The laboratory lights had been dimmed as far as they would go, leaving only a few emergency lamps casting a faint glow from the corners.
The air reeked of disinfectant and blood, mingled with something even more pungent. It was the stench of fear, death, and the countless failed subjects who had come before.
Ririka stood in the center of the laboratory, soaked from head to toe and in a miserable state, yet her eyes shone with astonishing brilliance.
Her long hair clung to her cheeks. Water trickled from the ends and gathered in a small puddle at her feet.
Her body was still trembling slightly. Her face remained pale, and her lips retained a faint bluish tint, but she stood with her back perfectly straight. She was like a tree that had just survived a violent storm. Its branches had been stripped bare, but its roots remained firmly planted.
Genichi studied her, a strange gleam passing through his eyes.
The main reason Kirari had been able to become a Spirit Tamer was the Devour skill Genichi had granted her.
That skill allowed her to consume a vengeful spirit's soul and make its power her own.
Without Devour, Kirari would have died long ago, becoming just another corpse stuffed into one of the black bags in the corner.
Ririka, however, was different.
Before undergoing the Spirit Tamer experiment, Genichi hadn't inscribed a Schrift upon her, given her his blood-infused wine, or granted her any skills.
She had become a Spirit Tamer entirely through her own willpower. It was the kind of will forged by struggling on the edge of death, fighting to survive in the depths of despair, and gritting one's teeth in the face of terror.
She had received no assistance from a skill and no support from an outside force. She had done it through her own strength.
In a sense, Ririka deserved to be considered the first true Spirit Tamer.
Kirari had survived through Genichi's power, while Ririka had survived through her own.
The difference was like one person taking an elevator to the summit while another climbed the entire mountain on foot.
Both reached the same destination, but the journeys couldn't have been more different.
"Show me your ability."
Genichi's voice was calm, but it carried a trace of anticipation.
Ririka took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the newborn power inside her.
She had completely devoured the vengeful spirit. Its strength, consciousness, and very existence had all become part of her.
She could feel that power surging within her like a sleeping beast, ready to awaken at any moment.
Then she opened her eyes and looked at Genichi.
In the next instant, his vision went black.
This wasn't the darkness of closed eyes or a room without light. It was absolute darkness, a complete void devoid of all sensation.
His sight had vanished as though someone had severed it.
Nor was it limited to his vision. His hearing disappeared as well. The hum of the laboratory equipment, the dripping of nutrient solution, and the sisters' breathing all vanished.
The entire world fell into deathly silence.
Genichi frowned slightly.
He mobilized his mana and attempted to sense his surroundings, only to discover that even his sense of touch was fading.
He couldn't feel his hands or feet. He couldn't even feel the ground beneath him.
His body seemed to be floating in an endless void with no point of reference and no sense of direction.
Ghostly Blindfold.
Genichi immediately recognized Ririka's ability.
Ghostly Blindfold was a bizarre power capable of stripping a target of their sight, hearing, and even touch.
It didn't physically block the senses. Instead, it acted directly upon them, severing the target's connection to the outside world.
Your eyes remained open, yet you saw nothing. Your ears still worked, yet you heard nothing. You still possessed a body, yet you couldn't feel a single physical sensation.
It was like being locked inside an invisible prison, completely isolated from the outside world.
This ability was even more terrifying than Kirari's Ghostly Noose.
Ghostly Noose could only kill, but Ghostly Blindfold could turn its victim into a lamb awaiting slaughter.
How could anyone fight if they suddenly lost their sight, hearing, and touch? They wouldn't even know where their enemy was.
Genichi mobilized the mana within his body and began purging the abnormal condition.
Mana surged through him like a rising tide, washing over his soul and gradually removing the strange power clinging to his senses.
His vision returned, revealing the laboratory's dim lights. His hearing followed, bringing back the hum of the equipment. Then his sense of touch returned, allowing him to feel the cold floor beneath his feet.
Ririka's face went pale, and a thin stream of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.
Her body swayed, nearly toppling over, but she barely managed to steady herself.
The instant her ability was broken, a violent backlash struck her soul, sending an agonizing pain through her.
It wasn't physical pain. It came directly from her soul, like something had torn open a gash deep within it.
"That's a good ability."
Genichi's voice remained calm, but it carried a note of genuine praise.
Ririka raised her head and looked at him, a shy smile appearing in her eyes.
She didn't know whether Genichi was truly satisfied, whether her ability was genuinely useful, or whether she held any real value in his eyes.
