Shiro opened his eyes.
He wasn't sweating. He didn't feel heat. Instead, he felt slightly cold. When he opened his eyes, he saw several photographs in front of him, visible under the light coming through the window. The atmosphere was calm, gently illuminated by the morning light.
Shiro ran his fingers along his neck.
"Was I… dreaming? It felt so real…"
He murmured to himself, still touching his neck. For some reason, he couldn't find anything out of place—no mark, nothing breaking the natural line of his skin.
"Are you the type who talks to himself?"
A calm yet serious female voice sounded behind him.
Shiro gave a small jump and nearly fell off the sofa. The person behind him grabbed his shirt to stop him from falling, tossed clothes onto his face, then let go. Shiro quickly pulled them off by instinct.
Yuzuki was there, simply looking at him.
"That's your clothes. Put those in the black basket in the bathroom later. It's not hard to find."
Shiro nodded, calmer now.
"U-um… Yuzuki, can I ask something?"
She glanced at him sideways, her brow slightly furrowed, then relaxed.
"What do you want? I have to leave today."
"Ah, well… um…"
A knot formed in Shiro's throat. He felt like he shouldn't speak—some internal warning holding him back. For some reason, he decided to change the subject.
"Never mind… it's nothing important. And… where are you going?"
Yuzuki turned her back to him.
"That's none of your business."
She answered firmly, but eventually sighed and spoke more calmly.
"A simple errand. I'll be back in two days to watch you get kicked around in the trial. Good luck keeping up with Kaede."
She walked toward the hallway and left. Shiro stood up and calmly followed in that direction, looking around. Everything was the same as yesterday.
When he reached the hallway, he looked to both sides. All the doors were closed. He stepped toward the first door on the right.
"Wait… I think it was the left…"
He tried to open the door, but it was locked from inside. He stopped when he realized someone was in there.
"Shiro, is that you?!" an energetic voice called from inside.
He immediately recognized Kaede's voice. He sighed while facing the door.
"Yeah, it's me…"
"Then come in."
Kaede opened the door from inside. Shiro panicked, stepped back, covered his eyes, and bumped into the door behind him in the hallway.
"D-don't just open the bathroom door like that if you're inside!"
"Why?" Kaede's voice came out slightly muffled, as if she had something in her mouth.
Shiro lowered his arm and saw her inside, one hand on the sink, the other brushing her teeth. She was wearing yesterday's clothes—not the loose pajamas from last night. Apparently, yes, Yuzuki's clothes confirmed it too. They could wear the same clothes every day without issue.
"What's all that noise? It's eight in the morning…"
Shiro recognized Mizuki's voice behind him. She knocked on the door, making him step aside as it opened. Yuzuki was also wearing yesterday's clothes—something Shiro would have to get used to.
From behind, someone tugged his shirt, and he ended up inside the bathroom. The complicated part was not falling.
Kaede patted his back with her free hand.
"So, what did you want?"
Outside, Mizuki sighed and placed a hand on her forehead, looking at the floor.
"This girl has way too much confidence…"
She looked up into the bathroom.
"Kaede, hurry up and let Shiro at least take a shower or something."
Kaede nodded, spat the toothpaste into the sink, and turned on the faucet. Shiro glanced at the toothpaste.
"What's that toothpaste made of?" he asked with quiet curiosity.
After wiping her mouth, Kaede left the bathroom.
"How would I know?" she answered simply, not arrogantly—just honestly. She closed the door behind her.
"You can use my toothbrush!" she called from outside as she walked away.
"Don't even think about it. I'll get him another one later," Mizuki said from outside as she also left.
Shiro sighed and looked at his reflection.
"A lot of this looks like my parents' bathroom…"
"Shiro, put those clothes in the black basket!" Kaede's voice echoed from somewhere.
He didn't answer. Yuzuki had already told him.
It was eleven in the morning.
Shiro sat at the dining table. Normally, he would praise how clean it was—but it almost seemed unused.
Across from him sat Kaede, smiling at him. It was a sincere smile, the kind that could captivate someone.
"So, when are we training?"
Kaede's way of starting a conversation broke any thought Shiro had.
