"Sometimes, the reflection is the intruder."
The Rooftop – Hoshino Residence
April 29, 2011 – 12:04 AM
The sky hadn't fully healed.
A thin, glinting crack ran through the stars—faint, almost invisible, like a whispered scar in the cosmos.
Ai stood beside Souta, the wind tugging at the sleeves of her sweater. Happy perched on the ledge, silent, his head tilted as if he, too, was watching something beyond the sky.
"You really okay?" Ai murmured, fingers brushing the fringe from Souta's forehead.
"Mm…" Souta nodded slowly. "I just… saw something in my dream. Someone."
He hesitated. "It was me. But not this me. A version I locked away."
Ai studied him quietly, searching for the weight in his voice. But she didn't push, didn't pry.
Instead, she offered something gentle—something steady.
"Then maybe it's time you unlock him."
Yoyogi Academy – Hallways
April 29, 2011 – 9:13 AM
Classes continued like nothing had happened. But every student knew that wasn't true.
The mirrors were gone.
Vanished, erased, like the school itself had rejected them.
Teachers dismissed it as "a weird art project," but everyone knew better. Yukari wasn't just a transfer student anymore.
Kana leaned closer to Ruby during homeroom, voice hushed.
"Something's wrong. I swear I saw myself walk past me this morning—but she didn't blink. And… she smiled."
Ruby's throat tightened. "Like a reflection?"
Kana nodded, pressing her arms close.
Across the room, Aqua tensed. Souta sat quietly behind them, cradling Happy against his lap.
And Happy whispered.
"Someone's here."
Souta stilled.
"Who?" he murmured.
Happy's ears flicked.
"You."
Souta's pulse quickened.
"Not this you."
Tokyo Underground Station – Mirror Tunnel
1:04 PM
Yukari moved down the station steps alone.
The Mirror World hadn't disappeared. It had escaped.
Reflections weren't confined anymore. One had found a crack.
One had stepped out.
And now, it had a body.
As she passed a pillar, her own reflection peeled away from the concrete, emerging into the dim station light. It wore black, sleek, its silver eyes fractured like shattered glass.
"You failed to bind them," the reflection murmured.
Yukari didn't blink. "I never intended to."
The reflection tilted its head.
"Then you'll be the first broken."
The shadows curled.
And they lunged.
Back at the School – Courtyard
3:42 PM
Souta sat beneath the sakura tree, Happy warm against his arms. The petals fell soft around them, catching on his sweater like tiny weights.
"Do you ever wonder…" he murmured, "if I'm going to mess up?"
Happy glanced up. "You mean… again?"
Souta exhaled.
"I made people forget about you when I was scared. I sealed you so deep even I couldn't see you for years. And now… something else has gotten out. Something I used to be."
Happy jumped down, standing fully, as himself.
"But I forgave you."
Souta's throat tightened. "What if he doesn't?"
Happy reached up, placing a small hand over Souta's larger one.
"Then we make him."
Hoshino Residence – That Evening
8:51 PM
Ai sat cross-legged on the couch, flipping absently through a photo album. Ruby and Kana were in the kitchen, rustling through popcorn bags.
Aqua stood at the window, eyes tracing the city lights.
Souta stepped into the room, his voice measured.
"Everyone… can I ask something?"
They turned toward him.
"If you could be strong enough to protect yourselves—even without me around… would you want it?"
Ai frowned, closing the album. "Souta…"
"I mean it." His voice wavered slightly. "If something happens—and I can't be there—I don't want you to be powerless."
Ruby crossed her arms. "You're scaring me."
Kana peeked from the kitchen. "Are we in danger?"
Souta exhaled. "Maybe. Maybe not. But I won't gamble. I want to share what I have."
Aqua's voice was calm, knowing.
"You've been training again."
"Yes."
Souta turned his palm upward, breath steady.
"And now I can do it. I can give you just enough. Not to break the world—but to make sure you're never broken."
Ai stood slowly, walking to him, her hands soft against his.
"Only if we stay a family," she murmured. "Not gods. Not monsters. Just us."
Souta swallowed, his eyes burning.
"That's all I ever wanted."
Final Twist – A Mirror's New Face
Unknown location – Mirror Space
The fractured reflection—the Souta who never smiled—wore a new face now.
He had possessed someone.
A civilian? A friend? A god?
Unknown.
Now, he wandered beneath Tokyo's neon skyline, blending effortlessly, his new skin fitting too well.
He caught his own reflection in a store window and grinned.
"Let's see if the world loves this version of you more…"
The screen flickered.
And somewhere in the distance—Ai's voice ghosted through Souta's mind.
"Don't let your old self steal your new family."