"The clouded skies turned to weeping rain the moment you fell that afternoon."
"I saw you — my heart crumbled as your form sank by the pavement."
"Before I knew it, I was already running toward you."
The skies finally broke, pouring after hours of gray silence over Fukuoka.
Umbrellas bloomed like flowers against the storm.
"What?.. It's raining again?.." a passerby muttered, opening his umbrella.
The city moved on through the downpour — but for Tomori and Jayu, time itself slowed
[Meanwhile.. Itoshi's POV]
"Hoh!"
Itoshi brightened, eyes lighting up.
"Miz-sama!"
In front of him stood the white-haired woman with mismatched eyes — red and blue — standing in a vast field of grass that rippled like an endless sea.
Her hair and dress danced with the breeze as she waved, eyes closed, smiling.
"Yo!"
They sat side by side in silence, listening to the soft whisper of wind between the swaying blades. Itoshi said nothing, but his mind was racing.
"Dang... she's always so hot. I'm gonna marry her someday... if she ever shows herself in the real world, that is."
He turned to Miz, still watching the grass bend in waves beneath a distant darkening cloud. "That power... what kind of power do you hold? Are you even real?"
Miz chuckled softly, eyes still closed.
"Marry me, you say?"
Itoshi jolted.
"Crap! I forgot she can hear my thoughts!"
She pouted, turning toward him.
"Now you think about that after calling yourself crazy every time I let you meet me?"
"Shoit! I did think that!"
He realized, flinching.
Part of him still believed he was losing it — maybe he really was the only one who could see this girl.
He bowed his head deeply.
"Sorry! Miz-sama!"
Miz blinked, then laughed, covering her smile with her thumb, a hint of red on her cheeks.
"By the end of this... I guess..."
Itoshi froze, face burning.
"WHAT THE FUAK?!"
She just laughed again, eyes soft.
"Itoshi-kun..."
He blinked, forcing his nerves to settle.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Once your dream comes true... what will you do?"
He furrowed his brows, pinching his chin in thought.
"Hmm..."
Then, a spark hit.
"Ah! I'll probably explore the world! Since... those seele freaks will be gone by then!"
He paused, face red again.
"And... m-m-marry you... since you agreed..."
She chuckled.
"You're such a kid, Itoshi."
"W-what?!"
"You still haven't realized it yet."
"Eh?.. realized what?"
Miz sighed and stood, her hair brushing in the wind.
"A frail, pink-haired girl wandering through loneliness..."
Itoshi looked up at her, confused.
"When the world turns against one... what will you choose? Righteousness, or justice?"
She continued.
Her red-and-blue eyes met his crimson ones.
"Your eyes... they never falter, even as they burn."
She reached out toward his cheek — but her hand stopped just short. She couldn't touch him.
"Tell me... do you believe Jayu is a monster?"
Itoshi stepped back, startled.
"W-what kind of question is that, Miz-sama?!"
She just watched him, calm.
"What does she mean?.. Jayu's not a monster. That's just what the damn media says..."
Miz smiled faintly.
"That's right. Take care of her, alright? For envy shall fall to kindness."
He nodded, still not fully understanding.
"Mhm! I will!"
Then a thought hit him as the world around them began to blur.
"I'm waking up soon... but I still want to ask one thing..."
"What is it, Itoshi-kun?"
"Why do you always cry.. when you let me go?"
Miz flinched, eyes widening.
"Ah... that's right..." she whispered.
Light swallowed his vision — then white. Then darkness.
"What?... what happened..."
"Itoshi..."
"Miz-sama?.. are you still there?.."_
"Itoshi!"
"Itoshi!!!"
He woke with a gasp, lying in the dirt. Rain poured over the forest as Kirashi fought off the remaining earth-type Seele nearby.
"Itoshi!!"
Miss Gigi's voice rang.
He blinked, dazed.
"Oh! Sorry — I passed out!"
"Good! You're back!"
She shouted through her comms.
"Wind-types are scattering through the mountains. We're going to use your rhythm and wait for my order!"
"Copy that, ma'am!"
He replied, pushing himself up.
Rain streaked down his face — though some of it, he realized too late, weren't raindrops at all.
"Why do you always cry... why?"
~~~Tomori & Jayu~~~
Tomori sprinted down the hospital hallway, breath ragged, the ties of her gown flaring behind her.
Nurses shouted after her, voices sharp against the sterile white walls, but she didn't slow. Blood trailed from her fingertips, spattering across the spotless floor.
"Ma'am, wait!"
None of it reached her.
Only one name echoed in her mind— Jayu.
[Earlier]
"I really wish rain won't come..."
Jayu muttered to herself, her voice small against the cloudy sky. She walked along the quiet street, hands holding a small bento, eyes wandering like always.
