The infirmary smelled faintly of antiseptic and clean linen. Two beds sat side by side in the middle of the room, each with fresh sheets neatly tucked in.
Maki occupied the right bed, arms folded across her chest, posture upright and unyielding. Her gaze was fixed on Mahito, following his movements like a predator tracking prey.
On the left bed, Mai sat with her legs crossed, hands resting neatly on her knees. She didn't look at him directly, instead glancing past him with a cool, detached air, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of unease.
Mahito stood between them, his usual relaxed posture in place. Shoko Ieri leaned casually against a counter near the far wall, gloves already on, her expression as unreadable as ever.
"You two are more connected than most realise~" Mahito began, his voice carrying an easy, conversational tone. "Not just through blood. As twins there's a depth to that bond that goes beyond. It's in your souls."
Maki's mouth twitched into a faint frown. "We know. You've said that before. Get to the point."
As much as she respected him after their spar and offer, she was already anxious enough about the entire procedure.
Mahito smiled faintly, not taking her too seriously as he stepped closer. "You think you know. But I can see what most can't."
He placed one hand lightly on Maki's shoulder and the other on Mai's. "Your souls are bound by an invisible thread. It's alive. It shapes you in ways you've never noticed."
Shoko straightened slightly, her gaze narrowing as she sensed the subtle shift in the air.
Mahito's focus deepened. The invisible thread came into view for him, a shimmering, pulsating cord of energy that ran between the twins, glowing with a strange, almost magnetic pull.
It wasn't just a connection; it was a shared anchor that pulled on both of them in different ways.
Within the tether, he saw their desires, raw and unfiltered.
Freedom.
One burned hot with the urge to fight for it relentlessly. The other reached for it but recoiled in fear, holding back. Together, those conflicting instincts had knotted the bond tight.
Mahito began to unravel it, strand by strand. His grip on their shoulders was gentle, but the air around them thickened, the faint hum of purplish energy in the room growing louder.
Then it happened.
The moment the final strand loosened, the bond didn't simply fade; it detonated.
Mai's Cursed Energy burst outward like a shockwave, slamming into the walls and rattling the medical equipment.
The sterile air was suddenly heavy with raw, unrestrained power. Her reserves expanded at a dizzying rate, surging until they rivalled those of a Special Grade Sorcerer.
Her breath hitched sharply, eyes widening as if something inside her had been unlocked. The Construction Technique she'd always carried now had an ocean of energy behind it, a potential she had never imagined possible.
At the same moment, Maki's body convulsed. Her Cursed Energy evaporated in an instant, stripped away until nothing remained. The absence was almost audible, a sudden, profound silence in the weak current of power that had always hummed beneath her skin.
Her muscles tensed, then began to expand and contract in rapid succession, the transformation forcing its way through her frame.
The process was brutal; her breath came in ragged bursts, teeth gritted against the pain. Veins stood out along her arms as her strength doubled, tripled, then pushed further still.
Every fiber of her body hardened, refined beyond the limits of any ordinary sorcerer. She could feel it. The raw, explosive power in her limbs.
Mahito watched with rapt fascination, his eyes flitting between them as if memorising every detail. The air crackled around Mai's bed, her energy almost singing against his senses, while Maki's transformation radiated a different kind of intensity, pure, unrestrained physical dominance.
Shoko took a step forward, her brow furrowing. "This level of change… their bodies aren't ready for it."
As if on cue, Mai let out a shuddering breath, her body sagging as the flood of power overwhelmed her. Maki's legs buckled beneath the strain of her reshaped muscles, her eyes fluttering closed.
Both collapsed onto their respective beds, unconscious.
Mahito slowly removed his hands, stepping back to take in the scene. "Fascinating," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.
Shoko was already moving, checking pulses, examining breathing patterns. "They'll live," she said curtly. "But their bodies and minds will need time to adapt. This much change at once… It's a lot, even for them."
Mahito only smiled, his gaze lingering on each twin in turn. He had just confirmed something far more valuable than the physical results, the knowledge that a person's deepest desires could be found, manipulated, and in some cases, weaponised.
He would keep that revelation to himself for now. No sense in spoiling the surprise for later.
The room gradually settled. The hum of Mai's energy softened, though it still pressed faintly against the edges of perception. Maki's body, now free of cursed energy entirely, looked deceptively still, but Mahito knew the raw strength lying beneath that calm exterior.
He stepped toward the door without hurry. "I'll leave them in your care, doctor. When they wake, tell them they're free now. What they do with that freedom is up to them."
Shoko didn't look up from her work. "And how exactly does this benefit you?" Her voice was as unfeeling as Mahito had remembered it.
But her question felt a bit too odd. Had he left some excitement slip on his face as he studied that bond between the twins?
It couldn't be helped. It was not like he would get that opportunity often.
Turns out, for a technique like his, studying the natural bond between two souls was all he needed to gain a rather important enlightenment.
It was to the point where he felt he had unlocked a new avenue for his technique to improve upon.
Mahito's smirk deepened as he reached the doorway. "I am merely happy to help~" His voice sounded so genuine in that moment that no one could tell that he was, in fact, lying.