Hiyori reached out and caught it, still in shock. But before she could even speak, the world around her changed again. Her vision warped—the colors vanished, everything turning flat and lifeless. It took a second for her to realize what had happened. The world hadn't turned black and white—she, the little girl, and Billy had become part of a picture drawn on paper.
"Okay, I believe you! You have the power!" Hiyori cried out, panic clear in her voice.
Billy gave a small nod and snapped his fingers once more. The paper world vanished, and in the blink of an eye, they were back above the clouds. Hiyori let out a shaky breath, her shoulders easing as she realized she was no longer trapped.
"…Can you snap your fingers and bring the dead back to life?" she asked quietly after a moment, her voice softer this time. The question caught Billy off guard, leaving him silent for a few seconds.
[You can, but there are limitations. It would be best to grow stronger before attempting to bring the dead back to life.]
"I can," Billy said. "But I should grow stronger before dealing with the dead. I don't want to risk bringing anyone back as something less than human. But don't worry—if you join my crew, you'll have one hundred percent of my support." He looked at her seriously, since after all, what he was planning was to give her great power, and trust was important.
Hiyori looked into his eyes, searching for any trace of deceit. But there was none. His gaze was clear, grounded, and unwavering. If he was lying, then he was far too good at for her to tell.
"Then, I will join your crew," Hiyori said at last, her voice firm, her eyes filled with determination.
Billy smiled, a genuine one this time, pleased by her answer. Without saying anything more, he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. His other palm faced the pink-haired girl, and from her body, something began to form—an odd, swirling mass that condensed into shape before landing in his hand.
When it finally solidified, Billy looked down to find a strange fruit resting in his palm.
"What is that? Toko, you're not smiling," Hiyori said, her voice filled with disbelief as she turned toward the girl. Toko blinked, confused, and raised her hand to her face. For the first time in years, her expression was filled with fear and confusion—her constant smile was gone.
"I can give you the power to do something similar," Billy said, his tone serious as he looked directly at Hiyori. "But for that to happen, I'll need complete trust. What I'm offering isn't something small—I'll be giving you a part of my power."
His words left Hiyori speechless. She looked between Billy and Toko, the reality of what had just happened leaving her too stunned for words.
"You can do that?" Hiyori asked in shock. "You have my complete trust. I promise on my honor as a samurai's daughter!" she declared, her expression filled with determination.
[To make her your Herald, a close connection must be formed. A handshake will suffice, though the process will take time. The closer the contact between you, the faster the connection will solidify. However, if that bond is ever broken, the process must begin again from the start.]
'Sigh, see, this is why it has to be all females. It's not because I'm horny—it's because of things like this,' Billy thought, shaking his head.
[You just realized that now. Besides, a handshake would only take thirty minutes—not exactly a long time.]
"A kiss," Billy said aloud, looking straight at Hiyori. "A connection is needed; otherwise, it won't work. That's why I mainly want females in my crew—since, well, I'm not kissing guys."
His words came out shamelessly, completely matter-of-fact, but Hiyori's face flushed bright red, caught between embarrassment and disbelief at how casually he said it.
"W-what? A… a kiss?" Hiyori stammered, her face instantly flushing red.
"You never had a kiss?" Billy raised a hand to cover his mouth, trying and failing to hide his amusement. The teasing glint in his eyes made it even worse, and the red on her face deepened until it nearly matched her kimono.
Her embarrassment only fueled his laughter. Billy couldn't help it—he laughed out loud, and Hiyori's lips pressed into a pout as tears began to well up in her eyes. The moment he noticed, he quickly stopped.
"Hey, hey, don't cry," he said softly, waving his hands slightly as he tried to cheer her up. He had completely forgotten that, despite being twenty-six, Hiyori was still a bit of a crybaby at heart.
Seeing him scramble to fix what he'd caused, Hiyori couldn't hold back a small laugh of her own. Her pout softened, and a light smile replaced it. Billy sighed in mock defeat, his turn to pout now. How was the 15-year-old here?
Billy was completely caught off guard when Hiyori suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was quick, but it carried a strange, almost otherworldly warmth that spread through her body. For that brief moment, everything else seemed to fade away.
Hiyori pulled back, her eyes wide. She had never felt anything like that before. There was something powerful in that kiss—something flowing between them. She could feel it clearly, a faint surge of energy that seemed to connect their very beings. But since the kiss ended too soon, the connection broke before it could fully form, leaving only the lingering sensation of what could have been.
"We have to kiss longer than that," Billy said with a small sigh. Hiyori blinked, still caught off guard, but she understood. That brief moment had been enough to show her the truth behind his words—and, in all honesty, she didn't mind.
Realizing the difference in their height, Billy snapped his fingers, and his... body shifted slightly until they stood eye to eye. At 6'7, she was tall. Without another word, the two leaned in again, and this time, they kissed properly, their connection deepening as the bond between them began to form.
At first, there was no tongue, but as Hiyori felt the power flowing through her… she lost control of herself and began licking Billy's lips, which drew out Billy's tongue, leading the two tongues to play around with each other.
Billy's hands wrapped around Hiyori, grabbing her ass, and playing with it while pulling her closer into his arms. Hiyori let out a soft moan, her arms wrapping around Billy, pressing their bodies together, all while the innocent little girl watched this sight in horror as the two had forgotten her existence….
The kiss lasted for five whole minutes, neither of them pulling away until the connection between them finally settled. When they broke apart, Hiyori's face was flushed a light pink, her breathing unsteady as the lingering warmth faded.
Then, suddenly, Hiyori's mind went blank. A strange rush of awareness filled her, like countless threads weaving together within her soul. Her body tensed slightly as something inside her awakened—an understanding that was deep, instinctive, and absolute.
Music. It was music that had always defined her, and the shamisen had been her lifelong companion. Since childhood, she had poured every emotion, every ounce of focus into mastering it. Through joy, grief, and everything in between, she had never stopped playing.
Now, that dedication had taken form. The shamisen was no longer just an instrument to her—it was an extension of herself. She could feel its strings, its rhythm, its essence flowing through her veins as if it were part of her being. And it didn't stop there. The same understanding spread further, touching every kind of instrument—drums, flutes, bells, and beyond. Each one resonated with her will. Everything that could create music now answered to her.
"What is this?" Hiyori asked, her voice soft but filled with awe. She lifted her hand, and as if guided by instinct, willed something into existence. In her grasp, a shamisen formed.
She held it gently, her fingers brushing the strings before she began to play. The first note that rang out was unlike anything she had ever produced before. The sound was pure—soft yet powerful—and it carried a weight that stirred something deep within the soul.
Each pluck of the strings filled the air with a resonance that felt alive, almost divine. It wasn't just sound; it was power turned into music, the kind that reached into the core of existence itself. Reality seemed to hum in harmony with her, the very world reacting to the melody as if celebrating the beauty of the sound she created.