I woke up to the warm rays of the sun, but I felt exhausted. I didn't want to open my eyes, but I had no choice.
"Ah… an unfamiliar ceiling," I murmured with a half-smile. I had always wanted to say that at least once.
It took me a few seconds to fully wake up and remember where I was.
I'm at Haruka's house.
* * *
After defeating that anomaly, I stayed by the window, staring out. I could only think of one thing: What am I going to do now?
The door to my room was shattered to pieces. And although I didn't get a good look at the state of the front door, considering the force of the blows and the fact that it managed to get in… it can't be much better.
And then there's the mini fridge.
My poor companion… crushed in the middle of the sidewalk.
I'm one hundred percent sure a neighbor must have seen everything. And when my parents find out about this… I'm going to have a really bad time. Even if I manage to convince them it was a break-in, they'll probably never let me stay home alone again.
"Mmmnngghhh!" I strained my mind trying to come up with something. But nothing came to me.
While I kept thinking, I saw a taxi come to a sudden stop in front of the house. The door flew open, and in an instant, Haruka got out of the car. Her expression was pure concern.
"Haruka, up here!" I waved at her from the window so she could see me.
She seemed relieved when she saw me. Then her eyes landed on the destroyed mini fridge on the sidewalk.
Hehehe… this was one of those rare occasions where I got to see her look completely baffled. After a few seconds, she regained her composure and ran toward the house. I could hear her footsteps rushing up the stairs before she burst into my room.
She was wearing her long dark coat, but from where I was, I could clearly see she still had her pajamas underneath: a light cotton shirt and loose pants with little cat drawings.
Her feet were in a pair of house slippers, and her white hair—usually kept in perfect order with military precision—was now all messed up, with strands sticking out in every direction.
She looked exhausted. Disheveled.
Seeing her like that, something in my chest felt… warm.
She had run all the way here in the middle of the night… in pajamas, with messy hair, not even properly dressed. All because she was worried about me.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with anguish.
It took me a second to respond.
"Yeah…" I finally answered, lowering my gaze as a soft smile slipped out—"I'm okay."
After that, I told her everything that had happened. It took me several minutes to recount everything from the first encounter with the clown on the street to the moment I defeated him.
I thought she would scold me for not using everything she'd taught me. If I had tried to sense the ether from the very beginning, maybe I could have detected that it was an anomaly. All of this could have been avoided…
But to my surprise, Haruka said that was exactly what saved me.
According to her, when I use my perception to sense ether, anomalies can notice it. They can tell when they're being watched.
If I had done that back then, I probably wouldn't have made it home.
It seems I was lucky this time… but I don't think I'll be so lucky next time.
I'm going to have to take this more seriously from now on. Train properly.
"So, Haruka… should I avoid trying to sense the ether?"
"For now, be careful when you use it. I'd prefer you only do it when I'm nearby. Also, you need to keep practicing. The more you master it, the sooner you'll be able to use safer methods."
"Safer methods? There's another way to do it?"
"Yes, there is. The best way is to train and sharpen your senses until you can perceive ether passively."
"Passively?" I repeated, not fully understanding.
I was having trouble grasping what Haruka meant by "passively." She seemed to notice my confusion, because she decided to explain it more calmly.
"It's not that complicated. Let me give you an example. There are two main ways to perceive ether. The first is the one you use. It's called active perception. Think of it like a submarine's sonar: you send out a signal from yourself, and that signal bounces off anomalies, sending information back to you. That lets you sense them… but it also gives you away."
"And the second method?"
"Passive perception," she nodded. "You learn it naturally, after mastering the active method. I hadn't mentioned it before because, honestly, I didn't think you'd get into this much trouble so quickly." She sighed in resignation. "I shouldn't have underestimated your ability to attract chaos."
I smiled with a bit of embarrassment.
"In passive mode," she continued, "you don't send anything out. Over time, as you train and use ether, your body becomes more sensitive to its presence. That way, you can detect fluctuations or nearby presences without emitting a signal. It keeps you hidden. It's slower, more subtle… but much safer."
