Shiro's routine was like any other day: showering, getting dressed, and little else.
He was still in the room where he had slept, finishing putting on his clothes. He picked up the loose green jacket Kaede had given him the day of his first real battle.
Even though I haven't fought much in reality… I feel like I'm progressing.
Without thinking further, he calmly put on the jacket and left the room.
Outside, the apartment had white walls and wooden floors. The place felt warm and comfortable.
Shiro walked forward quietly. At the table in the center of the room, Kaede was sitting across from Calius.
Everyone seemed ready, including Selina, who was in the kitchen.
Without saying anything, Shiro approached and sat beside Kaede, enjoying the calm.
Selina came out of the kitchen and took a seat next to Calius.
"Well then… do you want to discuss the plan?" Selina asked, tilting her head with a smile.
Kaede looked up and smiled.
"You didn't have a specific plan, did you?" Shiro murmured.
"I do… but it's good to have alternatives in case something gets out of control."
"If something goes wrong, we'll improvise," Calius said, his tone naturally dull.
Selina glanced sideways at him. Her smile turned slightly uncomfortable at his response.
"Anyway… we'll leave here at eight. Do you want to have some fun before that? We can give you some Solarin coins."
"You shouldn't waste energy before a mission," Calius said, directing his comment toward Selina.
"Solarin coins…?" Shiro murmured thoughtfully.
Calius sighed and turned his attention to him.
"Every city has a different currency. Even if they're not at war, the prices vary a lot. Here in the metropolis, everything is more expensive…"
"But that's not a problem for people like us," Selina said proudly, lifting her chin.
Then she lowered her gaze and turned to Calius.
"Give them your wallet."
"But—"
"You only keep money in there anyway. You don't even have the decency to put a picture of me in it."
[...]
Calius handed his wallet to Shiro. It was black and made of soft fabric.
"Um… I don't think it's a good idea to use your wallet," Kaede interrupted.
"I don't mind. I only use it to store money anyway."
Selina smiled.
"Go explore the city. We'll call you thirty minutes before and send you our location."
"You have our number…?" Shiro murmured.
"I gave you mine, Shiro!" Kaede said excitedly, eager to explore.
Her gloved hand grabbed Shiro's and hurried him toward the door.
"At least you know how to get out of this building… right?"
"No idea!"
Kaede closed the main door as they left.
[...]
Silence filled the room.
It was the kind of silence that could easily become uncomfortable.
"Calius."
"…Yes?"
"Kaede looks a lot like you."
"I know."
Selina tilted her head slightly.
"Why don't we talk about it?"
"No thanks."
Selina moved closer to him, her tone softer.
"You were never very interested in the past you don't know…"
"Father took me out of there. That's what matters," Calius said.
Selina smiled faintly, with a hint of affection.
"If that hadn't happened… we never would have met."
"Shiro… don't let go of my hand."
The streets were filled with people in suits walking quickly, as if they were all busy or rushing somewhere.
Kaede suddenly pulled him into a random restaurant.
Looking around, it was clearly a high-class place. Beautiful walls, the smell of freshly made food, spotless floors, and almost complete silence.
"Kaede… please don't shout in here," Shiro murmured.
Kaede smiled proudly.
"It's fine. Besides, you're wearing a suit now."
Together they walked to find an empty table, though Shiro mostly followed Kaede.
He felt the people around them staring.
It must be my clothes… I look out of place.
Eventually they found a table far from the others. Shiro sat across from Kaede.
A waiter arrived almost immediately. He was dressed entirely in black, with a perfectly neat hairstyle that distinguished him from the others.
"What would you like?" he asked calmly.
Kaede thought for a moment. After a few seconds, she sighed and looked up at him.
"Any… recommendations?"
"The star plum tart. It's made from first-class artificial cultivation, so the taste is almost identical to natural glaciated fruit."
Kaede was about to shout, but she stopped herself and whispered excitedly instead.
"Please bring me two!"
Shiro stared at her absentmindedly, his gaze slightly unfocused.
The waiter wrote down the order and continued speaking.
"The couple's discount is thirty percent."
"Thank you…!" Kaede replied.
