For the past several days, Sayaka Kiryuu had found her thoughts drifting in ways she did not appreciate.
She was not a woman who lingered on uncertainty. Her life had been shaped by discipline, sharpened by duty. When a problem appeared, she faced it directly. When an enemy stood before her, she cut them down.
But this… was neither problem nor enemy.
It was a question.
A girl in a white mask.
Sayaka sat at the long wooden table inside the clan's great dining hall, though she had barely touched the food placed before her. Lanterns hung from the ceiling beams, casting warm gold light over the crowded room. Laughter rose and fell around her as warriors filled the hall, drinking, eating, and boasting about the coming tournament.
The Clan Leader Members Competition always brought energy like this. Every competitor believed themselves worthy of standing beside the clan leader.
Sayaka had heard it all before.
"Sayaka, you look like you're planning a battlefield strategy instead of enjoying dinner," one of the warriors beside her joked.
Another competitor leaned forward with a grin. "Let her be. She's probably already imagining how she'll defeat us all tomorrow."
Several people laughed.
Sayaka gave a faint, polite smile, but her attention wandered again.
Because she felt it.
A gaze.
Someone watching her.
Slowly, Sayaka lifted her eyes and scanned the hall. Faces blurred together—warriors laughing loudly, servants moving between tables, shadows dancing across the wooden pillars.
Then she saw it.
At the far end of the hall, half-hidden beside a pillar, stood a figure she recognized immediately.
White mask.
Reina.
The girl wasn't speaking with anyone. She wasn't eating or drinking.
She was simply watching.
Watching Sayaka.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then, as if sensing Sayaka's gaze, Reina tilted her head slightly. The faintest gesture—curious, almost playful.
Before Sayaka could stand, the masked girl slipped quietly into the corridor beyond the hall.
Gone.
Sayaka frowned.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
Tomorrow, she thought.
Tomorrow I'll find out who you are.
Morning arrived crisp and bright across the Kiryuu Clan grounds.
The training arena buzzed with anticipation as competitors gathered inside the wide stone courtyard. Elders stood near the raised platform, holding scrolls that listed the participants of the competition.
Dozens of warriors formed a large circle around the arena floor.
Sayaka stood among them, calm and composed, her posture straight and steady.
But her eyes searched.
It didn't take long to find her.
Across the circle stood the girl with the white mask.
Reina remained perfectly still among the competitors, her robes simple compared to the armor worn by others. She looked almost out of place there.
Yet she did not appear nervous.
If anything, she looked… comfortable.
Her gaze rested calmly on Sayaka.
And she didn't blink.
Sayaka's chest tightened slightly.
Why do you keep staring at me like that?
The elder stepped forward and unrolled a long scroll.
"We will now announce the participants of the Clan Leader Members Competition."
The murmuring crowd quieted instantly.
Names began to echo through the courtyard.
"Kaede."
"Ren."
"Haruto."
Each warrior stepped forward when called.
Then the elder spoke again.
"Sayaka Kiryuu."
A wave of cheers erupted from the watching crowd.
Sayaka stepped forward without hesitation.
She did not look toward Reina.
But she could feel those eyes on her.
The list continued.
Until finally—
The elder paused.
"The final competitor…"
He glanced down at the scroll.
"…White Mask."
Silence fell across the entire courtyard.
Confused whispers spread through the crowd.
"White Mask?"
"Who is that?"
"Why would someone compete without a name?"
But Reina didn't react to the murmurs.
She stood quietly among them.
Unbothered.
Her eyes met Sayaka's across the circle.
And again, she did not blink.
The ceremony continued, but Sayaka barely listened.
Because suddenly Reina turned away.
And walked toward the exit of the arena.
Sayaka followed.
The corridors behind the training grounds were quiet compared to the crowded courtyard. The sounds of the ceremony faded behind them, replaced by the soft creaking of wood beneath their footsteps.
Reina walked calmly down the hall.
She didn't hurry.
She didn't hide.
As if she already knew Sayaka would follow.
"Stop."
Sayaka's voice echoed softly through the corridor.
Reina halted.
But she didn't turn around.
Sayaka approached slowly, her footsteps steady.
"Who are you?"
Reina allowed a few seconds of silence to pass before answering.
"Does it matter?"
Sayaka's gaze sharpened.
"You entered our clan's competition without a name. You hide your face. And you appear wherever I am."
