"The more of yourself you give, the more pieces you leave behind."
Hoshino Residence – Rooftop
April 30, 2011 – 1:20 AM
The city stretched below, bathed in flickering neon and distant car lights.
Barefoot on the rooftop, Souta let the cold night air press against his skin. Above, the stars churned softly—gold and lavender hues swirling in slow, deliberate motion.
One by one, threads of light unraveled from his chest—thin, delicate, barely visible—connecting to the people who filled his world.
Ai. Aqua. Ruby. Happy. Kana. Miyako.
"Not everything," he murmured. "Just enough to make sure none of them ever break."
Behind him, Happy sat anxiously, tapping his paws against the cement.
"You sure about this?"
Souta exhaled, steady. "It's not control. It's trust. It's… letting go."
The light pulsed, gentle and warm, absorbing into the threads like quiet promises.
But down below, hidden in an alleyway, a familiar pair of eyes watched.
His own.
But wrong.
Twisted.
Smiling.
The Next Morning – Breakfast Table
April 30, 2011 – 7:43 AM
Ai rubbed her temples, groggy. Across the table, Ruby, Aqua, and Kana were already halfway through their rice and eggs.
Souta sipped his miso soup, strangely content.
Miyako shuffled into the kitchen, hair a mess, cradling coffee like salvation.
"Mmm. Something smells weird. Not food. Energy."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You okay, Mama?"
Ai blinked, pressing a hand over her chest. "…Yeah. Just—feels different. Lighter."
Souta glanced up, his golden eyes flickering—just for a second.
"I gave you all something." His voice was soft. "A piece of me."
The room stilled.
"You what?" Aqua's eyes narrowed.
"Not control." Souta's tone was calm, measured. "Protection. If anyone ever tries to hurt you… your body will stop it. Just enough. Not too much."
Kana leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands. "So what, we're superheroes now?"
Souta chuckled, puffing out his cheeks playfully. "Only if you wear tights."
Ai tilted her head, her usual warmth giving way to something more serious.
"…Why would you do this, Souta?"
His smile faltered.
"Because something out there knows us," he said quietly. "Something that was once me."
School – Yoyogi Academy Courtyard
11:08 AM
Yukari stood beneath a tree, the wind shifting the edges of her cloak.
Aqua approached, his schoolbag slung over one shoulder, expression unreadable.
"How bad?"
Yukari didn't answer right away.
Instead, she lifted a small handheld mirror.
A fresh crack ran through the glass—thin, deliberate.
Aqua looked inside.
His own reflection stared back.
Blood-streaked hands. A knife. Ai lying motionless.
He tensed, voice like steel. "That's not real."
"No," Yukari admitted. "But it could be."
Silence stretched.
"The reflection Souta left behind… his other half," she murmured. "It's corrupting the mirror stream. It can rewrite what could be—and then force it to happen."
Aqua's fingers curled tight around his bag strap. "So it's shaping futures now?"
Yukari's voice lowered. "It's watching."
Back Home – Ai's Bedroom
6:00 PM
Ai sat alone, dragging a brush through her hair in front of the mirror.
She paused, staring at her own reflection.
And then—
Something moved.
Not her.
Her reflection.
Just slightly.
Tilting its head—though Ai hadn't moved an inch.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Mama?"
She turned sharply.
Souta stood in the doorway.
"…Did you do this too?" Ai asked softly, eyes flickering toward the mirror.
Souta stepped forward, pressing his fingers against the glass.
It pulsed.
Then stilled.
"…It's reaching everyone now," he whispered. "Even you."
Ai knelt, lowering herself until she was eye-level with him.
"I'm not scared of what's coming," she murmured. "But I am scared for you."
"Why?"
"Because you're carrying too much of it alone."
Souta swallowed, voice cracking.
"I just… I want to deserve you."
Ai pulled him close, resting her chin against his head, arms steady around him.
"You already do."
Tokyo Streets – A Stranger
10:10 PM
The man moved through the neon-lit alleyways of Shibuya.
He looked ordinary. Grey hoodie. Black jeans. A cracked watch.
But every glass surface—storefront windows, puddles, mirrors—shifted subtly as he passed.
Watching him.
Mirroring him.
Moving just a second out of sync.
He stepped past a young girl.
For a flicker of an instant—she vanished.
Then reappeared. Frozen, breath shallow, gripping a foreign memory that didn't belong to her.
The man smiled.
"This world owes me a childhood." His voice dripped quiet bitterness. "A mother. A name."
His fingers touched a mirror.
"Let's see how you handle being rewritten, Souta."
Nightfall – The Rooftop Again
11:59 PM
The sky pulsed gently above.
Souta stood alone, the wind teasing through his hair. Happy sat beside him, unmoving.
"They're stronger now," Happy murmured. "But… so is he."
Souta nodded. Eyes sharp.
"Then I'll evolve faster."
Happy tilted his head. "You're afraid."
"…Of what I might have to become."
His fists clenched.
"But I will not lose my family."
A figure emerged from the shadows. Yukari.
"There's one more thing," she said.
Souta exhaled. "Yeah?"
"The Mirror that Walks… it's not just you anymore."
Souta turned. Brow furrowed. "What?"
"It's rewriting others now. Recruiting."
Yukari's expression darkened.
"And it just took its first reflection… from someone close."
Her gaze locked onto his.
"Kana."