A few children played nearby, their laughter cutting through the dull afternoon. Paper airplanes fluttered through the air.
She stopped and watched — fascinated, smiling a little. She didn't plan to speak. Just watching was enough.
Then one boy noticed her.
He grinned, waving.
"Oi! Wanna play with us?"
Her face brightened instantly.
"Oh! I want to!"
She paused, clutching the bento tighter.
"But... I have to do something right now."
The other kids ran closer, curious.
"Hey! Did you just moved here?"
"Come play with us!"
They laughed and circled her, simple and innocent — just like she wished things could stay.
Across the street, an adult woman kept watch over the group. Her smile faded the moment she saw Jayu among the children. Something cold slid down her spine. Her chest tightened — alarm, instinct, fear.
"Kids!"
She called out, voice shaking.
She rushed forward, standing between Jayu and the children.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
The shove came out of nowhere. Jayu fell, the bento slipping from her hands, sliding open on the wet pavement. Rice scattered across the ground.
She blinked, dazed. The sound of the children went muffled, distant — replaced by the thudding of her own heart.
"Get away from them, you damn demon!"
The woman yelled.
"You might've tricked that squad, but not these kids! Not us!"
Jayu froze. The word demon echoed in her head like a foreign language she almost understood.
Her hands trembled.
"S... sorry..."
"Sorry?!"
The woman barked.
"Get out of here, monster!"
The pen she threw hit Jayu's forehead. She flinched, hand reaching up — not because it hurt, but because it didn't make sense.
The children stared. Their smiles were gone.
"She's a monster?"
"A Seele?"
"She's bad!"
Their voices cut deep — not angry, just... believing.
Pebbles replaced the paper airplanes.
Jayu covered her face as the first stones hit her arms, her shoulder, her cheek. She didn't cry at first — she couldn't even move. The rain began as a drizzle, washing the dirt and rice beside her hand.
"Please... stop..." she whispered.
Another pebble struck her leg. Then another.
"You're evil!"
"Go back to where you came from!"
The drizzle turned to rain. She curled up, arms over her head, body shaking with each hit.
"I'm not... I'm not a monster..."
Her voice was gone. Her tears blended into the rain.
When the kids finally ran for shelter, she stayed still — trembling, small, soaked to the bone.
The woman remained. Silent now. Watching her.
Jayu looked up. Their eyes met. In the woman's eyes, there was no fear. No pity. Just disgust.
She stepped forward, slow, deliberate, her shoe splashing through puddles.
Then came the weight. Her foot pressed down onto Jayu's shoulder.
"You won't fool anyone. You fake."
Jayu gasped in pain.
"Pl-please... stop..."
A sudden gust of wind burst from nowhere — shoving the woman back. She stumbled, falling hard against the dry pavement.
For a moment, everything went still. The only sound was the rain.
Then a voice broke through. Sharp, furious.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
Jayu turned toward it — wide-eyed, trembling.
Tomori stood there in the downpour, her hospital gown clinging to her skin, hair plastered to her face, fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white.
She ran to Jayu and pulled her close, shielding her.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" she barked at the woman.
The woman groaned, clutching her ribs where the wind had hit her.
Nurses burst from the distance, shouting.
"Ma'am, please! You're not fully recovered!"
"Forget me!"
Tomori roared back.
"Help this child!"
The nurses froze — torn between orders and fear.
"No!"
The woman screamed, voice cracking.
"That kid's a demon! She brainwashed the squad! Don't touch her!"
Tomori's glare cut through the rain.
"HAH?!"
She turned back to the nurses, shouting above the storm.
"What are you waiting for?! Help her!"
One finally moved, then the others followed. Doubt still filling their eyes. They knelt beside Jayu, wrapping her in a towel.
Tomori took a step toward the woman again, fury shaking in her breath — but a nurse grabbed her arm.
"Ma'am, please! Calm down!"
"Let me go!"
Then — a whisper, small and broken:
"Tomo-nee... don't..."
Tomori froze. Her bangs hid her eyes, rain dripping off her chin.
For a long moment, she didn't move.
Then she looked up, meeting the woman's gaze. Her voice was low, bitter.
"You can let go of me now."
The nurse released her. Another helped the woman to her feet.
Tomori turned back toward Jayu — and stopped.
The little girl sat still under the nurse's towel, her green eyes dim. Empty.
The spark that used to fill them was gone.
"Just earlier... you were so bright... what the have they done to you..."
The rain poured harder, fog creeping through the streets of Fukuoka.
Umbrellas were gone. People had vanished indoors.
Only puddles reflected the streetlights — and in one of them, a broken child stared at her own reflection, too confused to even cry anymore.
~~~To be Continued~~~