Kai and Mei woke up in their beds, still dazed from sleep.
Mei yawned as she sat up, then turned toward the nightstand. Her eyes fell on the bottle of 'Sleeping Titan' potion. It was half empty… or half full.
Kai sat on the edge of his bed, looking around the room a little confused, like he was trying to remember where he was.
"What's wrong, Bro?" Mei asked, kneeling in front of him and studying his face.
"Nothing... just... I feel kind of... bubbly..." Kai mumbled.
"I feel kinda strange too…" Mei thought as she stood up.
At that moment, the door opened and Lily walked in.
"Oh… you're awake," she said with a gentle smile.
"What time is it?" Mei asked, stretching.
"That's why I came. Vorenhart called you both to breakfast. He wants to hear how the case is going," Lily explained, stepping aside so Mei could pass.
"Come on, Kai!" Mei called as she walked out of the room.
Kai got up and followed her, still a bit wobbly on his feet. Lily closed the door behind them, leaving the room silent.
"Where are Doggie and Kitty?" Mei asked without looking back at Lily while walking.
"They're already in the hall," Lily replied calmly, following step by step.
After a few steps, Mei stopped in front of the massive double doors, with guards on both sides.
The guards nodded, then swung the doors wide open.
A huge hall lay on the other side. The walls were lined with dark marble, streaked with golden threads that shimmered in the light of hundreds of candles.
In the center of the room stood an oval table, several meters long, made of red mahogany, with carved symbols spiraling out from the center toward the edges. Hanging above it was a massive chandelier, like an upside-down crown—golden, with dangling chains and diamonds that sparkled like stars every time a flame flickered.
On the table, there was all kinds of food, from ordinary chicken and turkey to exotic dishes the brother and sister had never even heard of.
The air was filled with scents—warm, spicy, sweet, and salty all at once.
At the very end of the table, on a raised throne of black wood adorned with wing-shaped decorations, sat President Vorenhart. When he saw them, he stood and spread his arms in welcome.
"Welcome! Sit, sit!" he called out from across the room.
Mei scanned the room with her eyes... until they caught sight of Doggie. He was sitting two chairs away from Vorenhart—stiff, shoulders slumped, looking scared.
Without hesitation, Mei quickened her pace and approached him.
"Doggie…" she said softly, standing right behind him and placing her hands gently on his shoulders.
Doggie didn't move. He didn't even dare to look at her.
Mei leaned in, whispering close to his ear.
"You're a dog."
At that moment, Doggie stood up on command, took a step back, and sat down on the floor, head bowed.
"Good boy," Mei said with a smile, petting him on the head.
Kitty, without a word, followed his example. She didn't even dare to look Kai in the eyes.
Vorenhart watched the scene silently. He didn't say a word — as if he momentarily lost his breath at this unusual display of power.
Suddenly — unexpected, but loud:
THUD!
The chair next to Vorenhart's left side flew backward, kicked precisely by Mei.
"Doggie, be my chair~" she said with a smile that was both gentle and commanding.
Without a single word, Doggie came forward, knelt down, and took position—curled up perfectly like a chair.
Kai, meanwhile, settled on Vorenhart's right side, opposite his sister. Unlike her, he sat on a real chair.
Once they were both comfortably seated, Vorenhart sighed and said, "Shall we begin?"
The next half hour passed to the rhythm of sounds—soft clinking of cutlery, occasional sighs from Doggie, and chewing echoing through the spacious hall.
And then, the silence was broken again by Vorenhart.
"So… have you managed to get closer to the diary?"
"We have!" Kai answered firmly. "We've made a lot of progress."
Mei's gaze stayed fixed on her brother a moment longer than necessary. Then, without taking her eyes off him, she said:
"He'll have it by the end of the semester."
Vorenhart watched her for a few seconds, like he was searching for a trace of doubt on her face.
"You seem confident… so I'll trust you," he finally said.
"Kai—" Mei called him from across the table, leaning her elbow on it. "Aren't we… perfect?"
"Of course we are," Kai replied with a smile, without a hint of doubt.
Mei smiled, but something lingered in her eyes. Her gaze briefly dropped.
"Something's not right," she thought. "But I don't know what…"
After dinner, they returned to their room.
Mei flopped back on the bed, arms spread wide.
"I'm not sleepy…" she murmured.
"Me neither…" Kai added, climbing onto his bed across the room.
Silence fell between them again, but this time… it was heavier than before.
After a few minutes, Mei decided to try something. She wasn't even sure what exactly — maybe just to check something.
She quietly lowered her feet onto the cold floor. Her heart was beating slower than usual, but somehow heavier, like it was struggling with something inside her.
Kai was lying on his bed, his back slightly turned toward her, eyes open. He didn't look at her, but he knew she had moved.
In the silence of the room, Mei climbed onto his bed. Her movements were gentle, nearly soundless, but inside, she felt a storm — a mix of anxiety, hope, and something she couldn't quite name.
She moved close enough to feel the warmth of his body. He said nothing. He didn't move.
"No reaction…" she thought to herself, quietly, almost sadly.
Her gaze slid down the contours of his face. He was still staring straight ahead, expressionless. He was there, physically… but somehow distant. Untouchable. Out of reach.
She moved in even closer, gently leaning against him. Her breasts pressed lightly against his upper arm, but even that didn't bring any change. He didn't react. And even more unsettling — neither did she. There was nothing inside her. No excitement, no nervousness, no tenderness. Just silence.
The touch that used to send shivers through her body now felt... empty.
"What's wrong with me…? Or maybe with him…?" she wondered, as her palm slid softly across his sheet, clutching the fabric like it could somehow anchor her.
