"Ah…"
Only then did Moka realize—her hand was still holding his.
Her pretty face flushed red.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to!"
She quickly released him and stepped back a little, putting some distance between them.
Even so, the space between them was barely a meter.
What Moka didn't notice was that she hadn't actually wanted to let go.
If anything, she wanted to stay closer—
even when the thirst for his blood wasn't there.
"It's fine. No need to apologize."
Arthur smiled, then added:
"Let's keep walking. There are some things I want to ask you."
"Mm. Ask away."
Her face still a little red, she nodded gently.
At that moment, Moka realized something else.
Arthur had always called her by name—Moka.
After three years in the human world, she understood the difference in how names were used.
Only close people called each other by name.
And Arthur… had been doing so from the start.
Her heart trembled.
Far from disliking it, she actually felt… happy.
The two walked side by side.
Arthur glanced at her and asked curiously:
"Moka, there must be a lot of monsters in this world, right?"
If he hadn't met her, he wouldn't even be sure monsters existed in this merged world.
After all, he hadn't encountered any until now.
"There should be… a lot, I think."
Her tone carried uncertainty.
"What do you mean, should?"
"Well… I know of many monsters, but most of them live in the Yōkai Realm."
She hesitated, then continued:
"In the human world… I've only run into a few in the past three years. And some of them were… different."
"Different how?"
Arthur tilted his head, intrigued.
"Hmm…"
She thought for a moment, then explained:
"Those monsters seemed to be born with a kind of special trait. Humans… simply couldn't see them.
But as far as I know, the monsters from the Yōkai Realm don't have that trait.
They can be seen by humans.
Like me."
Her words made Arthur's eyes narrow slightly.
Monsters invisible to humans?
That didn't fit the framework of Moka's original world.
Which meant… those others must belong to a different worldview altogether.
But which one?
He couldn't say. Too many possible answers.
Until he saw a definitive existence, he couldn't confirm it.
So he let the matter drop for now.
Instead, he asked with a smile:
"Then, Moka, what exactly is this Yōkai Realm you mentioned?"
As the name suggested, it had to be where monsters lived.
Her answer confirmed his guess.
"The Yōkai Realm is where I lived before coming to the human world.
It's also where many other monsters live.
It's surrounded by powerful barriers, cut off from the human world.
Humans almost never enter it."
"Almost never?"
"Mm. Under certain conditions, humans can cross the barrier too."
"I see…"
Arthur chuckled.
"Then what's it like inside? The scenery, for example?"
"Scenery…?"
Moka tilted her head, thinking.
"Mostly it's like the human world. But some places… They look like something out of a horror movie.
There are all kinds of monsters.
No humans, not even as many animals as here.
It doesn't feel as bright or colorful as the human world."
She described twisted forests, dead earth, and places where darkness itself seemed alive.
But having grown up there, she'd never thought it strange.
Time slipped away as they talked, their stroll stretching on unnoticed.
By the time they reached a park bench in Nerima, it was past eleven at night.
Arthur glanced at the moon overhead, then turned to Moka with a smile.
"It's getting late. Let me walk you home, Moka."
"…Alright."
Though she didn't want the night to end, she nodded, smiling sweetly.
They left the park together.
Suddenly, Moka slipped her hand around his arm, hugging it tightly.
"Moka…"
Arthur blinked in surprise.
The softness pressing against his arm made his gaze flicker slightly.
"Let's go."
Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes sparkled as she smiled up at him.
A shy glow lingered in her gaze, her heartbeat pounding fast.
And yet, more than the embarrassment… was happiness.
She was happy to be this close.
"…Alright."
Arthur didn't resist.
If she didn't mind, why should he?
So they walked on, side by side—closer than before.
Moka clung to his arm, leading him toward her home.
Arthur glanced at her, lips curving faintly.
In just two and a half hours, their bond had leapt forward.
To her, he was already more than just a friend.
They had talked about many things.
He learned that she had spent three years at a human school.
But since humans refused to believe in monsters, she had always been out of place.
Alone.
That loneliness had turned into resentment, pushing her toward returning to the Yōkai Realm.
But Arthur noted a discrepancy.
In the original story, Moka had attended human schools much longer, all the way until high school.
Here, things were different.
The fusion of worlds must've changed her history.
Time flowed quietly.
Half an hour later—
He walked her back to her home in Suginami, next to Nerima.
A spacious two-story house, over a hundred square meters.
"Goodnight, Arthur."
Her eyes shone with reluctance.
"Goodnight."
He smiled back, then turned toward the station.
Moka stood there, watching his back disappear into the distance.
Only then did she finally return inside.
"Arthur…"
Lying in bed, she whispered his name softly.
Her face reddened, her emerald eyes glimmering faintly with a crimson hue.
Meanwhile—
On his way home, Arthur called upon the All-Encompassing Compendium.
The entry for Moka Akashiya was lit up at last.
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