"Are you okay?" Shichen walked over to the boy in the tracksuit.
"Uh… well…" The boy stared at him, torn between surprise and suspicion.
"Relax. I'm not a bad guy—and I just saved you. Isn't that attitude a bit ungrateful?"
"That's true, but… you were kind of… um…" The boy trailed off.
"What? 'Killing without batting an eye'?" Shichen asked with a smile.
"Uh…" The boy's face twisted—clearly, Shichen had nailed what he was thinking.
"I didn't want to, either. But their mouths were foul. No one's allowed to insult my Est."
"Shichen-nii~" Est hugged his arm happily, lips curling into a smile.
"Est…" The boy in the tracksuit looked her over and realized she wasn't ordinary. Even in a modern-style uniform, her silver hair and fine features made that obvious.
"She is…?"
"You don't need to ask that. Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Shichen countered.
"Oh, right."
The boy stood up—wincing from the pain—and gave a bright grin anyway. "I'm Natsuki Subaru. As you can see, I'm a transmigrant. You are too, right?"
"I am. I'm Shichen," he said with a nod and a smile.
The instant he saw the kid, Shichen recognized him—hard to miss. Still, he was a bit different from what Shichen remembered: an ordinary, unremarkable boy with short black hair, average height, neither tall nor short. What stood out was his build—clearly trained, with muscle filled out under that cheap gray tracksuit.
"Shichen? Weird name… Anyway, thanks for saving me," Subaru said, polite.
"Mm. It was nothing. I couldn't just watch a fellow traveler get beaten up, could I?"
"Fellow… That's awesome! I didn't think I'd find a comrade in another world. But aren't we way out of each other's league? Have you been here longer than me? Are you my senpai?" Subaru brightened with excitement.
"More or less," Shichen nodded.
"Whoa—then, Senpai, can you power-level me?"
"Well…"
"Outta the way, outta the way! Hey, you two—you're blocking the road!" someone suddenly yelled. With that shout, a small figure darted into the alley.
"Hm?"
Shichen turned with Subaru and saw a petite girl who couldn't stop herself from literally leaping at them.
He caught her smoothly—and got a good look at her face.
Shoulder-length blond hair, red irises, a little snaggletooth—an instantly cute girl.
"You okay?" Shichen asked, holding her, not minding at all that she was a bit dirty.
"Phew—saved."
She let out a breath, then looked up and flashed a dazzling smile. "Thanks for rescuing me."
"No problem. What were you doing?"
"Um… sorry, I'm really busy! I'll be going now."
She apologized, hopped out of Shichen's arms, and sprinted out of the alley without a backward glance. She didn't even turn the corner—she ran straight to the wall opposite, pushed off with a nimble kick, sprang up like a swallow, grabbed the wall, and climbed in an instant—vanishing over the rooftop.
"?" Watching her disappear, Shichen was momentarily stunned. Here and gone in a flash.
"So… what was that?" Subaru couldn't help asking.
"Don't ask me. I don't know either," Shichen said with a shrug.
He did recognize who the girl was, but the details didn't come back—what she'd done, why she was running. Unless…
"Um…"
Just then, a pleasant voice sounded, and with the speaker's appearance it felt like the world itself stopped.
At the mouth of the alley stood a girl—at a glance, beautiful. Waist-length silver hair in a styled braid, deep, intelligent blue-violet eyes; gentle features mixing brilliance and youth, radiating a noble, dangerous charm. She wasn't tall. Her white-based outfit was plain, free of gaudy decoration; the most eye-catching piece was the cloak embroidered with a bird-like demonic sigil, lending her a solemn air. But the outfit was merely an accessory that added to the girl's radiance.
Her short, bell-like voice carried straight to the heart. Shichen, used as he was to peerless beauties, couldn't help being struck again by her looks. As for Subaru—he was utterly dumbfounded. He'd never seen a girl like this in person.
"Quit gawking," Shichen said, patting Subaru's shoulder.
"Ah? Oh… hahaha—um, who is she? Her clothes look expensive. Could she be a noble or something in this world?" Subaru whispered, embarrassed.
"Possibly… Do you need something?" Shichen asked the girl.
"Um… could you return what was stolen from me…?" she asked softly, with no confidence at all.
"Huh? 'What was stolen'?" Subaru echoed blankly.
"Please—it's very important. I can give up everything else, but not that. I beg you, please just hand it back," the girl pleaded.
"What… does she mean?" Subaru asked, unsure.
"Let's calm down and talk clearly," Shichen said gently, though his gaze was sharp.
"Eh? Ah—sorry." The girl took a deep breath, composed herself, and explained, "That little girl just now stole something very important from me. I saw her meet up with you—did she give it to you? Could you please return it?"
"Huh? That little brat was a thief?" Subaru said, surprised as he caught on.
"Heh. I think you've misunderstood," Shichen said. "She didn't hand over what she took from you."
"Eh? Really? You sound like you're telling the truth… I'm sorry—I misunderstood!" the girl said, bowing in apology.
"She just believes you like that? Is she that naive?" Subaru muttered.
"What else should she do? We really have nothing to do with that kid."
"I mean, sure, but—"
"Kid, it's not that she's naive—it's that her instincts are very sharp," a new, androgynous voice chimed in.
"Wha—? What was that?" Subaru jumped, looking around wildly—seeing nothing.
"Don't panic. Look there," Shichen said, patting his shoulder and nodding toward the girl.
She had extended her left hand, palm up—and something appeared on her slender white fingers.
"So excited to see me? How should I put it, I'm a little shy," said the voice as a tiny cat—no bigger than a palm—covered its face with a paw. It stood on two legs: a gray, floppy-eared little feline, much like an American Shorthair, pink nose, tail as long as its body.
"What is that?!" Subaru gaped.
"A spirit, I'd say," Shichen answered.
"Oho~ this kid's got an eye for things~," the little cat nodded, praising him.
"Then she's a spirit arts user?" Shichen asked, looking back at the girl.
"Yes," the girl nodded lightly.
"A spirit? A spirit-user? So cool!" Subaru said, face lighting up.
"Um… do you know where she ran off to?" the girl asked again—meaning the little thief who'd taken her belongings.
"You probably can't catch her now. She went up that wall a second ago—you won't be able to follow," Shichen said with a shake of his head.
"Ugh, seriously? Is that true?"
The girl tensed up and looked anxiously to the cat in her palm.
"Wh-what do we do, Puck?"
"Well~ the culprit's on the move. I don't think we can catch her right now," the cat named Puck said, floating on his back with his paws behind his head.
"Hmph—so unconcerned, Puck," the girl pouted.
"Don't fret. We may not catch the culprit right now, but we might have just found help," Puck said meaningfully, glancing at Est at Shichen's side.
"Help?" The girl followed his gaze to Est.
Shichen shook his head—Puck wouldn't be fooled by Est's identity; the two were of a kind. But when he looked at Est, he noticed the way she was staring at the girl—dazed, as if reunited after a long time apart.