The older figure and the bulkier one stood face to face with Future, demanding an explanation.
"Future, I understand you may have your reasons for letting this occur, but as arbiters we can't ignore something like that. You know what will happen if we report this further."
"I know, but at the same time I wonder, would my comrades do something like that?" Future said with a finger at her mouth thinking.
Both of them fell silent, locking eyes for a moment.
"Sigh… You say that like you don't already know the answer." The older figure slowly shook his head.
"Right! You've saved our skins more times than I can count. Turning on you now would leave a bad taste." The bulky figure glanced at his companion, then at Future.
Future smiled as the emergency vehicles pulled in, sirens still lingering through the air.
"As for the reason I allowed this, I fear, is beyond your understanding—for now. But know this: even I, who glimpse the futures of many, will one day be blinded by the future of Irina's exis," she said, turning her back to them as she prepared to face the police.
At Sato's apartment, Irina went straight to the bedroom, exhausted from the battle, refusing to explain anything about who Future and the others were while Sato collapsed onto the sofa.
"What a disaster… That maniac killed so many people, and he would've killed us too. Just thinking about it makes me sick…"
Sato laid on the couch and soon drifted off to sleep, opening his eyes again, being in Puppeteer's world.
"This world again…I wonder where Puppeteer is?"
Looking out into the distance, he spotted her house and decided to go there. Once he arrived, he stepped through the strange portal again only to find the place completely empty. The only thing inside was a mannequin, crouched low, tracing invisible circles on the floor.
"Hey Puppeteer…what are you doing?" Sato approached her.
The mannequin flinched, turning its head.
"I thought Irina told you to not talk with me anymore…"she said with a saddened tone.
So she heard what Irina told me…
"It's true that I told Irina I understood her, and that I wouldn't talk to you anymore… but the truth is, I can't just accept everything without seeing it for myself first." Sato scratched the back of his head while giving her an awkward smile.
The mannequin stood up and got closer to Sato.
"She's only worried you might be an enemy. But from what I see, you don't strike me as one. In fact, I think there's more between you two than you let on… though I suppose you're not planning to tell me anything, am I right?"
"Yes…unfortunately I can't tell you anything…" Puppeteer looked the other way saying this, with a glimpse of regret.
"In this case, I guess even if you are bound by the rules of this competition…Tell me, if you want me to believe you completely, are you willing to answer two of my questions?"
For a moment there was silence, but after that the voice spoke again.
"Very well, I'm gonna answer as sincerely as I can!"
Hmm…she seems serious about this.
"Alright then, first question: do you mean harm to me and Irina? Basically… are you an enemy?"
This is everything he wants to know? Anybody can lie very easily to this kind of question,
"No, I don't want to cause either of you any kind of harm."
"Good, in this case here is my second question. Are you a hero as well and I don't refer to a hero in this competition, a hero in general?"
"I—am not a hero, either in this competition or in general."
…That pause felt a little suspicious, but in the end it doesn't matter. All that matters is that she doesn't want to cause us trouble.
"Alright, this is everything then."
"Everything…this is everything…Pff…" She put one of her hands to her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, but she couldn't—eventually she burst out laughing.
"Naive, so naive, asking these kinds of questions that anybody could lie with ease!"
Sato felt a little ashamed hearing her laugh.
"Tell me Sato, what makes you think that everything I have said is true, that I don't plan to cause you any harm?"
"Because, if you wanted to hurt me, you would've already done it."
Once he said that, she stopped laughing; nothing could be heard for a while, until she laughed again.
"Yes, yes you are absolutely right!"
Suddenly, the mannequin went rigid. From the bottom up, particles of magic shimmered across its form, and as they dissipated, they revealed the girl he had only glimpsed the last time he was there. She ran forward, stopping right in front of him, and took his hand.
"It seems like you decided to show your true colors." Sato gave her a warm smile, happy that she decided to show him her true form.
"I can't stay hidden forever."
Puppeter smiled brightly at him, overjoyed by his trust, and because of it, she chose to reveal herself.
