Watching Akira being hurriedly teleported away by Selena, Erika couldn't help but speak up.
"…Is something wrong with him?"
He had been acting strange lately.
As she thought back over the past few days, the pattern became clear. When they were with others, Akira acted normally; he talked, reacted, and behaved just like he always had. But whenever it was just the two of them alone…
It was different.
Almost like he was trying to avoid her.
Like he was trying to run away.
He didn't even talk to her the way he normally did.
Erika didn't know what to do.
So she asked, "Why is he avoiding me? Does he not want to be near me? Does he hate me now?"
"Huh… wow."
Selena sounded genuinely impressed.
"You really managed to misread the entire situation," she said, then sighed. "Erika-chan, you know very well he doesn't hate you."
"I know, but…" Erika hesitated.
In her mind, she knew it. Akira didn't hate her; she understood that logically.
But the heart of a girl in love was never rational.
She was still worried.
"Then… why is he avoiding me?" she asked quietly.
Selena let out another sigh.
"He just doesn't know how to properly face you."
"…What?" Erika asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Selena said calmly, "he's in love. In fact, it's his first love. So he doesn't know what to do."
Erika's face instantly flushed.
"W–What…? That's… what?"
"He's not avoiding you because he dislikes you," Selena continued. "He's avoiding you because he likes you and doesn't know how to talk to you the way he did before."
"…Really?" Erika asked softly.
"Really," Selena replied without hesitation.
"It happens sometimes," she continued. "Remember when you were little? There was a time when even you tried to avoid him, just like he's doing now."
"…What?" Erika blinked. "That happened?"
She tried to think back to those days.
When they were little, they were always together. No matter how hard she searched her memories, she couldn't find a clear moment of herself avoiding him.
"But we were always together," she said. "I can't remember doing that."
Selena smiled.
"That's because my brother is an idiot," she said plainly. "He didn't notice you were trying to avoid him and just stuck with you anyway because he wanted to play."
She went on, amused.
"The only times he ever left you alone were when he was training or creating something. And even then, there were times when you would just sit there and watch him without saying anything."
She shrugged lightly.
"So, when you tried to avoid him… it didn't work."
"Then… how did you know?" Erika asked.
"I was always watching," Selena replied. "And unlike my brother, I can tell when someone is trying to avoid someone else."
She tilted her head slightly.
"If I had to give you a specific example, remember that one time when you didn't go out to play, and he jumped into your room through the window just to play with you?"
Erika froze.
She remembered that.
She had forgotten why she didn't go out to play that day, but now it made sense.
Her mother had been really angry back then, too.
"…I see."
She hesitated, then asked,
"So… what should I do now?"
"Just leave him alone for now," Selena said gently. "Or at least give him one night. He'll be fine after he thinks things through."
"…Alright," Erika said quietly.
Selena glanced at her with a teasing smile.
"So, can you sleep in your own room tonight? Without drinking his blood? Or would you get lonely? I could accompany you."
Erika went slightly red.
"I can sleep on my own," she said. "And I can go without drinking his blood for one day."
That only made Selena laugh more.
Meanwhile, Akira lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Lost in thought.
It had been a long time since he had slept in this room. The room itself had been modified for comfort; if he wanted to, he could fall asleep here within minutes.
But right now, he couldn't sleep at all.
Especially when he knew who was in the next room.
For some reason, he just couldn't calm down.
The first thought that surfaced in his mind was simple and instinctive.
"I need to run away."
He sat up, then reached out telepathically.
"Hey, sis. I can't sleep. I'm going out for a walk."
"Sure," Selena replied. "Where are you going?"
"Somewhere I can be alone and relax." He said.
There was a brief pause.
"Alright," she said. "Just come back before sunrise."
"Okay."
Akira ended the call, then jumped off the balcony.
He activated his flight magic and shot into the sky.
A long breath escaped him.
After all that time in the Demon Slayer world, where he couldn't use most of his power, flying like this made him feel like he was finally free.
He accelerated.
The sound barrier shattered as he surged forward, the world below him blurring into streaks of light. The air slammed against his face at supersonic speed, but in this world, with all his power available, it couldn't harm him.
So he sped up even more.
