me — and that's exactly why I don't trust her.)
He leaned back, arms crossed. "Say I agree. What do I gain from this?"
"I'll give you three hundred thousand souls," she said without hesitation.
(Souls? What am I supposed to do with that?)
『By gathering that many souls, you'll be able to evolve,』 said Azara — Seraphina's former voice — echoing in his mind.
(Evolve? What's the cost?)
『You'll have to die and be reborn, losing all human aspects — a soul evolution.』
Haruto closed his eyes, letting the wind brush his face. When he opened them, resolve had replaced doubt.
"I'll help. But when it's done, we're finished. I don't know you, and you don't know me."
"That's fine," Ronóva said, her tone cold but steady. "So, you'd give up your humanity for power?"
"If I can't even let go of that much," Haruto said, standing, "I'll never surpass my limits. If I lack that ambition… what's the point of being alive?"
"Supreme goal?" she asked quietly.
(To become strong enough… to stop people from dying.)
Ronóva's expression softened for just a moment before she looked away.
(I should be careful around him. He's someone who shouldn't be fully trusted.)
---
Haruto and Ronóva disliked each other from the moment they met. Despite that, they worked side by side — two wounded souls walking parallel paths.
But time, and shared struggle, slowly wore down the distance between them.
What began as mistrust became understanding.
What began as cold cooperation became reluctant connection.
And finally, what began as resentment… became love.
In truth, Haruto never hated Ronóva.
He only hated that she reminded him of the man he used to be.
Training at the Mountain
The morning air was sharp, thin, and cold — perfect for training. Mist rolled off the cliffs, brushing against the grassy plateau where Haruto and his students stood.
"Well then…" Haruto's voice cut through the silence. "Tomorrow's the big day."
He looked over the group — seven figures standing in a loose line before him. His golden eyes glimmered faintly beneath the morning light.
"I want to see how far you've all come."
Without warning, a fireball exploded right in front of him.
Haruto leapt backward, landing gracefully as black smoke curled upward from the blast.
(Using magic without incantation… good development, Takumi.) He thought, calm despite the sudden assault.
Above him, the air shimmered. Thousands of ice spears formed in the sky, each one glowing with white-blue light. Crystalline frost particles danced through the air like snowflakes caught in sunlight, creating halos of refracted brilliance.
Haruto's gaze flicked upward. (Shizuku… she fused ice and light magic. Frostlight. Impressive.)
Even before the spears moved, the air around him began to crystallize — his neck frosting over as traces of cold light spread across his skin. The magic carried dual effects: Frostburn and Photonic Sear.
Yet Haruto didn't flinch.
The elemental damage dispersed harmlessly across his skin — Natural Effects Nullification rejecting the attack at its very root. No natural law, environmental condition, or passive element could touch his existence — whether it's physical or magical
(Using anti-magic won't help…) he thought, eyes narrowing. (It'll just make them lose control of their spells — the attack will still target me anyway.)
The spears dropped all at once.
A thousand lines of light rained down, tearing through the air like divine punishment. Each one slammed into the ground with a roar, sending mist and shards of frost scattering in every direction.
For a moment, silence.
Kaito stepped forward, squinting through the haze. "Did we… get him?"
Renji, standing beside him, frowned. "No. Something like that wouldn't even scratch Teach."
Amara and Aya both nodded grimly.
Then — in the mist — ten orbs appeared, glowing faintly purple. Five floated on each side, humming with unstable energy.
Takumi tensed, his violet eyes locking onto them. "Those things…" he muttered, watching the spheres pulse.
In the next instant, they fired — ten streaks of purple light bursting forward faster than the human eye could follow.
Ayame ducked just in time, the beam slicing past her cheek and detonating behind her in a plume of smoke. She rolled aside, breathing hard.
"Those are Teacher's Counter-Orbs!" she shouted.
Through the mist, a shadow stepped forward — tall, calm, and utterly unbothered.
Haruto.
He brushed a fleck of frost from his shoulder. "Is that all you've got?" he asked, his voice quiet but cutting through the chaos.
Takumi smirked. "Of course not."
Aya lifted her hand, magic already sparking around her. "We're just getting started."
Shizuku grinned. "All right, everyone — let's show Teacher what we're made of!"
"That was the plan!" Amara shouted, slamming her fists together, raw energy flaring around her.
The air vibrated with power as the six students prepared to strike — their magic intertwining, their resolve burning bright beneath the shadow of the one they sought to surpass.
And Haruto… smiled faintly.
(Good. Let's see if you can make me move this time.)