"You are naive, Sato… but even so, you have a good intuition for finding the right path. Promise me something, promise me you won't let yourself be deceived by any bad person."
"I wasn't planning on being deceived from the start."
"That's the spirit! Now that we've resolved this…"
The ceiling of the house vanished, and the walls collapsed all at once, giving way to a brand-new scenery. The space that once was fractured and broken now stretched an endless green hill. The sun blazed bright in the sky, and in the distance stood a single lone tree.
"Shall we play?"
For a while they played together: tag, jump rope, red light, green light, and so on, as if time itself didn't pass in that place. When exhaustion finally caught up to them, they both decided to rest, leaning against the tree.
That felt way better than I thought it would…For a moment it made me forget completely about what happened yesterday…what happened yesterday…
"Puppeteer… Do you think you can help me with something?"
"Help you?"
Sato then proceeds to explain to her about the maniac and how the figures that appeared save them, how he felt weak knowing that he can't do anything and that Irina is not planning to give him any tips to become stronger.
"Very well then I am gonna give you a tip or two, just stop me if you don't get something."
Sato was overwhelmed by joy when he heard that, although Irina didn't want to tell him anything, Puppeteer is willing to teach him new things.
"If you want to grow stronger, you must first understand what you lack and how to improve it. In your case… it's everything."
"Everything?" Sato's eyes widened in surprise at her blunt words.
I didn't think I was that weak…
"Still, there are ways to improve. And since you've already opened all of your mana circuits, you'll be able to train far more efficiently."
With a flick of her fingers, Puppeter made the mana around them visible.
"Even if you've passed the hardest part, don't underestimate how difficult training mana is. Our soul is directly tied to the mana circuits, the stronger the circuits, the stronger the soul. And how do we train them? Simple…"
Puppeteer raised a finger.
"The physical circuit, strengthened through exercise. It expands your mana pool."
"So the physical one is just… training my body? That at least makes sense."
She lifted a second finger.
"The mind circuit, sharpened by studying mana and magic. That's what allows you to conjure more complex spells."
Ugh… I just hope there is nothing complex
And finally, a third finger.
"The spiritual circuit, trained through meditation. It deepens your understanding of mana itself."
"Wait…meditation? Do I really need to do it—"
Puppeteer chuckled softly before continuing.
"At the same time, you shouldn't underestimate any circuit. Neglecting one directly affects the others. Too much mana without knowing how to control it means you can't handle it properly. And learning a powerful spell without enough mana to sustain it means it will never reach its full strength."
"This already sounds like too much work…"
"It's not that hard. Close your eyes, I am gonna help you improve your spiritual circuit!"
As Sato listened, he closed his eyes, feeling a gentle pressure on his back. Puppeteer leaned against him, closing her eyes as well.
"Right now your mana in your body is scattered chaotically. I'm going to guide it, so just focus on meditating."
And so they sat in silence, time itself seeming to stand still as they meditated together…
"I don't feel anything."
The moment she heard this, Puppeteer swung forward and smacked him hard on the back.
"I told you to meditate! It's normal not to feel anything at first, so shut up and let me do my thing!"
"Alright, alright…" Sato chuckled nervously, though his back still stung from the blow.
After a while, they finished, both standing up and stretching a little. Sato began to notice his body turning more and more transparent.
"I guess it's time for me to go… Well, I hope I'll see you soon."
"About that… I'm afraid I won't be able to see you for a while," Puppeteer said, her voice tinged with sadness.
"I see—Does it have to do with the competition?"
She nodded in affirmation.
"In this case I guess this is goodbye for now…"
But why now… just when I finally found someone who is willing to help me…
Puppeter smiled, as if she had read the regret in Sato's mind about not being able to see her for a while.
"I had fun…more than I've ever had with anyone else. And… I can't wait for our next meeting." She hesitated at first, placing a hand over her chest, then slowly, a smile blossomed on her face—pure and radiant.
"C'mon now, you're already making this harder than it needs to be… Until we meet again, Puppeteer."
"Yes! Until we meet again!"
With that, Sato vanished, only to wake up on his couch once more, as before with a single tear trailing down his face.