The landscape of the vision faded away.
Mochi stood in the middle of a completely dark, unfamiliar space. She couldn't make out anything around her, as if the world itself had been erased.
She didn't know where she was.
But there was something she did know—she wasn't alone. She could feel it.
A presence.
"Who are you?" she said firmly, trying to hide the tension in her voice. "Even if I can't see you, I know you're here. Show yourself now!"
The space trembled.
Not as if something had moved… but as if it had responded.
Then the presence became clearer.
Mochi could pinpoint it.
Right behind her. She spun around sharply—and saw it.
Two enormous eyes floated in the darkness. Golden pupils, shining, locked onto her.
The moment she saw them, she understood.
There was no reason, no awareness, nothing remotely human.
Only hunger. In that gaze, Mochi was nothing more than prey.
The next instant, the creature lunged at her.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
It felt as if the entire world had turned into liquid, as if she were being dragged down into the depths of a freezing ocean. The cold cut through her breath.
Mochi fought with all her strength, moving her arms as if swimming, trying to reach a surface that didn't exist.
But it was useless.
The currents caught her, pulled her deeper and deeper… until her body stopped responding.
And then, everything vanished.
Mochi woke up abruptly.
She shot upright, gasping for air. Her heart pounded violently, and her body was completely drenched in sweat.
"Mochi, are you okay?"
"Does anything hurt, Senpai?"
The concerned voices brought her back to reality.
She blinked several times, disoriented, until she recognized the room… and Haruka and Miyu standing in front of her.
"Mochi…"
"Y-yes… I'm fine," she replied, trying to regain her composure. "It's nothing."
She stood up quickly, as if she needed to move to escape what she had just felt, and headed toward the door.
But Haruka stopped her, grabbing her by the arm.
"Mochi, where are you going?"
"I want to take a bath," she answered without looking at her. "I'm… really sweaty."
Miyu exchanged a glance with Haruka before speaking:
"Do you want us to come with you?"
Mochi shook her head.
"I want to be alone for a while… don't worry."
Without waiting for a response, she left the room and walked through the halls in search of an empty place. Her steps were quick, almost clumsy, as if she were trying to escape something inside her.
Fortunately, the hot springs were deserted.
She stepped into the warm steam and sank into the water. The heat enveloped her body instantly, relaxing her muscles… but not her mind.
Since she had woken up, she felt an intense anger burning in her chest. It was a strange feeling, disproportionate, as if it didn't belong to her.
It was so strong it made her chest ache… as if she were about to break down crying.
She closed her eyes.
Where is this coming from…?
Are these even my emotions…?
Steam rose around her as she tried to sort out her thoughts.
What she didn't know… was that she wasn't alone.
From the doorway, hidden in the shadows, Haruka and Miyu watched her in silence. They had followed her without her noticing, unable to ignore the unease they felt about her condition.
After a long while, the heat of the water began to take effect. Little by little, the tension left Mochi's body, and with it, the intensity of that inexplicable anger.
When she finally returned to the room, she seemed calmer.
"I'm… tired," she murmured. "Mentally exhausted."
Without waiting for a reply, she lay down and fell deeply asleep almost instantly.
Haruka and Miyu stayed beside her, watching her in silence.
"Haruka-san…" Miyu whispered. "What's wrong with Senpai? Is she okay?"
Haruka watched her for a few seconds, making sure.
"Yes… she's fine," she finally replied. "I don't sense any strange alteration in her ether flow."
Miyu frowned slightly.
"Then… why were you so worried before?" she insisted in a low voice. "You said this training method was safe… but when Senpai looked trapped in that nightmare… you seemed really shaken."
Haruka remained silent for a few seconds.
She seemed to be debating with herself. Finally, she spoke.
"Alright…" she said quietly. "As Mochi's companion, I think you need to know this."
For several minutes, Haruka explained everything. From Mochi's encounter with the cat anomaly… to the possession.
Miyu's expression changed completely.
"P-possessed…?" she whispered, looking at Mochi.
Images of Ami appeared in her mind… of how she had been controlled by the fire anomaly.
Her breathing became uneven.
"Is Mochi in danger?! Can the anomaly control her too?!"
Without realizing it, she raised her voice.
"Shhh!" Haruka silenced her immediately. "You'll wake her."
Miyu covered her mouth with one hand, nervous.
"You don't need to worry about that right now," Haruka continued calmly. "At the moment, Mochi is not in immediate danger."
She paused, looking at the sleeping girl.
"But that doesn't mean it couldn't change in the future."
Silence filled the room again.
"That's one of the reasons I need Mochi to become strong… as quickly as possible."
"Are there any precedents of people in the same situation as her?"
Haruka shook her head slightly.
"Not really. There are some cases of agents possessed by anomalies, but they're usually experienced agents who managed to expel them… or cases of people who willingly sought possession to gain power.
But Mochi's case is different."
Miyu listened without taking her eyes off Mochi.
"She was possessed when she knew nothing about this world," Haruka continued. "The only reason she hasn't been controlled is because that anomaly is in a state similar to a coma, which makes it very difficult for it to awaken."
She paused briefly before adding:
"And there's another factor… Mochi uses a weapon created from that same anomaly. I reviewed all of the agency's historical records," Haruka concluded. "There is no case like this."
—
After some time, Mochi woke up. It wouldn't be long before dinner.
That afternoon, Haruka gave them a break from training. Instead of continuing, she simply gave them several tips so they could practice on their own whenever they had time.
One of them proved especially useful.
It was about strengthening the body through ether.
The process was, in theory, simple now that they were aware of how to manipulate their internal energy. In fact, they had already been doing it unconsciously up to that point.
"To achieve it," Haruka explained, "you just need to flood your limbs with ether. That will increase your strength… and also your endurance, allowing you to withstand stronger blows."
"Sounds easy…" Mochi murmured.
"The difficult part is doing it in combat," Haruka added. "Maintaining concentration while an anomaly is trying to kill you… isn't so simple."
After dinner, they decided to repeat the same strategy as the previous night.
Haruka would sleep, while Mochi and Miyu would take turns standing guard.
Before going to bed, Haruka checked on Rin again. The girl remained deeply asleep, motionless… and, just like before, she detected nothing unusual.
Miyu took the first shift.
Mochi and Haruka were left alone once more.
And, just like the night before, Mochi didn't hesitate: she slipped into Haruka's futon and pressed herself against her in search of warmth.
It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
At some point during the night, Mochi woke up.
She needed to use the bathroom.
Leaving the warmth of the futon was torture.
She silently cursed herself for having drunk so much soda during dinner.
She had no choice.
With a resigned sigh, she got up… and then realized something.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Neither Haruka… nor Miyu were there.
Only Rin remained on her futon, motionless.