Knock. Knock.
"Oliver… Onii-chan…" Yumi's voice filtered through the door, soft and sweet. "Wake up, or you'll be late for school."
Oliver gripped the talisman tighter in his hand, its surface warm and buzzing with latent energy. His fingers tingled as Qi continued to course into it.
"I'll be downstairs soon; just give me a second," he called back, hurriedly swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. But his gaze remained fixed—on the girl standing on the rooftop across from his window.
As he continued feeding Qi into the talisman, her eyes stayed locked onto him. Not with the obsessive intensity of the girl in his wardrobe—but with the calm, unsettling gaze of an observer.
She wasn't stalking him.
She was studying him.
And suddenly, a cold thought settled in his chest.
What if the two girls weren't connected at all?
They gave off no malice, no killing intent. If anything, they felt restrained—purposeful. It was unlikely they'd act unless provoked... or unless they realized he had noticed both of them.
His mind spun.
I remember now—I did find this oni-kin girl yesterday, he realized. But I forgot the moment I stepped into the seclusion formation. The version of me inside that formation... he remembered things I'd already lost. And when I left, those memories vanished again.
Until now.
But why did I go back to the forest in the first place? He couldn't remember. He only knew what happened after.
There was a moment that flashed in his mind—panic, heart racing. Mika was with me?
Why?
The memory snapped into place like a puzzle piece falling into position.
Trees blurred past.
His lungs burned.
Something roared behind them—vast, monstrous.
He was running, dragging Mika by the hand.
So we ran. But where did she go after? School... right. That's where I saw her next.
He froze.
The girl on the rooftop—she was wearing his school uniform.
Was this connected to school?
If the Dream Pattern had allowed him to grow this far, was it possible others had found it too—long before him? And now, they were watching him. Probing. Preparing.
A cold breath left his lips. He let the thoughts slide away, layer by layer, like a mask being placed back over his face.
He stood and began his morning routine, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
He disregards the talisman, placing it aside. Then, he picked up the sword and unsheathed it briefly, acting surprised and taken aback, before quickly "realizing" he didn't have time for this.
Oliver sheathed it again and put it down when he began to get dressed in his school uniform. He opened the drawers of his wardrobe instead of opening the doors and taking a set already on a hanger.
He ignored the oni right above him as he heard the right panel door creak open slightly, and instead he got up and pushed it closed. "When did I buy all this junk?" he murmured, yawning and looking at his bed.
"I probably overdid it last night."
He grabbed and stuffed the red hanfu and sword into the drawers. He hesitated for a moment, pretending to be unsure about the talismans and pill recipe.
After a brief thought, he grabbed four of them and stuffed them into the inner pocket of his blazer, folding the last one into his pants pocket.
When he finished getting ready, he shoved his hands into his pockets, injecting Qi into the talisman in his left pocket. The action gave him a slightly delinquent look, with his unruly hair and new posture adding to the effect.
But Oliver didn't care about appearances. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, feeling a sudden relief wash over him. His spirit sense had grown, and with it, he could once again perceive the girl on the roof.
The feeling of being blind without the talisman had vanished. He could see her again, waiting for his next move.
Knock. Knock.
"Oliver, what's taking you so long in there?" A mature voice called from the other side of the door, breaking his focus. "Your food's getting cold."
Though he had expected it, a strange sensation filled him.
Thanks to his enhanced spirit sense, he could now perceive his mother's every movement in minute detail. He could see the subtle sway of her skirt as she knocked, the gentle bounce of her breasts, and the piercing blue color of her eyes as they darted toward him.
"I'll be done in a second…" Oliver said, his voice growing tense as his eyes involuntarily lingered on his mother's figure. The vivid image made him uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop using the talisman. The girl outside was too much of a mystery, and with her clearly supernatural presence, Oliver couldn't afford to be careless.
"Hurry up then. Breakfast is getting cold," she said, stretching her arms above her head. Then, seemingly on a whim, she added, "Oh, and I noticed Yumi's acting a bit strange today. Oliver, tell me—did you do something that needs my attention?" Her words were laced with warning, her tone a clear message: You didn't do anything weird with Yumi, right? If you did, tell me now before she tells her father.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Oliver replied, walking toward the door and opening it, revealing the stunning mature beauty standing behind it.
Her blonde hair cascaded down to her shoulders as she let her arms fall from the stretch, the light perfume she wore mixing with the natural scent of her skin. The fragrance almost made him irritable.
For a moment, Oliver's Yang essence flared out instinctively, sending a brief jolt of pleasure through her as the aftershock of his intrusion passed.
She froze, her face flushing slightly as the warmth hit her skin. Oliver noticed the faintest shimmer in her eyes, a brief hesitation before she quickly straightened herself, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her posture became rigid, and she cleared her throat.
"I-Is that so?" she stammered. "Then I guess I'll just have to ask her about it on the way to school." Her voice was softer now, uncertain in a way that was unusual for her. "Anyway, seeing that you're already dressed, why don't you freshen up and meet us downstairs?"
Oliver barely had a moment to process his mother's words before a soft voice called from downstairs. "Oliver, you better hurry up, or I'll eat your share!" Kaito's voice rang out from the kitchen, lighthearted and teasing, as always.