I found Nobara near the vending machines at exactly 8:30 AM. She was wearing a casual denim jacket over her uniform, her hair perfectly styled despite the early hour. She was looking at her phone with a slight frown, but when she saw me, her expression shifted—just for a second—into that flustered look from the alleyway before she masked it with a smirk.
"Hey, Alley-Cat," she teased, using the nickname that was starting to stick. "Gojo said you were evolving. You look more like you didn't sleep."
"I… uh… I was wondering," I started, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. "Do you want to go to Harajuku? There's a new cafe. My treat."
Nobara blinked. Her tough exterior wavered, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"A cafe? Like… a date?"
"Say yes, little sorceress," Valthazar murmured at the back of my mind.
"Yeah," I said, forcing myself to meet her eyes. "A date."
She looked away, nudging a stray pebble with her boot. "Well… I need new nails anyway. Fine. But if it's boring, you're paying for my shopping too."
[QUEST COMPLETED: THE DEMON'S REQUEST]
[Sync Rate: 8.2%]
[Skill Level Up: Phantom Step (Level 2) – Distance increased to 5 meters]
The Train Ride
The train ride to Harajuku was torture.
Nobara sat across from me, humming softly while scrolling through fashion blogs. Every time I tried to think of something cool to say, my mind locked up.
"You're nervous," Valthazar said flatly. "I can feel it. Keep this up and she's going to figure it out before you even open your mouth."
'I've never done this,' I shot back. 'Of course I'm nervous.'
"Clearly. You're sitting there like you're waiting for permission to breathe."
I clenched my hands together, staring at the floor.
"If you don't do something," he continued, "she's going to wander off in the crowd and forget you exist."
I glanced up.
Nobara caught me looking and raised an eyebrow. "What? Why are you staring like that?"
"No! I mean—nothing. I was just thinking about the cafe."
Valthazar sighed inside my head. "This is unbearable. If embarrassment could kill, we'd already be dead."
Harajuku
Harajuku hit me like a wall of color and noise. Neon signs. Strawberry crepes. Crowds pressing in from every direction. Normally, I would've panicked.
Instead, I felt… sharp.
Valthazar was quiet, but I could feel him—something old grinding against my nerves, watching everything through my eyes.
Even in the chaos, Nobara stood out. She moved like she knew exactly where she was going.
We slipped into a pink-themed cafe and took a window seat. She talked about boots she wanted to buy, but her eyes kept flicking back to me.
"You're quiet today," she said, leaning forward, chin resting on her hand. "Where's that… other version of you? The one who looked like he didn't care about anything?"
My chest tightened. "He's… resting. Why? Do you miss him?"
Her face flushed. "No! I just—he was different. Confident. You overthink everything, Ren. Even standing here with me."
"She's losing interest," Valthazar said, his voice suddenly sharp. "Let me help."
'No. We had a deal.'
"I'm not taking control," he replied. "I'm just nudging."
Heat flared in my throat.
Before I could stop myself, my hand reached across the table and covered hers.
"I care what you think," I said. My voice sounded like mine—but steadier. "That's why I'm careful. But if you want someone who isn't afraid… I'm right here."
Nobara froze.
She didn't pull away.
"Ren…" she whispered.
[WARNING: SYNC RATE SPIKE]
[Sync Rate: 10.0% — THRESHOLD REACHED]
[New Feature Unlocked: Partial Manifestation]
The table groaned beneath my palm. A thin crack spread through the wood. The crepes on our plates slowly flattened, like something invisible was pressing down on them.
"Easy," Valthazar warned. "You're losing control—and this place won't survive it."
My nose burned. A drop of blood fell onto the white tablecloth.
"Ren?" Nobara's expression sharpened instantly. Her hand slipped toward the hammer in her bag. "Is he pushing you? Look at me."
"I'm not taking over," Valthazar said, his voice vibrating through my chest—audible. "I'm just giving him what he refuses to take."
CRASH
The front window didn't shatter—it disappeared.