To him, flying like this was freedom.
But if he truly wanted to think alone…
Why not go somewhere where he could really be alone?
Akira slowed to a stop and floated in midair.
He lifted his gaze toward the night sky.
Toward the moon.
Then, without hesitation, he shot forward at high speed.
"Brother," Selena asked telepathically, "where are you going?"
"Just somewhere alone," Akira replied. "Somewhere I can think for a while."
"…Why are you flying toward the moon?" She asked.
"I told you, right?" he said calmly. "I want to get somewhere alone. And I think the moon is a great place to be alone and take a quiet walk."
He paused for half a beat.
"A moon walk, if I had to say."
Selena fell silent for a moment.
"Why are you saying it like you're going for a walk in the park?" She asked. "And how are you even going to get to the moon?"
"Don't worry," Akira replied. "I have a way."
As he climbed higher, something suddenly emerged from his inventory.
A black metal box, lined with white accents, appeared beside him, flying at the same speed.
The box unfolded.
Metallic components warped outward and snapped into place around Akira's body at high speed. Boots formed around his legs, plates wrapped around his arms, and armor segments locked together in a single, smooth motion, assembling into a black-and-white suit.
A triangular arc reactor settled into his chest, flaring bright white-blue as it synchronized with his systems. Power surged through the armor like a living circuit.
The final piece hovered in front of his face.
The helmet rotated once.
Then sealed.
Gold slid into place.
Cyan eyes ignited.
The armor resembled the Iron Man Mark 39.
His Eclipse Armor couldn't handle space travel, but Akira hadn't wasted the years he'd spent in this world. Aside from his robot army, he had built many armors like this. He never managed to build a giant robot; he simply didn't have the time or space, but suits like this were another story.
As the armor fully formed, the boosters in his feet and back ignited.
Blue-white plasma erupted silently, light spilling across the void as he accelerated, a golden streak cutting through space toward the moon.
Behind him, Earth slowly drifted farther away.
"…I forgot you had those," Selena remarked.
"Well, I never really used them much after making them," Akira replied. "So, it's not surprising."
"How long will it take you to reach the moon?"
"If my calculations are right," he answered calmly, "around ten minutes."
As he spoke, he broke through the atmosphere and entered space.
Without slowing, he flew straight toward the moon.
And just as he had calculated.
Ten minutes later, he arrived.
Akira landed on the moon's surface and stepped out of the armor.
He didn't die in the vacuum of space.
He reinforced his body with magic, held his breath, and relied on his mana and his Sacred Gear heart to survive without breathing for a while.
He felt the cold of the moon's surface.
But somehow, it felt more comfortable than he expected.
Akira sat down on a nearby rock and looked toward the distant Earth.
"…Earth really is beautiful."
Now that he was truly alone, he could finally sit here and think, calmly, properly.
He closed his eyes and tried to steady his mind.
But it didn't work.
Every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts circled back.
Her voice.
Her warmth.
The way she had looked at him when she drank his blood.
The feelings that poured into him during that battle.
He couldn't calm down.
"…This is stupid."
He stood up abruptly and kicked the rock he had been sitting on.
It flew off into space, vanishing into the void.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered. "This is so annoying."
He kicked another rock.
Then another.
Before he realized it, he had gone a little wild, punching and kicking rocks across the lunar surface until the frustration finally drained from his body.
When he calmed down again, he walked some distance away and sat down on another rock.
His shoulders slumped.
He didn't know what was wrong with him.
Why couldn't he go back to normal?
It felt strange.
Really strange.
No matter what he did, his thoughts kept returning to her.
He didn't know what to do next.
He wanted to go back to "normal."
But he didn't know how.
For the first time in his life, Akira felt helpless.
He had never felt this way before, not even when fighting powerful monsters. Not even when facing his mother. Because no matter how overwhelming they were, he always knew he could defeat them one day.
But now…
He didn't know how to move forward.
Something in his chest felt ticklish. Indescribable.
Even though he didn't have a heart.
"If this is love," he wondered, "shouldn't I feel happy?"
All he felt was confusion.
Irritation.
Unease.
So, he just sat there, sulking, doing nothing for a long while.
Then, suddenly, Selena's voice reached him telepathically.
