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A dozen minutes later—
After cleaning up the kitchen together with Moka Akashiya, who had joined midway, Max smiled at her.
"Heading out now?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Moka nodded with a smile, pushing down the faint reluctance tugging at her heart.
Parting was only for the sake of meeting again.
Besides, she had already taken up plenty of Max's time today.
They left her place side by side, unconsciously slowing their steps in sync.
The night sky glittered with stars, and the evening breeze was soft and gentle.
Glancing at Max out of the corner of her eye, Moka's gaze flickered. She reached out and slipped her hand around his.
Max looked at their joined hands, then gave her a small smile, as if words weren't even necessary.
Seeing this, Moka's lips curved upward in a delicate, beautiful arc.
Neither of them spoke. They just kept walking quietly toward Suginami, deliberately choosing the quieter backstreets instead of crowded roads, savoring the rare sense of being alone together.
About twenty minutes later—
An empty street.
Max and Moka suddenly stopped.
"What's that…?"
Moka frowned slightly, curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"An evil spirit," Max answered softly.
Not far ahead, a twisted figure drifted aimlessly, slowly drawing closer.
Max's thoughts stirred.The fact that an evil spirit was still wandering meant Li Moka hadn't intervened. Was it because he was by her side?
"So that's an evil spirit? Looks pretty much like the kind you see in movies. Creepy-looking, but not that scary."
Moka wasn't frightened at all. In fact, she seemed almost thoughtful as she studied it.
The spirit seemed to notice that they could see it. Malice instantly boiled over, and it lunged toward them, eager to tear them apart.
Max's eyes narrowed. He raised his right hand, fingers spread, then slowly clenched them into a fist.
Silver starlight glimmered in his palm.
Invisible gravity pressed down from every direction, locking the spirit in place.
With a firm squeeze of his fist, the crushing weight exploded the creature in an instant.
A faint crack echoed as its body dissolved into wisps of black smoke.
The Silver King's authority—control over gravity.
In the world of K, the Silver King usually used this power for floating or flight, not combat. But that was only one possible application.
He had never developed it into a weapon—probably because he wasn't the fighting type.
Each of the seven Kings had unique powers, and after evolving, they became even stronger. But not all of it was useful right away.
Until now, Max had been relying on the Red King's powers to deal with spirits. This time he'd decided to switch things up.
And next time, he'd try something else.Why not? He had plenty of abilities to spare.
"Whoa… what was that?!"
Moka's eyes widened in surprise.
Max lowered his hand and smiled. "Just one of my abilities—gravity manipulation."
"You can control gravity? That's incredible!"
She stared at him in shock.
Even though she had only lived in the human world for three years, she had grown up studying its knowledge. She knew what gravity was—and just how powerful it was to control it.
And this was just one of his abilities.
So how many powers did Max actually have?Her curiosity about him only deepened.
"Come on, let's keep going."
With the spirit gone, they resumed their quiet walk toward her place in Suginami.
Half an hour later—
They arrived at Moka's home.
"We're here…"
She looked at him, eyes tinged with reluctance.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Max teased, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
She blinked in surprise, then quickly brightened.
"Then… come in, have some water, and rest before heading back."
"Sure."
Max nodded with a grin.
Inside, her home was tidy and warm, with just enough furniture to feel cozy—exactly what you'd expect from a girl living alone.
"Max, you…" Moka started to ask what he wanted to drink, then froze, embarrassed.
She had nothing but tomato juice in the house.
"Sorry… I only have tomato juice. Do you want some?"
"That's fine."
Max didn't mind.
"Alright, wait a sec!"
Relieved, Moka hurried off to prepare it, silently promising herself to stock better drinks for next time he came over.
Outside, night deepened.
Twenty minutes slipped away in the blink of an eye.
"Guess I'll get going."
After downing his third glass of tomato juice, Max stood and made his farewells.
"Okay…"
Moka walked him to the door, her voice soft.
"Be careful on your way."
She knew he was strong, but still—she couldn't help saying it.
Not for any reason other than simple care.
"I will."
Their eyes met, and Max gave her a gentle smile, as if he understood perfectly.
"Max… close your eyes."
Her cheeks turned pink as she hesitated, then spoke in a rush.
Max blinked, puzzled, but obliged.
A moment later, soft warmth brushed against him—her lips, tender and shy.
"…???"
Max froze.
Wait a second.This was the second time today he'd been kissed out of nowhere.By the same girl, no less.
Opening his eyes, he wrapped an arm around Moka, pulling her close and flipping the script—from passive to active.
"Mmh—!"
Her eyes widened, but under his insistent kiss she gave in, closing her eyes as her heartbeat raced.
After what felt like forever, they finally parted.
Moonlight stretched across the ground as Max held the breathless, blushing girl against his chest.
He tilted his head, smirking softly.
"Want to go again?"
"N-no…"
Flustered, Moka shook her head, pressing her hands against his chest to push herself back a step.
Her pale face was completely flushed, lips shining faintly.
"T-that's enough. I'm going in… see you next time, bye!"
Like a startled rabbit, she blurted out the words, darted inside, and shut the door behind her.
Leaning against it, hands over her pounding heart, she slowly broke into a dreamy smile.
Back in the world of the Cross and Blood Seal, Li Moka's eyes flickered, cheeks tinged faintly red as well.
Max, meanwhile, chuckled at the sight of Moka's flustered retreat before turning to leave.
Today had been full, and happy—perfect, really.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Inside a single-family house, Miko Yotsuya peeked through the blinds at two spirits drifting outside in the street.
She retreated to her bed, bundled herself up in her blanket, and pulled out her phone, opening her email contacts.
"....."