The valley had changed again.
Not visibly.
But something about it felt… heavier.
Like reality itself had learned to pretend this place did not exist.
Kousei stood at the edge of the orphanage grounds.
Mist Flame circulated quietly through the air.
Not active.
But watching.
The Veil of Lost Paths was fully deployed now.
Anything without strong intent would simply pass by without noticing the valley at all.
And yet—
Hyper Intuition flickered.
"…Something is testing it."
Kousei's eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't move.
Didn't react outwardly.
But internally—
He felt it.
A presence approaching the outer boundary.
Not breaking in.
Not forcing.
Just walking—
And being subtly misdirected away.
"…So they sent someone."
The System responded.
[Confirmed.]
[External scouting unit detected.]
Kousei exhaled slowly.
"…Kaido's side is faster than expected."
Far outside the valley…
A group of figures moved through the forest.
Searching.
Observing.
Trying to locate something that reports insisted should exist.
But every path felt wrong.
Every direction felt empty.
Every attempt led somewhere else.
One of them stopped.
"…There's nothing here."
Another frowned.
"…But the report said—"
"Forget it. This area is dead."
They turned away.
And the Veil adjusted gently.
Guiding them further off course.
Inside the valley…
Kousei watched.
Then turned away.
"It's working."
Not perfect.
But enough.
For now.
Later that day.
The orphanage was loud again.
Children running.
Water being carried.
Food being prepared.
Tama shouting instructions at people who were clearly not listening.
And Ace was sitting near the edge of the yard.
Silent.
Observing.
He had not spoken much since arriving.
But he had been watching everything.
The way children laughed.
The way they ate without fear.
The way no one snatched food away from them.
Then—
He finally spoke.
"…This is insane."
Kousei glanced at him.
"…Define."
Ace gestured vaguely.
"There are, what… forty kids here?"
"Forty-three."
Ace blinked.
"…Forty-three kids in the middle of Wano."
No slave collars.
No guards whipping them.
No crying at night.
No begging for food.
Just…
Living.
Ace leaned forward slightly.
"…Outside this place, kids are dying in labor camps."
Silence.
Kousei didn't deny it.
Ace's voice lowered.
"And you're telling me all of them came from there?"
Kousei nodded once.
Ace stared at him.
Then laughed once.
Not amused.
Disbelieving.
"That's not a rescue."
"…That's a miracle."
Kousei's expression didn't change.
"I don't believe in miracles."
Ace frowned.
"…Then what do you call this?"
Kousei looked toward the children.
A small boy was being carried on another child's back.
Tama was arguing with someone about vegetables again.
Someone else was trying to cook and failing dramatically.
"…Work."
Ace blinked.
"…Work?"
Kousei nodded.
"It's not divine intervention."
"It's consistency."
"I take them out."
"I feed them."
"I give them a place to stay."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"And I make sure no one takes it away."
Ace was quiet for a moment.
Then he said:
"…Outside, they say Wano is hell."
Kousei didn't respond immediately.
Ace continued.
"But this…"
He gestured around.
"This is a paradise."
A pause.
Then softer:
"In the middle of hell."
Silence.
Kousei finally spoke.
"It only feels like paradise because they've known worse."
Ace looked at him.
Kousei's voice stayed calm.
"If this were normal, no one would call it paradise."
Another pause.
Then:
"It would just be how children should live."
Ace didn't answer immediately.
Because that part…
Was harder to argue with.
Suddenly—
The atmosphere shifted.
Hyper Intuition flared sharply.
Kousei turned his head.
"…They're back."
Outside the veil.
The scouting unit had returned.
But this time—
They weren't leaving immediately.
One of them had stopped.
Confused.
"…Wait."
"I thought this path led back—"
Silence.
The Veil of Lost Paths had started working more aggressively.
Their sense of direction was collapsing.
Kousei narrowed his eyes.
"…They're getting closer."
Ace stood up immediately.
"Trouble?"
Kousei nodded once.
"Yes."
Tama appeared nearby instantly.
"What's wrong?"
Kousei didn't look away from the forest.
"Stay inside."
Her expression changed immediately.
"…Bad people?"
Kousei nodded.
"Yes."
Tama didn't hesitate.
"I'll tell the others!"
She ran off immediately.
Ace watched her go.
Then looked at Kousei.
"…You do this often?"
Kousei replied simply:
"Yes."
Another pause.
Then Ace asked:
"…How many?"
Kousei's answer was immediate.
"Too many."
Silence.
Outside the veil…
The scouting unit was now completely lost.
But one of them had finally realized something.
"…We've been walking in circles."
Another frowned.
"…This doesn't make sense."
And somewhere deeper in the distortion…
Something was beginning to feel wrong.
Not visible.
Not physical.
But instinctual.
Like the world itself was telling them:
"You are not meant to be here."
Inside the valley…
Kousei closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"…This is only the beginning."
Ace looked at him.
"…Yeah?"
Kousei nodded.
"They will come back stronger."
A pause.
Then:
"And next time…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…they might find us."
The wind shifted.
Children laughed in the distance.
Unaware.
Safe.
For now.
But the world outside…
Had already started circling.
And paradise in Wano…
Had finally been noticed.