Her voice remained calm, but firm.
"I saw you before," she added. "In the forest."
Reina tilted her head slightly.
"So you remember me."
Sayaka did not reply.
Instead, the quiet sound of steel filled the corridor as she drew her sword.
The blade rested lightly against the side of Reina's neck.
Still, Reina did not move.
"Turn around," Sayaka said quietly. "Show me your face."
Reina's voice came soft and amused.
"What if you don't like what you see?"
"That isn't your decision."
Silence stretched between them.
The sword remained steady.
But Reina showed no fear.
"You misunderstand something," she said softly.
Sayaka's grip tightened slightly.
"Oh?"
"I'm not following you."
Reina lightly touched the flat side of the blade with two fingers.
"I'm returning a favor."
Sayaka frowned.
"What favor?"
Reina's voice held a hint of amusement.
"What do people call it when someone does something kind for you… and you return the kindness?"
Sayaka studied her carefully.
"…Repayment."
"Yes," Reina said softly.
Then she added quietly—
"Would you stop me if I said I came only to see you?"
Sayaka's expression shifted ever so slightly.
"Turn around," she repeated.
Before Reina could answer, a voice suddenly echoed down the corridor.
"Sayaka!"
Sayaka glanced back.
Just for a moment.
But when she turned forward again—
The corridor was empty.
Reina had disappeared.
Later that afternoon, the practice grounds filled with competitors preparing for the coming battles.
Steel clashed as warriors sparred across the wide field.
Sayaka was finishing a match when her eyes drifted toward the far corner.
Reina sat quietly beside a wooden pillar, watching.
Not training.
Not sparring.
Just observing.
Sayaka approached her.
"You're not here to rest," she said coldly.
Reina looked up calmly.
"This competition isn't meant for spectators."
Still, Reina said nothing.
Sayaka's tone sharpened.
"People like you shouldn't even be here."
A faint smile appeared beneath the mask.
That irritated Sayaka more than she expected.
"If you think you belong here," Sayaka said, drawing a practice blade.
"Fight me."
Reina stood slowly.
She picked up a blade of her own.
The fight began immediately.
Sayaka attacked first.
Fast. Precise.
Reina blocked.
Dodged.
Stepped closer.
But she never attacked.
Again and again Sayaka struck.
And again and again Reina defended.
"Are you joking?" Sayaka snapped.
"Why aren't you attacking?"
Reina said nothing.
Sayaka grew more aggressive.
Then suddenly—
Her blade caught the edge of the mask.
The white surface split.
A small cut opened on Reina's lip.
Blood.
For a brief moment, Sayaka glimpsed part of her face.
Then—
Reina shoved her backward.
Sayaka fell to the ground.
By the time she looked up—
Reina was already gone.
Deep within the quiet garden, Reina knelt beside a pond.
She dipped her fingers into the cool water and washed the blood from her lip.
The cracked mask rested in her hands.
She examined it thoughtfully.
"Well," she murmured softly.
"That was impressive."
Reaching into her robe, she pulled out several thin silver chains and small metal clasps.
Carefully, she fastened them along the broken edge of the mask, reinforcing the cracked surface.
When she placed it back on, the chains glimmered faintly against the white surface.
Reina smiled.
"Still perfect."
Far away in the Tsukihana Kingdom, chaos had begun.
"The princess is missing!"
Servants rushed through palace halls while soldiers prepared their horses.
Prince Akihiro Tsukihana slammed his hand against a map table.
"The search force we sent never returned," a commander reported.
Akihiro's expression darkened.
"Then I'll go myself."
Outside the room, a young girl listened silently from the shadows.
Later that night, she sat at her desk, writing a letter.
But footsteps approached.
Quickly, she hid the paper.
Back at the Kiryuu Clan, dinner began once again for the competitors.
A male warrior approached Sayaka confidently.
"You're impressive," he said. "Perhaps we should train together sometime."
Before Sayaka could answer—
A calm voice interrupted.
"That sounds unnecessary."
Sayaka turned.
Reina stood there.
The man frowned. "And who are you?"
Reina tilted her head.
"Someone who thinks you should leave."
Sayaka studied her carefully.
"…Why do you care?"
Reina's voice remained soft.
"I don't like sharing."
Far beyond the mountains, a royal search force had begun moving.
And they were heading straight toward the Kiryuu Clan.