The murmurs inside the guild hall hadn't fully died down when Mizuki grabbed Renji by the sleeve.
"Come on," she said quietly.
Renji blinked. "Wait—what?"
But she was already pulling him toward the exit.
"Hey—! I just got here!"
"Exactly," Mizuki replied without looking back.
The large guild doors swung open again, and the noise of the hall faded behind them as they stepped back into the street.
Renji exhaled slowly.
"…That was a lot."
Mizuki finally stopped walking.
"You handled it well."
Renji stared at her.
"I handled it well? The crystal exploded!"
"That means your mana output exceeded its limit."
"That doesn't sound like a good thing."
"It's impressive."
Renji rubbed his temples.
"People were staring at me like I just committed a crime."
"They'll get over it."
Renji glanced back toward the guild building.
"…I doubt that."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The town had grown quieter as evening approached. Lanterns were being lit along the streets, casting warm golden light across the stone paths.
Renji suddenly felt the exhaustion hit him.
His shoulders sagged.
"…I'm tired."
Mizuki tilted her head.
"You barely did anything."
"I got teleported to another world, discovered my dad was apparently a legendary hero, found out I'm cursed by a demon lord, and accidentally destroyed a magic crystal."
He pointed at himself.
"That's a full day."
Mizuki considered this.
"…Fair point."
She turned and began walking again.
"Let's find a place to sleep."
The inn wasn't far from the guild.
It stood on the corner of a quiet street, its wooden sign swaying gently in the evening breeze. Warm light glowed from the windows, and the smell of fresh food drifted into the street.
Renji's stomach growled immediately.
"…Okay, that smells amazing."
Mizuki pushed the door open.
Inside, the inn felt warm and comfortable. Wooden beams stretched across the ceiling, and a few travelers sat quietly at the tables finishing their meals.
A middle-aged receptionist looked up from the counter.
"Welcome. Need a room?"
Mizuki nodded.
"One night."
The woman handed her a key.
"Room 207."
Renji took the key and followed Mizuki upstairs.
The hallway was quiet.
When they reached the room, Renji opened the door slowly.
Inside was a small but clean space.
One table.
One window.
One bed.
Renji stopped in the doorway.
"…There's one problem."
Mizuki walked in and looked around.
"What?"
Renji pointed at the bed.
"There's only one."
Mizuki blinked.
"Oh."
Renji crossed his arms.
"So how exactly are we supposed to sleep?"
Mizuki looked completely unbothered.
"That's easy."
She said it so casually that Renji immediately felt suspicious.
"…I don't like that tone."
Mizuki walked toward him.
"I'll just merge with you."
Renji froze.
"…What?"
She shrugged.
"It's part of the contract."
Renji stared at her.
"Hold on."
He pointed between them.
"You mean you're going to—what—possess me?"
"Not possess."
"Then what's the difference?"
"I'll exist inside your spiritual space."
Renji's face slowly turned red.
"…Have you been doing that this whole time?"
Mizuki smiled.
"Yes."
Renji's brain stopped for a moment.
"…You're joking."
"No."
She leaned slightly closer, clearly enjoying his reaction.
"Since the moment our contract activated."
Renji covered his face.
"That's unbelievably creepy."
"It's necessary."
"Necessary?!"
Mizuki crossed her arms.
"Our souls are linked. If I move too far away from you…"
She made a small slicing motion with her hand.
"I die."
Renji lowered his hands.
"…That's a terrible design."
"I didn't create the contract."
Renji sighed and dropped onto the bed.
The mattress creaked under his weight.
"…This day just keeps getting worse."
Mizuki looked at him for a moment.
Then her expression softened slightly.
"You should rest."
Renji looked up.
"I still have about a thousand questions."
"You'll get answers."
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
Renji groaned.
"You're doing that mysterious mentor thing on purpose."
Mizuki ignored him.
"Sleep."
Renji rubbed the back of his neck.
"…Fine."
He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
For a moment, the room was quiet.
Then Mizuki spoke again.
"Renji."
"…Yeah?"
"Don't move."
"Why—"
Before he could finish the sentence, Mizuki's body began glowing faintly.
Her form slowly dissolved into shimmering particles of light.
Renji's eyes widened.
"…Okay that's weird."
The glowing particles drifted toward him.
Then sank into his chest.
A warm sensation spread through his body for a brief moment.
And just like that—
Mizuki was gone.
Renji sat up slightly.
"…Mizuki?"
Her voice echoed faintly inside his mind.
"I'm here."
Renji stared at the wall.
"…You're actually inside me."
"Yes."
"…I'm never getting used to that."
"You will."
Renji sighed and fell back onto the pillow.
"…Goodnight, I guess."
"Goodnight."
Outside the window, the unfamiliar stars of another world slowly filled the night sky.
And for the first time since arriving…
Renji finally fell asleep.