The Zenin estate was quiet in the early morning.
Snow still covered the rooftops and courtyards, forming a pale white layer across the vast compound. The winter air was sharp and cold, biting against exposed skin.
But inside one of the eastern courtyards—
Thud.
A wooden post shook slightly.
Thud.
Another punch landed.
Maki stood in front of the training post, breathing steadily. Her fists were slightly red from the repeated impacts, but she didn't slow down.
Thud.
Each strike carried frustration.
Determination.
And something deeper she refused to acknowledge.
Snowflakes landed on her shoulders and melted slowly.
Behind her, leaning against the wooden corridor, Mai watched silently.
Her arms were crossed.
"…You've been at it for hours."
Maki didn't respond.
Thud.
Mai sighed.
"You're going to break your hand at this rate."
"Then I'll use the other one."
Another punch.
The wooden post creaked slightly.
Mai frowned.
"You're not even using cursed energy."
Maki stopped for a moment.
Her breath came out in visible white clouds.
"…I don't need it."
Mai's expression hardened slightly.
"That's not how the clan sees it."
Maki didn't answer.
Instead she raised her fist again—
But this time she didn't punch.
Her hand slowly lowered.
"…That idiot."
Mai blinked.
"…Which one?"
"The masked one."
Maki glanced briefly at the courtyard wall where he had disappeared last night.
"He said he'd come back."
Mai rolled her eyes.
"You actually believed him?"
"No."
Maki answered immediately.
But her gaze lingered on the wall for a moment longer.
Mai noticed.
A small smirk appeared on her face.
"You're curious about him."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
Mai pushed herself off the corridor beam and stepped into the snow.
"You're wondering how he got in."
Maki stayed silent.
Mai continued calmly.
"He's clearly not Zenin."
"Obviously."
"He wasn't afraid of us either."
"…He should've been."
Mai shrugged.
"Maybe he was just stupid."
Maki didn't look convinced.
She remembered something very clearly from last night.
His movement.
Fast.
Too smooth for a normal sorcerer his age.
And the way he had vanished from the wall.
Maki exhaled quietly.
"…He wasn't normal to be stupid."
Mai tilted her head.
"You're saying he's strong?"
"I'm saying…"
Maki paused.
"…he wasn't bluffing."
Mai's expression shifted slightly.
Before she could respond—
Footsteps approached from the hallway.
Both sisters immediately straightened.
A middle-aged man with a receding hairline walked into the courtyard, his expression already irritated.
"What is this noise so early in the morning?"
Maki faced him calmly.
"Training."
The man scoffed.
"You?"
His gaze swept over her dismissively.
"Still wasting time?"
Mai looked away quietly.
Maki didn't react outwardly.
But her fists tightened slightly.
The man shook his head with open disdain.
"Your stubbornness is pointless."
He turned away, muttering under his breath.
"A Zenin without cursed energy and a Zenin with barely any. Just my luck."
The words lingered in the cold air after he left.
Silence returned to the courtyard.
Snow continued falling quietly.
Mai glanced at her sister.
Tired.
Maki was silent.
Instead she stepped forward again.
Raised her fist.
Thud.
The wooden post shook harder this time.
But this time—
Maki spoke quietly.
"…do you think he will come back."
Mai raised an eyebrow.
"You mean the weird masked guy?"
Maki didn't look at her.
"…Yeah."
Mai smirked faintly.
"What about him?"
Maki stared at the training post.
"…I want to see how strong he really is."
Far away—
In another part of Kyoto—
Sora sneezed suddenly while walking down the street.
"…Someone's talking about me."
--
A week passed quietly.
Snow had begun to melt slowly across Kyoto, though the cold still lingered in the air. Thin patches of ice remained along the streets and rooftops, and the mornings carried a sharp winter bite.
For Sora, the week had been… normal.
School.
Homework.
Helping the younger kids at the orphanage.
Listening to Ms. Kasumi complain about how little he slept.
A completely ordinary life.
At least on the surface.
But during the nights—
Sora trained.
Quietly refining the things he already had.
His cursed technique flowed more smoothly now. The liquid metal moved like a natural extension of his body, shifting beneath his clothes without conscious effort.
Elasticity.
Density.
Shape.
He could alter all of it with growing precision.
But one thing remained untouched.
Reversal.
Sora sat on the roof of the orphanage that night, staring at the quiet city lights.
"…Not yet."
He muttered softly.
Reversed cursed technique was still unstable for him.
The leech-like absorption effect it produced was unpredictable.
Without proper guidance, experimenting further would be stupid.
So he left it alone.
For now.
The winter wind brushed lightly against his jacket as he leaned back on his hands.
"…Which means."
His thoughts drifted back to a certain snow-covered courtyard.
Two sisters.
A wooden training post.
And a promise he had casually made.
'I'll be back.'
Sora exhaled slowly.
"…Guess I should keep my word."
---
Later that night.
The outskirts of Kyoto were quiet.
The forest path leading toward the Zenin estate was blanketed with snow once again.
A lone figure moved silently between the trees.
Sora adjusted the black cap on his head.
Same clothes.
Same grey mask.
The liquid metal coating spread faintly across his body as he approached the invisible barrier surrounding the estate.
The veil shimmered faintly in his perception.
"…Let's see if this still works."
He focused briefly.
The cursed energy pattern he had memorized from the Zenin sorcerer weeks ago resurfaced in his mind.
Sora adjusted the flow of his cursed energy slowly.
Matching the rhythm.
The density.
The circulation.
Then he stepped forward.
The veil rippled.
For a brief moment—
It resisted.
Then it allowed him through.
Sora exhaled quietly.
"…Still works."
He slipped into the estate grounds once again.
This time he didn't wander aimlessly.
He already knew where he was going.
Eastern courtyard.
The place where he had first met the twins.
Sora moved through the estate carefully, sticking to rooftops and darker pathways.
The guard presence was similar to before.
Occasional patrols.
Servants moving between buildings.
Nothing too dense.
Within minutes—
He reached the familiar courtyard wall.
Sora crouched on the roof above it, peeking down.
The courtyard was lit by a single lantern.
And just like before—
Thud.
A wooden post shook.
Sora couldn't help the faint smile beneath his mask.
"…Called it."
Maki was still there.
Punching the same training post.
Her movements were same as last time.
The stubborn determination in every strike remained.
Mai sat on the wooden corridor again, watching lazily.
Some things clearly hadn't changed.
Sora sat on the roof edge quietly for a moment.
Watching.
Then he jumped down.
Landing lightly on top of the courtyard wall.
Tap.
The sound was small.
But both girls reacted instantly.
Maki spun toward the wall.
Mai sat up straight.
Curious.
Sora casually sat on the top tiles, one leg hanging and the other bent.
He raised a hand in greeting.
"Evening girls."
Snowflakes drifted between them again.
Maki stared at him for two seconds.
Then she spoke flatly.
"…You actually came back."
Sora tilted his head.
"I said I would."
Mai squinted at him.
"…You're even weirder than I remember."
Sora chuckled quietly.
"Probably."
Then he hopped down from the wall and landed lightly in the courtyard snow.
His boots left faint prints as he stepped forward.
"Anyway."
He looked between the two sisters.
"…Did you think about my offer?"