She was merely a woman who had spent her entire life in her sister's shadow. A deeply insecure woman who had never received recognition and desperately wanted to prove herself.
"I lost my sight and hearing. Even my sense of touch disappeared," Genichi said thoughtfully. "If your ability were stronger, I might not have been able to break it on my own."
He was telling the truth.
Ririka was still far too weak. She had only just become a Spirit Tamer and couldn't yet draw out the full power of Ghostly Blindfold.
If she became stronger, developed a greater reserve of mana, and gained more experience controlling her ability, Genichi might not be able to break free so easily.
It might require a much greater price, or he might not be able to break it at all.
A blush spread across Ririka's face at his praise.
She lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers, clearly unsure how to respond.
Compared to her sister, who was utterly unhinged, Ririka was undeniably gentle and sweet.
She stood quietly like a flower that had only just begun to bloom, carrying a touch of shyness, unease, and expectation.
Genichi looked at her, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.
"Your ability is more useful than Kirari's."
Ririka's face grew even redder.
"Th-thank you."
Kirari stood nearby with her arms crossed, her expression composed, though a complicated light flashed through her eyes.
She knew Genichi was telling the truth.
Ghostly Noose was powerful, but it could only kill.
Ghostly Blindfold could strip a person of every sense, reducing them to a helpless lamb awaiting slaughter.
Its value in battle far exceeded that of Ghostly Noose.
Furthermore, Ririka had become a Spirit Tamer through sheer willpower, while Kirari had survived only because of the Devour skill Genichi had granted her.
Genichi hadn't said it outright, but Kirari understood the difference perfectly well.
Haruno stood in the corner, watching the scene as an intense sense of danger rose within her.
It wasn't Kirari she felt threatened by.
It was Ririka.
Kirari might be deranged and dangerous, but to Genichi, she was only a tool. A useful, effective, and convenient tool, but a tool nonetheless.
Ririka was different.
She had become a Spirit Tamer through her own willpower. She was the person Genichi regarded as the first true Spirit Tamer, and she possessed Ghostly Blindfold, an ability even more useful than Ghostly Noose.
More importantly, she was gentle, shy, and obedient. She wouldn't give Genichi headaches the way her sister did.
Haruno remembered how Genichi had treated Kirari before. He had admired and praised her, showing the excitement of someone who had finally encountered a worthy opponent.
But he treated Ririka more gently. There was a warmth in his attitude, as though she were someone who needed his protection.
That difference set off every alarm in Haruno's mind.
She remembered how she had earned her place beside Genichi.
She had relied on money, resources, and the hand she extended when he had nothing.
The Momobami sisters, however, offered strength, abilities, and their value as Spirit Tamers.
If the day came when Genichi no longer needed her money, resources, or assistance, what would she have left? What right would she have to remain by his side?
Haruno's fingers clenched around the hem of her skirt until her knuckles turned white.
She stared at Ririka's bashful face and the rare hint of a smile on Genichi's lips. For the first time, an overwhelming fear surged through her.
It wasn't fear of death.
It was the fear of being abandoned, of losing her value, and of becoming useless.
She had to do something.
"Genichi."
Haruno's voice sounded calm, but he could hear the faint tension beneath it.
He turned to face her.
Haruno walked over, stopped in front of him, and raised her head to meet his gaze.
"I want to become a Spirit Tamer too."
Genichi looked at her, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
Her voice was unwavering.
"The Spirit Tamer experiment is extremely dangerous. You've seen how many people have died."
"I know."
"You could die."
"I know."
Genichi remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"All right, but not yet. I'll perform the procedure after I've refined the experiment further and improved its success rate."
Haruno nodded, relief washing through her.
At least he hadn't refused.
At least he still cared whether she lived or died.
At least she still had a chance.
Kirari watched the exchange, the corner of her mouth curling into the kind of smile that made everyone around her uncomfortable.
"Yukinoshita-san, aren't you afraid of dying?"
Haruno looked at her calmly.
"I simply don't want to be left behind."
Kirari's smile deepened.
"Left behind? Who would ever leave you behind?"
Haruno lowered her head without answering.
Kirari shrugged and said nothing more.
Ririka stood to the side, glancing between her sister and Haruno with confusion in her eyes.
Genichi shook his head, turned away, and resumed writing his experiment notes.
The pen scratched across the paper with focused indifference.
Haruno stared at his back as an unprecedented unease rose within her.
At least, it would never happen in this world.
(End of Chapter)
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