"You're too direct and reckless," Mizuki said calmly as she approached, placing two white plates on the table—one in front of Shiro, one in front of Kaede.
Kaede grabbed a spoon and began eating.
"Isn't this eaten with chopsticks…?" Shiro looked at his plate. It was white rice.
He slowly picked up the spoon and took some rice. When he ate it, he nearly coughed in surprise. It was somewhat cold—not too much, but noticeable. He swallowed as best he could, tears forming slightly from swallowing so suddenly. He wiped them away instantly and looked toward Mizuki in the kitchen.
"Isn't this eaten hot?"
She glanced sideways at him, not seeming to understand from his expression.
"Why would it be hot? It'd be harder to eat quickly, and you might want to spit it out."
Shiro let it go and kept eating. The taste wasn't very different anyway.
My father used to make it really hot on his days off. If it were just warm, it wouldn't be a problem… he reflected silently.
His thoughts were interrupted when Mizuki sat beside Kaede.
"Let's talk about the trial. I'm not trying to pressure you, Shiro, but you have two days and a little more to adapt to combat."
"Well… I just have to move at Kaede's rhythm, right? Like following her steps…"
"And what will you do when you can't keep up? Propel yourself through the air? I doubt you're close to unlocking that ability."
Kaede swallowed quickly to respond.
"I'd protect him. I'd prove it in a fight."
Mizuki listened, as if that matched something she had planned. She stood and walked toward the hallway.
"Come and prove it. The simulation won't stop unless one of you is in mortal danger."
Her gaze was serious as she looked at them from the corner of her eye.
The room was black, containing little beyond what was necessary. A glass capsule emitted a green glow. Beside it, slightly farther away, was equipment Shiro didn't understand and wouldn't attempt to.
He focused only on the capsule.
"I didn't know we had this in the building…"
"All departments have one," Mizuki said, approaching the control panel and pressing buttons in a way that seemed random to Shiro.
Kaede grabbed his hand cheerfully.
"Come on, come on, let's connect again!"
Shiro let himself be led.
Her hand was this soft…? he thought, glancing at Kaede, then briefly at Mizuki.
Kaede pushed him inside the capsule before entering herself. It was tight. She had to place her hands on his shoulders, though she could have leaned against the glass instead. Shiro felt uneasy.
"Is it safe?" he asked, glancing at Mizuki as best he could.
"You didn't ask that the first time. Why now?"
Before he could answer, gas began filling the capsule again. Kaede sighed and rested her chin on his shoulder. He was about to move instinctively—but his body was already losing strength. That's when he understood why she had done that.
Their bodies fell together inside the capsule.
I feel stranger than last time… he thought as his vision blurred.
The last thing he could do was breathe. As he inhaled, he caught a faint scent of vanilla. He could swear he hadn't smelled it long ago—it was Kaede's scent. Despite the gas, it stood out. With how close they were, it was natural.
The last time I smelled this was at home…
Then a quick thought struck him.
N-no… the last time was yesterday. That pillow…
It was the last thing he thought before losing consciousness. Kaede's body leaned more heavily against him.
Mizuki watched them, fingers resting on a lever. She hesitated briefly before pulling it.
"Sorry, Shiro… I need to confirm it…"
She pulled the lever, sighed, and pressed another button to open a large hologram. She stared at it calmly—yet for the first time, slightly nervous.
At the heart of a vast open field, an ancient stone circle emerged—majestic, almost solemn. The stones, worn yet firm, rose like guardians of an ancestral secret. Thick green vines had woven their own language over them, vibrant leaves and tendrils gripping the rough surface.
Inside the circle, the ground was paved with natural stone slabs, worn and partially covered by grass growing through the cracks. The symmetry was nearly perfect, as if designed for a sacred or ceremonial purpose. Sunlight filtered through leaves, casting dancing shadows on the ground. The wind made the vines sway softly, as if the place itself breathed.
All this for a simple simulation… Shiro thought, standing near the center.
Beside him, Kaede looked around curiously.
"Mizuki never showed me this simulation…"
The stone floor began to vibrate, emitting a low hum like a heartbeat from deep within the system. The vines trembled, shedding leaves. Light seeped through the cracks in the ground.