Shiro lowered his head slightly, hiding his embarrassment. He disguised it well, but when the waiter left, he found himself unable to raise his gaze.
"Are you okay? I didn't do anything wrong," Kaede murmured, crossing her arms calmly.
"N-no… it's just what he said…"
"We're a couple, aren't we? Relax."
"People might misunderstand. I already told you it's better to say partners instead of couple."
"Couple sounds better. The more intimate the words are, the more ether we get."
"I'm not the biggest expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not how it works…"
After finishing their meal, they continued walking through Solarin.
They reached an area similar to the others, though strangely empty.
Shiro noticed several shops along the street—but one in particular caught his attention.
"Kaede, can we go in there?"
He gently grabbed her shoulder and pointed to the store sign.
Solarin Books
"Why would you want to enter a boring bookstore?"
She tilted her head and yawned teasingly, then laughed lightly.
"There's a souvenir shop here that caught my attention. Let's meet back here in five minutes. I'll pick some souvenirs and you go look at your boring books."
"But—"
Kaede was already walking away.
Shiro sighed tiredly and entered the shop. A small bell rang as he stepped inside.
There were no customers. Some shelves were covered in dust, but others were well maintained. The place carried a heavy sense of history, as if the books themselves held stories within them.
"What do you want, boy?"
At what looked like a reception desk, a woman about Shiro's age watched him with gray eyes.
"Ah, no… I just wanted to look around."
She tilted her head with an empty expression and smiled faintly.
"That's fine."
Shiro nodded and looked toward one of the shelves.
I think it's time…
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled calmly.
Alma… can you talk?
[...]
"What is it?"
Shiro opened his eyes. Even though he had given permission, it still felt strange.
"Um… can you recommend some books?"
"Sure… ask for one about the types of cards, one about the Kaminari, and one about the Walkers."
Shiro turned toward the woman.
"Could you give me a book about types of cards, one about Walkers, and… Kamiari?"
The woman looked up.
"Kamiari…? I assume you mean Kaminari."
"Ah… yes. That."
She walked away and began slowly searching through the shelves, pulling out book after book.
The bell rang behind Shiro.
He glanced back instantly. When he saw who it was, he smiled faintly and returned his attention to the counter.
"Hi Shiro! I bought some souvenirs!" Kaede said, a black bag hanging from her left wrist.
"Your books."
Shiro turned back as the woman placed three books in front of him.
He picked them up and glanced at Kaede.
"Can you pay?"
"Right away!"
With a bit of pride, Kaede opened the wallet and began searching through it.
"How much do we need?"
"Three golden bills."
Kaede quickly pulled out the money and paid.
Soon after, they left the shop and continued walking.
"Shiro, are you actually going to read those?"
"Yes. That's why I bought them."
"What are they about?" she asked with curiosity.
"Well… one about types of cards, one about Walkers, and one about Kaminari."
Kaede looked slightly surprised.
"Kaminari…? That's the surname of—"
Before she could finish, a distant explosion stunned the nearby crowd.
"W-what…?"
Shiro instinctively stepped back. At the same time, his phone began ringing.
"What's going on, Calius…?" he asked, his voice trembling from the sudden shock.
"I can see you from here. Leave your things there. I'll send someone to pick them up. For now, go to the center of the street."
Calius's voice sounded as empty as always, barely audible beneath the sound of helicopter blades.
"Wait—what's happening?"
"The sun is setting. The operation has been moved up."
Kaede was pressed close to Shiro, listening carefully.
Without hesitation, she placed her belongings on the ground along with Shiro's phone.
She grabbed his hand.
He carefully placed his phone on the ground.
Then they started running.
"What's happening…?" Shiro asked as he matched her pace.
"No idea, but—"
A loud noise cut off their conversation.
Shiro's jacket fluttered violently in the wind.
A helicopter descended with its door open.
Selina and Calius were inside.
Calius stared directly at them with his usual empty expression, his hair and tie moving with the wind. His dark blue eyes were calm.
Beside him, Selina looked equally composed—but her smile was filled with anticipation.
"We're going straight to the top floor. The building is empty—we confirmed it," Calius said as the helicopter finished descending.
And just like that—
two operations began at the same time, on two different sides.