The cursed energy spiked.
Cold.
Twisted.
Alive.
From the darkness beyond the lab—
a figure stepped forward.
Human shape.
But wrong.
A stitched face.
A lazy smile.
Eyes that didn't belong to anything human.
"…Ah."
He looked at them like they were interesting.
Not threatening.
Just… fun.
"…You guys found my notes."
Silence.
Yuji's expression changed instantly.
"…Who are you?"
The curse tilted his head.
"…Mahito."
The name meant nothing to most of them.
But the feeling—
Everyone felt it.
Danger.
Immediate.
Mahito's eyes landed on Takeru.
"…Oh."
A small grin.
"…You're the one from the chart."
Takeru stepped forward slightly.
"…You made that?"
Mahito shrugged.
"…Something like that."
Then—
he moved.
Fast.
Straight at Takeru.
"WATCH OUT—!" Yuji shouted.
Too late.
Mahito's hand—
touched Takeru's shoulder.
For a split second—
nothing happened.
Then—
CRACK—TWIST—SHIFT.
Takeru's shoulder warped.
Not broken.
Not cut.
Changed.
Wrong.
Takeru's body reacted instantly—
he jumped back—
"…What—"
Nobara's eyes widened.
"…WHAT DID HE DO—?!"
Megumi's voice snapped.
"…Don't let him touch you!"
Mahito laughed softly.
"…That's right."
His hand flexed slightly.
"…I shape souls."
The air went cold.
Yuji clenched his fists.
"…So if he touches us—"
Megumi finished it.
"…We're done."
Takeru grabbed his shoulder.
It hurt—
but not like normal damage.
"…It's… changing."
Mahito smiled wider.
"…You're interesting."
Hakari stepped forward.
"…Alright, no-touch rule. Got it."
Kirara moved back slightly.
"…We fight at range."
Nobara was already pulling out nails.
"…Good thing that's my specialty."
Megumi's shadows spread.
"…Keep distance."
Yuji hesitated—
just for a second—
then nodded.
"…Okay."
And then—
The fight started.
Nails flew.
Shadows struck.
Cursed energy blasts pushed Mahito back.
But he didn't look worried.
He looked—
excited.
"…This is fun."
He twisted his body unnaturally—
dodging—
slipping between attacks—
laughing as he moved.
Takeru stayed back at first.
Watching.
Adjusting.
Then—
he struck.
"…Black Flash!"
The hit landed—
but Mahito's body warped around it—
minimizing the damage.
"…Close."
Mahito grinned.
"…But not enough."
Time passed.
Minutes.
Then more.
The fight dragged on—
longer than it should have.
Mahito wasn't overpowering them—
but he wasn't losing either.
Every time they got close—
he reached out.
Forcing them back.
Keeping the pressure.
An hour.
Everyone was breathing harder now.
Even Hakari.
Nobara wiped sweat from her face.
"…Why won't he go down—?!"
Megumi's voice was tight.
"…He's adapting."
Takeru stared at Mahito.
His shoulder still felt wrong.
"…He's playing with us."
Mahito smiled.
"…You caught on."
A pause.
Then—
he stepped back.
"…Alright."
Everyone tensed.
"…I've seen enough."
Yuji stepped forward.
"…You're not getting away—!"
Mahito waved lazily.
"…I am."
His body shifted—
warped—
"…See you later."
And then—
he was gone.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unfinished.
Nobara lowered her hammer.
"…That was… our first time fighting that thing?"
Hakari exhaled.
"…Yeah."
A grin.
"…And he didn't even go all out."
Megumi looked at where Mahito disappeared.
"…That's a problem."
Yuji clenched his fists.
"…Next time… we finish it."
Takeru stood still for a moment.
Then turned back to the wall.
The poster.
Still there.
"…We're taking this."
Nobara nodded.
"…Yeah. Definitely."
Panda carefully pulled it down.
"…This just got way bigger."
Kirara looked toward the exit.
"…Let's go."
The group moved out.
Factory behind them.
Answers in hand—
But way more questions now.
And somewhere out there—
Mahito was smiling.