[One Week Later – Tokyo, Japan]
The sky was blue again.
Not blood-red. Not storm-gray. Not twisted with monster fog or flaming sigils.
Just... blue.
Kaito Yamada lay on a hospital balcony chair in a baggy hoodie and sweatpants, munching lazily on Pocky sticks while wrapped in a blanket. His left arm was still bandaged, and his hair looked like it hadn't met a comb in days.
"I'm officially useless," he mumbled.
"You were already useless," Aya Shirogane replied, sitting beside him with a book in hand.
Kaito snorted. "Says the woman who panicked when I opened my eyes."
"I didn't panic."
"You cried."
"I did not cry."
"…Your nose made a weird sound."
Aya snapped her book shut and smacked his forehead. "Don't push your luck, hero."
Kaito grinned, wincing slightly from the movement. But his eyes were full of life.
They sat in silence for a while.
Not awkward silence.
Just peaceful.
Like they were finally allowed to exist without fighting for once.
---
[Kyoto – Shrine District]
Shion Takahama lit incense before a tiny altar.
There were no names on it—just a single folded paper with the number "#1287741."
"Rest well, stranger," he whispered. "You saved me when you didn't have to."
Behind him, hundreds of similar shrines dotted the narrow street.
Japan had decided not to build statues this time.
They had built silence.
---
[Mumbai, India – Dev & Meera's Temporary Residence]
Dev Rajan was fixing a broken ceiling fan.
Meera Sharma was attempting to cook chapati.
Both were failing terribly.
"Dev! How is it still spinning at that demon speed?!" Meera cried.
"You gave it power. It's a sentient entity now."
The fan hummed ominously above them.
Their small flat smelled like burnt wheat and wires, but there was laughter.
Laughter they hadn't heard in weeks.
Then Meera's smile faded just slightly.
Her fingers brushed a small photo frame on the kitchen counter—her brother and her, arm in arm, laughing in a festival years ago.
She didn't cry.
But Dev walked over and gently touched her back.
No words were needed.
---
[Paris – Xavier Institute for Awakened Rehabilitation]
Chloe Wu was doing yoga.
Leonardo Takashi was meditating.
Neither said much. They were recovering in their own way—balanced, serene, detached from the blood they'd spilled.
But every now and then, Leo would open his eyes and glance toward Chloe's shadow—still trembling faintly.
"She's not okay," he murmured.
"But she's getting there."
---
[Moscow – Anya's Apartment]
The vodka bottles were gone.
The piano had been uncovered.
Anya Petrova played softly, fingers trembling, eyes closed.
The melody wasn't Russian this time.
It was a Japanese lullaby.
For someone who never came back.
---
[New York – Live Broadcast: World Council Address]
A unified broadcast aired across the globe.
"Humanity has paid a heavy price," the speaker said. "But we survived. Together."
"To honor the fallen, the World Tower Defense Program will implement mandatory mental health and post-trauma healing periods between trials. From now on, every floor will be followed by a 60-day peace phase."
"The next challenge comes on January 1st."
"But today... we breathe."
---
[Tokyo Hospital – Late Evening]
Kaito sat up on the bed, sipping soup Aya had ordered.
"So... we're married, huh?" he muttered.
Aya didn't look at him.
"Legally, yes."
"Emotionally?"
"...Emotionally, I haven't murdered you yet."
"That's love, right?"
She choked slightly on her tea.
"…You really are annoying."
"I take pride in it."
She finally turned toward him.
For a second, Kaito saw something in her eyes.
Not anger.
Not pity.
Just warmth.
Gentle, quiet warmth.
---
[System Notification – Private to All Awakened]
[System Update: Emotional Stability Checks Passed]
[Rehabilitation Status: 41% Completed Globally]
[Gate Trigger Countdown: 42 Days Remaining]
[Reminder: Gates appear beneath Earth, not within the Tower.]
[Stay alert. Stay ready. Stay alive.]
---
[Ending Scene – Rooftops of Tokyo]
Kaito stepped outside his hospital room for the first time.
He looked up at the stars.
There were fewer now, hidden behind new satellites and protective shields.
But he found one—faint, small, still twinkling.
He raised a can of peach soda toward it.
"To everyone who didn't make it," he whispered.
"To the heroes."
"And to the dumbasses who still gotta save this messed-up world."
He sipped. The breeze brushed past him.
Aya stepped beside him silently.
Together, they looked up.
Together, they healed.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 23]