"Are you alright, brother?"
Akira almost snapped back with something sarcastic.
What do you think? Do I look alright?
But the words never came.
"…No," he said quietly. "I'm not alright."
"What's bothering you?" Selena asked.
Akira fell silent for a moment.
"…It's too much, sister," he finally admitted. "I feel overwhelmed. I'm scared. I don't like this."
Before he could say anything else, he felt something beside him.
Selena appeared beside him.
Akira looked up in surprise.
"I thought you couldn't leave."
"I can't," she replied. "Think of it like force projection. I can't do it for long."
She stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him tightly.
Even though it was only a projection, Akira could clearly feel her.
Whenever he got upset, when he failed a spell, or broke something important, his mother would hug him just like this to comfort him.
So, when Selena did the same, his body relaxed before he even realized it.
Unconsciously, he calmed down.
"What do you want to do, brother?" Selena asked softly.
Akira was silent for a while.
"…I want to go back to normal."
Selena shook her head gently.
"This is normal. This is the most normal you've ever been, brother. Feeling like this is completely normal. Children feel like this all the time, you're just a late bloomer."
"But I don't like it," Akira said. "I can't think logically. I can't control it. These emotions, these new feelings, they're overwhelming. They're scary. I don't know what I'll do if I can't control them."
"Then don't control them," Selena said.
"That's not funny," Akira said.
"I'm not joking," she replied seriously.
Akira hesitated. "But if I don't control them… I can't think logically."
"Stop trying to be logical," Selena said firmly. "Just for a few days. Don't think deeply. Just… act on what you feel. Only then can you understand it."
"I can't do that," Akira said. "What if I lose control over myself?"
"You can't do anything to stop it now," Selena replied calmly. "So why not let your emotions guide you, just for a few days?"
Akira's breath hitched.
"…And if it's bad?" he asked quietly. "What if I hurt her? What if I do something I can't take back?"
Selena's tone softened.
"Then I'll stop you."
Akira turned and stared at her.
"I mean it," she continued. "I'm always watching you. If you cross a line, if you start acting like an idiot, a tyrant, or someone completely out of character, I'll pull you back myself."
She squeezed him gently.
"You're not alone in this, brother. You don't have to trust your feelings yet."
She smiled softly.
"You can trust me instead."
Akira exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing, just a little.
"…You're really confident."
Selena smirked.
"Of course I am. I'm the Destined One. If I can't even save my little brother, how am I supposed to save all of reality?"
Akira looked at her.
Normally, he would have said something like I'm the big brother.
But this time, he didn't.
He went silent, then looked away again, his voice quieter.
"So you're saying… I can be scared?"
"Yes," Selena replied without hesitation.
"I can be irrational?"
"For a limited time only."
"And I won't… break anything?"
"You won't," Selena said firmly. "I promise you that."
Silence settled between them again.
But this time, it felt lighter.
At last, Akira nodded.
"…Alright."
Selena's smile widened, teasing creeping back into her expression.
"Good. Now go back before Erika starts thinking you hate her."
"…She wouldn't," Akira said.
Selena gave him a look.
"The heart of a girl in love is never rational," she said. "You know she even asked me, crying, if Akira hates her now and why you're suddenly ignoring her if you don't."
"…Really?" Akira asked.
"Yes."
Akira grew a little flustered.
"Then… what should I do now?"
"I told you," Selena replied. "Let your emotions guide you. What do you want to do?"
Akira thought for a moment.
"…I could get her a gift. A souvenir from here. And apologize for ignoring her."
"Not a bad idea," Selena said. "But what kind of souvenir are you going to find here?"
"There are a lot of cool things on the moon," Akira replied confidently. "Don't worry. I'll find something perfect."
Selena smiled.
"Alright. Good luck, brother."
She disappeared.
Akira began searching.
After a while, he muttered,
"Sis… I'm feeling a bit sleepy. I'll sleep here. Can you wake me up later?"
"…Idiot," Selena replied immediately. "You're running out of oxygen. Wear the armor and start breathing."
"…Oh."
Akira put the armor back on and continued his search.
It took almost the entire night.
By the time he finally found the perfect gift.
It was already early morning.