Shinjuku Station that afternoon felt like an ocean of faceless humans. Thousands of people drifted by, chasing trains, chasing time, chasing their boring lives. But in the midst of that chaos, I felt like a stationary point being bound tighter and tighter.
I stood before the platform, a small backpack containing a change of clothes and a few cans of food slung over my shoulder. In front of me, Sumeragi stood with the elegance that always managed to make people around us turn their heads. She didn't care about the crowd. To her, this world was merely a backdrop for our conversation.
"Two days, Aqua-kun," her voice was soft, yet it pierced through the roar of the newly arrived train engine. "Just two days in Kyoto. Finish that Curse Demon mission, and return to me immediately."
I swallowed hard. "Two days... without you, Miss?"
A strange sensation churned in my chest. I should have felt happy. I should have felt free because I could finally distance myself from those patterned purple eyes that were always watching me. But the reality? I felt afraid. I felt like a pet dog suddenly unleashed in the middle of a vast wilderness. I didn't know how to function without her orders.
Sumeragi stepped forward, closing the gap between us until I could smell the jasmine scent that had become both my addiction and my poison. She raised her hand, clad in a black leather glove, and slowly straightened my shirt collar—which was already perfectly neat.
"You look anxious," she whispered. Her thumb grazed my jaw, a movement that felt like a caress but also a reminder of her power. "Are you afraid I'll find another 'pet' while you're away?"
"N-no... it's not like that, Miss," I stammered.
"Good. Because no one could ever replace you, Aqua-kun. That power inside you... only I know how to play it correctly."
She then leaned in, kissing my cheek in front of hundreds of passing passengers. The kiss felt cold, yet it left a searing mark. She cared nothing for morality or the gaze of others; she was marking her territory.
"Go. Kageyama and Natsu are already waiting for you in carriage four," she released my hand. "And remember one thing... even if I am not physically beside you, I can hear your every heartbeat. Do not let that heart beat for anything other than your mission... and me. If you try to seek warmth from someone else, I will feel it, Aqua-kun."
I nodded stiffly and turned toward the train. I didn't dare look back.
Inside the Shinkansen speeding toward Kyoto, the atmosphere in carriage four was incredibly tense. Kageyama sat across from me, his eyes fixed on the mission report, while Natsu sat beside me, grumbling constantly because he wasn't allowed to bring his blades.
"Why do we have to go to Kyoto?! It's boring there! The food is bland!" Natsu kicked the seat in front of him.
"Be quiet, Natsu. This is a direct order from Miss Sumeragi," Kageyama replied without looking up.
I just stared out the window. The cityscape quickly blurred into green countryside. For the first time in a long while, I wasn't in the same room as Sumeragi. I tried to take a deep breath. The air here felt... different. There was no suffocating scent of jasmine.
"Hey, Aqua," Kageyama called out softly.
I turned. Kageyama closed his report and looked at me with an unreadable expression. There were lines of exhaustion in his eyes, but also something resembling pity.
"Use these two days to breathe," Kageyama said, his voice very low so Natsu wouldn't hear. "You look like a drowning man every time you're near her. In Kyoto, try to be yourself, even if only for a little while."
"Be myself?" I repeated. "Who am I, if not Miss Sumeragi's demon hunter?"
Kageyama let out a long sigh and leaned his head back. "That's the problem. You've forgotten what it feels like to be human. You're so busy being a 'dog' that you don't realize the chain is slowly choking the life out of you."
I didn't answer. Kageyama's words stabbed something deep inside my heart. I remembered the shattered jasmine brooch on the mansion floor. I remembered the jewelry shop girl who died mysteriously. Was I truly being protected, or was I being quarantined so that not a single shred of humanity remained within me?
Suddenly, the phone in my pocket vibrated. A short message arrived.
"What are you doing, Aqua-kun? I was just thinking of you. Do you miss me?"
I stared at the phone screen with mixed emotions. I had only been gone for an hour, and she was already "present" in the palm of my hand. I glanced at the window, and in the dark reflection of the train glass, I thought I saw the shadow of those patterned purple eyes watching me from behind the clouds.
"She is always watching, Kageyama," I whispered. "These two days won't change anything."
Kageyama didn't reply. He simply reopened his report with hands that trembled slightly. The three of us—me, Kageyama, and Natsu—were broken people in different ways, but we all shared one common fear: The black-haired woman who was likely smiling in her office right now, knowing that no matter where this train took us, we were still hers.
After a few hours of travel, we arrived at an old inn on the outskirts of Kyoto. The inn was traditional, with paper sliding doors and a strong scent of sandalwood.
A man wearing simple traditional clothing greeted us at the front door. He had black hair streaked with white, and his facial expression was completely flat.
"Welcome, gentlemen from Tokyo," he said, bowing politely. "My name is Kanburo. I will be looking after your needs during your stay here."