Behind his closed eyelids, the world felt quieter than usual. There was no color, no sound, just a vast emptiness that stretched like an endless ocean—too peaceful to be called hell, but too cold to be called home. He didn’t know if this was a dream, a memory, or just a break from reality. All he knew was one thing: he was alone. And for a moment, somehow, that felt enough.

  But the silence didn’t last long. A cheerful, light voice pierced the layers of silence, like the first rays of sunlight after a long night.

  “Hey, how long are you going to close your eyes?”

  The voice sounded so real, too warm to be imaginary. A pinch landed on his cheek, soft yet disturbing enough. Slowly, his eyelids lifted, and the world he knew greeted him again.

  The afternoon sky spread a golden orange color that crept gently over the flower garden. The light green grass swayed gently in the wind, while the gerbera petals reflected the sunlight like a living painting. The air was filled with the sweet scent of sun-kissed leaves, and amidst that beauty, Shigeru sat on a wooden bench, as if he had just returned from another world. In front of him, a girl stood with a bright smile that always managed to clear the clouds from his mind. Because of that, he subconsciously said, “Since when did your eye color change?” he asked reflexively, his eyes not yet fully focused.

  The girl, Levia, tilted her head with a confused expression, then answered while blinking slowly, “My eyes? What’s wrong?”

  Shigeru took a short breath and lowered his head slightly, smiling a little to himself who was probably too lost in his daydream. “Ah, maybe it was just my imagination… hahaha.”

  While still hiding something behind her body, Levia leaned forward slightly, then said in a challenging tone, “Let’s guess, what did I bring?”

  Shigeru raised an eyebrow, pretending to think seriously, then answered in a teasing tone, “What is it… don’t tell me you found another frog?”

  “Oh, wrong!” Levia exclaimed with a laugh, then raised her hand high and showed a brightly colored flower. “Look at this flower!”

  Shigeru stared at the flower for a few seconds before frowning. “That’s… a Gerbera?”

  “Right~!” Levia replied with a proud smile, then thrust the flower directly into his hand. “And this is for you.”

  Shigeru took it with both hands, his fingers touching the flower stem as if he were holding something fragile. He stared at it for a long time, then muttered softly, “Thank you… It’s so beautiful.”

  Without them realizing it, time passed slowly. The two of them sat side by side on the park bench, letting the afternoon air carry their small talk and light laughter into the slowly changing sky. There were no heavy topics, no big secrets—just two young people sharing their little world amidst the shadows of the flowers and the calming afternoon light.

  Several minutes passed before Levia looked up at the sky, her eyes seemingly searching for something among the clouds. She raised one hand, reaching for the sky in a slow but confident motion, and said softly, “You know what? Someday I want to be a protector. Protecting people from the threat of Koiji.”

  Shigeru turned around with a surprised expression, not expecting that statement to come out in a situation like this. In a joking but honest tone, she said, “Protector? Doesn’t that mean you’ll become a slave to the world? Like some tragic character who can’t fight fate?”

  Levia snorted softly, then flicked Shigeru’s forehead quickly. “Not like that, idiot.”

  She stood up and brushed her long hair that was blowing in the wind, tucking it behind her ear before continuing in a voice that sounded much more serious this time. “Being a protector doesn’t mean submitting. It all depends on how we act. We do have to accept what has been decided… but we also have the right to fight and change it.”

  She paused for a moment, looking deeply at Shigeru as if to make sure that her words were embedded in his heart. “And I promise… you’re the first person I’ll protect. No matter what.”

  Shigeru didn’t answer. His eyes widened slowly, not because he was surprised, but because something inside him suddenly felt alive. A strange feeling, like a long-buried voice was calling softly from the deepest corner of his soul. He didn’t know what it meant, but his chest felt warm—and a moment later, cold.

  Levia took a breath and looked back up at the sky, which was now beginning to be covered in gray clouds. “Why are you so quiet? Let’s go home. The sky is starting to get cloudy.”

  As if he had just realized, Shigeru stood up quickly. But when he turned around, Levia was looking at him with a surprised look.

  “Eh? Are you… crying?”

  Shigeru blinked a few times. He raised his hand to his face, and when he felt the wetness on his fingertips, he could only mutter softly.

  “Huh? I…?”

  “Ahahahhaha, No I’m not crying.”

  -————-　■　-————-

  They walked along the path filled with dry leaves, occasionally kicking pebbles or digging the ground with the tips of their shoes, letting the sounds of nature be the background to their small steps. On the left and right, old wooden fences and small trees that towered like old guards enveloped their path home with warm shadows. Levia walked half a step ahead of Shigeru, occasionally looking back with an amused smile that she couldn't hide. She knew Shigeru was still embarrassed from crying just now, and she enjoyed every second of the embarrassment.

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  Shigeru glanced at the girl, his face slightly red but his mouth still formed a flat, suspicious line. The cool afternoon air was not enough to cool his embarrassment.

  "Hey," Shigeru said as he put both his hands in his pants pockets. His voice was flat, but the sarcasm was very clear. "You're not going to tell my mom about me crying, are you?"

  Levia didn't answer right away. She turned around while still walking backwards, her hair blowing in the wind and her eyes sparkling with victory. Her lips curved into a mysterious smile that only appeared when she knew she had won a game that was never agreed upon.

  “Ehhh, no~ don’t worry,” she said, turning her head to the side, then added quickly, “Levia won’t say anything…”

  Shigeru narrowed his eyes, feeling that there was something wrong with the way she said it. But before he could protest, they had already arrived in front of the house.