In a final attempt, she placed her leg over his. The warm skin of her thigh slid against his leg as she pressed in closer. The closeness was growing more intense — almost too much — and yet, still, no response.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek, slow and warm...
...
Nothing.
No sigh.
No smile.
No flinch.
Just the cold inside her chest, despite how close they were.
— "What are you doing?" — Kai finally spoke, a faint smile on his lips.
His voice was quiet, but steady.
"That's not the usual reaction…" she thought, her vision blurring with inner confusion.
Without a word, Mei climbed off his bed. She could still feel the lingering warmth on her chest from where she'd touched him.
She walked to the bathroom, not because she needed to... but to hide from the silence that had started screaming inside her.
A silence that hurt more than any word ever could.
She closed the door behind her softly, so carefully that not even a creak was heard. As if even the smallest sound might shatter her completely.
The doorknob trembled beneath her fingers. It was cold and unpleasantly smooth.
The moment the door clicked shut, her knees gave out.
Her legs no longer had the strength to hold her. She slid down against the wooden door, her back pressed against it like she was searching for something to hold her up.
She sank onto the cold floor.
Her hands rose on their own, fingers curling tightly into her hair like claws searching for something to grip.
She trembled.
Her breathing was broken, shallow and uneven — as if she was trying to inhale through the pain.
And then...
Quietly, she began to cry.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, bitter and salty, tracing lines across her skin.
They dripped onto her knees and pooled on her legs, some sliding down her thighs and splashing onto the tiles.
Shivers tore through her body.
— "Why…? Why…?" — she whispered through the tears, her voice muffled and broken.
A tightness grew in her chest. But not the usual kind — not the sadness she knew.
No.
This was different.
This was like her heart was trying to escape, slamming against her ribs like a bird trapped in a cage.
— "G-give me back my Kai…" she stammered, her voice cracking. — "GIVE HIM BACK…!"
She clutched her head even tighter, nails digging into her scalp, as if she was trying to crush her own skull.
And then...
She collapsed onto the cold tiles.
Her body stretched out across the floor, chest barely rising and falling, eyes bloodshot and staring at nothing.
— "Please…" — she whispered, barely audible, her voice no more than a breath, lost in the freezing silence of the room.
She spent at least an hour in that bathroom. She waited until she had fully calmed down, and then, finally, stepped out and looked around.
The room was empty — only silence.
She blinked a few times, then gently wiped away the tears that had been rolling down her cheeks.
She sniffled one last time, then slowly climbed back onto her bed.
She grabbed her little sketchbook and a pencil, and began to draw.
She drew until sleep took her.
The next morning, she woke up slumped over her sketchbook.
The sketch of her beloved brother was half-finished — the lines she'd drawn were full of tenderness and love.
She looked over at Kai's bed and saw that he was still asleep. Peaceful and motionless.
Quietly, she got up, changed into her school uniform, and gently stepped out of the room.
She closed the door softly behind her and headed toward the academy. Alone.
The walk wasn't long… but every step felt heavy. As if it was her heart that was tired, not her legs.
"Kai…" she thought. "What's happening to you?"
When she arrived at the academy, she instinctively headed toward Kai's classroom. Inside, she spotted Yuki sitting by the window.
"Yuki…" she said softly, but seriously. "Be careful around Kai. Something's not right."
"Um…?" Yuki blinked, unsure if she heard correctly. Before she could say anything else, Mei had already vanished from the room.
She reached her office in a hurry. The door slammed shut behind her. The moment she stepped inside, she started tossing papers across her desk.
As the student council president, she had access to files on every student.
And she wanted to distance herself from Kai. She had to try doing this alone.
"Gojo… Gojo… Gojo…" she mumbled while flipping through folder after folder. She didn't know why everything had started falling apart, but she knew she had to keep going.
She found him.
"There he is… Literature Club… He should be there right now," she whispered to herself, then rushed out of the office without looking back.
Without knocking, she threw open the door to the Literature Club room.
And then—
THUD!
The moment Gojo saw her, he jumped out the window.
Everyone, except Mei, turned to stare at the open window—shocked and confused, as if unsure whether they had actually just witnessed someone leaping out.
Mei simply sighed—calm and composed, as if she had expected it.
"Was Gojo… supposed to give me something?" she asked plainly, looking at the club members.
All eyes shifted to her, filled with uncertainty, until a girl with light blue hair quietly stepped forward. Her hair fell over her shoulders like a veil, and her footsteps were nearly silent.
"You're… Mei, right? The student council president?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes," Mei confirmed shortly.
Without another word, the girl handed her a piece of paper. It was an ordinary, slightly yellowed A4 sheet.
"Here you go…" she said politely.
Mei took it without a word and left the room. She didn't even thank her.
Back in her office, she sat at her desk and carefully laid the paper in front of her. She stared at it for a while.
Then she began to softly tap her nails against it — tap… tap… tap…
She was trying to figure out what to do with the paper. Was it a test? A hidden message? A riddle?
But before she could reach any conclusion… her eyes started to fill with tears again.
"Why am I so useless?" she asked herself.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The sound of knocking echoed through the office, shaking the silence Mei was sitting in.
She quickly wiped the tears from her face and called out:
"Come in!"
Silence.
"Come in!" she repeated, louder and sharper this time.
Again — nothing.
Confused and now slightly unsettled, she stood up and walked to the door. She opened it abruptly with one hand...
…then froze.
On the floor, unconscious, lay Kai.
"Kai!" she shouted, her eyes wide with shock.
She dropped to her knees beside him and began shaking his shoulders.
"Bro! Wake up! Come on, open your eyes!"
But his body was limp.