After that, Haruka said she wouldn't feel comfortable leaving me alone at home after what happened, so she offered to let me stay at her place for the entire weekend. She would also handle repairing the damages before my parents came back.
Before we left, we managed to set the front door back in place. Even though the hinges were destroyed, we were able to fit it just enough to make it look intact from the outside. No one would notice it was broken… unless they tried to open it.
We got in a taxi and headed to Haruka's house. As soon as we arrived, I took a hot bath, and we went straight to bed. We were both exhausted. After everything I had experienced that night, I thought I'd have trouble sleeping… but surprisingly, I was out the moment my head hit the pillow.
* * *
Back to the present…
A few minutes had passed since I woke up. I guess I should get up already.
I turned my head, and there she was—sleeping in her own futon, just a few steps away from mine.
She was breathing peacefully. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Strands of white hair fell over her face, slightly tousled from sleep. Her expression was serene… but even while asleep, her posture held an innate firmness.
As if she could wake up at any moment, ready to fight.
I watched her longer than I should have.
Carefully, I sat up in the futon and then stood, making sure not to make a sound. I walked over to the sliding paper-and-wood door and slid it open gently.
A cool morning breeze brushed my face.
In front of me stretched a small traditional garden. There were smooth stones, meticulously trimmed bushes, and a koi pond where elegant fish swam among the shadows. The water was so clear it looked like a mirror.
Haruka's house was beautiful. Quiet. Peaceful.
I sat on the edge of the wooden floor, letting my feet dangle toward the garden. I took a deep breath. I just wanted to stay like that a little longer, wrapped in this calm.
"Did you sleep well?"
Haruka's voice pulled me back to reality. I turned and saw her behind me, wearing a simple sweater over her pajamas. Her eyes were half-lidded, with the look of someone who had just woken up.
"Yeah, pretty well… You?"
"Can't complain."
We exchanged soft smiles.
A little later, we were in the kitchen preparing a simple breakfast: toast with butter, sliced fruit, and hot tea. Haruka moved with her usual efficiency, while I tried not to trip over anything.
We sat at the low table, facing each other.
"I contacted the OHRA headquarters this morning," Haruka said as she spread butter on her toast. "I already reported what happened at your house."
"Really?"
"They're sending some agents to handle the repairs. They promised to leave everything exactly as it was. Your parents won't notice a thing."
I froze mid-motion, still holding my toast. I felt something loosen in my chest. I hadn't realized how much that had been weighing on me until I heard her words.
"Thanks, Haruka…"
She simply nodded, like it was nothing.
At the breakfast table, it was just the two of us. Haruka lives alone. She lost her parents in an accident years ago, before we met. Since then, her aunt—a politician from a nearby city—took responsibility for her. But her aunt was rarely able to visit due to how busy she was. Haruka refused to move in with her; she didn't want to abandon the house where she had grown up with her parents. That's how she ended up living alone from a very young age.
After breakfast, I changed into the clean clothes I had brought from home. Haruka waited for me at the entrance, already wearing her usual jacket draped over her shoulders.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Ready," I replied with a smile.
And so, under the clear morning sky, we began our walk to the OHRA headquarters.
The walk was peaceful. With Haruka by my side, I knew that even if something unexpected happened, there would be no problem. Soon, we spotted the abandoned-looking church that the organization uses as a base. It was my second time there.
"I'll see you later, Mochi. I have to take care of a few things… and I'd also like to find out more about the anomaly that attacked you. It's strange that something that powerful managed to stay off our radar for so long."
"See you tonight," I replied.
We had decided I would stay one more night at her house, just to be safe. Tomorrow morning I'd return to mine, once we were sure everything was in order.
I sat down on one of the old pews in the church. I still had about 45 minutes before I was supposed to meet my new teammates, so I passed the time by watching some videos on my smartphone.
When there were only 15 minutes left, I heard the main door open. I stood up, a little nervous but trying to look calm. I hoped they were people I could get along with. What if they didn't accept me? What if they were too serious… or too weird?
But when I saw who walked in, I couldn't help but be surprised.
It was Miyu. The same girl I had helped during the incident in the tunnel.
I had completely forgotten to ask Haruka what had happened to her after that night.