Someone screamed.
A man stepped through the dust, Kyoto uniform spotless, blond hair styled with irritating precision. His eyes swept over us like we were garbage.
"So this is the Vessel the Zenin family's worried about?" Naoya Zenin sneered. His gaze slid to Nobara. "And you're… what, his little escort?"
[NEW QUEST: THE ELITE'S CHALLENGE]
Target: Naoya Zenin (Grade 1 Sorcerer)
Objective: Protect Nobara and survive for 3 minutes
Reward: 500 OP & Skill: [Gravity Well]
I stood up. The table snapped in half beneath my hands.
The 10% sync burned through my veins.
"Nobara," I said, my voice overlapping itself. "Stay behind me."
"Like hell I will," she snapped, nails already in hand. "But don't you dare lose to this jerk."
Valthazar laughed softly.
"Good. I was getting bored."
The air in the cafe didn't just feel heavy—it felt like it was turning into solid lead. Naoya Zenin stood amidst the shattered glass, looking at us like we were gum on the bottom of his shoe.
"You're making a mess of my suit, peasant," Naoya said. "Do you have any idea how much a Zenin's time costs? More than your life is worth."
"Ren," Valthazar's voice was a rhythmic thrumming in my blood. "He's fast. But his arrogance leaves openings everywhere. Let me out. I'll wipe that look off his face."
'No,' I snapped internally. My grip on the broken table tightened. 'I'm doing this. Me. Not the demon. If I can't protect her without you, then I'm exactly the loser he thinks I am.'
"So that's it? Pride," Valthazar laughed, a dark, oily sound. "You want to be the hero for your little sorceress? Fine. Try not to die in the first ten seconds. It would be embarrassing for both of us."
"Nobara, get back!" I yelled, stepping forward.
In a blur that the human eye couldn't track, Naoya moved. One moment he was ten meters away, the next his palm was inches from my face. This was Projection Sorcery—he was moving at twenty-four frames per second, turning the world into a stuttering animation.
[ACTIVATING: PHANTOM STEP LEVEL 2]
Zip.
I dodged, but I was a millisecond too slow. Naoya's hand grazed my shoulder, and the impact felt like being hit by a speeding car. I spun through the air, crashing into a row of pink chairs.
"Ren!" Nobara cried out, her hand reaching for her hammer.
"I said stay back!" I gasped, pushing myself up. My shoulder was screaming, likely dislocated. I refused to let the violet glow of the System take over. I wanted her to see me winning.
Naoya chuckled, adjusting his cuffs. "Pitiful. You're sitting on power you don't even know how to use and you use it like a clumsy child. You're, a waste of potential."
He flickered again. This time, I tried to predict him. I swung a gravity-infused fist where I thought he'd be, but he was already behind me. A sharp kick to my ribs sent me sprawling across the floor. I coughed up blood, the red staining the white lace tablecloth.
"You're pathetic," Valthazar hissed, his voice turning cold. "He's playing with you. One more hit and your ribs will puncture your lungs. Give me the reins, Ren. Let me finish this before you get yourself killed."
'I said... NO!' I roared in my mind, even as I struggled to stand.
I charged again, using [Phantom Step] three times in a row. My vision blurred. I was pushing my body past its limits. I managed to land a glancing blow on Naoya's arm, but he simply pivoted and slammed his elbow into the back of my neck.
I hit the ground hard. My vision began to fade to black.
Naoya exhaled slowly, turning away from me.
"Enough," he said, eyes settling on Nobara.
"If the Vessel is this disappointing… let's see how much fight the girl has left."
Nobara stepped forward.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Her fingers closed around a nail.
"Touch me," she said calmly, eyes burning.
"And I'll show you why people scream when they say my name."
Behind her, something inside my chest snapped.
The System screamed.
[CRITICAL WARNING — SYNC RATE UNSTABLE]
[10.0% → 11.7%]
Naoya frowned.
"…What?"
The floor beneath him collapsed inward.
And I smiled through the blood.