Morning light slowly filled the dining room.
The winter sun was pale, but it still warmed the wooden floor and the long table where the children sat. The sound of spoons clinking against bowls mixed with the usual chatter of young voices.
Breakfast time in the orphanage was always lively.
"Hey! That's my egg!"
"You already had one!"
"Kasumi-san! Daisuke stole my food!"
"I did not!"
"You did!"
At the far end of the room, Ms. Kasumi moved calmly between the kitchen counter and the table, placing bowls and pouring tea as if the chaos around her was completely normal.
Which, for her, it was.
In the middle of the table—
Sora quietly ate his breakfast.
He looked perfectly calm despite the noise around him. His chopsticks moved lazily as he finished another bite of rice.
Across from him, little Yumi was trying very seriously to balance a slice of egg on her spoon.
It fell.
She pouted.
Sora glanced at her.
"…Looks like you don't have the skill for it."
Yumi puffed her cheeks.
"You're mean."
"For fun I could be."
At the counter, Ms. Kasumi sighed softly.
"Eat properly, Sora."
"I am eating properly. "
Sora spoke while stuffing his face with some rice.
"You're thinking about your training again."
Sora paused slightly.
"…Am I?"
"Yes."
She didn't even turn around when she said it.
"I can tell."
The younger children didn't notice the exchange. They were too busy arguing over food and laughing loudly.
Sora leaned back slightly in his chair.
His thoughts drifted back to last night.
A snow-covered courtyard.
Two stubborn sisters.
"…They're really something."
He muttered under his breath.
Ms. Kasumi raised an eyebrow from the kitchen.
"Who?"
Sora blinked.
"…Nobody."
She hummed skeptically but didn't push further.
Sora rested his chin lightly on his hand as he continued eating.
Maki.
That girl was ridiculous.
Training like someone was chasing her life.
All punch were thrown with full commitment.
Hell she might be aiming to quell her anger him.
She fought non-stop.
Even when her breathing grew rough and her arms trembled slightly from exhaustion.
Sora shook his head slightly.
"…Relentless."
Then his thoughts shifted.
Mai.
He couldn't help the small snort that escaped him.
Complete opposite.
She did train.
But slowly.
Like she was only doing the bare minimum necessary to survive the clan's expectations.
No actually, the clan didn't have much expectations in the first place.
Half of the time she watched instead of moving.
Half of the time she complained.
Sora tapped his chopsticks lightly against the bowl.
"… however she was watching everything."
Every movement.
Mai might look uninterested…
But she was sharp in perception.
Sora leaned back slightly in his chair.
"…One relentless."
He lifted another bite of rice.
"…One uninterested."
Then he ate it.
"…Both weird."
At the other end of the table, one of the younger kids suddenly shouted—
"Sora-nii! Satoshi is hiding vegetables in his pocket!"
Satoshi panicked.
"I was saving them!"
"You hate vegetables!"
"That's not the point!"
The table erupted into laughter.
Ms. Kasumi pinched the bridge of her nose.
Sora watched the scene quietly for a moment.
Then he sighed softly.
"…Yeah."
His thoughts drifted back to the Zenin courtyard again.
"…They're definitely one of a kind."
Outside, the winter wind brushed lightly against the windows.
And somewhere across Kyoto—
Inside the massive Zenin estate—
Two sisters were likely beginning their training again.
Sora finished the last of his breakfast slowly.
His mind already wandering toward what would happen tonight…
---
Night arrived quietly.
Sora completed his usual tasks after school.
The orphanage slowly fell silent as the hours passed. One by one, the younger children drifted into sleep after their usual arguments and laughter. The lights in the hallway were turned off, leaving only a faint glow from the moon filtering through the windows.
The building rested with a peaceful stillness.
Inside his small room, Sora lay on his bed with his eyes open.
He stared at the ceiling.
Waiting.
Minutes passed.
Then he glanced toward the clock.
Midnight.
"…Alright."
Sora quietly sat up.
The mattress barely made a sound as he slipped off the bed. Years of sneaking around had taught him how to move without waking anyone.
The hallway outside his room was dark.
He stepped into it carefully.
From the other rooms came the soft breathing of sleeping children.
A faint snore from one of the boys.
A quiet rustle as someone turned in their blanket.
Sora walked past each door slowly.
Then he reached the living room.
Ms. Kasumi sat in her usual chair.
Or at least—
She had earlier.
Now she slept there peacefully, a blanket resting over her shoulders and a book loosely held in her hand.
Sora paused for a moment.
"You'll ruin your neck like that."
He gently adjusted the blanket around her shoulders before quietly setting the book aside on the nearby table.
Kasumi stirred slightly but didn't wake.
Sora stepped toward the entrance.
His shoes waited neatly near the door.
He slipped them on.
Then opened the door slowly.
Cold winter air greeted him immediately.
Snow still rested across the quiet street outside.
Sora stepped out.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
A few minutes later—
He returned.
Not inside.
But to the side of the building.
Sora had changed clothes.
A black cheater jacket covered his shirt.
Black pants.
A dark cap pulled low over his head.
And a grey mask covering his face.
The familiar outfit.
His night attire.
Sora pulled his hands into his pockets as he began walking down the quiet street.
Kyoto at midnight was almost empty.
Streetlights cast long shadows across the snow-covered pavement.
The city looked peaceful.
But Sora knew better.
His eyes drifted across the empty roads and dark alleys.
"…Let's see."
He had planned this earlier.
Once everyone in the orphanage was asleep—
He would leave.
He had been doing this for months now.
Wandering the city for stronger foes to fight instead of monotonously train in his safe place.
He was searching for a breakthrough in his understanding of RCT.
And hopefully experiment the Reversal as well.
He did understand its fundamental function.
Absorbing cursed energy from curses.
What were the effect for humans?
He did not know.
Anyway--
Curses rarely appeared where people expected them.
They gathered in strange places.
Lonely places.
Forgotten corners of the city.
Sora walked slowly through the quiet streets.
His steps were firm.
And his senses were searching for even a minute change.
The liquid metal beneath his clothes moved faintly, responding to the cursed energy flowing through his body.
Always ready.
Always alert.
"…Nothing yet."
He turned into a narrow alley.
The wind howled faintly between the buildings.
Trash bins.
Broken fences.
The smell of damp concrete.
Perfect places for curses to gather.
Sora stopped briefly.
Closed his eyes.
Then—
He felt it.
A faint ripple.
"…There it is."
His eyes opened again.
Far down the street, near an abandoned convenience store, something moved.
Not visible to normal people.
But the presence was unmistakable.
Cursed energy.
It was weak.
But real.
Sora tilted his head slightly.
"…Guess tonight won't be boring."
He stepped forward.
Snow crunched beneath his boots as he walked calmly toward the darkness.