Suddenly, the stones themselves blurred.
From the center, a colossal figure materialized. Ethereal lines formed geometric patterns, outlining a massive torso, robust arms, pillar-like legs. It was as if the air itself were being carved—Mizuki's creation.
A golem, around thirteen meters tall, rose majestically. Its form flickered between solid and intangible, like a hologram woven from light. Two glowing orbs lit up as its eyes.
"If you can't handle a creature built from my logic, don't even dream of facing a crystallized golem."
Mizuki's voice echoed in their ears.
"Crystallized?" Shiro asked.
Wouldn't a stone golem be stronger than one made of stone…? he wondered, confused.
Before he could process further, Kaede grabbed his hand and pulled him into a run along the edge of the circle.
The golem slammed the ground where Shiro had stood.
From its shoulders, rocks fell away, revealing dark openings from which flaming red projectiles shot out.
"Since when does a golem have intelligent projectiles?!" Shiro asked mid-run.
"Didn't you hear, Shiro?" Kaede replied, more serious now.
She leapt upward, still holding him. The projectiles struck the ground they had just left.
"Mizuki said it follows her logic. That probably comes from her card."
She thinks that well in combat…? he thought.
Kaede raised her hand. A black card with blue flames formed, turning into a vortex that exploded in a unilateral cut—an ethereal line slicing into the golem's shoulders.
They were falling.
The golem raised its arm to swat them like flies. Kaede snapped her fingers, launching Shiro higher than herself. The golem's hand struck her.
Shiro instinctively raised his hand downward, breathing frantically.
Kaede summoned another card before impact. It shattered into a vortex, reducing the force.
Shiro fell, doing everything he could not to scream.
Kaede summoned three cards that spun, cushioning his fall in a subtle tornado.
He landed clumsily. The golem showed no mercy.
Kaede lifted him skyward again, barely managing. She landed on the golem's hand. Shiro followed, hurting his knee.
"I want to see that physique you bragged about, Shiro!"
She ran along the golem's arm. Shiro followed, struggling not to fall. The arm shifted—he lost balance and slipped, barely grabbing onto a stone.
"This doesn't feel like a simulation…"
He looked up at Kaede extending her hand—but both of his hands were needed to hold on.
"What do I do…?"
The golem's other hand came down.
It struck them.
Shiro's body was launched violently, rolling across the ground. He felt scraped, bruised, in pain everywhere. The worst hit of his life.
Across the field, the golem relentlessly attacked Kaede. She barely blocked with splitting cards forming an ethereal shield.
Shiro stood shakily.
Why am I moving…?
He stepped in front of Kaede, facing the golem.
What am I doing… I know it's virtual, but…
Pain shot through him.
Outside the capsule, Mizuki's eyes widened at the calculations.
"This can't be… I suspected it, but… I have to stop this now!"
She moved frantically to shut it down.
Inside—
The golem's massive fist descended.
"It's a simulation…! It's a simulation…!"
Shiro repeated in his mind.
Suddenly, nausea hit him.
A completely white card with green flames appeared—blocking the fist.
It wouldn't last.
Kaede, exhausted, summoned a black card. Just before the white one shattered, hers passed through it—
Like a chess move changing the entire board.
The golem began to crumble from the inside.
Shiro felt both cards giving everything within him.
He vomited inside the simulation—
And instantly, it ended.
Back in reality, he didn't move.
Feeling Kaede's body and weight was better than the pain he had just endured.
He lifted his face slightly, seeing her hair.
After a few seconds, she raised her head. They looked at each other.
She smiled faintly.
"Thank you… that last attack left me exhausted in there. I still feel it. By the way, you didn't tell me you had a card… we'll talk later. Good night."
She rested her face against his chest. He felt her hair against his chin.
This time, it didn't bother him.
He simply closed his eyes calmly, staying like that.
Outside the capsule, Mizuki watched them without blinking.
Her gaze held compassion, fear, curiosity—
But she wasn't afraid of Shiro.
She was afraid of what he carried inside.
Inside his vortex.