  The house wasn’t very big, but it felt warm—full of soft colors and walls covered in old photos. Small flowers grew wild in the front yard, and the sound of trickling water from a small pond in the corner of the yard made the atmosphere even more peaceful. But the peace didn’t last long.

  As soon as the gate opened, Levia immediately ran ahead of Shigeru. With a dramatic movement, she pulled on the skirt of Shigeru’s mother who was watering the plants out front.

  “Mommyy~!” she exclaimed, drawing out a long note like a child complaining about something big. “Shigeru was crying in the Gerbera garden earlier!”

  Shigeru stopped dead in his tracks, his body frozen like a statue. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. Embarrassment, surprise, and the desire to disappear from the world all gathered on his face.

  “Ugh…” he muttered softly, unable to refute.

  Terauchi Kasumi, who was known as a calm and gentle person, immediately turned her face away with a panicked expression.

  “Eh!? Really!? Why is Shigeru crying!? What happened!?”

  Levia turned her head quickly with her hands folded behind her back, holding back the laughter that was about to explode. “Ah, it’s nothing, Mom. Maybe… maybe he was too moved by the flowers.”

  Shigeru, who was completely at a loss for words, could only lower his head and take a deep breath. He knew that this day would be etched in his head for a long time, especially since Levia would never let him forget.

  But when he looked at the Gerbera flowers he was still holding, something felt different. There was a warmth that quietly crept in, suppressing the silence that usually settled in his heart. And for the first time, he didn’t mind if this day kept repeating itself.

  -————-　■　-————-

  Morning in Yomigawa always begins with the sound of a wooden bell from a small shrine in the middle of the village. The sound is soft, almost drowned out by the sound of birds and the wind that creeps in from the mountains. Sunlight penetrates the lattice windows of Shigeru's house, creating warm lines on the cold wooden floor.

  In the kitchen, the aroma of miso and warm tea has filled the room. Kasumi, Shigeru's mother, moves calmly, her hands agilely preparing breakfast while occasionally humming an old song that only the older generation knows. Shigeru sits at the dining table, still with messy hair and a half-asleep face.

  "Shigeru," Kasumi calls out as she hands him a bowl of rice. “Can you go to the market for a bit today? Levia said she wanted to ask for help buying flower seeds.”

  Shigeru nodded slowly. “She could have just asked…”

  Kasumi smiled as she sat down across from him. “But she knows you won’t say no, so why bother?”

  Shigeru just sighed. The statement was too true to deny.

  Several hours later, he was walking along the main street of the village. Small stones neatly arranged since the time of the Tsuyukusa clan still stood strong supporting the steps of its residents. The surrounding buildings were made of old wood with distinctive curved roofs, paper windows and lanterns hanging high. everything looked like a painting of an ancient era that was still alive.

  On some walls of houses and wooden pillars, there were carvings or marks in the form of broken circles. and this was a symbol known as the "Soul Seal", a symbol of the Kagami that had been activated. Some people who passed by even wore a kind of bracelet made of black stone with an elongated pattern called Reiritsu, a balancer of their Kagami resonance. Although no one openly talked about the caste system, the symbols spoke more than enough.

  Shigeru watched all of this in silence. He was used to feeling like he didn't belong in this system, and he secretly liked it. A world that was too full of rules made him want to stay on the edge, away from the center of the crowd that determined who had the right and who didn't.

  "Morning, Shigeru!" greeted an old bread seller who was arranging his wares.

  “Morning, Oyaji-san,” Shigeru replied, bowing his head slightly.

  “You still haven’t… that, huh?” the vendor asked, his voice lowered a half tone, as if talking about a taboo topic.

  Shigeru smiled thinly. “The usual.”

  The vendor nodded slowly, then returned to his bread. There was no pity. No words of encouragement. In Yomigawa, people without Kagami were a fact, not a tragedy. And Shigeru had grown accustomed to living as an outcast without a Kagami.

  As he passed a noticeboard near the intersection, his eyes briefly caught a fresh piece of paper stuck to it. The writing was clear:

  “Beware of Kagami Fragment Fluctuations. Do not approach the western ruins.”

  — Mizunami Village Security Committee.

  Shigeru stared at the flyer for a moment before taking a deep breath and walking again. A thin mist had begun to descend, blanketing the village in a soft silver hue. In the distance, children’s laughter and the sound of water being drawn from an old well could be heard. The air had the soothing scent of wet earth.

  A young mother greeted him while carrying her baby. “Don’t forget to stop by on your way home, Shigeru-kun. Levia brought some cookies.”

  He replied with a thin smile. “Yes, Mom.”

  On the side of the road, two old men playing shōgi glanced at him and nodded. One of them called out, “Next time play against us, kid! They say you’re good at reading patterns.”

  “Tomorrow morning,” Shigeru replied casually, his hands in his pockets.

  This village… was simple. But no one had ever really rejected him. Never chased him away, never blamed him. He wasn’t worshipped, not shunned. Just… seen as he was.

  And maybe because of that, there was a sense of calm there.

  Still, as he passed the old intersection near the shrine, his body shook slightly. Like something had passed through him… a vibration that didn’t come from the wind.

  He turned quickly. There was nothing. Just an old plum tree and wooden ropes marking the shrine.

  But his steps slowed. His heart beat a little faster. There was something… an echo in the emptiness of his chest. Not a sound. Not a shadow. Just a soft urge… as if the world was somehow greeting him from an unseen side.

  Shigeru stared up at the sky that was beginning to change color.

  This evening felt different.

  But he didn’t know why.